Tom Copeland is the author of
Elmer Smith, who is documented in this collection, was a progressive lawyer in Centralia, Washington who defended the Industrial Workers of the World members arrested following the Centralia Tragedy of 1919. Smith was a high school teacher before becoming an attorney. As an attorney he represented IWW members, loggers and miners. After hearing rumors of a planned attack on their IWW meeting hall, several Wobblies consulted with Smith about whether they had a right to defend themselves and their hall. Their previous hall had been attacked the year before during a parade. Smith contacted Washington's governor and the IWW's asked for protection from Centralia law enforcement. However, both attempts were denied as were IWW member efforts to plead for justice from town residents. Smith then advised the Wobblies it would be legal to physically defend themselves if attacked first.
On November 11th, 1919, under the guise of an Armistice Day Parade, American Legionnaires attacked the Centralia IWW hall. IWW members shot and killed four Legionnaires during the attack and wounded several others. A posse later mistakenly killed one of their own. IWW member Wesley Everest fled the scene, killing one of the men pursuing him, and was put in jail. That night,he was pulled from his cell by a group of vigilantes and lynched on a bridge above the Chehalis River. Ten men, including Smith, were arrested and tried for murder during a trial that was heavy with fear and intimidation. Seven men were found guilty and one was judged insane. Smith was acquitted and spent the rest of his life advocating for their release. He was harassed, arrested and disbarred for his work. He was reinstated before he died.
Labor Archives of Washington, University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, Tom Copeland research materials on Elmer Smith and the Centralia Tragedy, 2021-001, box number, folder number
The collection is arranged in the following series and subseries:
This collection contains Tom Copeland's research materials on Elmer Smith, attorney for the Industrial Workers of the World involved in the Centralia Tragedy of 1919. These materials were used by Copeland in the writing of his book,
Collection contents include Copeland's research notes as well as reproductions and originals gathered by Copeland from family members and archival repositories of news and magazine clippings, pamphlets, correspondence, and other primary sources, including papers and photographs from Elmer and the Smith family. The collection also contains several scholarly papers and manuscripts, including a draft with notes from Virginia Waddell, Smith's daughter, of her in-progress biography of her father. Other research materials include correspondence between Copeland and people who knew Smith as well as a large series of oral history interview materials, including correspondence between Copeland and interviewees, paper and digital copies of transcriptions of some of the interviews, and analog and digital audio recordings of many of the interviews.
See the Arrangement Note for a full list of series and subseries. More detailed description of each series is also included in the collection inventory, integrating Tom Copeland's notes on the collection when available.
Preliminary inventory with rough intellectual arrangement was created by Conor Casey based on a donor provided inventory by Tom Copeland in May of 2019. Initial rehousing of the collection and an improved, detailed inventory description was created by student Vida Wang in January 2020. Processing archivist Crystal Rodgers arranged the collection intellectually into series and subseries, using the donor provided inventory from Tom Copeland as a guide, and integrated this description into the archival finding aid in March and April 2020.
Forms part of the Labor Archives of Washington.
No restrictions on access for paper-based materials; however, no user access copies are currently available for audiocassettes or 7" reel. Users may obtain a reproduction of the media for a fee by contacting Special Collections. Access to CD-ROMs can be arranged by making an appointment with the Labor Archives curator prior to viewing. Contact UW Special Collections for more details or to request an appointment.
Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.
Harvey O'Connor, 1972 (Biographical sketch of Elmer Smith); Tom Copeland, 2019.
Contains assorted research materials gathered by Tom Copeland, some reproductions from archival repositories as well as originals. Pamphlets located in Series 1 include:
Includes original notebook of Coll's 1928 handwritten open letter to the American Legion and pamphlets regarding this letter.
Includes copies of
Includes Waddell's notes.
Contains Copeland's research notes on Elmer Smith's disbarment files held by the Washington State Supreme Court with photocopies of Plaintiff's exhibits of two of Smith's speeches used to disbar him and Defendant brief in support of Smith.
Contains note on Copeland's
Transcript of radio broadcast in the 1940s on his life and the Centralia case
Contains document to nominate various sites in Centralia to the National Register of Historic Places.
Contains photocopies and Copeland's notes, including typed and handwritten transcriptions of some articles.
Contains copies of Finnish newspaper with articles covering the Montesano trial.
Contains copies of the
Includes notes from the Smith family bible indicating birth and death dates of family members, Elmer Smith's death certificate, a copy of a high school essay on ethics written by Smith, his business card, a portion of a poster when he was running for Prosecuting Attorney with his signature, and a Macalester College Debate Society program.
Contains letters to and from Copeland and members of Smith's family and others who knew him, providing information about Smith's life and feedback on Copeland's draft manuscript before and after publishing.
Correspondence to and from Edward Coll, including conversations with Tom Copeland.
Correspondence between Elmer Smith's son Stuart and Tom Copeland
Copeland conducted a number of interviews with people who knew Elmer Smith on cassette tapes and transcribed them. Later, Elmer Smith's grandson digitized many of the tapes and transcriptions onto two CDs. Most of Copeland's interviews were taped, but some were not and exist only as transcripts or notes.
Interviewees and relation to Smith:
Includes photograph of Lucy.
Includes photograph of Mabel and daughter Dorthy Jean West
Includes photograph of Mary.
2 tapes
2 tapes
2 tapes
7" film reel
2 tapes
1 tape
1 tape
2 tapes
1 tape
2 tapes
2 tapes
1 tape
1 tape
1 tape
2 tapes
1 tape
Contains 2 cd-roms with digital copies of interview transcripts and mp3 files of interview audio recordings for many of the individuals mentioned above. It is possible that these cds contain materials and recordings that only exist in digital form from interviews with individuals not listed above.