Only the Drums Remembered: A Memento for Leschi
Tacoma, Washington: Ralph Chaplin. Printed by Dammeier Printing Co., Inc., 1960. First edition. Pamphlet. SIGNED. 31 pp. Octavo [23 cm]; saddle-stapled, printed wrappers. Signed with a written dedication by the author's wife in neat blue cursive ink on the first blank: "In memory of | Ralph Chaplin | March 22, 1961 | Edith Chaplin | Denver, | 1964." Some light dust soil to covers and small bump to the top corner. Near Fine. Item #69316
The author's lifelong companion, Edith Chaplin, has signed and dedicated this work: "In memory of | Ralph Chaplin | March 22, 1961 | Edith Chaplin | Denver, | 1964." Edith, also a commercial artist and political activist, was Ralph's lifelong companion. The two were married on August 2, 1906, in Chicago, Illinois, and they had one son, Ivan "Von" R. Chaplin. Edith Chaplin a.k.a. Edit Ida (Medin) Chaplin (b. Sweden 1886 - d. Tacoma, WA 1967).
This work is Ralph Chaplin's epic poem devoted to the Nisqually Chief, Leschi. Ralph Chaplin (1887-1961) was a prominent IWW leader, and editor of the official Wobbly newspaper, "Industrial Solidarity," when the organization was at the height of its power. Chaplin also produced many illustrations, political cartoons, and graphics (including the iconic black "Sabo-Tabby" cat) for the IWW and other related movements and publications. He was one among many Wobblies arrested and sentenced to the penitentiary for his opposition to World War I.
From the prologue: "Becoming Chief of the Nisqually and allied tribes by stress of war, Leschi waged a protracted battle against both the United States troops and Washington Territory volunteers, but refused to war against settlers. Finally defeated, he surrendered to Colonel Wright under promise of protection. Afterwards betrayed, he fell into the hands of Governor Isaac I. Stevens, who refused to respect his parole, had him tried for murder. He was convicted (on perjured testimony) and hanged—as base an outrage as ever perpetrated in the annals of Indian warfare. He lost his whole fortune and his life fighting for homes for his tribe, which were finally given them, while he lingered in prison before his execution. —From an eyewitness report by Ezra Meeker, Pioneer Reminiscences, 1859."
According to Maria Pascualy's article on Chaplin, "[He] did everything early in his life. He became a socialist as a teenager and married his lifelong companion, Edith, at age 18. Both were commercial artists and political activists. At age 22 Chaplin traveled to pre-revolutionary Mexico. He wrote of hearing dictator Porfirio Diaz's execution squads from his apartment windows and of witnessing the inhuman living conditions of the poor. His loyalties were with the revolutionary Emiliano Zapata and others like him who "were seeking to establish freedom in human affairs not only in Mexico but throughout the world. Chaplin soon returned to Chicago where he befriended Mexican exiles and began a pattern of life that involved constant travel to fulfill his political work. His little family, which now included son Von, provided the emotional and often the financial support this very passionate man needed. Through the years, Chaplin made money by working in commercial art studios with Edith, painting portraits, or in poorly paid positions with labor organizations. It was a hand-to-mouth existence but one he described joyfully in the last article he published: "At all times—on the soapbox, on the picket line, and even in prison—we were aware of being part of something more important than our own unimportant selves, a Cause worth living for, and if needs be, worth dying for." —Quoted from: Washington State Historical Society. "A Witness To History: The Life and Times of Ralph Chaplin" by Maria Pascualy. Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History. Summer 2001: Vol. 15, No. 2. (https://www.washingtonhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/summer-2001-pascualy.pdf).
Price: $150.00