evicted from company houses. He told dramatically of the shooting or murdering of thirty-eight men, women and children, and not one indictment had been brought against the mine owners. Lawson was indicted for the killing of John Nimo, a mine guard, who was shot down in an open battle between miners and mine guards. Lawson was not within several miles of the scene, but he was indicted because he was in charge of the Ludlow tent colony, and they trumped up a charge that he was responsible for all the acts of the colony. He declared that Las Animas county was owned body and soul by the corporations. In proof he showed that although in the past 23 years over 1000 miners had been accidentally killed, not one resulted in a damage suit in favor of the miners' families. All the court officials had been in the pay of the corporations. The sheriff picked the jury. There was no jury box, but he drew a venire of 75 men prejudiced against Lawson, and of these the twelve worst were placed on the trial jury. Then he told of how the jury was coerced to bring in the verdict of guilty. Mr. Hayes concluded his masterly speech by enumerating the demands of the Colorado miners, all of which were based on Colorado laws that were not being lived up to by the mine owners. He severely arraigned Rockefeller, and recited a poem that he had composed, based on Rockefeller's expression, "My Conscience acquits me." He was given thunderous applause." UMWA President 1917–1919 During his tenure on the UMWA executive council, he unsuccessfully ran for governor of Illinois on the ticket of the Socialist Party of America. When UMWA president John P. White resigned in 1917 to take a federal government job, Hayes was elected president to succeed him. Hayes' tenure as UMWA president was not an effective one. He was not a firm leader, and lacked administrative abilities. His health deteriorated quickly during his presidency, probably due to alcoholism. By 1919, he turned most of his duties over to John L. Lewis, who was named the union's acting president. Hayes resigned the office of president in 1920. Although he retained a position and salary as an international field representative, he retired to Colorado. Labor songs and poetry During Hayes retirement to Colorado he wrote labor songs and poetry (much of it