They roused the suspects from their sleep and took them into custody. The police raided the James Street Labor Temple, surrounding it with 500 soldiers and members of the Royal North West Mounted Police
(RNWMP). Police also raided the Ukrainian Labor Temple and offices of the Western Labor News. RB Russell, John Queen, George Armstrong, Roger Bray, AA Heaps, William Ivens, Bill Pritchard, and Dick Johns were charged with conspiracy to overthrow the government by force. These men were of British origin and were prominent leaders in the local and regional labour and socialist movements. They had gained the respect of Winnipeg’s working class citizens through many years of hard work, and their supporters would come to their aid after the arrests.

Four more men were apprehended by the police on June 17 – <--caption--> Matthew Charitonoff; Mike Verenczuk (mistaken for Boris Devyatkin); Oscar Schoppelrei; and Solomon (Moses) Almazoff. These men were radicals who were active in their communities but not prominent in the day to day leadership of the General Strike. The Citizens’ Committee and the government brought them before immigration officials.
It was their intention to deport them. They were targeted because they had eastern European names. Authorities were desperate to blame the strike on “enemy aliens.”

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Residences of the Arrested Strike Leaders