Biography
The July 1937 Southern Worker identifies Edward Baker among three Black turpentine workers forcibly returned to William Knabb's camp at McCleny, Florida. Arthur Smith testified that he, his brother Alfred and Edward Baker left for better-paid work offered by William Boyd at Coleman. Knabb refused the new employer's offer to settle their commissary debt. Knabb employee Edward Hall then used a pistol to force the three back to the Knabb camp. Four operators faced federal peonage proceedings before Judge Robert T. Ervin, who denied a defense directed-verdict motion. This is documented armed forced-labor recapture and confinement, not merely an unpaid wage dispute or a criminal charge against the workers. The headline refers to two victims while the testimony names three; the discrepancy is preserved. Alfred is identified only by given name as Arthur's brother, so a surname is not invented. Exact recapture, release and completed duration remain unknown. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/southernworker/v5n16-jul-00-1937-sw.pdf#page=13
