Biography
Douglas identifies this St. Paul draft resister as arrested on June 7, 1917. Conviction followed on July 2 and a one-year civilian sentence on July 5; bail and appeals intervened before later service of the sentence. The initial arrest is not treated as continuous imprisonment through the appeal. William R. Douglas, The Germans Would Court-Martial Me, Too: St. Paul’s World War I Socialist Draft Resisters, Minnesota History 55(7), Fall1997 pp286–301, original PDF page 5. Source: https://storage.googleapis.com/mnhs-org-support/mn_history_articles/55/v55i07p286-301.pdf#page=5
After the Supreme Court affirmed the draft convictions on January 7, 1918, Douglas reports that this defendant actually began serving the civilian sentence at St. Cloud on February 9. The nominal one-year term is not a verified complete duration served. William R. Douglas, The Germans Would Court-Martial Me, Too: St. Paul’s World War I Socialist Draft Resisters, Minnesota History 55(7), Fall1997 pp286–301, original PDF page 8. Source: https://storage.googleapis.com/mnhs-org-support/mn_history_articles/55/v55i07p286-301.pdf#page=8
The St.Paul report individually lists JoeArver as out on bail after refusing draft registration. This contemporary bail status confirms that the initial arrest and later sentence service were separated by time outside custody; it is not proof of uninterrupted imprisonment throughout the appeal.
International Socialist Review, July1917, vol.XVIII no.1, PDF page 15.
