Biography
R. M. Lell was one of eight union and labor-defense organizers jailed after a North Charlotte raid in September 1929. The September 13 dispatch published September 14 names the group and reports pending ILD habeas proceedings. Authorities accused them of conspiring to arm workers against interference at a South Gastonia meeting and added sedition allegations. The newspaper describes the jailing of Lell and Saylors, earlier kidnapping witnesses, as obstructing investigation of mill-company violence. These are reported accusations and defense interpretations. Page three places the raid the preceding night, while page one creates a September 12–13 timing ambiguity; no unqualified exact arrest day or release is stored. Complete custody duration remains unknown. The body prints R. M. Lell, while the identified photograph caption prints C. M. Lell; the conflicting initials are preserved for future identity work. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1929/1929-ny/v06-n163-NY-sep-14-1929-DW-LOC.pdf#page=3
Page 1 recalls the Gastonia kidnapping and near-killing of Saylors, Ben Wells and the man printed C. M. Lell. This corroborates the existing Lell assault context while preserving the C. M./R. M. initials discrepancy. It does not supply an additional separately dated judicial imprisonment. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1929/1929-ny/v06-n213-NY-nov-12-1929-DW-LOC.pdf
