Biography
Wilbur Howard was one of six men jailed in Sioux City during September 1939 raids on Communist organizers following a private political meeting at the Jackson Hotel. Carl Martin’s letter identifies Howard, Bob Carson and Martin as arrested in a 2:30 a.m. raid on Ted Baer’s home. Police seized political literature and correspondence and initially held the men on open charges. The International Labor Defense obtained their release on September 13 on $500 bond each after charges were brought under Iowa’s criminal-syndicalism law. The letter establishes an arrest and detention, but no later verdict or sentence. Source: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/new-masses/1939/v33n01-sep-26-1939-NM.pdf#page=24
The September 14 Associated Press dispatch on printed page 6 (PDF pages 6 and 14) names Wilbur Howard, age 53, of Sioux City among six arrested in Sioux City on accusations described as inciting government hostilities. Iowa Communist Party officials denied advocating overthrow of the government. The article also prints Carl Friedman, Rudy Holly and Joe Phillips. The context supports the Carson and Baer name variants in the established cohort. Its reference to accusations the preceding day conflicts with another newspaper's September 14 arrest report and the independently recorded September 13 release; this article does not settle those chronology conflicts or justify overwriting existing custody dates. No new judgment or additional detention episode is established. Source: https://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1939/di1939-09-15.pdf