Diemshitz in Manchester March 1891

[Chris Scott]

Diemshitz was present at, and speaking at a meeting at the International Workingmen's Club (IWM) in Bury Road, Manchester on 21 March 1891. One of the other speakers was named Feigenbaum...!
Chris

Freedom - A Journal of Anarchist Socialism
April 1891

THE COMMUNE COMMEMORATION
Manchester
At the I.W.M. Club, 25 Bury New Road, March 21st, a public meeting in memory of the Paris Commune was held. Speakers: Shure, Diemshitz, Feigenbaum, Stockton and Barton. The club was crowded to overflowing, so that the late comers had to remain on the stairs. A resolution was passed condemning the French Government of '71 against the Commune, and further, all present were appealed to for help to take revenge upon the brutal capitalists, under whose rule the Communards were slain. The meeting closed with singing "The Marseillaise" and with three cheers for the Social Revolution. Much literature sold, including three dozen of our new pamphlet.

This shows that he was still in the country (i.e. had not emigrated) and was still using the same name just two weeks before the 1891 census, so I'll be looking for him again!

[Sam Flynn]

Hi Chris,

Search for Lewis Cuahcheslitz in the 1891 Census - bit of an odd spelling, and clearly a mis-transcription. I seem to remember "Diemslitz" as one of the variants of "Diemschutz" in some accounts - could "Cuahcheslitz" be another?

[Suzi]

Hmm the spelling is a tad odd here

[Chris Scott]

Hi Gareth
many thanks for the pointer
Having looked at Cushshealitz (that's how I read the name from the original sheet) I think we can discount his being Diemschutz:

1891
31 Osborne Street, Whitechapel
Head: Lewis Cushshealitz aged 35 born Servia, Russia - Purse maker (Leather)
Wife: Riva aged 25 born Poland, Russia
Son: Morris aged 3 born Moscow

1) His age in the court case in 1889 is given as 27 but here, 2 years later, he is listed as 35
2) His trade does not tally with that of 1888
3) His son would have been born in 1888 and is listed as born in Moscow

All the best
Chris

[Sam Flynn]

Purse maker (Leather)

Ah - it was "leather"! Couldn't quite make out that scribble, nor the age of his son. When I saw "purse maker" I thought it mightn't have been much of a hop from hawking cheap jewellery to making cheap "accessories" for the discerning, hard-up woman

[Natalie Severn]

Interesting Chris.It must indeed have been a headache for the Government if Diemschutz and others in the Berner street Club were commemorating the French Commune of 1871.The communards then had built barricades in the streets of Paris and large swathes of the population of Paris supported them and joined them in battle to the point where the government of France were terrified of a repeat of the earlier French Revolution of 1789.The uprising was dealt with very harshly.The leaders of the communards were taken to Pere La Chaise cemetary and shot.You can still see the where the bullets peppered the walls with holes.
So after Bloody Sunday in Trafalgar Square 1887, these Berner Street affiliations would have been viewed with great concern!