- Catonsville Nine
The Catonsville Nine were nine Catholic people who burned draft files to protest the
Vietnam War . On May 17, 1968 they went to the draft board inCatonsville, Maryland , took 378 draft files, brought them to the parking lot in wire baskets, dumped them out, poured homemadenapalm over them, and set them on fire.They were:
*FatherDaniel Berrigan , aJesuit priest
*Philip Berrigan , a former Josephite priest
*Bro. David Darst
*John Hogan
*Tom Lewis, an artist
*Marjorie Bradford Melville
*Thomas Melville, a formerMaryknoll priest
*George Mische
*Mary Moylan, a formernun .Fr. Philip Berrigan and Tom Lewis had previously poured blood on draft records as part of the "Baltimore Four", and were out on bail when they burned the records at Catonsville.
The Catonsville Nine were tried in federal court October 5-9, 1968. The lead defense attorney was
William Kunstler . They were found guilty of destruction of U.S. property, destruction of Selective Service files, and interference with the Selective Service Act of 1967.Fr. Daniel Berrigan wrote, of the Catonsville incident: "Our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, the burning of paper instead of children. . . ."
"The Trial of the Catonsville Nine" (play)
Fr. Daniel Berrigan wrote a play in
free verse , "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine," about the trial. The version performed is usually an adaptation into regular dialogue by Saul Levitt.In 1972 a film version of the play was produced by
Gregory Peck .Documentary
A documentary film about the event,
Investigation of a Flame , was produced in 2001 by the filmmaker Lynne Sachs.ee also
*
Protests of 1968 External links
* [http://c9.mdch.org/ Fire and Faith: The Catonsville Nine File]
* [http://www.investigationofaflame.com DVD on the Catonsville Nine]
* [http://www.brdaviddarstcenter.org A retreat center that honors the inspiration of Br. David Darst, one of the Catonsville Nine]References
* Berrigan, Daniel (1970). "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine". Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 0-8070-0549-5.
* Lynd, Straughton; & Lynd, Alice (Eds.) (1995). "Nonviolence in America: A Documentary History". Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.
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