Sergeant Leonard

Eleven years ago in the Regina headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, big-nosed, big-eared Sergeant John Leonard clicked his spurs in his Inspector's office and was given an extraordinary order. Sergeant Leonard went home thoughtfully, put away his uniform. For several days he did not shave, did not wash. Then, calling himself "E. W. Esselwein," he appeared at the Communist headquarters in Regina and swore his devotion to the Red cause.

He ran errands, distributed pamphlets, drummed up recruits among the factories. Communists trusted E. W. Esselwein. He did not trust his memory but wrote everything down. Later he was chosen secretary of the Regina branch of the Communist party and had the job of handling the code messages of the secret Z branch of the party.

Last week nine Communists were on trial in Toronto charged with "unlawful conspiracy and sedition." They jumped in their seats when their old friend "E. W. Esselwein" entered to give testimony, once more clean shaven and buttoned into the scarlet tunic of Sergeant Leonard.

Firmly gripping the rail of the witness stand Sergeant Leonard testified that the secret Z branch of the Communist party had been voluntarily given up in 1927. At the beginning Canadian Communists were subsidized from Moscow. To spread Soviet propaganda Moscow sent them $3,000 (little more than a U. S. manufacturer would spend for one full-page advertisement in the New York Sunday Times). When Canada reported a membership of 5,000, Moscow replied that the organization ought to be self-supporting in future and promptly scolded the Canadian comrades "for deficiency in boxing and stone throwing," suggested morning and evening practice with brickbats at a target 25 ft. away. The sergeant explained that his career as a Communist was cut short three years ago, when Tim Buck, president of the party in Canada suspected his sincerity.

Commented the Scripps-Howard World-Telegram:

"Sergeant Leonard did his job well. . . . Yet there is something more precious than freedom from sedition and that is freedom from mistrust in human relationships."

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