Biography
Ben Boloff, from Portland, was described as an "illiterate Russian alien and ditch digger." He was sentenced to a term of ten years in prison under the Oregon criminal syndicalism law "merely because he was a member of the Communist Party." In prison he contracted terminal tuberculosis and was denied any medical attention. On January 20, 1932, after fifteen months behind bars, he was released on bond by order of a local circuit judge. An eyewitness at the release hearing described Boloff as "hollow cheeked, haggard, and coughing." He died in the summer of 1932.
