The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-04
CRAZED BY HUNGER.
New York Striking Cl0akmak-
ers Riot i'm the Streets.
THE FURY or STARVING MEN.
"Scabs" and Their Employers Set Upon
and Savagely Beaten-Police to
the Rescue.

for some time that starvation would force
the striking cloakmakers to acts OF vio-
lence. These fears were realized today. Ii
has been a matter of common notoriety Tor
several days past that these unfortunate
people have actually been in awful straits,
and not a few have been confronted with
the necessity of leaving their homes Tor
lack oil money TO pay the rent.
Last night several families were out IN
the streets all night, and the men THIS
morning were driven to the point OF desper-
alton and about 200 of them went over to
their old workshops. They massed in front
of Meyer, Jonasson & Company's place
and the Mercantile Cloth Company,
two of the largest establishments in the
city. Joseph Lerburger, buyer in the en-
ploy of Myer, Jonasson d Co., came down
on the street. When the strikers saw him
they made rush at him and Lerburger was
badly beaten before he managed to escape
from the mob.
The success of the attack upon the first
victim seemed to turn the usually peaceful
men into mob of roughs. They ran to
Johnson d Co. s store, and the front doors
being open, few of the boider
ones entered, seized the office
second he was receiving the same kind OF
blows which fell upon Lerburger. William
Washer, an operator, Joseph Roedel-
heimer, packer, and Bookkeeper Sims
were the next to receive similar treat
ment as was accorded to the other two.
Two Italians were then attacked, but they
drew weapons and the strikers fled.
The mob next gathered around cloak
maker named Kunze. He did not get
away so easily as the other men. When
the police. who had been notified, came
running down the street the strikers scat
tered, but they left Kunze on the sidewalk,
bleeding from half dozen severe cuts in
the head. They must have kicked him, as
his injuries were serious.
All this time another detachment OF
strikers had been busy two blocks below.
They We're men who had been III the en-
pIoy of the Mercantile Cloak Com
pany, and they gathered there
just as they did in front OF
Meyer, Jonasson & Co.'S and waited for
scab workmen to come along. They were
rewarded just before o'clock, when they
surrounded two men. struck them badly
half dozen times and then chased them
upstairs. The mob was then scattered by
the police.
While all this was going on an angry mob
of striking cloakmakers was collecting at
the corner of Irvington and Eldridge streets,
determined to either obtain work or pre-
vent the bosses from employing
non-union workers. Samuel Villet. a
Pole, had about a score OF men
making cloaks for him. He did not like
the looks of the strikers. and accordingly
he locked and barred his doors. About
II 80, when the crowd was largest. Villet
and his employees were startled by crash.
The strikers had broken open the door. and
a mob of about thirty. led by Abraham
Rosenberg, rushed in upon them. They
demanded that all hands stop work, and.
meeting with no success, began to
threaten and intimidate Villet and the
workmen. The strikers threw out
of the windows plush cloaks being
made Pahdemonium reigned, and the
streets in that vicinity were filled with
surging mass of people. Villet became
terrorzsd and after receiving an ugly
slash across the right eye with krife, be
whipped out revolver and fired two shots.
One bullet lodged in the back of Abra-
ham Rosenberg, and with a shrek he stag
eered out on the street. At this moment
the police arrived. They captured Villet
and eighteen other persons and carried
them off to Jail. Rosenberg was removed
10 hospital. where he lies in precarious
condition.
Tonight 200 Jews on the east side mobbed
the driver of loaded cloak manufacture
er's truck, on which also rode policeman.
The latter caught the mob's leader and let
his club fall on his head SO often that ne
collapsed and the crowd skunk away.