The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-04
Striking Cloakmakers, Rendered
Desperate by Hunger, Resort
a@- to Violence.
They Roughly Handle workmen
Who Took Their Places
in the Shops.
Two Employers Also Feel the Fury Of
Starving Men--Piti~ble Case eE
Suicide.

New YoRK, July 8 1t has been, feared for
some time that starvation would force the
striking cloakmakerS to acts of violence.
These fears we're realized to-day. It has
been matter of common notoriety for
several days past that these unfortunate
people have actually been in awful straits
and not few have been confronted with
the necessity of leaving their homes for
lack of money to paw rent. Last night
several families were out on the
streets all night and the men
this morning were driven to the point OF
them went over to their old workshops.
They massed in front of Meyer, Jonasson II
Co.'s place and the Mercantile Cloth
company, two of the largest establishments
in the city. Joseph Lereburger, buyer in
the employ of Meyer-Jonasson came down
the street. When the strikers saw him they
badly beaten before he managed to escape
from the mob. The success of the attack
upon the first victim seemed to turn
usually peaceful men into body of riot
ers. They ran down to Jonasson's store.
The front doors being open, q few of the
Charlie Bu:sner, % and in neaea second @ e he V wss
receiving the same kind Of blows which fell
upon Lerburger. William Wasner, an
operator. Joseph Roedelheimer. q packer,
and Bookkeeper Sims were the next
TO-. to receive similar treatment as
that that 14.,sns accorded the the t.a..a ether two
they drew weapons and the strikers ded.i
The mob next gathered around cloak
maker named Kunze. He did not get away
SO easily az the other men. When the po-
lice, who had been notified, came running
down the street the strikers scattered, but
they left Kunze on the sidewalk bleeding
FFf1y h01 To SSn hSe tnN
They must have kicked him, as his injuries
were serious. 5@Sr5g-
All this time another detachment of
strikers had been busy two blocks below.
They were men who had been in the en-
ploy of the Mercantile Cloak company, and
front of Meyer, Jonasson & Co.'s and
waited for the soab workmen to come
along. They were rewarded just before 8
O'Clock when they surrounded two men,
struck them half dozen times and then
chased them up stairs. The mob was then
scattered by the police. While all this was
cloakmakers collected at the corner Of
sIrvington and Eldridge streets, determined
to obtain work or prevent the bosses from
employing non-union workers. Samuel
Villet, Pole, had about a score of men
making cloaks for him He did not like
locked and barred his door. About i1:3O
when the crowd was largest, villet
and his employees were startled by crash.
The strikers had broken open the door and
mob of about thirty, led by Abraham
Rosenburg, rushed in upon them. They
demanded that all hands stop work, and
meeting with no success, began to threaten
and intimidate Villet and his workmen.
The strikers threw out of the windows the
plush cloaks being made. Pandemonium
reigned, and the streets in that vicinity
were filled with surgirg mass of people.
Villet became terrorized, and after receiv-
ing an ugly slash across the right
eye with a knife, he whipped out a
revolver and fred two shots.
One bullet lodged in the back Of Abraham
Rosenburg and with shrek he staggered
out to the street. At this moment the po-
lice arrived. They captured Villet and
eighteen other persons and carried them off
to Jail. Rosenburg was removed to the
hospital, where he lies in precarious con-
dition.
Tonight two hundred Jews on the east
side mobbed the driver of loaded cloak
manufacturers truck on which also rode
policeman. The latter caught the mob
leader and let his club fall on his head SO
often that he collapsed and the crowd skunk
away.
Opposed to the Blacklist.