The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-04
D.
WAR in LAFAYETTE
Property Owners Oppose the
Construction of New
Trolley Lines.
MISS oLAPRoss IN A HOLE
Threats of Bloodshed at Many
Points = To Abolish the
Jigger.
MISS oLAPROsS IN A HOLE>

Some of the citizens of Lafayette are
waging bitter war against the Consoll-
dated Traction Company. They declare
that at any cost the company snail be
prevented from running trolley cars
through Johnston avenue, Pine street
and Communipaw avenue over the line
that has been run for the past two or
three years by 'Old" John Goss and his
one-horse car.
The employees of the company yester-
day morning began setting up poles and
Immediately met with opposition. The
first shovelful of earth had not been
turned in the first hole, which was in
front of No. 349 Johnston avenue, before
word was sent to Miss M. Clapross, ex-
ecutrix of the Clapross estate, of which
No $40 is a portion, and she hurried to
protect her property. She lives on the
HILL and by the time she arrived the
men had completed the hole and were
about to set pole in it,
RIGHT IN IT
Miss Clapross protested, but the men
kept right on with their work. She
threatened Sweeney, the foreman of the
gang but to no avail. Finally, finding
that they were determined to so ahead
In spite of her, she jumped into the
hole and stayed there for four hours.
The men made several attempts to get
her out, but were unsuccessful. In the
meantime they had been at work across
the street, and in spite of the protests of
the owner of the property, who was not
so persistent as Miss ClaproSS, they
erected q pole.
No protest was made. against the plac-
ing or a pole on the rthwest corner of
Johnston avenue and Yhiton street, but
being be W bloodshed. Theh roperty is owned
by Michael Laneton. Fhe .fiagging ex-
tends to the curb, andt1o dig the hole a
fiagstone had to be rel, owed. The hole
the sidewalk. Mr. Ian ton protested,
and the foreman told him to mind his
business. Lancton gave him short
space of time in which to get the pole off
his sidewalk and to quit work, and inti-
mated that if his demands were not COM
piled with there woulG be bloodshed.
The two nearly came to blows, and final
ly Sweeney decided to move the pole.
Leonard ]. Kaiser's place at No. 3S9
Johnston avenue was next tried but the
workmen were not even permitted to re-
move the tagging there. Two more pores
were erected on Johnston avenue in the
face of strong protests and then the
music began afresh on Pine street.
James Salmon of No. 124 Pine street
was the first to protest. He would not
allow the men to begin work before his
property and after a hot argument with
the Traction Companys Representatives
he persued them to let his property
alone for the present. To show that
they have not given up the fight, how
ever, they left a pole lying in front of
MORE VIOLENCE THREATENED.
The gang succeeded in placing several
poles in position in front of vacant lots
around to object. They began work in
front of the Consolidated Express Com
pany's stables on Pine street near Laf
ayette street. The Express Company
Several of the expressmen thereupon
expressed their determination to do
the first man that attempted to prose-
cute theN work. Sweeney tried to go
ahead but was driven away and his bodi-
ly health was seriously threatened He
picked up large rock to defend himself
but was persuaded not to use it. The
employees of the Express Company get
ting tired of watching the place drove
a wagon over the spot where the hole
had been started.
All along the line the same resistance
was met with and the company only
succeeded in setting a very few of the
poles.
DETERMINED OPPOSITION.
Jersey City. News" Reporter made
a tour Of Laf!ayette this morning. Every
Gus protests against the trolley line.
one Of them. id-"Why shouldn't we
object? The line is of no use to us and
is only opened that the company may
hold the streets" Miss Clapross was
found sitting on a low stool over the
told the reporter that she had had
man guarding it all night and that she
would sit there all day if necessary to
keep them from erecting the pole;
They thought she said that they
could get the best of me because I am
only weak woman, but 1 will show
them that woman can defend her
rights as well as a man.
Miss C1apross and Lancton will serve
injunctions on the Consolidated Traction
Company restraining them from seizing
their property. Miss ClaprosS declares
that when she protested yester-
day the foreman insulted her and that
ii was only by jumping in the hole that
she could Stnn him from pniflcr ahaad