The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-13
LAUNDRY BESTS STRIKERS.
OWNER'sPOLICE MIG HTSTICK CONES
INTO PLY.

Hot FlatIrons and Boiling starch Also Used In
RepellinE the Assnult-Strikers Finally
henten on with the Help OF the Police and
One, q woman. Arrested and Fined $40.
On the fourth floor Of tho building In the rear
of II Crosby street is the laundry Of Hans Han
sci. Behind q post at the head OF the second Of
the three flights of stairs hangs q full.
police nightstick. 1t has hung there for many
years, as Mr.. Hansel will cheerfully explain,
ito BIO ready by an emergency of troubles"
The nightstick came down from its nail yes
terday. THE emergency of troubles had ar
rived.
Hansel's laundry is a place where newly made
shirts are sent by the manufacturers to DO
starched and ironed before they are put on sale.
Tho Shirt Ironers and Laundry Workers Union
was organized q. little while ago. In order to
keep its self-respect and prove its right to mem.
bership in the glorious army of organized labor
it determined to strike. II Is said to have had
a grievance" Of some sort against the en-
ployers, but as the membership of tho union
Is divided between Poles, Italians. Germans and
a few, very few: Irish, the question OF settling
upon n unanimous and official grievance has
been deferred for linguistic reasons. e
The union had nothing against Hansel. Some
Of his hands had been with him for sixteen and
eighteen years, and were satisfied to stay with
him for the rest Of their lives. The unions
complaint was not against Hansel, but against
his employees.
Besides the twenty or more veteran hands in
ers' own sort, newly landed foreigners. These
new men and women were inclined to strike.
Tho w VETERANS shs sr Saei9 the shoP id to go VIE HGs s] ct enSsi
laughter:
OF strikers numbering 200. and marched on tho
Crosby street laundry to force Hansel to chase
the veterans out.
Koerncr,. then wo will, that's al"
Mrs. Hanse! grabbed the nightstick from ita
top step Of the stairs as Koerner appeared at the
"Hinaus:gehenI", she commanded, and waved
the club. Koerncr hesitated Il moment, and then
from Ton P beSisd. 'G HHttio F S1 shn ss'i the y lsa q rSs q
"Kommi Komml" she shouted to those be-
hind t They T came P%shin f, KoeFner up the stairs
with the nightstick. she missed and the girl
caught the stick in both hands and twisted 10
away. by this time the boss himself was at his
wite's sioe. They we're swept back to tho wall.
head with the club. The invading host turned
flight were Matteo Zurlo and Tony La Roeca.
Matteo had the long-handlod stove shovel and
d dgHy lo oas the the PSS sad of A the st the% w on t aToM lSSai
with "a savage crew. Of bare;armed men and
women. Every one:ot them had a fntiron in
II turned back on tho boss and his wife. The
boss had recovered the club and was doing his
best TO crack Koerner's skull. Mrs. Hansel and
Hattie we're rolling on the floor under foot.
Everybody kicked at them as they rolled. The
kicked at Hattie and half the Kicks Of both sidcs
went wrong. Down from the top step came -
l aiEht Of '%tiati IRONS ,o They ye re- hot Ian Screams bn and
came "A tin pail Of hot starch,
'Goot! Goot!" howled The boss. Meier
more OF us as of dem. Kin dem! Kill DENT
Meier mindt U.S.,
ley Of hot irons and another bucketful or
,GoP!T FS9'i" yelled the boss More more
From the regions below came a wall OF do
SPAR.
As by magic the fight ended. The stairway
loading from the floor OF BATH was chokcd with
ingitivcs. They fought each other In their
Come now, Matte, Come, Chulio., Come.
Tony y.rs Pound hem'" sheer! shMGeEsd d6m4 4l9Sody'hGG s1:
sells oud like vhad dey said We should"
The garrison gathered t above the staircase
Cling mass o. f%ugitives indisrriminateiy. no
women, made quick trips up hnd down from the
There was. an upheaval and increased squoal-
ing OF the victims, and three policemen wr e.
gled up through the slaughter pen.
II am busy now" said Hansel, With one asst
lgngc At tio disappearing head Of Koerner.
The policeman grabbed himIand took the night.
stick away. Then. painsiakingly and consci'
entiOusly, lIansol described the battle. In The
course Of his pointing out the blood spots and
other points.of interest about the place, he dis.
covered that some one had trieu to pull out tho
supports Of that part of the laundry riOor whero
the big, stove was placed. The stove is five feet
through and ten feet tall and is kept red hot.
II the supports had come out from under II,
there is no telling whether any one would hnvo
been left TO tell The tale. IL would have fallen
directly into the next TO the last Hight Of staire,
rested Hattie Freedman. and she Was hned $40
in Centre street Court. The union paid her
instantly. She left the court with her fol-
lowers, all threatening 10 renew the attack;
II hope 80 already" said Hansel. his they
passed him.
YAH said his Chullc. and they looked at
one another and laughed.