The evening times., 1899-06-07
ITALIAN STRIKERS
UNDER RED FLAGS
Force Stoppage Of Work on q
New Jersey Reservoir.
An Army Of Eight Hundred Terrify
Village.
Four Hundred Men Forced to Idle
ness by an Anarchist Band-Se-
riOus Trouble Expected.

New York, June Little Falls, a viii
lage five miles from Paterson, n. j., was
placed in state of siege yesterday morn
| ing. Its main thoroughfares were crowd
ed with dark visaged, crudely armed men,
and any dreamer suddenly awakened in
the midst of 1t all would surely have
| thought himself in the heart of a Central
or South American revolution. Eight hun
dred men carrying the red flag of anarchy
and armed with bludgeons made Of young
| saplings. had walked three miles under
the hot sun to the village prepared for a
savage fight They were strikers.
The outbreak had been planned for days.
The men employed at the Great Notch.
three miles from Paterson and as far from
Little Falls, were dissatisfied. They are
principally Italians, and a large propor-
| ton of them receive only $1.25 day
| from the T. A Gillespie Company, which
1 employs them. 1t was among these that
the first trouble arose. They demanded
$1.50 a day, and determined to hold up
the work until it was conceded.
The T. A. Gillespie Company is the con-
| tractor for the East Jersey Water Com
pany, the monopoly which controls most
| of the watersheds OF New Jersey. 1t Is
erecting at the Great Notch an enormous
| reservoir. taking advantage of the natural
hollow in the mountains. and when COM
pleted this will be the greatest reservoir
in its big water storage system.
The Italians at the Great Notch ap-
peared early in the morning with wea-
pons instead of tools. Few had firearms,
but all carried great clubs fashioned from
young saplings hewn down in the forests.
Those who had proposed TO work soon fell
in line, and a great demonstration occurred
at the company's Office.
Superintendent Jones. in charge at the
Notch. refused to accede to the demands
made, and the leaders declared they would
close down the works.
Superintendent Jones found himself in
the midst of throng of excited strikers,
and one of their number waved a red flag
in his face, while the others cheered.
Jones, like fash, produced two revolvers.
His opponents were 800 strong, but tha.
made no difference. Drop that flag" he
yelled. and as the cold muzxle of one re>
voiver was pressed against his face the
standard-bearer thought il best to obey.
Then Superintendent Jones walked on the
flag. and with II under his feet aunounc-
ed that he would shoot the first man who
should stand in his way. His pluck COM
manded either admiration or fear, for the
rioters opened out their ranks, and Jones
found a clear passage through them to his
office.
One of the leaders seemed to have a
smattering of military knowledge. and un-
der his direction the mob of 500 men was
soon in marching order. four abreast and
a captain for each squad of sixteen men
Red flags were much in evidence. Many
men not Italians were in line, willingly or
otherwise
AS the horde reached Little Falls. short
ly after 9 O'Clock. the villagers fled into
their houses, and the barring of doors and
windows became the occupation of the
hour But the sweltering marchers had
no designs upon the village or its inhabi-
tants. On they went until the office Of the
company. on height above the scene of
actual operations. was reached. There
WIS no one there, but clerk and the de-
scent upon the works was begun.
-Four hundred men were at work. They
knew nothing of any strike and a conflict
was imminent. But Superintendent Young.
in charge at Little Falls. saw the red
flags and armed men advancing and di-
vined what was the matter. He decided to
avoid bloodshed if possible, and had the
steam whistle sound the signal TO quit
work. Most of the men understood and
obeyed. The few who either failed to COM
prehend or went on doggedly were FIRST
met with threats and then with bludgeons.
and in fifteen minutes the mob had ros-
session of the works.
Most of those at Little Falls had been
forced into the ranks. and more than the
regulation number for a regiment were in
line when they marched away No damage
has as yet been done at the works, but the
Italians are threatening Yesterday and
last night they patroled the works at the
Great Notch and at Little Falls, and to
smuggle in a willing workman would be
an impossbility. Further violent out
breaks are feared. and II any such occur
the aid of the authorities will be asked at
once.
Justice Keys last night issued eight war
rants. Each is for the arrest of John Doe |
and in each case this means one of the |
leaders of the big strike at Great Notch |
and Little Falls. At his office Sheriff Peter |
H. Hopper swore in several deputies. They !
will be entrusted with the warrants is |
sued by Justice Keys, and are pledged to |
implicitly obey any orders that may be is |
sued to them by State Detective Charles H. |
Magee, who will be at their head. The |
deputies left for Little Falls at daylight,
in order to be on the scene at the hour at |
which operations usually begin. The water
company contractors thus propose to break
the backbone of the armed strike at the |
outset. There is little doubt. however. that
the strikers will fight for their leaders. and |
II is feared that there will he bioodzhed