The sun., 1903-11-22
1s PRISONERS FORM A UNION.
Free Drinks Fail to Break Their Strike,
and They Carr! Their Point.

PATERSON, N. j., Nov. 2l.--Sixteen pris-
oners who are serving short terms at hard
labor and who vert emporarily employed
to-day in transferring law books from the
old to the new court house struck, and ap-
pointed walking delegate to inform
Keeper Uz Munson that they would carry no
more books unless they received permission
to do it in their own way.
When Doormat Clark, a six mont hs
prisoner who is doing time for -swiping
feet wipers." told him that he and his CO.
laborers would handle the work as they saw
fit Munson nearly tainted. He thought at
first that the man was joking. He was up
ST airs superint endi the placing, of the
books on the shelves. He went below and
found the prisoners in the rotunda and Free
holder Jimmie Martins teamster hurting
invectives at the whole crew.
The hard timers were obdurate. Iester-
day they carried 500 boo ks from the first
to the third floor, and this morning they
arose ired Munson ajoled, swore, threat
ened, but he could not make the shirkers
sunny-they were firm In their demands
that they be allowed to do the work in the
time and after the manner they chose.
Lawyers and law clerks soon learned that
a peculiar strike" was In operation, and
apparently there was no executive COM
miitee Of the Amalgamated Association
the disputed questions for arbitration .
George Wright, the searcher OF titles, sug-
gested that M,inson ask Gov. Murphy to
call out the militia. Deputy County Clerk
Morris, who had an interesting experience
with q striking choir S short time ne,.ae age,
Doormat Clark, but this was refused.
The teamster, who had time contract, was
kicking vehemently and voluby, but the
prisoners didn't care for that-they we're
Inertia personified.
Harry Sautter, clerk in the Surrogate s
office, thought he saw way out Of the
diffoulty. He invited all the, strikers to
Game Warden Alec Hughess place, This
was a rather conciliatory way. to treat
striking prisoners, but Harry has been
Surrogate King, who is aces in that game.
The drink failed to loosen the prisoners
determination, and Munson finally decided
to let them do the work In their own way;
The sixteen then lined up by the wagon al d
each got two books. Not one would bulge
they moved upstairs together. The whole
sixteen would return in a body for another
set of books. but from the start until the
wagon was .unloaded net single man
would start for the library until he saw
that every other one had the same load as
himself This was unionism with VEN
geance. "Tin" Shortell who always man
ages to do time when the cold weather sets
in, wanted to carry the strike to the point
Of refusing to do anything at all. but cooler
heads in the union prevailed. -
During the Spanish American war the
prisoners of the Paterson jail presented O
pet ton to the Sherifi OF the county asking
that the keepers be compelled to refrain
from arguing about the differences between
this country and Spain, and year ago an
other pet ton was presentsd, asking that
ice water be furnished. Is it any wonder
that Paterson people recover SO quickly
from calamities when the inhabitants OF
her under world have such . saving sense
Of humor2