The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-08-13

Men, Women and Children 6rutalIy
Elected by company's Employees,
and All Traffic is Stopped Until GEN
eral Manager of Road Is Arrested.
All Night Block Five Miles Long.
New York, Aug. 13.-Unprecedented
scenes of rioting and brutality marked
an attempt by the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit company to collect a second
fare from passengers to Coney Island,
in disregard of Judge Gaynor's decision
of Saturday that a second fare was
Illegal.
Men and women were hauled from
cars by men employed by the railroad
company for that purpose and scores
escaped only after they had been Sc
verely bruised and their clothes in
many instances literally torn from
them. Two men had to be taken to
a hospital
More than 10000 persons We're ma
rooned at Coney Island, and at mid
night, and in a string of cars five miles
long, which extended from Kings High
way TO COney Island.
Police were powerless to restrain the
mobs, and attacks were made upon
motormen conductors and superintend-
ents. Women and children begged the
police to take them home, and, exhaust
ed, lay down beside the tracks to spend
the night. Cars began to move slowly
before 1 o'clock, but it was daylight
before they finished their trip.
General Manager Dow NJ Smith and
six employees of the road were ar
rested at II O'Clock. Later they were
bailed out and set the red lights on
all the Culver division, completely
blocking the road
Deputy Police Commissioner O'Keefe
then appealed to Assistant Superin-
tendent Durkin, in the interest of the
women and children who were weep
ing and begging to be taken home, to
open the switches and release traffic
Mr.. Durkin, according to the police.
refused to take action. He protested
that the railroad company was within
its right and that traffic would not be
resumed until double fares had been
paid.
Company's Men Surrender.
O'Keeffe threatened him with arrest
unless he commanded the towermen at
once to set the signal so the cars could
be moved, and finally, after long ar
gument, during the progress of which
an angry mob gathered about the dep
uty commissioner and the assistant SUI
perintendent, threatening to make an
outbreak on the police unless some
thing was done, Mr.. Durkin took the
employees, who had locked themselves
In and locked up the instruments so
that none but themselves could manip-
ulate them, to set the signals for
clear track.
Scenes like that which marked the
first movement of the long stream of
crowded cars are seldom recorded in
ordinary times The mobs had for two
hours been shouting eXclamations of
hatred for the railroad authorities, and
they now changed their shouts to yells
of applause for the police.
Many women who, being unable to
speak English, had not been able to
understand what the trouble was all
about, got down on their knees in some
of the cars and offered thanks to the
police. Squads of policemen stayed on
duty in each car and with clubs drawn
compelled the motormen to creep ahead
as rapidly as was possible.
Six Hundred Cars In Block.
1t was stated by the police that there
were upward of 600 cars in the line
AS an outcome of the days doings a
committee of citizens is being formed
in Brooklyn to enforce Justice Gay
nors ruling. Sheriff Flaherty of Kings
county was informed of the purpose of
the committee and that the committee
intended to call on him as sheriff to
protect them as citizens in upholding
their rights. Sheriff Flaherty said:
81 have not been requested to act as
yet, and have not taken the matter
| under advisement. If such demand
was made and 1 felt that should act
my force of deputies is so small that
would be compelled to call upon the
| governor of the state to give me some