New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-21
SMALL HERE SATURDAY
OPERATOR GOES INSANE.
Western Union Mar Had Been
Working Night and Day.

The announcement was made yesterday at the
HEADQUARTERS OF the striking photographers in the
Astor House that President 6 s Small of the
national organization was expected IN TINS CITY
on Saturday 10 take charge OF the New York
end of the strike. Small. the officers of the
Western Union ard Postal Telegraph companies
said. would not be received by them. and the
companies would not treat with him either di-
rectiy indirectly Percy Thomas. national
vfce-president OF the telegraphers. said:
Mr. Small is coming here al the request Of
our local officers because there many things
requiring his attention here. ] have received a
dispatch from Wesley Russell. national secre-
tary-fraasurer. that may expect Mr. Small
on Saturday"
No direct word had been received from Small
himself
one Of the telegraTalers in the main office of
The Western Union Company. who has been
with the company for six years and did not
strike became insaIlesand was taken 10 Bellevue
Hospital yesterday It held by the strik-
PTS that his mind was weakened by overwork
but the officials Of the companies. while they ad-
nit that The was working on both the
night and day shifts. say that he did not so In
sane from that cause The man, whose name
is Henry T Rehnkin. is married and lives at
No 946 Sumner avenue. Brooklyn. He acted
IN such a peculiar manner on Monday that he
was told to g, home for rest. one OF the oper-
ators bei-g sent with him 10 see him home
safely.
F3efnkira worked under Superintendent Dealey
Of the central news department, on the fourth
floor and began 20 act strangely as soon as ne
arrived yesterday morning. He rushed UP TO
m ernrlove shook hands with him, said God
bless YOU" ana repeated the performance with
a number Of others. Then he rushed into Su-
r,e-intendenr Dealey's office. muttertng and glib
herring and ran UP TO the seventh floor, where
he SAT- down at key and made motions as If
ne was working II was then decided 10 can
In the police.
Word was sent the Church street station
and Patrolnlan Roberts appeared and took
1ehnkin in charge. A bottle, which was found
TO contain only water, was taken from one OF
his pockets
,T-s tsebnlir who had been sent for. arrived
.ooo She said that none of her husbands fam
Sly had ever been insane. She had advised him
in the morning she said not TO go TO work Al
BELLEVUE Hospital his case was diagnosed as re-
nisious mania Superintendent -Dealey said he
lid not believe the attack resulted from over
work
Belvidere Brooks superintendent Of the East
tern division Of the Western Union company
denied some Of the statements made about the
con1uanv and the strike by the strike leaders
.~Tbe statements that have been sendins
messages by mail are utterly untrue" he said
.-si,ce the strike began not a single message
has been sent by mail The present strike is
hut 2 baby to the strike Of 1888 and that strike
was a failure. AT that time entire offices were
deserted throughout the country, and messages
three days old were piled in stacks on the
desks In many instances We had TO refund the
money In the present strike are meeting
the situation much better. because IN no sense
is il a general strike
of
r,.f throughout the entire country he said. and
he made the Statement that in his opinion not
more than 10 per cent Of the force was out in
This CITY The strike, he said, was sort OF
labor brainstorm-
In q short time ne thought, the companies
would send men 10 the newspaper offices where
the telegraphers had gone on strike He denied
with great emphasis the statements that the
Western Union and Postal companies had a
working agreement by which there could be no
competition in rates and that they were practi-
cally trust
I'VE have $4,000 Offices he said. and the
Postal has 3oe0 We competing concerns
The Postal simply follows US in rates If a rate
war was started and the Postal began, for in
stance 10 lower rates. would go still lower
in our chief offices and the weaker company
would 90 70 the wall When the Baltimore and
Ohio company started d rate war Of this kind
a,out twenty years ago the same thing hap
rer1ed and that company longer exists
-sSupposing Commissioner Neil and a commit
tee Of representative business men wanted 70
settle the trouble in way. would you CO.
operate with them?" he asked
THAT question has never come up before Us"
he said we are not crossing bridges until we
come them"
Vioe-President Nally Of the Postal company
said he had the optimistic views he had
on Monday as 20 the situation. The efficiency Of
the service was improving daily. he said.
he gave out copy Of report from General
Superintendent L. W. Storrer. Of California, Of
trouble at Ash Fork. Ariz- on Monday night
Ash Fork is one OF the most important repeater
stations, where a staff of expert operators is
kept 10 look after the automatic repeaters on