The sun., 1907-08-21
SMALL TO BE HERE SATURDAY
ALTHOUGH THECOMPANIES WILL
NOR DEAL WITH HIM.

Meantime There's No ActIeu In the strike
Save for . Lively Use NJ shooting Irons
M Ashferk. Ariz. Western Union
Operator Goes Insane In the Once.
Percy Thomas. vice-president OF the
Commercial Telegrsphers Union. yesterday
said that 3. J. Small. president OF the union,
10 10 be here to take charge OF the teles-
rsphcrs' strike on Saturday, ut the request
Of the local leaders. Supt. Brooks OF the
Western Union cornpany said yesterday
that whether Small came here or not made
no difference and that the company would
neither see Small nor treat with him Oh any
terms
II want to say" he added. that the oftcn
repeated statements Of the strike leaders
that we have dummies in our operating
rooms are false. 40 far az our main ofics
10 concerned we have more men than we
need and could send moro than a hundred
operators to our branch offices. We are
keeping them here while the strike is still
on for fear Of some sudden emergency.
am sending to-day nine men from the Fast
ern division to outside points.
The strike leaders have been saying
that we have been sending messages by
mail. Not single message has been sent
by mail since the strike began. Compared
with the strike q 1883 this strike in easy
IL 10 only baby to the strike of 1883. At
that time whole offices were left empty
throughout the country and messages we're
piled up in stacks and delayed three days.
In many cases we had to refund the money.
In this strike we are meeting the stua-
ton much better because IL 10 in no sense
"A general strike. About rs or IS per cent.
Of our operators throughout the country
went out"
Mr.. Brooks then made the assertion that
not more than 10 per cent. OF the operators
quit in this division, The whole strike
he characterized as a sort of labor brain
storm. The strike fever caught the opera
tors men and women. and they went out
without thinking what il meant or what
they went out for.
There was some excitement in the main
Office Of the Western Union early yesterday
when an operator named Henry r. Behnc.
ker bad 10 be taken from the building.
Behncker Ia married and lives at 346 Sum-
ner avenue. Brooklyn. He has been with
the Western Union company for six years
and was employed in the central news de-
partment under Supt. Deal0y.
On Monday Behncker was told to go home
and take rest, because he had been work
ing double shift for some time. When
Behncker came to the Office yesterday he
acted 30 strangely that he was sent to BELLE
vue Hospital, where IL was said by DIR.
Holmes he was suffering from mania
brought on by overwork and lack Of sleep.
He will be detained for a few days
vice-President and General Manager F.. j
Nslly Of the Postal said that reports from
offices everywhere showed gains over Mon
day in force and traffic. He gave out a
statement Of Chief Operator Swain as to
trouble at Ashfork, Ariz.. one of the over
land repeater points OF the company. where
expert operators are stationed to look after
the automatic repeaters on the through
wires. The station, MIR. Nally says, is the
only Postal repeater office affected by the
strike.
SWANS statement, which is embodied
in a report from General Supt. l.. W. Storrer,
says:
We we're forewarned that there would be
trouble. so We barricade6 the front and back
doors 10 they could not rush US. From 10
o'clock on there were several parties in groups
Of two or three that tried to get in the front
door. We had turned out all lights except
one over the counter and one over the side
walk outside. There was not much doing
except kicking on the door until about I A. NJ.
Then 1t was necessary 10 oil up the engine.
sutton went out. oiled up and came back
into the operating room to a dark corner
where he had a cot. About IIS A. VI. We
saw a man come from the direction OF the
Harvey House. Sutton was on the cot and
was at the repeater table. saw the men
stop in front OF the door and ire three shots
One went through the glass door and another
through the glass at the side OF the door.
After that it was quiet until about 2I5 A. NJ,
when three came along and gave us another
volley, breaking some glass