The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-11-26
AND OF JUSTICE FELL =
LIGHTLY ON THIS THUG


last week in the Miners maya
zine, will bear reproduction on
account Of it's local interest.
Those VINO are familiar with
conditions in the range towns and
with the almost a,ltocratic powers
invested in the private police in
the employ Of corporations there,
will realize that the incidents mar
rated in the following communica-
ton arc not overdrawn:
Virginia, Mimi, Oct. "a, 10
Nick Dillon, one of the star sluggers
serving under Gear Foley and Grand
Duke Madden and other steel trust
monsters of the street trust empire in
Minnesota, was hauled into municipal
court today and after a lot of whisper
Ing and rather friendly tokens by the
| legal lights present, plead guilty to a
charge of assault and using abusive
language against F. L. Smith and j.
F. Ford, employees of the Rainy Lake
| railroad.
Great care was taken that none
| of the facts was brought to light in
| the court room, but it was said that
| the brute was fined SO and costs,
| which IS as light as it could be made
! and still be said that there was law
connected with the CASE
This is the second case of the kind
| against this man in the last few
| months. This, of course, will make
| lot of people ask "Who is this man
D1llon?' That can be answered in
this way only: He is an illiterate
Austrian who can speak but little
English, and knows no more about the
constitutional rights Of citizen that
a pig does about Sunday school. One
! might wonder why it is necessary to
give the authority of police to such a
man. That can be answered by say
Ing, why does the steel trust refuse
to employ Engljsh-speaking men
about it's mines.
This being the second deputy sheriff
that has beeng arrested in the city of
Virginia. in the last few months for
assaulting a citizen, one might won
der what is the matter with the
sherin's office in st. Louis county.
Is 1t coming to be as it was in the
Wild West that a man has got to
have record before he is eligible to
serve as a deputy-sheriff, or is it the
moving picture shows that are
prompting the blood-thirsty aggrega-
ton into acts Of violence?
In the recent case of Dillon it ap-
pears that on the night of Oct. 8,
1910. F. L. Smith, I. F. Ford and a.
number of other boys who were in
the employ of the Rainy Lake rail-
road were going on hunting trip,
and In order to save time were going
to go up on a log train, which was
to leave about midnight. The boys
were all seated in the office of the
roundhouse awaiting this train when
some of the other boys, who were on
duty. jokingly put a. couple of torpe-
does on the track. When the engine
passed over them they went off and
made report like a gun. In a few
minutes Big Nick, as he is commonly
known about here, rushed into the
office and seeing the boys with the
guns, said, Come on, you God-,'
and thereupon struck F. J. Smith
several times across the legs with a
heavy club, which lis furnished him by
the steel trust. The boys offered no
resistance at all and went with the
fool to the city jail, where they were
locked up, but later released upon
bonds. The boys went on their trip
and upon their return appeared in the
municipal court and the case was dis
missed. Whereupon Mr.. Smith swore
out complaint against Dillon and at
ter two weeks of waiting on the part
of Mr.. Smith, Mr. Dillon was finally
induced to appear in court, and upon
finding that it would not look we'll
for the city attorney to defend a man
accused Of crime, Mr.. George Shea
was retained to defend the officer Of
the law, He as once asked for con-
tinuance, but r. J. Montague, attor-
ney for Mr.. Smith, objected, saying
that Dillon had plenty of time to
prepare for trial, whereupon it was
agreed that Dillon plead guilty and
be fined $40 and costs, and Dillon did
so. it,. .,r :.
Mr.. Smith will now bring suit for
damages. And as to why Mr.. Dillon
Is held In office is up to the sheriff.
JAMES w. DALEY, ~"
Secretary Workingmen's Political AS
ISOLATION j.. -, r.