The Detroit times., 1912-11-29
HOCKINS CAREER
OF Is YEARSM
DETROIT STORMY
Alleged Dynamiter Almost Con-
stantly Under Suspicion
by Local Police
MANAGED TO WIGGLE
OUT OF EVERY CHARGE
First Came Into NOtoriety When
Accused of Attacking
Women

Herbert s. Hockin, secretary OF the
International Structural Iron Workers
enc OF the principal defendants In the
prosecutions brought by the govern
ment In Indianapolis following the lh-
vestigation OF dynamite ouuases
throughout the country, was resldenI
of Detroit for about 10 years. during
nearly the whole OF that period no was
In trouble.
about the worst man we ever had
to deal with" Is Supt Downeys cha-
acterization.
much misunderstood and persecut-
ed Is the verdict OF his labor union
friends.
The police are very shy" OF rec
ords or Hockin, due TO the fact that
though he was arrested scores ot
tl2.es,. he vas. Dearly always released
because OF insufficient evidence. The
police say he was very slippery, and
was always careful either 10, establish
an abb or TO destroy whatever evil
dence might have been used against
him.
Hockin came to Detroit from Lon
don, Ont, In 1895. He lived at No.
363 Locust-st. with his rather-in-law.
Thomas Monkey. His first connection
With the police was his arrest, few
days after his arrival by Detective
(now superintendent Downey and
Detective (now captain) Lombard.
Downey took him from a respectable
rooming house on Jefferson-ave.,
where Hockin had gone with his
wife's sister, whom he afterward mar
Red. and who applied for divorce In
1907.
Hockin was q structural iron work
er. He soon became secretary OF the
Detroit local. His connection with
building operations in Detroit brought
him into constant trouble with the
police.
tockln Under Suspicion,
Hockin worked on the Majestic
building. While construction was GO
ing on, the fire department was called
repeatedly to extinguish small blazes
Heekih fell under suspicion It was
thought that he was trying to delay
the work. Although the police did
their best to secure evidence, nothing
could ever be hung" on Hockin.
When the Partridge & Blackwell.
now Crowley, Miner q Co. building
vas in process of erection, the work
men were endangered several times
bye falling bolts, which would have In
jured severely any man wnom they
struck. The source OF these bolts was
mysterious. Watchmen were set, but
the bolts continued to fall even wheE
II seemed certain that no one on the
upper stories of the building could
have dropped them. At last the source
Of the bolt-rain was discovered, by the
police. II was Hockin. He was able
10 station himself on one Of the upper
floors, or the roof, OF the Elk's ten-
pie, Of which he was then janitor and
caretaker. and hurl bolts over the
department store job.
Trouble arose during the erection
OF the Hotel Pontchartrain. and Hook
In was suspected OF being a ringlead-
er In II. He was arrested; but all
that the police could find him respons-
ible for was the posting OF signs
about the job, warning union men
that II was a "non-un1on" contract.
During the building OF the annex he
was suspected to be the ringleader in
an attempt of a mob Of about 70 men
10 intimidate workmen.
Suspected OF Many Jobs.
These are some OF the happenings
during 1907 with which the police
thought Hockin connected:
Slashing a cable and ropes belong.
ing to the Russell Wheel & Foundry
company on the Murphy Power build.
ing job.
Cutting cables and ropes and tam.
Pering with machinery of the Russell
Wheel & Foundry company on rhe
Henkel livery barn job
Cutting the inner strand OF a boom
line OF the Russell Wheel & Foundry
company on the Hudson building ad-
dition
Stealing pieces OF machinery from
the boiler and compressed air machine
and hacking cables and ropes OF
Whitehead & Kales on the Hotel
Pontchartrain annex job.
Cutting cables shipped by the Rus.
sell Wheel & Foundry company to
Lansing for job In that city
In June 1907. the hoist Of the Rus
sci Wheel & Foundry company. used