St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1912-03-09
Deplorable Condition Among
Textile Mill Hands.
Strikers Forced to Seek En-
ployment Elsewhere.
Women and Children Han
died Roughly by Police.
Wounded and Dragged to
Jail in Wagon.


Lynch, Commissioner Of Public Safe
ty, at Lawrence, Mass. who has
charge of the police department there
to-day told the House Rules Commit
tee, which is hearing testimony or
conditions in the mill strike in that
city. that he did not know by what
authority of law women and babies
in arms had been taken to the police
station after the riot at the depot
Under questioning by Representa-
tive Stanley. Lynch said nono Of the
parents of the children had appealed
to him against their being taken
away, but he understood from one of
his police captains that all of them
did not have permission to leave.
BABIES IN PRISON.
Ibid you see in the Jail, after the
struggle at the depot, women and
children, and women with babies in
arms?" asked Representative Staniy.
Eyes, | saw them there, but they
were not in jail"
''HQw were they restrained?
Weren't they free to go if they want
ed tor
"They were brought there to be
held until their cases had been dis
posed Of"
"They were brought there by the
police, then, and did you ask any Of
these mothers wLethey they were in
carcerated because they had tried to
keep their children from being kid
naped or because they tried tc send
them away"
DIDN'T KNOW THE LAW.
''No, l did not" replied Lynch.
"By what warrant We're these
mothers and children there?"
81 didn't know what the law was
on that subject
"Well, then, just why were they
arreste1?" persisted Mr.. Stanley.
II don't think they were, and l
didn't know at the staten whether
they were mothers or not" replied
Lynch His testimony ended there.
an1 he will be put Oh the stand to-
morrow.
The child strikers who were
brought before the committee to tes
tify in it's hearings on the two con-
gressional resolutions of invc1siga-
tion of conditions at Lawrence con-
cluded their testimony to-day, and
members Of the citizens committee
OF Lawrence were heard. Lynch
appeared as the first.
BAYONET STOPS GIRL.
Mrs. William H. Taft attended the
hearings and gave closc attention to
the testimony of the riot at the sta
tion.
Max Bogatin, of Philadelphia,
witness yesterday, called to-day, said
he had seen babies, little boys and
girls in cells, locked up. Women ar
rested in the riot, he said, had been
fined 81 for blocking the sidewalks.
George E. Roewer, Jr., Boston
attorney, appearing for the strike
committee, declared he had difficulty
in getting court officials to show him
complaints against the children.
Josephine Liss, striker, testified
that when she went out for 6. walk
q soldier stopped her with bayonet
and swore at her. Then she struck
him with her muR and was arrested
for assault, locked up and fined $40.
On another occasion, she testified
she had seen woman struck with a
club and had been beaten until her
head was covered with blood.
POLICE BEAT WOMEN.
stand Representative Victor Berger
had read into the record telegram
from William D. Hayward, one of
the strike leaders, to the effect that
two women witnesses sought by Mr..
Berger could not come to Washing
ton because of injuries sustained at
the hands of the police in the recent
rioting.
Miss Tema Camitta, a Sunday
school teacher, and member of one
OF the committee that sought to get
the children out of Lawrence, told OF
the scenes ct the railroad station in
Lawrence. She related how she haa
endeavored to lead the children from
the station to the train.
For some reason the children got
out ahead of me-" she said, and
instantly the women and children
were hurled into a struggling mass
by the police. was squeezed
against a wall of the waiting room
and was terribly frightened.
s'rhe crowd in front of me was SO
dense that could see little. call
ed out to the police be careful Of the
children. you are killing them Lat
er, when sought to accompany them
to the police station, IVES told that
ID better stay away or I'd be club5ed
too
Miss Camitta admitted that she
saw no clubbing of women CT child
rem In the station, nor any injured
after the ARRAY.
81 did see the police clubbing the
r. y -