Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-02
With GUN IN HAND
!. CONTRACTOR TRIES
TO WARD Off STRIKE
KOcher Levels Weapon at Men
Who Attempt to Induce His
Gang to Quit.
BY sUBTERFUGE, THOUGH,
THEY FINALLY GAIN END
And Boss Sees His Workers
Depart as He Calls for .
Police.


shotgun 12s of his employees near the
site of the new Mountain Ridge coun-
try Club. IN West Orange, Charles
Kocher, a wealthy contractor, tried
to ward off $50 threatening strikers
early today.
For time the contractors nerve
and the gun held ready for action
awed the assembled strikers. Then
they realized the strength of their
superior numbers and many eau
tiously advanced to the outer edge of
the marching employees and mingled
with the laborers who wanted to
work
In this way they induced few to
drop out of the line: Others soon
followed the first deserters and by
the time the country club was
reached Kocher had only ten men
with him.
The contractor expected trouble to-
day, so he set out early with his
men in wagon. When he was with
in about a hundred yards of the
country club he is building. he was
confronted by the mob of 100 strikers.
The strikers assumed threatening
attitude and started TO dicker with
the men behind Kocher.
Levels His Gun.
Kqcher grabbed a double barreled
shotgun. and, jumping up on the seat
faced the strikers.
'If any of you make a false move
this guns going to go off," he said.
Many of Kocher's men were armed.
He knew this, and. fearing an out
break he turned to them and
cautioned them not to use their guns
until he gave the signal by firing his
own shotgun.
The strikers fell back and held a
computation. They saw at a glance
that the employees were outnum-
bered. Then they crept to the rear
Of the procession and there mingled
with Nochers men.
Ixpcher was unable to distinguish
his own men from the strikers. and
when 4bme of them began to fall out
he did not understand a.ss...
BY the time he realized that the
strikers had stolen a march on him
ii was too late to act. and with the
handful of men remaining he rushed
to thes.country club and turned in q
call for the police
Marching through Millburn, Ma
plewood and the Oranges this after
noon about 300 striking laborers sue
ceeded in adding many recruits to
their army. Although the police an
ticipated trouble in many quarters,
little disorder developed, the work
men as rule quitting when the
strikers appeared. Labor is badly
crippled III the suburbs.
In South Orange work on the mu-
nicipal waterworks reservoir is at a
standstiIl, the laborers having quit
work yesterday afternoon. About fif-
teen men employed by Ludwig Bait
in his stone quarry on South Orange
avenue resigned and as many more
laborers left their work in Herman
Brothers quarry. Tillou road, South
Orange.
Leaving Orange, about fifty strik-
ers marched to Berkeley avenue,
South Orange, and Centre street,
South Orange, where they succeeded
in adding about twenty-five laborers
employed on the streets to their
ranks.
The police of the Oranges were on
the alert early today awaiting calls
for aid.
In Orange the first sign of trouble
appeared in Cone street, where
gang of men. foreigners, started for
the Crosstown trolley job. The men
had just started their tasks, in the
heart of the foreign quarter. when a
word sounded in foreign language
caused all to quit. The police had
no occasion to interfere.
Chief Drabell later sent squad Of
men in charge of Sergeant Fineran
to Berkeley avenue. where Colonel
George P. Olcott had commenced
job. The same circumstance was in
evidence, the foreigners dropping
their tools when given a certain
word, which was not understood by
the police.
The strikers divided into groups and
tried to persuade several gangs of la
borers who were working on the links
to quit work.
Before this could be accomplished.
however, the West Orange police ar
rived and routed the strikers.
The Mountain Ridge Country Club
is situated on Mt. Prospect avenue
near Prospect avenue. West Orange.