The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-29
Murder of Baff Discloses Chicken
Pullers Gang Different From Others
Men Who Fired Shots Believed to Be
Members of Dangerous Band Who
Terrorize Poultry Dealers

. OF ilgh. The crowd forms a circle
and the newcomer goes at his tor
mentor just as one reads that new
Corners have done in more genteel
! circles.
From these chicken handlers have
| been recruited some OF the hardest men
! IN the Hudson Dus:er and Gopher gangs
| OF the West Side. a gun fight in
dnnce hall the lackjacking Of man
! IN sorU one Of those dreary river streets
ca Usually he laid TO the members or
| these rangs end the police have noticed
tina; with greater and greater frequency
men who ore arrested give their occu-
patton az chicken handler. But SO far
these men have stuck pretty much to-
gether and have confined Their actlri-
ties 20 handling in their own peculiar
way the problems that touch their par
tlcular business.
II Is this gang that has completely
,errorized tho poultry dealers. Chicken
pullers have been employed on occa-
sion to turn a trick for their employers.
and they have not been slow 20 learn
that their willingness TO steal. poison,
h,JCl, tack or shoot has a money value
that can he turned to profit in two
wav- They will do a thing for price
and they will alse promise not to do
il for price. They have established
a system OF blackmail that is quite as
extensive as those successfully worked
by other gangsters.
"No one outside of this business" said
a West Washington Market man 10 Il
reporter. knows just how completely
the dealer - at the mercy Of these
sorl,las They are the mos: arrogant
l. Npf
Jobs unloading cars and they don't pro-
pose TO let any one take them away
from them.
"a man who went over there and
complained about the way his chickens
were being handled would be a fool
They'll do /. their own way and they
won't let anybody talk 10 them. II
they say something I. green, and YOU
think It y red. thr hest thing YOU can
do Is - say it's green.
y haven't been over in the railroad
yards in Wpehawken in Two Years !
don't dare go over there. Some one
would Ne laying me out with n coupling
pin before I could get anywhere near
my cars. 7 don't go out OF my market
here without taking look UP and down
tn" street to see whether any one j.
watching for mc or not.
These fellows will do anything for
money. They don't make big wages
and they don't know enough to get any
other kind Of "a job. Eut they can steal
n chicken right from under your eyes.
and J! YOU should happen 10 catch them
n /, and wen; TO court TO complain
against them Won would ne visited hv
one Of the gang before long | know
that they boast that II they start out to
get man they VIII get him.
Charley Becker knew the crowd and
they knew him. He had something IN
his own sleeve that no gangster likes.
and he had around him crowd of men
that didn't have to hit more than once
IN the same place. He was friendly 10
BaN
His work brought him over here
moro than once and the gorillas had Iii,
Il" use for him and hts strong arms.
They kept away from here in those
days. bu; they're coming back strong.
There isn't a man in this market who
ism; afraid that he will NE the next 10
get it."