Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1915-01-21
THREATS OF DEATH MADE ON PLANT
OFFICIALS; STRIKERS CALL
MEETINGS; QUIET TODAY

/ whom were Justice of the Peace Nor
ris Roses, Street Commissioner Jo-
seph Crane, Police Officer Joseph
Dowling, Nathaniel JacobowitZ and
Chief of Police Henry j. Harrington,
the investigator went to New Bruins
wick where he questioned Sheriff
Houghton and Prosecutor Florance.
After completing his work Investi-
gator Gill said: From my investiga-
tions here find that the deputies had
not the least right to shoot the strik-
ers. AS | understand it the deputies
claim their safety was menaced by
stones thrown by strikers, but this
certainly would not justify shooting,
i which may be done only when their
| lives and property which they protect
are in great danger. Then they may
take the right to shoot, but not to
kill or seriously wound. They should
only scare the strikers into submis-
sion and cause their arrest"
! The Commission on Industrial Re-
lations was organized by the govern
ment to investigate the cause of seri-
Gus industrial disturbances. A re-
! port of the Roosevelt affair will be
made by the commission in August
prioI to congressional legislation to
obviate the labor difficulties that have
recently been so frequent throughout
| the country This legislation, it Is
IHlnderstood re pa--do away with the
IL ting Of q atl1aniI sciii1 ta cfarnfailfnI
ions in time of strike.
| Real Gunmen Are Hidden.
| Mr.. Gill stated further that an IN
yestigation will be conducted to as
certain II the so-called deputies were
| gunmen from New York, as had been
charged. Nearly all the deputies
gave their address in Newark, and an
] investigation made by Newark news
I paper men last night located the
home of only one man, Michael Man
ming, of 42O High street. 1t is
claimed the gunmen are hidden.
| Investigator Gill Is declared to
have said that he believed nothing
| would result from the arrest of the
twenty-five deputies, who may not
be the ones directly concerned In the
shooting. 1t may develop at the
| grand Jury hearing that these depu-
ties were not the ones who fired on
the unarmed laborers, and that the
ones who perpetrated the assault
really did make their escape after
\
had claimed. By this ruse, which
| the Investigator declared a frequent
one in disturbances of this kind, the
criminal proceedings would be nulli-
field and the outrage would go un-
| punished.
Sheriff Houghton was located In
| the office of Judge Peter F. DAILY,
where he gave a statement to the In
vestigator in regard to the hiring OF
=, the Jerry" O'Brien deputies. Pros
/, ecutor Florance evaded the ques-
tions of the investigator, who could
have compelled complete answer by
serving a subpoena to appear before
the Commission on Industrial Rela-
| tions.
/ = ony OF Witnesses.
In an affidavit made before the fed
eral investigator, Street Commission
er Crane gave his version of the
shooting as follows II was standing
200 feet on the north side of the
! Williams e Clark station when the
sos train stopped. | heard two
shots fired on the east side of the
train which | am sure came from
! the Williams & Clark plant. Thirty
five or forty armed guards stood out
| side the plant and as soon as the
train pulled out they opened fire with
revolvers and shot guns, also rifles,
/ into the body of men standing at the
depot. l saw five or six men fall and
as many more picked up after the
i firing had ceased ! would Judge be-
tween seventy-fve and one hundred
shots had been fired. After the firing
the guards backed up to the COM
pany's grounds. l am sure not shot
was fired by the deputies"
In an affidavit Jacob Levenson, a
prominent Roosevelt merchant, said:
THE sos train stopped and deputies
from the Williams & Clark factory
rushed out and fired on the men
without any provocation. The strik-
ers retreated in all directions, but did
not show any violence"
| The statement made to Investigat-
or Gill by Nathaniel Jacobowitz, a
newspaper correspondent, said in
part: II noticed men standing at a
Il distance of about rs yards from the
factory shooting upon the strikers,
who ran in all directions, but l saw
none of them return the shots"
H Opened Fire on Strikers.
In making his affidavit Morris
| Roses stated: II saw a body of men
rush out of the Williams & Clark
| plant toward the onlookers and with
out any warning they opened fire on
the crowd with shotguns and revoi-
vers."
i Vice President Prescott, OF the
IAmerican Agricultural Company !:
Il Chief Counsel Clifford. and President
Il Kehoe, Of the Lister Fertilizer Com
fpany, Newark, who is also an on
2 .lContsnued on page IL