New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-14
GUNMAN'S DIARY
CRIME RECORD
OF LABOR CHIEFS
Dopey Benny Shows How
Justice Was Thwarted
by Lawless Union.
WITNESSES KILLED,
BEATEN OR BRIBED
Scores More of Indictments Ex.
pected from Grand Jury in
Gangster Cases.

A diary kept by "Dopey Benny" Fein
for the last three and a half years
records many interesting events in the
lives of the thirty-four union men and
gangsters indicted Tuesday for crimes
committed by labor men and organized
thugs in disputes between the unions
and the employing textile and garment
makers since 1911.
That book deals not with love affairs
or social engagements. II is full OF the
business in which the city's boss gang
ster was engaged, and it tells why,
when and how this man was killed
and that man beaten so that he relin-
duished further active interest in the
campaign against the unions. 1t speci-
fies why certain compliments did not
tell the same story before grand and
petit juries they told to the police,
and why important witnesses were
travelling luxuriously abroad at the
time their presence here would have
caused certain STRONG arm" men and
labor agents TO travel up the river
thirty-one miles.
There is more of murder in those
roughly scrawled pages than the pub
lie will at this time be privileged to
read The grand jury which presented
its findings Tuesday has another large
batch of indictments to hand down
soon.
II has been a source of wonder how
so many of these metropolitan out
laws succeeded in escaping punishment
when the original evidence seemed so
strong. The prosecuting authorities
had long known one side of lt-that
the witnesses changed their stories
when the cases came TO trial or else
they were not on hand to TESTIFY.
"Dopey Benny" throws the light on the
other side.
A complaining witness or a witness
quite as important had his choice OF
two things after he had gone to the
police. This applied more particularly
to assault cases; in murders the Wit
ness generally disappeared mysterious
w. He would be told that If he would
depart from the jurisdiction he would
be given an amount generous enough TO
permit a splendid trip to some foreign
point, where he was TO linger until the
accused man had been turned out OF
court for lack of evidence.
The alternative permitted his re-
naming here, but he was to testify be
fore the grand and petit juries-if the
case ever got TO the trial stage that
he was not at all certain the defendant
was the person originally alleged to
have committed the crime. Either
money or threat was effective IN the
second plan.
The union man who did not agree
with the purposes of the members OF
the executive body found life hard.
He would be summoned before the COM
mittee and placed on trial. Before the
finished with him he was
qualified to enlist the services OF a
physician. No two trials" were held
in the same place.
Chief Magistrate McAdoo made an
contribution yesterday TO
the history OF the gang work IN local
strikes He learned a. his investiGa-
ton of a waist strike that full
blooded Sioux Indian, the husband I
n white woman, was the big chief OF
the strong arm" squad working for
the employers. The Sioux was OF such
strength and fearlessness that when
he WIS told off for an assault Job
there followed no complaint that re
had not done his work well.
Police Cor missioner Woods said yes
terday that the next step will be d.
rected against the small politicians.
lie says he thinks there will be little
difficulty in establishing a connection
between them and the gangsters, and
- L. l.fv IN n
measure why II is not easy 10 push
cases against the gan.sters through
TO a successful conclusion.
Fifteen Of the thirty-four men under
indictment are accounted for. Yester-
day three surrendered themselves;
three more were arrested. They are:
Abraham Silver, organizer of the La
dies Waistmakers' Union. facing five
indictments for assault and three for
riot; Morris Yulman. indicted on two
charges of assault; Harry Katz. indict-
ed for attempted extortion; Solomon
Metz, head of the United Hebrew
T-2des Union, charged with murder in
the first degree; Morris Stupinecker.
with murder in the first de-
gree and with robbery, and Morris
Sigmund, treasurer of cloakmakers'
union. charged with homicide, attempt
ed extortion and riot. They were ar
raigned before Judge Wadhams in Cen
eral Sessions and admitted 10 bail.
Samuel Dudek. former walking dele
gate for Bakers Union No 305. was
convicted Of extorting $1,000 from Da-
vid L. Messing a baker, of Is Lewis
street. durinr the bakers strike in No
vember. 1914. He will be sentenced
Thursday.