The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-24

INVOLVE POLICE
Aavts Secured by Whitman Before Made Governor to Be
Used by New York Legal Officials for Prosecutions Gang
sters Tell Of Strong Arm Work" During Strikes.

guards interfere with the regular piCkets
as they walked up and down.
'Margulies, another boss of the union.
told us We could with safety beat up
anybody when policemen were around.
because the police were taken care Of
understood they had been tipped off SO
We could so ahead and do our work and
they would not bother us. There was d
former policeman around and | under
stood that he was there TO see that ev
erything was all right. Anyhow ] was
never arrested in ali my strong-arm
work. BY the union picket bosses We
were called the strong-arm squad al
though to others We were instructed to
say We were regular union men.
THE names I knew the others in the
strong-arm squad by were Tenny. which
was the nickname for Alfred Tennen-
baum: Big Sam. Goldie. Big Louis, Lit
tie Louis. Ike the Iceman Biggie Brown.
Battling Fink, Monte Schneider. and
Morris Schulman.
In outlining the method by which he
worked Rieger told of an elaborate sys-
TEN of signals by which union officials
passed the word along that some per
son who was on his way out of the an
ion headquarters would pass by the
sangsters and must be beaten UP Ill
passing.
SECOND F1nisueu Jon-
THE usual way" he said. was for
one of our number TO stand In front
of the union headquarters Then we
would get a wave of the arm upstairs,
which we could see through window.
That would mean man we were to
beat was coming downstairs.
We did not ask any Questions after
the signal was once passed. We got the
EnnpEad hin, down kicked him N
the face il we could. and left him where
he fell. l beat UP six men myself in
front OF union headquarters. The first
man was a little fellow. hit him and
knocked him down cellar door, and
then a storekeeper came and took care
of him till he could 20 away. 1 hit
that fellow in front of union head
quarters. I did it On signal from
Salkin. the boss of the pickets. who was
upstairs.
"A Greek came down. and union
official who walked with HIM, raised
his hand. That WIS a signal to US. and
some of us gave It to him FIST. and l
laid on the finishing touches till they
had to carry him Iway. HE couldn't
fall, there were So many people around
him. They held him up. throwing him
from side to side.
Policeman sent Away.
THE man who walked with the Greek
and raised his hand for us to start
smuggling was the man who goes TO court
and pays the fine every ttn.e union
man is found guilty Of anything AMI
sentenced to pay fine.
Before | started to beat up the Greek
saw a union official walk over to
policeman, and l saw the policeman walk
to the corner. He stayed around the
corner till after the work was done. and
then he came back and helped the fellow
I beat up to go home.
Next day a big German fellow came
down from the union headquarters. I
was upstairs and ! was told to go down
and hit him. The secretary of the union
picket boss told me that. Then he told
me to let him alone and walk him to the
corner and see that the others didn't beat
him up. Another strong-arm man came
running after me and told me 1 was
to beat the German because he was a
scab, and all scabs were to be beaten
up. We walked him halfway down
Fourth street. between Second and Third
avenues. and then the other strong-arm
man hit him on the ear. and I hit him
on the jaw, and he dropped to the
ground He laid there and started in
yelling. Then policeman came up.
and he got off the ground and ran away.
/ went right up to union headquarters
and went to the picket room and sat
there. so shouldn't get into trouble. In
case a man made complaint We were told
the policeman would have to arrest us.
THE boss secretary, Welsberger. said:
All right. Billie. that was good work.
asked IL II was he that changed my
orders. He said he had promised the
man he would not be beaten up, hut
that afterward the others In the picket
room had argued that all scabs must
be beaten. so he changed his orders. We
left the man bleeding at the ear and the
mouth"
How He Saved Woman.
Rieger described one job that he said
was the meanest he ever had to do. 1t
was to hit q man who had just asked
him to come and have q drink. suppos- |
ing his advances to be with friendly in
tent. Rieger's story ranked with that OF
"Dopey Benny" when he told Of throw
ing a woman down the cellar steps Of
saloon because he thought Of his Ulster |
in that AZ" and couldn't make up his !