The evening world., 1916-09-11
STR|KEBREAKERS
ROUSE MAYOR BY
STORY Of ABUSE
Delegation Says That City
Policemen Kept Them Pris-
oners in Car Barn.

A delegation OF strikebreakers.
brought here by agents OF the Inter-
borough. went to the Offices OF the
Public Service Commission to-day be.
fore tho strike inquiry opened and
while Chairman straus and Mayor
Mitchell were In conference. When
the hearing began Louis Fridiger Of
counsel Tor the strikers spoke for the
delegation.
IL wish to place before the COM
mission" said Mr.. Fridiger. who In.
sisted he had only become acquainted
with the men while waiting for the
hearing to begin. ian astounding con-
dition Of affairs. am informed that
there are at this moment $50 men In
the One Hundred and Seventy ninth
Street barns of the interborough who
are practically prisoners.
Their lodgings are unsanitary: they
have but one small washroom. They
are surrounded by armed guards of
the Berghoff agency. They have been
beaten. some OF them for attempting
TO leave: several were beaten nearly
into unconsciousness yesterday. Others
have been told they would be killed
II they attempted to escape. ask
that they be allowed to testify here"
II think" said the Mayor. that they
should all be sworn. Certainly n these
reports are true there are enough
policemen In this city to prevent any
such outrageous conditions"
Merton Wyatt Of NO. sos Clare
Street, Chicago. pushed forward by
the six strikeDreakers as spokesman,
was then sworn.
II left Chicago Sept. s. soon after
had been hired by Dick Dincen, an
agent OF tho Bergoff 4 Waddell
agency. He promised US S. IA day and
said the work here would be Lerma-
nent. They promised US Pullman cars
to travel in. We actually got very
dirty passenger coaches. There were
l6a OF us and We were thirty hours on
tho way In special train"
What work were you to DOR
asked MIR. Cohen.
Il was to be a subway motorman,' u
said Wyatt.
What experience had you as a
motorman?" asked MIR. Cohen.
None" said Wyatt. Never rar
motor of any sort In my life."
The witness produced a card with
the imprint Of the Interborough Com
pany showing he had been assigned
to . subway run a. y motorman. 4
was put In evidence
II left a wife and child IN Chics 20,
Wyatt continued. land they yer,
without money. counted on ser din,
money back to them right away. Bu
after we got started they said the
were only going to give us 81 a day
! haven't been able to get any O
that.
"At first they kept us In the Sew
enth Avenue barns. Tho quarter
were not uncomfortable, but the foo
was scanty and hardly it to eat
Things were made much worse yes
terday when we were shifted to tn
One Hundred and Seventy. mint
Street barns. Nobody had anythin
like enough to eat up there. w
struck. They put sixteen arme
guards and two policemen to watc
us and keep us In
, what" exclaimed the Mavo
Not regular city policemen"
That's what they looked like" sai
the witness. The Mayor interru pte
the meeting to order an immedia,
\ investigation of the statement, The
a the witness went on:
"These private detectives w,l
armed with gaspipes, blackjacks mr.
) revolvers. Davis. my pal here, al
!, myself got out by pretending
was sick and I was taking him to
doctor. Carson. the Rnrghof ma
n In charge, said to us: II you don
Z come back you get your heat
: cracked"
a Wyatt said he had seen mon beat,
o for insisting on being allowed to lea
the barns.
n Edward +. Wilson OF No. 168 Ho,
n ard Avenue, Brooklyn. said he III
n been hired as ~ subway guard. T.
a Berghoff superintendent was le
strict IN letting prospective guar
Wilson said, and he had lhtlc dii
" Guilty In getting permission 20 go
~ Wilson said he saw many poli'