Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1916-01-06
SUIT TO RESTRAIN
MERipEN sTRIkERs
(continued from,sPaee one)

Continued frcm74Page oHe)
forts Mr. Wells madeato get Witness
es to explain what: they thought was
intended to be brought about by pa
rades and threats. Judge Webb. sew
eral times stated that the case wa
not in court. that the proceeding WA
simply on the question whether or
not an injunction should be- issued
and that while some questions might
not be entirely competent in trial,
he was inclined to permit of some. lat
itudo in order to get at the real con-
ditions.
Assaulted or lntimidated.
Mr.. Wells put on witnesses to ten
of individual experiences, either where
they had been called names, had been
assaulted or had been inttmidated. He
also offered records of convictions OF
strikers in the Meriden Police court
on complaints of assault or OF calling
names. Also during the: afternoon,
he entered the record OF conviction IN
the superior. court Of strikers arrest
ed in the riot outside Factory H. on
November 14.s Some witnesses did
| not speak English and interpreters
were used. .-sgs -. ~
President of Union Testifiss.
The chief witness in the afternoon
was James B. Hill. president of Local
| 81. which was made up of factory en-
ployes who went on strike and who
| neither the Connecticut Federation Of
Labor nor the Mettden Central Labor
union had anything to do with the
| strike He said that the only con-
nection Mr.. Stremlau, president OF the
Federation of Labor, had with the la
Dor troubles was to serve on the COM
mittee of one hundred appointed I'm
The city to, see II the trouble could not
be settled by agreement. Hill paid
| the fines Of strikers convicted IN city
court and expected to be- reimbursed
| by the national union He directed
the ricketing and his warning had
been to make 1t peaceful picket He
never heard anyone call out "Scab"
| in meeting or elsewhere. The only
| money received from the Central La
I Dor union was 800 for the relief fund.
He had drawn up a resolution asking
the police to investigate the troubles.
] Knew of No Blacklist.
| Hill said no merchants were boy
cotted and he knew OF no blacklist,
strike and how 5000 employees left
their work. There were only hye
cases OF assault growing out of the
strike except those which accompanied
had no Jurisdiction over the picl1ets
at Factory II, but he had told them
that If there was, likelihood Of trouble
they had better go home.
Labor Leader Asked Police Prekss-
zion. -
Hill said that before the strike
breakers were brought IN on Sunday.
November IA. he had gone to the po-
lice and asked for protection. Judge
Webb asked the witness what pro-
lection was needed against workmen
brought in at night when they could
do no harm. Hill answered that they
feared trouble in the future either
when the imported workmen got out
on the street, or from the detectives
which the companies had hired Hill
admitted that he let a number Of men
go to Factory H the night the strike
breakers were brought but they were
to be there simply for observation.
Hill had not seen any untoward DEM
onstrations around the factories nor
any parades at the factories with the
intent of keeping people away: -g
Other witnesses of the afternoon
testified chiefly about their own ex-
periences.