The Connecticut labor news., 1921-12-23
Railroads Bore From Within
 ToDestroy Union of Employees

Burns Agency, long suspected, was eS- tablished beyond doubt by man we'll known Tn the labor movement in New York. This proof was submitted to that nothing would be gained by expos ing him.
 He can do nothing" they argued. He is harmless and easy to watch. If he is publicly exposed he will be re- | moved and his successor may not be easily spotted"
 This information spread, but did not prevent his being sent to the emergency conference of international unions held in the winter of 1920 still posing as the correspondent of foreign language papers, or his appearing in a like capacity in this city during the strike of the Anal gamated Clothing Workers last winter.
 L1nde also had a trick of turning up whenever there were important strikes involving the so-ca1led foreign element Thus during the steel strike he was in Pittsburgh and later at Lackawana, N Y. He also claimed to have been in Gary, claim probably founded on fact.
 Among the reporters with whom he claimed fraternity on these occasions he was looked upon as something of nuis- ance, those best posted in labor matters avoiding him as much as possible be- cause of his anomalous position When questioned by those as to his papers, he always vaguely referred to "my syndi- cate.' This he called the International Slavic Press Bureau, with headquarters at No 233 East 10th Street. That there was such an organization he proved by his cards, but when challenged, as he ,. as on at least one occasion, to produce q single paper using lis rep ,ts, he failed to do so.
 Linde's last appea ance, in local labor circles was during the Aralgamated Clothing Workers Union strike last spring, when he frequently visited the union headquarters as the representative of the syndicate. Therea fter he drcI- ped out of sight.
 In none of these places was he in a position to obtain any information not open to the general public or not obtain able from the columns of the daily press. What he may have reported only those paying for services can say
 Discussing Linde yesterday, east side labor leaders who knew him best were in i'll New York. They were inclined to thin it was tekn years ago, when a wave of organizing hit that section As. they recalled him, he was always the man who could do things or get the as- sistance of this, that or the other man of importance with whom he claimed to be on terms of intimacy. To keep this up he resorted to the age-old trick of seek ing to be seen in public with leaders of real standing and by writing to them on the slightest provocation letters to which courtesy compelled answers.
 These answers, frequently form let lers, when received would be used to prove his standing.
 Several of these were found among his papers during the midst of war when Government agents, suspicious of his movements, searched his apartment in the the East 18th Street house. They also found, according to Henry Behrend, from whom he hired his rooms, proofs that he was detective for a private agency ,.:, :.
 They did not tell me what one," said Behrend, but they took some of his papers away"
 Just when Linde entered the Burns service, Sherman Burns, in charge of the office, declined to say, nor would he say when he left, asserting that such in formation could not be disclosed at this time.
 'Linde," said he, worked for us be- fore the war"
 Isn't it a fact that he was in your employ after the war;"
 "I'm not sure about that" he answered.
 Didn't he cover the convention of the Amalganated in Boston year ago for you?"
 "He may have I am not familiar with all the details of his employment But he was never a regular man here he was just an informant"
 An informant, MT. Burns explained, is a polite term for stool pigeon" As such he received a salary at stated intervals.
 I've were always suspicious of him. he added. We thought he might have been planted in here by the Reds looking for information from us But we a1- ways found his information checked up. It was always correct
 But he was not with us, even as an informant, when the Wall Street explos- ion took place. Immediately 1t hap pened we sent men looking for him."
 MT. Burns statement gives fair line on the standing of the labor SPY, even with his immediate employers-the detec-