The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-30
Third Degree
OF New jersey
STRIKERS TOLD
Defense Organizations
Set Forth the Facts
BY HoLLAcE RANDSELL,
Federated Press

OdCidhCQ TlNoo
PASSAIc, N. j., Nov. 28.-(FP)-
Accusations against the police of the
Passalo textile district, startling TO
anyone not familiar with the labor
history Of this country, are contained
in pamphlet soon to be Issued by
the joint committee for Passalc de-
Tense.
This committee, organized jointly
by the American Civil Liberties Tn,
ion and the International Labor De-
Tense, has just announced the begin
ming OF national campaign for the
defense of the prisoners of the Pas
sale strike.
Since the week of September 81
there have been held In the Passaic
and Bergen county jails eleven men,
arrested on charges arising out of the
strike. Six Of the men, all married
and under 35 years of age, are in the
ancient Passaic county Jail in Pat
erson under 100000 bail. The other
five, two OF. them boys is and 81, are
in Hackensack Jail, of Bergen coun-
ty, under $4,000
Rough Handling.
Statements of these eleven men,
made in jail to their counsel and TO
officials from union headquarters, and
printed in the committees pamphlet.
describe the third degree treatment
given to the men by the police.
Paul Oznik, an active member Of
the union and leader ON the Forst-
mann and Huffman mills picket line,
before his arrest, is quoted as say
ing:
"The detectives jumped on me,
kicked me any place they could,
punched, blackjacked and pummelled
me until l was weak and dizzy. Then
they gave me paper to sign. They
told me if would not sign they would
beat me up worse. ! signed, but /
cannot read or write English, so 1 do
not know what / signed"
William Skiora, ,the shy, inoffens
i've father of five children, related his
experience in these words:
'They took me into q little room in
the police station and started to ask
questions, and every time l answered
they said l lied, and struck me in
the face, knocking out two Of my
teeth and bruising my face and body
with blows and kicks. After few
minutes of this treatment, l don't re-
member anything sar
Hni.-f. cA.fi...
The story of how young Tony Pc
chino, once jolly and good-looking, had
his nose smashed and his hearing i'm
paired is told by Pochno's strike com
panions in jail. He, himself, they say,
has been a little queer" ever since
the beatings. Pochno was used by
the police as sample for the other
prisoners of what would be done to
them, If they didn't say yes when
the police demanded
Charles Current, not a striker him.
self, but unlucky enough to have a
cousin who is, gives this account:
"In the police station, detectives
punched me and kicked me anywhere
they could. They did not care what
they did. / was beaten up three
times. do not remember anything
after that. don't know what hap.
pened then. did not care what hap
pened to me. l was in this dazed
condition for four days"
80 Cases Pending.
The campaign started by the joint
committee for Passaic Defense will
raise funds not only for these IL
prisoners, but also for the 80 other
cases now pending on appeal, among
them the case of Albert Weisbord,
former strike leader, now out on
100000 bail. 1t will also care for
minor arrests which come up daily
and which are big drain on the UNI
ion treasury. To date there have
been so arrests, and S27,O63 paid out
in fines.
Contributions for the defense of the
IL prisoners, and others arrested in
the textile strike, should be sent to
the headquarters OF the joint commit
tee for Passaic Defense, Room IA, 743
Main Avenue, Passaic, N. j., Hollace
Rangdell secretary