The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-12-24
Unholy Three
in Traction
Article VI.
By ROBERT MITCHELL.

ton OF the company union IN recent
years has by no means rendered es-
pionage unnecessary. On the con-
trary, as in the case of the Inter
borough Rapid Transit Company, it
frequently happens that the railroad
spy systems become more elaborate
in order to defend the company union
in addition to the company.
1t may safely be said that the most
elaborate and deep seated system Of
stool pigeons and professional spies
operating in the country has been de-
veloped on the 1nterborough.
Spy System. Classified.
There are three main forms of spy
ing activity in force on this railroad.
The first which has to some extent
already been portrayed, is that Of
the company union delegates and
ether henchmen whose chief purpose
is to hold the men in line with the
PETERBOROUGH anti-labor policy. In
this sense the whole company union
may be listed as form of stool
pigeonry.
The second form is the "dollar-a-
day man. "a form of worker under
cover agent who is paid an extra
bonus for making friends with his
fellows on the job and worming out
information from them. The number
Of these "dollar-a-day" men is I'M
known but undoubtedly there are
many hundreds among the forty
thousand New York traction workers.
'Beakies," the Most Vicious.
The third and most pernicious
form is, Of course, the professional
spy, operating either directly in the
employ of the marlborough in which
he is called "Beakie," or indirectly
from the headquarters of some strike
breaking or detective agency. Some
of the activities of this third class
will be given here in order to Illus
trate from sworn testimony. the kind
of system the PETERBOROUGH seeks by
it's injunction to perpetuate on the
railroad.
The head of the Interborough
"Beakie" system is a degenerate by
the name of Sullivan who would
stoop to any form of activity in or
der to serve his equally degraded
masters. His work varies from that
of the responsible" control of the
whole spy system to that of ordinary
"shadowing" and common perjury as
will be shown in moment.
Shortly after the threatened strike
= l. q 4oI w
the papers that P. ]. Shea, one of
the Amalgamated officials in charge
of organizing activities had left
town. 1t was necessary for the In
terborcugh to verify this informa-
ton. This is how it was done:
Swears To Own Crime
Affidavit of Stephen J. Sullivan,
verified August 8, 1927.
"Stephen ]. Sullivan, being duly
sworn deposes and says:
That on Saturday, July 30, 1927,
about / P. M, ! called the CONT
mental Hotel on the telephone and
asked to be connected with P. J.
Shea, After a delay man
answers the telephone and I asked
if this. was Shea and he said No;
this IS Coleman. / then stated
that I was a representative of the
Brooklyn Eagle and l understood
that Mr.. Shea had left the city and
l wanted to know if that was so..."
Here is a common company spy,
representing himself to be the agent
of newspaper brooklyn Eagle
please take noticeD Then he has
the audacity to swear to the fact of
his crime!
Another of the company "Beakies"
testifies to having Swallowed Joe
Phelan: g. I know Phelan person
ally; On the 10th of July, 1927,
] traced Mr. Phelan from his home
to the Continental Hotel where he
arrived at about 10:45. On July 81,
traced Phelan from his home to the
Continental Hotel where he arrived
at 1910. >. On July 25, 1927, I traced
Fhelan from his home to the Royal
Flower shop :" and so on for a
whole page of trailing and spying.
Shadows Ed. LAWN. 4
VIM. Klein, one of the cheapest #
the "Beakies," disliked even by
fellow stool pigeons, testifies to hi
ing Swallowed Ed. LAWN. WILLIAM a.
Nicollett, another, of these "Beakies,"
testifies for two pages or more to
his activities in shadowing "the move
ments of Patrick j. Shea, James H.
Coleman, Joseph G. Phelan, Harry
Bark and others. :. -.
All this the marlborough without
shame and without apology includes
in the form of sworn testimony in
it's application for an injunction in
order that it may thereafter continue
to fasten it's espionage system on the
workers without any opposition what
soever
But the spy system will go even
further. From the mere gathering
Of evidence it turns to the aggressive
octs of Actually nrenarinp a France