The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-16
ANOTHER PASSAIC
CASE PROSECUTED
BY THIRD DECREE
Torture Prisoner With
Short Visit Home

NSpecldl 10 the DAILY WOkhEh)
PASSAIC, n. j., Feb. 15.--The see
ond of the five Passaic strike pris-
oners held by Bergen county author
tiles on framed bomb charges is to
be tried tomorrow at Haekensack.
Tom Regan, a young striker active
on the general strike committee and
vigilant picket at Forstmann-Huff-
mann mill gates, is the victim.
Only Third Degree.
Prosecutor Archie Hart has only
the third degree statements brutally
wrung from these prisoners as evil
dence against them. Police are now
pressing on these textile strike vic
tins in a desperate endeavor to make
one or more turn states witness.
Cruel TantaIizing
One Of the prisoners was taken
from the Jail by police and tantaliz-
ingly shown his wife and children at
home. He was asked cunningly if he
did not want 20 be with them soon
or if he preferred Imprisonment for
20 years. Similar traps have been
set for others Of the five held on
these flimsy bomb charges, carrying
five to 20 years for conviction.
Besides Regain, there are Paul
Kovac, Joe 10th and Nicholas Schil-
laci awaiting trial. Justice OF the
Peace Wisnefski, elected while in
jail, was convicted on third degree
evidence last week and waits SEN
tenee.
Evidence Illegal.
Legally, third degree statements
are not supposed to be used against
prisoner, but actually they are fire.
Quently-as here-the sole basis OF
prosecution. In the cases Of the six
prisoners tried at Paterson on similar
framed bombing charges, the third
degree statements We're used against
che men. The five remaining victims
at Hackensack remember the double
crossing authorities dealt the Pater-
son men who threw themselves on
the mercy of the court and are en-
couraging one another to resist pres
ent police pressure unitedly.
PrOvOcateur's Work.
Both groups of bomb cases in the
mill strike bear unmistakable marks
Of an agent provocateur's work. II
is well known that the management
Of at least one big mill several times
consulted with certain labor spy on
bombing possibilities. This was just
before the United Textile Workers
came into the strike and seems TO
have been pant of L plan to prevent
the A. +. Of l.. union entrance into
Rassaic.
1t is a fact that one explosion oc-
Cured after the eleven men were az
rested, but mill town police passed ii
off as "an attempt to distract them
from prosecuting those already ar
rested. In the cases to which these
Hackensack prisoners have been
linked by police, only harmless Ital-
ian fire-cracker bombs were used
Yet the men are charged with pos
sessing explosives WITH intent to IN
jure property"
More Cases Coming.
In another week the cases of Il
strikers charged with minor offenses
in connection with picketing begin to
come up in Passalc. There is no evil
dence against these workers But the
joint defense committee for Passaic,
set up by the American Civil Liber-
ties Union and the International La
Dor Defense, expects that Passalc po-
lice will be as ready witnesses
against the strikers as they have
been previously.
Funds are urgently needed for de-
Tense work. Rioney should be sent
to Hollace Ransdell, secretary treas
urer, Joint Committee tor fassaic De-
Tense, Room Ia, 743 Main Ave-, PAS
sale, n. j.