The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-10-04
JAIL KEEPERS
Receive BRIDES
FROM GAMBLERS
tin-Americans Get a
Taste of us. Freedom


I wish to tell of my first exper-
fence with the New York police. l
want to inform the workers again
how easily, under the written con-
stitution of the United States of
America, workers can be, and are,
framed up.
The house where I work is To-
Gated in 47th Street near Sixth Ave
nue.. It was 1 p. m. one Saturday
when l left work to go to my lunch.
When I reached the corner of 4Gth
Street and Broadway I saw several
men running, and several young
men in the hands of the police. I
started to ask a fellow-worker who
had been picketing a little lunch
room at that corner, in an effort to
compel the proprietor to stand by
his agreement with the union, what
the trouble was, but before l could
open my mouth an officer (No.
132S0) stepped up and placed me I'M
der arrest.
Arrest Without Cause.
I started to tell him that I had
been guilty of no crime when he told
me to tell that to the judge" and
placed the striker under arrest also.
Again l tried to tell the officer he
could not arrest men without cause,
10 which he replied that no one could
stop him from arresting any one
at any time. He handed US over to
the custody of another officer, say
ing he was going out "to get some
more" which he proceeded to do
with the characteristic facility of
the 100 per cent American New
York policeman. In fact there were
a couple dozen of US altogether. We
were lined up two by two and
marched over to the West 47th
Street station, where we were
charged with lettering and obstruct-
ing traffic.
Following the routine Identified
ion questions, we were searched for
weapons, none of which were found.
We were then taken to large back
room in the center of which was a
long table. About this table were
seated more policemen. some in
plain clothes and some in uniform.
busily and profitably engaged in
gambling. In this room, also, was
another man, more seriously occu-
pied in making the rounds of the
prisoners and holding confidential
discourse. l understood that he was
offering bail and that some were in
clined to accept-until they learned
his price. One of these, a young
worker from Greenwich, Conn, told
me that he was offered bail by this
man for S35. Some time later we
we're loaded into a patrol wagon and
taken down to the West Both Street
station, where we were placed in
cells.
On our way down one of the two
officers escorting us recognized the
food striker. Calling the attention
IF his brother officer, he said that
he" the striker, "and all the rest
of these Red Bolsheviks, and the
lawyers who defend them and give
them information, should be brought
to the station house and hung with
out trial"
Conversation in Cell.
With me in Cell No. down in the
West Both Street station were three
others. Our cell, which was about
seven by five and one-half feet, con-
tanned stationary wash bowl and
a water closet (both exceedingly
dirty, plenty of cockroaches but no
toilet-paper, and a bare bed-spring
attached to the wall. Seated on this
1ed-spring during the following six
hours we had a chance to get ac-
quainted.
One Of the three, a seaman from
he Argentine, named Lisbin, had
lived in the United States for q
number of years. He was well in,
formed on the Sacco-Vanzetti af