The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-03-13
WHALEN CHIEF
LIAR IN COURT
MADE TO SQU|RM
Forced to Admit Police
Attacked Crowd


them hundreds of stool-pigeons and
proyacateurs armed with blackjacks
and guns. Under grilling cross-ex-
animation by Joseph Brodsky, at
torney for the International Labor
Defense, Whalen very unwillingly
admitted that many machine guns
were mounted in Union Square to be
used against the unemployed
masses; that tear gas bombs were
amply supplied to the police and
the emergency police wagons were
filled with them.
Committee Elected.
Whalen said that committee of
five, elected by the mass of unem-
ployed workers present Che did not
mention the fact that there were
more than 10000 who elected the
committee), came to see him and
demanded the right to parade to
city hall to present the demands of
the unemployed. He admitted that
Foster pointed out that every labor
exploiter and royal faker who came
across received the permit and that
he denied this right to the unem-
ployed, and he also said that Fos-
ter refused to take his denial as
final, but said he would ask the
thousands of workers present wheth-
er they wanted to present their
demands to Mayor Walker.
Brodsky forced Whalen to admit
that it was the police who began
rioting, beating up workers, riding
into the crowds on horseback, and
injuring hundreds of participants in
the unemployed demonstration.
Gunman Whalen was very uncom-
Portable under the grueling cross
examination of Brodsky. Many times
Magistrate Flood had to come to
Whalen's rescue in tight places.
Break 1t Up"
Whalen opened his testimony by
saying that the March demon
stration was "a peaceful mass DEM
onstration of thousands of unem-
ployed workers under the leadership
of the Communist Party; that the
parade started peacefully, but that
he gave orders to break it up, and
that his gunner, stool-pigeons with
their blackjacks, broke it up. He
did not say what is known to every
worker in New York, that in the
process Whalen's cossacks also
broke many heads, trampled and
beat men, women and children.
Didn't you say, in interviews with
the press, that when you ordered
the demonstration broken up" ques-
toned Brodsky, that then the fun
started?'" NO." answered Whalen.
"You never said to anybody: 4
thought l would crack my sides
laughing" II did not" replied
Whalen, growing more uncomfort-
able.
"Or that one of your undercover
man razzed the police and nearly got
hit in the eye?"
mo"
"Then," continued Br "ds'ly, "if the
New York Times reported you as
saying these things in it's paper the
day after the demonstration, they
are lying?" Whalen flinched, num-
bled some answer but the Judge de-
Elected this very disconcerting line
of cross-examination.
On the witness-stand Whalen was
not so much of hero as he tried
to picture himself to be through the
capitalist papers. He evidently kept
his eyes closed most of the time
during the time that his cossacks
were mauling, beating and hitting
the workers, as on cross-examination
his memory seemed to fail him very
badly, or he couldn't see." After
a sharp questioning by Brodsky he
said that there were over 800 cops
in and about Union Square, and that
he had telegraphed for more re-
serves"
Spy For Bosses.
When Brodsky asked Whalen if
he wasn't acting as an Industrial
spy by furnishing names of alleged
Communists to the bosses so that
they could be fired, again the Magi-
strate interviewed and Whalen did
not answer.
Whalen blandly denied that the
police or undercover men (stool-
pigeons) carried arms.
"Undercover men never are arm
ed" said he, and "the uniformed
police were specifically ordered not
to have their night sticks"
"Did they carry blackjacks? 2" said
Brodsky.
eyes, of course, all the police had
billies," Whalen answered after some
hesitation.
"Undercover men too?"
"Ye-e-s" somewhat confusedly).
"Just Blackjacks"
"And blackjack is rather dan
gerous weapon" from Brodsky.
"Objection sustained" from the
judge.
"Don't you think that the mobili-
cation of riot trucks, armies of
mounted police, patrolmen, under
cover men with blackjacks, tear gas,
machine guns, and pistols, was
provocation to the unemployed"
But Whalen thought it was not,
because nobody could know that the
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