The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-03-07
On the Dress
Picket Line
BY M. Livingston

M, HOW sore Mr.. K. was because
v as soon as the picket committee
walked into his shop, the girls cheereo
them, got up right away, dressed ano
went to the strike hall. This unex-
pected ingratitude of the girls to him
their best friend, enraged his small
round and barrel-like body.
His father, the gray haired, with
cred, old man notwithstanding the
fact that he was so much exploited
by his own son as a presser, imme-
diately thought of revenge, And SC
he and his son-employer Matched the
scheme. They cut the wire of their
| own phone.
Out of the clear sky a cop appeared
accompanied by the steamed-up boss
and arrested the two of us. Myself
and comrade Cohn.
The cop brought us back to the
shop. The old presSer, who never saw
us before, Immediately pointed a us
and claimed that we we're the boishe-
vik gangsters and surrillas who cut
the wire. The cop Immediately be-
gan to search us for knives, scissors,
and other concealed weapons. On not
finding anything he said
"Of course you threw the scissors
out as soon as you saw us coming
Come on"
In the police station the lieutenant
after taking our names and addresses
and asking us whether we want to be
deported to Russia, had us searched
again. In the light there appeared
an apple from one of my pockets and
some crackers from another. The as
tonished officer asked me:
Where is your milk bottle?"
Sorry we can't oblige," wisecracked
Cohn.
Shut up You think you are funny
amt you? Take EN- to the court"
When We were brought to the court,
the cop pushed us into the cellar
where we were booked on the charge
of disorderly conduct. Then we were
showed in into one of the enclosed
parts of the basement 1t was dark
and it stank horribly.
There we found ourselves scrut;n-
lied rather closely by two bewildered
men. One of them, as we found out
later had been arrested for refusing
to split the proceeds from the slot ma
chine in his store with the cop on his
beat.
"Ain't I Splittin' with the gangsters
already. Let EN- fix the cop up" The
other had objected rather too vigor-
ously while drunk, the suspected in
timacies of his wife with cop.
IF not for the kids I would not
give damn for the witch"
The attendant and another cop
heatedly discussed the judges, the
cops, and the how and why one can
save $3.50 a week on salary of $50
The police wagon ratified past the
door. A fat old policeman appeared,
handcuffed both OF my hands q must
have impressed him as vey dan
gerous criminaD and chained ne to
the other camrade and we were on
the way to the city prison. 1t took lis
about two hours before we got there
as the wagon stopped every once in
a while to pick up some more pas
sengers" from other courts.
Once in prison, they took the hand
cuffs off, had us change whatever
money We had into prison currency
and searched US thoroughly again.
When we received our cards and
three torn blankets a prisoner took
us to our cell in the uppermost tier
The cell or rather the cage was the
worst have ever seen before. For a
minute, even envied the animals in
the Bronx Park. They at least have
some privacy, warm and clean cages
good food, good uatured attendants
A sickening, nauseating, nutty smell
of bedbugs permeated it. Expected
to accomated two prisoners, it was
only about three by eight feet.
To the right there we're two iron
cots chained to the wall In the ex-
IRENE left corner an uncovered dirty
sinking seat. Right next 20 it was