The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-07-19

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 the red-headed man whom militant labor circles have known for 25 years as the Red Demon.' He signs himself P. l.. Bergoff. and he would like to have people forget that his first name is Pearl
 Bergoff doesn't look like mill lionaire, although he has made several millions and expects to make lot more. He is short, stocky, has d jaw like snapping turtles, and looks at you through spectacles which magnify the chilliness of his pale blue eyes. But he turned out to be a pleasant fel- low who likes to talk.
 Has Union Friends
 "Others can break strikes of daisy -pickers or button-hole mak- ers." he said. ''But when there's trouble in steel or railroads, or along the docks in San Francisco, they come to me. I've been in this business 25 years, and there's scarcely railroad or shipping line or a big industrial plant that hasn't been one of my clients. I'm not against labor, or unions, per- sonally see? I don't like Green. but I liked Sam Gompers. I got lots of respect for most of the union heads, and they have for me.
 Like once in Buffalo. when 1T, V. O'Connor was chief of the long shoremen's union and called them out A man brought him up to me and says. From, you are the guy who makes the strikes; I want you to meet Bergoff, the guy who breaks the strikes" Well. Tom and I stuck out our chests at each other, but we went and had some beers and always liked each other after that. That's the same O'Connor who got to be head of the U. s. Shipping Board"
 Tn Thaw Case
 The "Red Demon" said he was born in Detroit, brought up in South Dakota, and came to New York because his father was in the salt-fish business. Needing a job, and being a hard listed youngster, he didn't mind working as a con ductor during. subway strike in 1895. By 1S9A he was a detective in the company's- employ. Next he OcCdAHC POI6Ohdl OOuy udTu detective for Stanford White, and later was called in as an official in the Harry K. Thaw case, when the latter slew White.
 : The publicity brought. him to the attention of city officials, who hired him to smash the street cleaning strike in 1907. That panic year was prosperous one for Bergoff; he told me he made $400,000 breaking the strikes of telegraph and shipping concerns. He gathered armies of picked men, tossed 4,000 into the Philadelphia transit strike of 1909, crushed q steel strike in Pittsburgh with 5000 --s48 of whom were killed or wounded. He established offices in Cleveland, Chicago, Philadel- phia and Boston. and sent special trainioads of burly busters" wherever trouble threatened and wherever industrialists would pay the price. Once he shipped 5000 men to operate the railroads ;n Cuba.
 Sees "Lots of Trouble"
 Tn 1925 he went to Florida with $2,O00,000 and lost every dime of 1t in real estate speculation. Gene Tunney was one of his associates. And now he's back smashing strikes again, and admits he's re- couping his fortune at great rate. He has sent several hundred guards" who can serve as strike breakers if ordered to the San Francisco area. He may send thousands more. He also expects a transit strike in New York which may require the services of 4,oo0 ''specialists".
 q expect a lot of trouble tn this country" said Pearl Louis Bergoff. "I know what's going on in latpr circles because I got op- eratives in every big union. Not a day passes but get reports from 4hnsss fin nff fha hic cnncarns