[D0327AAN], Letter from Pinkerton's National Detective Agency to Thomas Alva Edison, October 19th, 1903
https://edisondigital.rutgers.edu/document/D0327AAN
Transcription
Thos A. Edison, Esq., Edison Labratory, West Orange, N.J. Dear Sir:- G.F. Reports W. Orange, N.J., Friday, Oct. 16th, 1903 I arrived at the Edison works at 6:45 a.m. and assigned opt. G.W.C. and to duty and the side gate on Lakeside Ave., I remaining at the gate landing to the laboratory. Shortly after I arrived I noticed "Ben" O'Dell, one of the machinists now employed in the machine shop of the laboratory, standing talking with three of the delegates on the corner of Lakeside Ave. and Valley Road, and when I started to walk up to where they stood, O'Dell walked into the works and the delegates started up Valley Road. The delegates made no further attempt to stop any of the other employees who entered the works. The delegates and pickets patrolled up and down in front of the works most of the day; they would stop every man who came along, whether he was looking for work or not. Nothing further of importance transpired during the day, and after the delegates and pickets left the vicinity of the works we discontinued for the day. G.W.O. reports: W. Orange, N.J., Friday, Oct 16th, 1903. I arrived at the Edison works at 6:45 a.m. and was assigned by opt G,F. to do duty at the side gate on Lakeside Ave. Shortly after I arrived three delegates put in their appearance, and remained on the other side of the street opposite the gate until after 7 a.m. The delegates remained around the saloon opposite the works most of the time during the day, occasionally walking up and down by the gate. At 6 p.m. only two delegates were around when the men were coming out from work. After the men were all out one of the delegates approached me and started to converse. I could see he was under the influence of liquor. He said that they were sure to win the strike if it took a year, for they had money enough back of them to keep it up and that long or longer and they would not use any violent methods, but that there was one man or "scab" that he wanted to get a hold of, and he was Williams, the foremen of the tool makers. He also said "I will get him yet, it may be sometime, but I will get him and fix him, and in good shape too, the son of a -----" Then the other delegates came up and they started for home. Nothing further of importance occurred during the day. At 6:20 p.m., we discontinued for the day. Yours truly, Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, by Robt A. Pinkerton Reported, New York, 10/19/1903