January 30, 1914 - Havrilla Dies in State Insane Hospital

Here is an article from January 27, 1914 that was in "The Farmer". This was a newspaper in Connecticut but I can not find where it was printed. This article is about the an event that occurred due to the textile strikes in Shelton in 1914. Quite a bizarre article.

HAVRILLA DIES IN STATE INSANE HOSPITAL; PINTO
IS HELD WITHOUT BONDS
   
His Death Is Second To Be Laid
Directly To Disturbances In The Big
Textile Strike In Shelton -- Stone
Grazes Babe's Head

(Special to The Farmer.)
Shelton, Jan. 27—Alex Havrilla, the farmhand brutally beaten on the night of Monday, Jan. 12, by Frank Pinto, a local bartender, died at the State Hospital for Insane at Middletown, just before noon, today.

Pinto, who was in the Fairfield County jail at Bridgeport in default of bail of $5,000, is now held without bail pending the outcome of the inquest to be held either today or tomorrow at Middletown. As soon as word reached Shelton, Chief Robbins of the Shelton police communicated with Joseph Shapiro, prosecuting attorney in the Shelton court, Shapiro notified the County jail officials to accept no bond for Pinto. Efforts to raise the necessary bail for his release have been under way for several days.

Havrilla's death is the second which may be attributed directly to the strike in the Blumenthal mills, which is now in it's llth week. The first was that of a tiny baby, one of twins of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Homick. The parents were dragged from their home by police officers and mill guards, and were beaten and arrested. The children were left home with none to care for them, and with the cold air sweeping through the door and windows, broken by the police the baby died two days afterward.

Havrilla came to Shelton while on the way from a farm in Orange to visit a former employer in Hartford. He was walking through Howe Avenue, near Louis Pinto's saloon when a stone was flung through the open door. Frank Pinto rushed out with a pool cue. Kemp, one of the mill guards who was in the saloon is alleged to have pointed out Havrilla as the stone thrower, several bystanders at once declared he was wrong for four youths who had taken part in the stone throwing had fled before the two got out of the saloon.

Pinto shattered the pool cue on Havrilla's skull, and inflicted cuts and bruises galore. Then the O'Brien guards dragged the bruised and bleeding victim into Pinto's saloon, called in a deputy sheriff and caused his arrest. The exposure of the outrage through the columns of The Farmer led to Pinto's apprehension. Pinto is planning to contend that the insanity of Havrilla, which the prosecution regards as due to the beating, prevailed before he got his beating. The Shelton police allowed Kemp to get out of their jurisdiction and now cannot locate him.

The committee of citizens raised at the borough meeting last week to seek an end of the strike presented a written report of their doings to a committee representing the strikers this afternoon. The borough committee comprises Judge Dillon, Sam Beardsley, Postmaster Holmes, John Preston and Warden Barlow. They spent some time with Fritz Stolzenberg, superintendent of the Blumenthal mills, this forenoon. They have been given to understand that Stolzenberg's will, in the strike situation, will prevail, Sidney Blumenthal, head of the concern, having left the matter in his hands. This afternoon the borough committee meet the strikers' committee in the city hall, and the latter committee will convey their report to the meeting of the L W. W. local tonight or tomorrow morning. The strikers' committee comprises Albert Stancek, J. Rosco, J. Jacobson, John Rose, Peter Zamba, Victoria Felencek, and P. Mario.

Policeman John Donovan's eight month old baby had a close call from death Sunday night when a stone weighing several pounds crashed through his window, and struck the crib at the child's head. The metal of the crib was dented, but the child was unscathed. Donovan rushed to the window and fired his pistol into the dark.

Another complaint a of brutality against the mill guards came this noon. Abraham Optozner, a baker, crossed the canal near the Blumenthal plant, to see some of his trade, when a mill guard, he avers, set on him and beat him claiming he had no right there. He left his bakery wagon in the street and rushed to the office of Chief Robbins demanding redress. He said he had been knocked down and kicked. Followed by several dozens, he and the chief went to the plant, where the baker made a futile search for the guard. When he returned to where he had left his horse and wagon, the rig had vanished, and up to today he hadn't succeeded in finding it.



Next post will be February 1.