of District No. 15, comprising the Colorado division of the United Mine Workers. Thus, through the medium of operatives Strong and Smith, the coal miners' union could not make a
The Pinkerton Labor Spy. 153
single move that would not be promptly reported to the company.
It once happened that National Executive Board Member Gehr made a trip to Las Animas County in order to strengthen the union in that section. Operative Strong was very anxious to thwart Mr. Gehr's plans, so he accompanied him to Trinidad, on the plea that he wanted to help in the good work.
When Operative Smith heard that Gehr was coming to Trinidad to direct an organizing campaign, he at once left Aguilar, where he was working in the mines, and hurried post haste to Trinidad in order to meet Gehr whom he knew well, and on some plausible excuse he hoped to wheedle out of the latter what his plans were.
When Operative Smith met Mr. Gehr at Trinidad, the latter was very glad to see him, and introduced Operative Strong to him as his best friend. The two spies, who had never met before, addressed each other as Brother and cordially shook hands, neither suspecting the identity of the other. Their emotions might have been ungovernable had they realized the fraternal bond of scoundrelism that conected them. The reader can imagine how successful a campaign of organization could be, when Pinkerton operatives had the running of it. The incident, from the workers' point of view, is tragic rather than farcical.
The following report of No. 38 is a good description of how he and No. 28 were introduced to one another by John L. Gehr :
Dear Sir: —