I snatched Rose’s picket sign and swung it at him. It was only made of cardboard and flimsy wood so that the contact sounded worse than it really was as it crashed against his head. It certainly felt satisfying.
“Get out of here now and leave us alone!” I yelled, raining blows against his head as the sign splintered and all I was left with was a stick of wood.
Then I looked up in relief as blue uniforms finally came into the fray.
“Arrest her, Officer. She is attacking innocent citizens,” one of the streetwalkers shouted.
Hands grabbed both my arms.
“Let go of me at once,” I shouted angrily. “These louts started attacking us. We were just defending ourselves.”
“Not what I saw, miss,” one of the constables said. “You’re the one holding the weapon. Come on, into the paddy wagon with you.”
I was bundled into a waiting wagon, along with Jacob, Sophia, and a couple of other girls.
“This is outrageous,” I stormed as the wagon took off at a gallop. “When we get to police headquarters, I’m going to make a big stink. Those policemen just stood and watched while we were harassed.”
“Of course they did, Molly,” Jacob said calmly. “The whole thing was set up. It’s been done a hundred times before. When shop owners want to break up a strike, they hire starkes—strong-arm men—to do their dirty work. They want the girls intimidated so that they go back to work with no fuss.”
I grabbed hold of Jacob as we were thrown around by the lurching wagon.
“Then why didn’t the police arrest them if they knew what was happening?”
“Because the police have been bribed, of course. They were waiting for the moment when you did exactly what they wanted you to do. You struck one of them.”
“Just because a few police are corrupt, doesn’t mean we won’t get fair treatment when we get to headquarters,” I said. “Those starkes were propositioning Sophia, making lewd comments to her. You heard them threaten me.”
Jacob was shaking his head patiently. “You are still very na?ve,” he said. “To tell you the truth, I had been expecting something like this since the very first day of the strike. I had warned you that these bosses do not play fair, hadn’t I?”
“But you did nothing,” I said. “You didn’t attack anyone. Why have they arrested you?”
“Because I am known to them. I am safer in custody and they hope to break the strike without people like myself around to let the girls know their rights.”
“Do you think they will succeed?” I peered through the small back window of the paddy wagon. “I hope Rose is strong enough to keep the girls from giving in.”
“And someone has gone to the Hebrew Trades for reinforcements too,” Jacob said. “With any luck they just wanted to scare us and think they have done so.”
“So Lowenstein hired bullies, did he? I thought I recognized one of them, lurking in the shadows at the back. Could they have been members of the Eastmans?”
“Very possible,” Jacob said. “They often use gangs to do their dirty work.”
“The police stand by and watch while gang members beat up young women?” I demanded. I was still hot enough to explode. “What sort of society is this?”
Jacob shrugged. “Much the same the world over. The poor have no voice. The rich have the money and power. Money buys anything.”
“Then it’s a rotten world,” I snapped. I looked across at the three girls who had been arrested with us, frail little girls who had done nothing, now clinging to each other in a terrified huddle.
“Don’t worry, it will be all right,” I said to them. “I’ll tell the policemen that you did nothing wrong.”
One of them had her hand up to her mouth, sobbing. “My family will be ashamed when they hear I go to prison. My papa, he will throw me out.”
“Nobody’s going to throw you out. Jacob and I will come and talk to your family and let them know the truth if you want. Once we get to headquarters and we can talk to some uncorrupt policemen, they’ll let us go right away, and we’ll be home in time for supper, I’m sure.”
The girls gazed at me, wanting to believe me. One managed a watery smile.
The wagon came to an abrupt halt, almost throwing us onto the floor. The door opened.
“Okay, you lot. Out you get and no funny business,” a voice ordered.
Jacob stepped down first then held out his hand to escort us women down the steps. His calm demeanor was reassuring and he handed each of us down like a society lady, arriving at a ball.
I glanced around as we stepped out into the dark street.
“This isn’t police headquarters,” I said. “Where have they taken us?”
“I rather fear it’s the courthouse,” Jacob said.
“Courthouse? They’re going to try us as common criminals—without a proper investigation?”
“It looks that way,” Jacob said. “Now remember, Molly, stay calm. They’ll say things to try and make you blow up. Act like these other girls will—confused, innocent, scared. That’s what might work on the judge, not hotheaded and indignant.”