| Homemade Hooch | ||
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| Gustav gazed at his two friends through swollen, blackened eyes. They were carrying him home from the strikers fight at the Kohler plant. The three of them worked at Kohler, assembling toilets and bathroom sinks. Joe, tall and slender, and Harvey, shorter and muscular, were both relative newcomers to America. |
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| Joe's suspenders
rubbed against Gustav's sore ribs as he lifted the injured man up the
stairs to his white, two-story house in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Gustav's
wife Hilda answered the door. The color drained from her face and she
ran to her husband's side. "Och du lieber Gustav!" cried Hilda. "Don't be upset, I'll be okay. "I'm so sorry. I'll be right back. I'm going to get some bandages." The words rushed out of Hilda's mouth as she ran into the house. Sensing the commotion, Gustav's next-door neighbor Ludo came over to see what was going on. He was shocked to see his neighbor in such a bloodied state. "What happened to you, Gustav?" he asked with concern. In a tired voice, Gustav explained the union troubles at Kohler. Over fifty men carried signs and walked back and forth, yelling at scabs who dared to cross over the picket line. "More Wages." "Fewer Hours." "Safer Conditions." He had crossed the line. The signs made sense, but this was 1930 and he felt a huge responsibility to feed his large family. "On Monday, I slipped through without notice. Yesterday, they hit me with a sign and yelled that I better not try it again. I thought that getting there a little earlier today would allow me to hurry through and get into the plant without conflict. But as I started to near the picket line, I heard the Union boss shout 'Here's our first dirty scab of the day. Let's make an example of him. These rotten scabs are ruining our negations with Kohler. Get him.' "Before I could react, a striker hit me with a wooden stake right in my ribs. Another man punched me in the eye and a third hit me in the nose with a wrench, spilling blood. Finally, the police came, sending the strikers running. By then, Joe and Harvey came and helped me home," Gustav explained to Ludo. "I can't keep on being a scab, but I don't know how I can support my family otherwise. I have eight children and one on the way. They said they'd kill me next time." Gustav said quietly. "Well, you can't go back there. Why don't you come and work for me?" suggested Ludo. Gustav cocked his head slightly with a look of confusion. "What could an injured factory worker possibly do?" he asked. |
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