Court Records of Louis “Kid Blink” Balletti

In 1905, Louis “Kid Blink” Balletti was arrested on suspicion of murder. (He was later acquitted.) Recently my friend Liv visited New York and visited the municipal archives to search for the records about his case. Here is what she found:

Complainant: Citizens of the State of New York
Defendant: Louis Balletti
Residence: 1 Roosevelt
Sex: M
Age: 24
Color: W
Nativity: U.S.
Nature of Complaint: Homicide
Date of Complaint: Thursday, June 1, 1905
Officer: Rooney
Precinct: 2nd St.
Date of Arrest: June 1
Disposition of Case: Transfer to Coroner

This information was on microfilm, so unfortunately a picture of the full document is not available. However, a fragment can be seen here (Kid Blink is the second line):

Most of the information in this document is things we already knew, but it does confirm a lot of things, such as that this trial did happen, that Kid Blink was 24 in June of 1905, and also that the “Kid Blink” mentioned in the papers was the same Louis Balletti who we know lived at 1 Roosevelt St.

Louis “Kid Blink” Balletti in the Census Records

My friend Em, who is far better at searching census records than I am, recently found Kid Blink and his family in the 1900, 1905 and 1910 censuses. Below are the lines related to Kid Blink and the people he was living with at the time and some interesting facts found in them.

(Note: The names in these records are not quite consistent. I have used the spellings on their gravestone in this analysis since supposedly somebody in the family would have spellchecked those.)

1900 census:

Kid Blink’s birthday is listed as July 1881, meaning he would have turned 18 either during or just before the strike of 1899
Agostina and Bartolomeo (Kid Blink’s parents) immigrated to America from Italy in 1880, only one year before Kid Blink was born
Agostina had 10 children, but only 4 were still alive in 1900
Neither Agostina nor Bartolomeo were citizens
Kid Blink’s occupation is listed as “driver”, and he and all his working-age family had been consistently employed all year
All four Balletti children could read and write, but neither of their parents could
Agostina did not speak English

1905 census:

Bartolomeo, formerly a labourer, is now a housekeeper. It is possible he was injured and had to change professions.
The family is now living with their uncle (Bartolomeo’s brother) and cousin (that uncle’s son)
The uncle came to America seven years before the Ballettis, and is a citizen, but the Ballettis are still not
Kid Blink is once again listed as a coach driver

1910 census:

In 1910, Kid Blink was living with his brother James and their cousin Joseph, who had moved from Italy only a few years earlier, wasn’t a citizen, and did not speak English
All three men were unmarried
Joseph did odd jobs as a labourer and was out of work for much of the previous year (though not on April 15)
Kid Blink was employed as a bartender in a saloon, and James was a driver for “paper box” (if you know what that means please tell me)
Both James and Joseph supposedly have 15 farm animals. Again, I have no idea what that means.

A timeline of Kid Blink’s life

July 1881 – Kid Blink is born

May 1884 – Kid Blink’s sister, Louisa Balletti, is born

December 1886 – Kid Blink’s brother, James Balletti, is born

June 1891 – Kid Blink’s sister, Angeleno Balletti, is born

March 1892 – Kid Blink’s sister, Angeleno Balletti, dies

Unknown date 1895 – Kid Blink’s sister, Mamie Balletti, is born

July 1899 (age 18) – Kid Blink is Grand Master Workman of the union in the newsboy strike, and is arrested for his efforts (see the rest of this blog for details)

December 1899 (age 18) – Kid Blink delivers a toast at the newsboys’ Christmas dinner at the Brace Memorial Lodging House

June 1900 (age 18) – The US census puts Kid Blink living with his parents and three siblings and employed as a driver

July 1900 (age 19) – The Sun reports Kid Blink and “One-Eyed Connolly” among spectators in box seats at a boxing match in Coney Island

March 1901 (age 19) – The Sun reports on a newsboy basketball team that Kid Blink played for

June 1905 (age 23) – The New York census puts Kid Blink living with his parents, two siblings, an uncle, and a cousin, and employed as a coach driver

June 1905 (age 23) – Kid Blink is arrested for bragging that he murdered gangster Jack McManus, but is later found out to be lying

August 1907 (age 26) – The Evening World prints an article mentioning a newsgirl who is “Blind Diamond’s girl”. It is unclear if this is the girlfriend of Kid Blink going by another nickname or not.

August 1907 (age 26) – Kid Blink is interviewed by the New York Tribune about the recent murder of three Chinese men, and is referred to as “understudy for Chuck Connors” and “one of the best guides in Chinatown”

July 1908 (age 27) – Kid Blink is interviewed by the New York Tribune and is once again referred to as “understudy to Chuck Connors”

April 1909 (age 27) – Kid Blink’s father, Bartolomeo Balletti, dies

April 1910 (age 28) – The US census puts Kid Blink living with his brother and his cousin and employed as a barkeeper in a saloon

June 1912 (age 30) – Kid Blink is arrested and held on a $1000 bail for possession of dynamite

June 1912 (age 30) – The New York Times reports that “Blind Diamond” was sent to a convention in Baltimore to represent the newsboys of the paper as a senior newsboy. It is unclear if this is Kid Blink or a different person going by that name.

May 1913 (age 31) – The Sun reports that Kid Blink is sick with tuberculosis

July 1913 (age 32) – Kid Blink dies and is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens

Did Kid Blink betray the strike?

On July 27, 1899, several New York newspapers reported that strike leaders Kid Blink and David Simmons had been seen selling the boycotted papers the previous day. In response to the accusations, both boys stepped down from their leadership positions. But were these accusations true?

July 26 was the height of the strike. Only days before, on the 24th, the strikers had filled Irving Hall to overflowing and held what was by all accounts a rousing rally. On the 25th, they switched to peaceful tactics, no longer beating up scabs, and found that the public remained on their side and the two papers could still not be found anywhere in the city. The strikers were strong. They were winning.

And then on July 26 their leaders were accused of betraying the strike. The timing of this betrayal seems suspicious. Why quit when all evidence seemed to point toward an upcoming victory? And the farther you dig, the more suspicious this whole scenario gets.

The day before he was accused of scabbing, the New York Tribune reports Kid Blink saying that “[William Randolf Hearst] says he’ll go out of business and close up the shop before he’ll give in to us. I guess that’s what he’ll have to do. Anyhow, he’s going to see the committee, what’s me and ‘Jimmie’ Scabooch and ‘Dave’ Simon, tomorrow.” These hardly sound like the words of a man planning to leave the strike the next day.

Furthermore, the reported details of the incident are sketchy at best. Some sources claim the boys were given $400 each to sell papers, others say it was $200 and a new suit of clothes, still others others say the bribe was free papers and a dollar a day, some sources even claim there was no bribe and that Kid Blink simply thought the strike was over.

These discrepancies are more consistent with rumors passed between children than with eyewitness accounts to an actual event. Indeed, none of the papers reporting on the event claim to have seen Kid Blink selling papers themselves, or even to have interviewed somebody who had. The few that cite their sources claim only to have heard word going around.

The New York Tribune does claim to have attended the trial where Kid Blink and David Simmons were accused of scabbing by the other strikers, but that article is highly suspect, featuring long speeches from Kid Blink that would not be out of place in a Shakespeare play as well as a full poem that Kid Blink supposedly spontaneously scrawled on the flagstones, written phonetically in his accent despite the fact that it was supposedly written and not spoken.

But if Kid Blink and David Simmons didn’t betray the strike, where did the rumors that they did come from? I believe the most likely explanation is that they were spread by people working at one or both of the papers. Given how close the newsboys were and how young, it wouldn’t have taken more than a few words to the right boy to spread the story among all the strikers.

Kid Blink and David Simmons themselves denied the charges that they had betrayed the strike. Simmons was even quoted as saying that “a published report that he and Kid Blink had been deposed as leaders of the strike for going over to the enemy was a device of that enemy, and that the report was not true.“ He had the same suspicions I have: that Kid Blink and himself were not disloyal to the strike, but were in fact victims of a whisper campaign.

This, of course, is all speculation, but the evidence does seem to at very least cast some doubt on the idea that Kid Blink and David Simmons ever betrayed the strike.

Newsboy Strike: Day 10 – Thursday, July 27, 1899

Kid Blink Arrested

Who was striking? Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island City, Mount Vernon, Newark, Troy, Yonkers, Bayonne, Saratoga, Asbury Park, White Plains, Hoboken NJ, Trenton NJ, Plainfield NJ, Paterson NJ, New Haven CT, Danbury CT, New London CT, Providence RI

There were more of the boycotted papers than usual for sale on July 27, but that may have been because the papers were giving away copies for free. About a hundred boys lead by Kid Blink went to collect these free papers, only to destroy them immediately upon leaving the distribution centre.

Chief of Police Devery puts out a notice to the precincts to arrest anybody interfering with the delivery wagons. Meanwhile, a business manager at the World announced that the backbone of the strike had been broken by the rumours of Kid Blink and David Simmons’ betrayal, and that neither they nor the Journal had any intention of lowering their prices.

A large group of strikers gathered in the evening, only to discover that the promised parade must be postponed because of a lack of permits. They discuss this lack of follow-through from their leaders, as well as the rumours that Kid Blink and Dave Simmons had betrayed the strike. They decide that it’s time for new leaders and elect Yak Egg and Niney to take their places. They make arrangements for a new strike committee to be managed by delegates from all boroughs. Other boys declare that they don’t need a leader at all because the power of leadership will go to their heads.

Later that night, a group of boys chased Kid Blink through the streets calling him a scab. A police officer arrested him, assuming he is the leader of the group of running boys. He was brought to the station where he was released on a $3 bail paid by his mother. Some papers say that the strikers’ confidence in him was restored after his arrest. Others report the boys hooting at him as he left the court house.

In an evening meeting, the Brotherhood of Stationers and Newsdealers voted to join the West Side Newsdealers’ Association in their support of the strike.

In Yonkers, the New York Daily News agreed to the terms of the strike, lowering their prices to the newsboys. Encouraged by this success, the newsboys strengthen their strike against the World and Journal.

Sources about this day:
The Evening Telegram: “Newsboys See Victory Ahead”
The Herald: “Dealers Boycott to Aid Newsboys”
New York Times: “Newsboys Still Hold Out”
New York Tribune: “‘Kid’ Blink Arrested”
New York Tribune: “Yonkers Boys Win A Victory”
The Sun: “Newsboys Get New Leaders”
The Sun: “Stole Newspapers from Girls and Women”

Newsboy Strike: Day 9 – Wednesday, July 26, 1899

Strike Leaders Accused of Betrayal

Who was Striking? Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island City, Mount Vernon, Newark, Troy, Clifton, Tarrytown, Yonkers, Saratoga, White Plains, Jersey City NJ, Hoboken NJ, Elizabeth NJ, Trenton NJ, Plainfield NJ, Paterson NJ, Bayonne NJ, Asbury Park NJ, Fall River MA, New Haven CT, Norwalk CT, Hartford CT, New London CT, Cincinnati OH, Providence RI

On July 26, 1899, the New York Journal offered the newsboys a compromise of 55c per hundred papers instead of 60c. The strikers declined the offer, confident they could succeed in getting the full 50c per hundred. They decide that starting the next day they would strike not only against the evening editions, but also the morning editions of the World and Journal. Despite this confidence, the New York Times headline about July 26 read “Newsboys are Weakening.”

The main reason for this headline was the rumours going around that Grand Master Workman Kid Blink and union president David Simmons had been seen in Park Row with 500 copies of the boycotted papers, having accepted a bribe of $400. Details of these rumours are hazy and vary from paper to paper, calling into question their legitimacy. Simmons claimed the rumor “was a device of that enemy, and the report was not true.”

Nevertheless, there was a hearing to consider the charges in a saloon on Park Row. Both Kid Blink and David Simmons denied betraying the strike, but they did agree to step down from their leadership roles. They were replaced by a new board lead by Morris Cohen, president; Race Track Higgins, vice president; David Simmons, treasurer; and Sol Levy, secretary.

A parade was planned for 8:00 but cancelled because they couldn’t get a permit, despite Kid Blink’s assurances that he had obtained one. Police chief Devery was cited in the New York Tribune as saying he “wouldn’t sign that thing [the parade permit] for a thousand dollars.” 6000 boys were expected at the parade. A smaller parade is held however, with a police escort leading a group of strikers from Grand Central Station to Broadway through the Tenderloin.

In an evening meeting, the West Side Newsdealers’ Association, made up of adult news sellers, adopted resolutions in support of the newsboys’ strike.

Sources about this day:
The Evening Telegram: “Salvation Lassies Wouldn’t Sell Them”
The Herald: “Newsdealers and the Boy Strikers”
New York Times: “Newsboys Are Weakening”
New York Tribune: “Tried for High Treason”
New York Tribune: “Boys Eloquent in Brooklyn”
New York Tribune: “Providence Boys Join the Strike”
The Sun: “Parade To-Night, Sure”

Newsboy Strike: Day 8 – Tuesday, July 25, 1899

Newsboys Try Peaceful Tactics

Who was striking? Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island City, Mount Vernon, Newark, Troy, Clifton, Tarrytown, Yonkers, Jersey City NJ, Hoboken NJ, Elizabeth NJ, Trenton NJ, Plainfield NJ, Paterson NJ, Fall River MA, New Haven CT, Norwalk CT, Hartford CT, New London CT, Cincinnati OH, Lexington KY

The day after the mass meeting on July 24, the newsboys changed their tactics. They stopped beating and threatening people selling the boycotted papers, turning instead to peaceful discussions in which they tried to make them see their side, or simply to silent glares from across the street. There were a few fights, but they were quickly broken up by the strike leaders.

Despite the removal of threat for people who sell the papers, there are still very few copies of the World and Journal sold that day, because the public was sympathetic to the cause. Even some of the people being given $2 per day by the papers were sympathetic. They would secretly destroy large parts of their papers so they could collect their wages without actually selling the papers.

The papers still said they had no plans to arbitrate, but the boys were unperturbed, saying they would continue the strike for months if necessary. They were confident they couldn’t be ignored much longer. The papers, however, didn’t see it that way. Mr. Carvalho of the World told Kid Blink that his paper couldn’t afford to sell for any less than 60c/100 because their paper is more expensive to produce than the other papers. He told him that the World would go out of business before they would give in to the strikers.

At a meeting in the evening, the Auxiliary Progressive Movement voted to support the strike, and also agreed that newsboys should be more regulated with uniforms, age limits and restricted hours. They propose that boys under 10 shouldn’t be allowed to sell after 9 PM, and that all boys should have parental consent and be required to carry a license and a badge. They believed this would better the newsboys’ quality of life long after the strike was over.

The strike was strong outside New York City as well. In Yonkers, distributors reduced their orders for the papers from 1000 copies to 100, and had trouble selling even that many. In Mount Vernon, they didn’t order any copies at all. The one bundle of papers that did come to town was instantly destroyed by the strikers.

30 newsboys in Lexington KY went on strike because newsdealers make them pay 2.5c for 3c papers and they couldn’t return unsold copies. They tore up the papers not only of those selling on the street but also of people delivering subscriptions. The publishers agreed to their terms and offered to sell to the boys for 1.5c/copy but didn’t offer guarantee of returns. The boys accepted the deal and returned to work the next day.

A parade was planned for the evening, but was cancelled at the last minute because the police didn’t give them a permit.

Sources about this day:
The Evening Telegram: “Newsboys Ready to Show Strength”
The Herald: “Newsboys’ Strike Becomes General”
New York Times: “Newsboys Still Hold Out”
New York Times: “Seek to Help the Newsboys”
New York Tribune: “‘Newsies’ Standing Fast”
New York Tribune: “Yonkers Boys Form A Union”
New York Tribune: “Strikers Ahead in Mount Vernon”
The Sun: “Newsboys Parade To-Night”
The Sun:

“Newsboys Gain A Point”

Newsboy Strike: Day 7 – Monday, July 24, 1899

Newsboys Rally at Irving Hall

Who was striking? Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Long Island City, Mount Vernon, Newark, Troy, Clifton, Jersey City NJ, Hoboken NJ, Elizabeth NJ, Trenton NJ, Plainfield NJ, Fall River MA, New Haven CN, Norwalk CN, Cinncinnati OH

The World and Journal advertised for 700 men to sell their papers for $2/day, but the few who took the deal found the job difficult because they had to fight off boys determined to hit them with clubs. Even the people who tried to pick the discarded papers off the street to read for free found their papers torn from their hands and ripped up. Three distribution wagon drivers quit their jobs because they didn’t want to fight the boys any longer.

The Arbitration Committee went to the offices of the New York Journal to try to meet with Hearst as he had said he might be willing to do a few days before. They were kicked out of his offices without being allowed to talk to him.

The biggest event of the day was the rally held at Irving Place Theatre at 8 PM that night. It was attended by 5000-7000 newsboys depending on the source, and reporters from at least five newspapers. The boys couldn’t all fit in the hall, and according to the New York Times, 3000 of them were left outside the hall where they couldn’t hear the speeches but still cheered whenever they heard the boys inside cheer.

Nick Meyers presided over the meeting, and he was assisted in keeping order by two men with long switches. The meeting opened with speeches and words of encouragement from several prominent adults, including a representative for assemblyman Charley Adler, baseball star Frank P. Wood, ex-assemblyman Phillip Wissig, Mr. Brennan of the Newsdealers’ Association, newsdealer Mr. Fitzsimmons

After the adults, the strikers themselves spoke. Union president David Simmons read a list of resolutions asking newsdealers and advertisers to help them, Bob Indian complained Hearst told the boys he couldn’t sell the paper for less, Kid Blink and Racetrack Higgins each give compelling speeches, pretzel seller Crazy Arborn claims he was bribed $2/day to sell papers but he refused, Annie Kelly was pulled onstage unexpectedly and said a few words. Speeches were also given by Fishbone Skinneys, Cheek Gruber, Friedman Frockets, Kid Fish, Young Monix, Little Kikie, and Mickey Myers. The meeting ended with Hungry Joe Kiernan singing a song about a one-legged newsboy.

A floral horseshoe was donated by “an admirer of the newsboys” to be given to the boy who gave the best speech. Sources agree that it was a close call between Racetrack Higgins and Kid Blink, but in the end Kid Blink won it.

Sources about this day:
The Evening Telegram: “Newsboy Strike Gains Ground”
The Herald: “Newsboys Wage A Merry War”
New York Times: “Newsboys Act and Talk”
New York Times: “Violent Scenes During Day”
New York Tribune: “Boys Forsee A Victory”
New York Tribune: “Newsboys Riot in Mount Vernon”
New York Tribune: “Park Row Capulets and Montagues”
The Sun: “Great Meet of Newsboys”

Newsboy Strike: Day 5 – Saturday, July 22, 1899

World and Journal bribe men to sell papers

Who was striking? Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Long Island City, Mount Vernon, Newark, Fall River, Jersey City NJ, Hoboken NJ, Elizabeth NJ, New Haven Conn

On July 22, businesses started pulling their ads from the New York World and New York Journal because they weren’t selling. This was when the papers realized that the strike had the power to do them serious economic damage. They started to bribe people to sell their papers, offering them $2 per day, plus 40c per hundred papers sold. They recruit 100 men from Bowery lodging houses, but most of them back out after talking it over with the newsboys.

Kid Blink told the Tribune that this bribery only encouraged them to destroy the stock of anybody selling the papers because they knew they weren’t losing money since they were being paid off.

Unable to speak to Hearst on the previous day, a group of strikers waited for him outside his office when he arrived that morning. He invited Kid Blink, Jim Seabook, Jim Gaity and Dave Simmons up to his office to talk. They asked him if he would lower the price of the paper. He asked what the World was going to do, and they told him if he arbitrated they probably would too. He said he would talk it over with his staff and get back to them on Monday if he decided to arbitrate. The strikers took this as an encouraging sign.

Around 1 PM, a few hundred boys demonstrated in front of the World and Journal offices in Park Row holding banners. The police give up trying to disperse the crowd, taking instead to standing in front of the World building to protect it from being damaged.

The boys then marched to the Battery and through Broadway, picking up stones as they went and stoning a distribution wagon when they found one. Two of the ringleaders were arrested. Two other boys were arrested for parading illegally in Park Row, and three others for fighting.

All in all, the strike was gaining ground. Many of the cities and towns around New York joined the strike in solidarity with their New York brethren. The New York Herald described the strike as “one of the most successful labour upheavals in recent years.”

Sources on this day:
The Herald: “Newsboys’ Strike Promises Success”
New York Times: “Striking Newsboys are Firm”
New York Times: “Newsboys May Be Uniformed”
New York Tribune: “Newsboys’ Word Stands”
The Sun: “Newsboys’ Strike Swells”

Newsboy Strike: Day 4 – Friday, July 21, 1899

Newsboy Strike Spreads

Who was striking? Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Long Island City,

Mount Vernon, Newark,

Jersey City NJ, Hoboken NJ

The newsboys of Grand Central Station joined the strike on July 21, saying they would have joined earlier but they didn’t realize there was a strike on. This meant the strike was general in Manhattan, with almost all the newsboys joining.

The general tactic at this point was to wait until a seller was about to sell a boycotted paper, then mob him and beat him with clubs while the customer ran away frightened. The only people selling the World and Journal were larger boys and men protected from being beaten by police escorts. Kid Blink claims some “scabs” were armed with clubs made from table legs. One dealer was surrounded by five officers for protection, and the newsboys, unable to get to him, formed a ring of 50 strikers around them to make sure customers can’t get to him either to buy papers.

The strikers chalked slogans on the sidewalk in City Hall Park and in Herald Square asking the public for support in their strike. They also distributed handbills to pedestrians.

The strike appears to be effective. The circulation of the two boycotted papers is down an estimated 100,000 copies per day. Meanwhile, the New York Herald reported that demand for their afternoon paper, the Evening Telegram, had more than tripled.

Despite the lawless beating of “scabs”, the newsboys were generally lawful in other ways because they didn’t want to give a bad name to their union. A group of them beat a boy they caught stealing a peach and trie to turn him in to the cops, but the officer didn’t care. Boots McAleenan was not impressed, saying “What can you do with a cop like that against you?”

Many strikers were arrested, but few were charged. Most were simply “whacked” by the police and then set free. Two who were arrested were Samuel Wolkinsky and John Armstrong, charged with cruel and unusual punishment for forcing a “scab” to eat one of his own papers.

A man known as Mike the Greaser was arrested for forcing a loaded revolver down Kid Blink’s throat “in a learned argument on the subject of ‘scabs.’”

In the evening, Kid Blink, the Corporal and Skaggs visited the newspaper offices and asked to speak with the managers, but they were turned away.

Sources about this day:
The Evening Telegram: “Boy Strikers Sweep the City”
The Herald: “Spread of Strike Fever Among Lads”
New York Times: “The Strike of the Newsboys”
New York Tribune: “Newsboys’ Strike Goes On”
The Sun: “Strike That Is A Strike”