[lentulusgracchus]

[Art.] Lincoln brought secret police to America, along with the traditional midnight “knock on the door”, .....

This tradition of high-handedness persisted in Chicago after the war, where Lincoln's former associates used the Chicago police (the "Chicago Bulls" of their day) to bash union organizers (literally, killing some) and dragging strangers out of hotel beds for midnight interrogations by local poltroon-goonmeisters who decided whether they could stay in town.

S.O.P. in Chicago of the 60's and 70's -- I'd believe it, if someone told me God moved Kate O'Leary's cow, because He was tired of the stink of the place and wanted it fire-cleansed.

[Non-Sequitur]

I never would have pegged you for a union supporter, lentulusgracchus. Wonders never cease.

S.O.P. in Chicago of the 60's and 70's

I suppose they could have turned the firehoses and dogs on them like they did in Birmingham. Shades of Davis' threat to have troops fire on women and children during the Richmond Bread Riots?