Moses ordered state troopers to back his unpermitted private surveyors onto a farmer’s land

Evidence

The next day, as John Jacob and his five sons were in the fields, a young engineer Moses had hired, Sidney M. Shapiro, drove up with a surveying crew. “They just walked on the property and set up their things without asking permission,” P. G. Rasweiler recalls. “Father asked them if they had papers from a court, and they didn’t.” John Jacob walked into his house, came out with a shotgun, put it against Shapiro’s chest, and said, “I’ll blow you to hell if you don’t get off my land.” Getting off, Shapiro telephoned Moses, who said, “Get the state troopers and go back there.” — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 797

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Moses scouted estate property secretly on foot to plan seizures — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 748; Robert Moses threatened farmers with eminent domain when charm failed — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 795; Moses appropriated private land before completing state-mandated negotiations or funding — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 808 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Moses appropriated private land before completing state-mandated negotiations or funding #expands (0.90) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 808
• Republicans attacked Moses through private property rights rhetoric #exemplifies (0.75) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 862