Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-04-26
THE PlrTSBuRG PleT SUIT.
Robert \. Ammon ON the stand aud Ar.
sumcntS hy COuuSpI.


gumcnt> hy Counsel.
But three hours were ocrupicd YES.
terdAy II hearing the evidence produc-
81 T. nSten upon the PENNSYLVANIA
Railroad Company such ncshscnce AS
might render II liable for the three mil
hen dollar loss Of freight DESTROYED
during the lSttshurg riots. Atler four
witnesses had been called t. the stand
Mr.. Ellon, counsel for sherman. Hall
\ Co, the claimants III the test suit ~
trial III the United States
circuit court, announced tbrir
case aS closed The main Nil
ness WAS Robert s. Ammon, tho youth
who has obtained such notorietv AS the
leader ot the Trainmen'S Onion. Al
tcmptS were made 1T intervals III Mi.
McNeagh 10 set him to produce telc-
grams which he had received from the
railroad officers, and also from promi.
ncnt strikers during the riot. int he
took refuge under the assertion that, as
cIlmnal charge was hanging over his
hcad, disclosure might tend Is crimi-
nate him. When ho thus sheltered
himself he was imprcgnahle, and the
secrets ot the riot III his possession r.
manned inviohto.
The testimony of the other three Wit
ncsSes occupied hut few minutes and
was wholly nnjmportant is exposing
anything with which the public is not
already familiar,
Ammon testified llc said he had
been brakeman on the Fort WAYNE
road up to June, Isl. lie know that
freight trains were abandoned M Fits
burg i'll July. During the strike he was
put III charge OF all trains coming from
the west 10y the authorities Of the rcun-
sNlvanla railroad, which authoritv came
to HIM to Allegheny city by telegraph
from the office olthe company in Fits
burg, signed 81 :. a., tho initials 81
George 5. Griscom. lie received other
kilograms from MIR. Lang and
from the second Nier-mcSidcnt ol the
company and also from Mr.. Ralston,
the genuincneSS of which had never
been questioned. He sent all east
bound trains ~ pittsburg ~ Is Satur-
day morning. Mr.. Ross, the dispatch
er, had told him ~ run everything
over 10 Iittshurg, and if hr got blocked
To run the trains Oh Fort Wayne track
AS the trains came in their crews of
five men each left them and
went over to Plttshurg. They num-
hered from five Hundred 10 Il thousand
men, and there were left twcntv-thrce
hundred cars en- thctrack running from
Allegheny TO l.cesdalc, distance OF
fifteen miles. lcadyiscd the autkori.
ties Of the road Mr.. Ross twice and
Mr.. Lang onCe---not to rush the freight
into littshurg, but to kccpit West.
Mr. Fallon offered to show that the
employees would have protected tho
compauyS property ut pittsburg had
they been allowed to do So, and also
thatthc company had no force sufficient
to protect ii, but upon objection Judge
Mckennan ovorruled the offer because
the good Or bad intent of either party
was not evidence ON tic issue Of ncgli-
gence; the question was not what they
would have done, bat what they did
Considerable testimony WAS given Nv
thcWltncssas tothe movement of freight
trains out Of Allegheny City during the
Tire III littsburg, and lie produced
orders which he had received from the
Pennsylvania Railroad officers author
lzlng him to get trains out Of danger.
Thomas II. Ryan, Robert u. Allen
and John II. Dubois were the other
witnesses.
Mr.. Mac Noagh made il long nrgu-
ment, going over the evidence.
Mr.. Fallon made an argument in
support Of the suflicIcney of his cvi.
dence, and finally Judge McKennan
said that the court would hear further
argument this morning At this point
m adjournment was had Fhimdeiphia
Times.