The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-23
MARTIN IRONS.
A Knight Who Affects to Believe the Dis
trict Workman Was GOuld's Tool.

trict Workman Was GOnld's Tool.
Chicago Tribune.
Yesterday afternoon a reporter ran plumb
against Whalan Ntzhugh, of Sedala, NO. one
Of the editors of the Labor Union. of that city.
Beginning with the inception Of the last strike,
Mr.. McHugh frankly admitted that calm ret
rospection of the whole trouble forced him to
confess that Mr.. Powderly's position on the
baselessness of the strike is entirely correct.
That while the majority of the striking Knights
honestly believed that they had sufficient cause
to take the course they did, yet now the
cooler-headed and conservative members
believed that they were not only too hasty
but that they were led to continue
the battle by the cunning and dupc
ity OF Martin Irons, whom they then
implicitly trusted. but whom they now despise.
1t was through the unceasing profession OF love
for the Knights and self-sacri6cing desire to win
for them everything that law and equity said were
theirs that this man Irons succeeded in raising
himself to the position of master workman of
Assembly No. 10l. Once there he was in posi-
ton to carry out his intrigue. Irons" said
Mr.. Ntzhugh,, lis not representative laboring
man. nor is he worthy of the confidence
and honor which were blindly given him. see
by the morning papers that Irons has ignomin-
ously fled from Sedalia, the fear of personal
violence giving speed to his flight l am not
surprised at this, for when left Sedaia NUT
terings deep and ominous against him were
heard every side, not only In the ranks
of the Knights of Labor. but among the citizens
generally for to him the latter class attribute all
the loss which has been entaied upon the com
munty during the recent strike. They hold that
a word from him would have ended the conten-
tion and only his perfidious greed kept him from
uttering that word. From the very first Martin
Irons stood in rebellious attitude to Mr. Pow
Derby his official life a menace to the au-
shortly the collective wisdom, the discreet coun-
tel of the chief officer and the executive commit
tee of the knights of Labor. With him it was
rule or ruin. And now let me give
you what is an open secret among
those who have been associated fraternally
with this Irons and who have had
unusual opportunities for catching and diagnos-
ing his whole career. You recall the arrest of
Irons, Coughlin and McKeogh. the latter a tele-
tap the Western Union wires in order to learn
what communications were passing between Jay
Gould and Vice president Hoxie, of the Missouri
Pacific. You will also recall the fact that these
men were never brought to trial, and right
here I predict they never will be. Whyq
Because l believe and so do others, that
this conspiracy never existed as a fact; that
it foxy movement the part of Jay
Gould to bring discrediJ upon the Knights of
Labor, and thereby injure the moral standing
of the organization. In other words, many be-
lieve Martin Irons has been the secret paid ennis
sary of Jay Gould to wreck the Knights of La
bor and that he is still in Goulds employ in that
capacity No suspicion of this character rests
against Coughln If he had anything to do with
the tapping Of those wires, he duped into
the attempt McKeogh was at that time and is
STILL in the employ of the Western Union. But
more than this, Martin Irons announced himself
as a candidate for general master workman of
the Knights of Labor at the coming election in
opposition to Mr. Powderly. This simply means
more internecine strife and contention in the
ranks. 1t is another coup d'etat on the part of
Jay Gould, through Martin Irons to defeat the
Kniphtqn