New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-04-18
A PLOT IN EAST ST. LOUIS.
ARMED STRIKERS CAUGHT BY MILITIA.
A LETTER FRoMA WOMAN EXPOSING CONSPIRACY
KNIGHTS OF LABOR ARRESTED IN MISSOURI
Hnn IprIr1l rrIr

ST. LOUIS, April 17.-FOur men were cap
tured early this morning in East St. Louis by the troops
Tor refusing to halt when ordered They all strik-
era Upon being searched they were found armed. Sc
cret orders, with the Knights Of Labor seal attached.
calling upon all knights to stop all violence such as uu
coupling or disabling engines also found In
their possession Lou" Kelley engineer, to-day re-
ceved letter signed /" lady," in which the following
remarkable language
Ere you receive this you will doubt see notices
posted informing engineers to beware, which you will
obey II you In the possession OF the facts as am
Give your earliest attention. for while the wife OF
knight OF Labor and IN sympathy with their cause.
cannot knowing that they, In their desperation to In
sure Justice, determined to adopt measures In tho
immediate future shocking In their nature and OF such
murderous resus) longer refrain from letting you know
that II persist in running death and disaster await
you. The Knights Intend that for tho last warning
after which they say the fun begins Now, am in ig-
norance concerning details Of their plan bnt this much
know. They arranging to some agency that VIII
instananeously destroy the boiler engine with no
regard to either fireman engineer for thsy claim that
the work will be done when and where the least sus'
pcion will DO given. give this Information cheerfully,
for, rather than know that death had been caused
woud submit to defeat Will please put your broth
men, guardl have rest peace at pres
ent. cannot Sleep for horrid dreams haunt my sum'
bers"
The Grand Jury created furry to-day by causing
bench warrants issued the OF j. j. Nc
Garry, judge advocate of Assembly No. 1O1 Charles
Burdctte and s. W. Chase. These men are leading
Knights and the prospective indictments arc for
obstructing railroad track They were arrested few
weeks ago warrants charging them with the same
offence, and on Thursday they had preliminary exam
nation The attorneys for the defence held that the
alleged offence did not under the felony clause OF
the statute and this view taken by the examining
magistrate and the defendants discharged. The
Circuit attorneys claims that the examining magistrate
oversteppcd his authority when he passed on this law In
tho cascs They accordingly submitted to the
Grand Jury. which presented true bills. The alleged
offence is the stopping OF passing train at the Missouri
Pacific shops March IL and uncoupling the engine
from the train. The have not been taken into Gus
tody.
Martin Irons A. c. Coughlan and George NJ. Jackson
appeared In the criminal court this morning and fur
nished bonds for their appearance on charge OF tam
pcr!ng with telegraph wires They say that the bills are
the result OF conspiracy to bring the order into dis
grace The following official circular by tho general
roadmaster Of Missouri Pacific scat out yeser-
day:
LEXINGTON, Mo-, April 16.
To all Yard Masters: On and after date you Will not
employ section foremen foremen OF extra gangs
any man who is Knight Of Labor All foremen % now IN
ent TO you heir withdrawal cards or be discharged we
I not any sss as
ried to the letter You will be personally responsDe
foremen or iaborers who have in any interfered
with the business of or destroyed the companys prop
cry. Such will not be reemployed under any cir
| cumstances. J.. ROCKWELL, General Roadmaster.
Applications for employment on the MISSOURI racine
are flowing by the hundred. coming altogether from
the non-union element Assaults and affrays are ire
quent about the yards and adjoining streets and tho
new employees are usually roughly handled. TWO nun
dred and fty.six delegates met in convention OF DIS
trlct Assembly No. II. Lghtstones Hall. tonight Mas
ter Workman NJ. A. Sullivan presided The convention
called for the special purpose OF considering the
East Louis strike and adopting measures TO sustain
.. Commi seman Bailey said to-day: 1.-THE knights
OF Labor will stay and prevent the roads operating
arbitration Is agreed by the company. Haven't we
shown plainly enough that al we desire is arbitration
and isn't proved that the roads cannot operate with
ont our men Look at the small business the MISSOURI
Pacific is doing. and look at the East st. Louis pus-
ness. They are working there only in daytime ana
only from o'clock in the morning to O'Clock IN the
afternoon at that They must me to the conclusion
after while they can't get along without the hnghts
OF Labor Our organization is perfect and our plans are
working without any hitch We have a. much money as
we want and have organizers, lecturers ana other
workers travelling the lines constantly We arc IN
better condition right now, by far han the railway oo
pany Is to continue this strike"
The business done by East st. Louis railroads is III
creasing Yesterday greater volume OF frelght was
transferred river than for any day since tue
strike. At meeting OF the managers OF the various
roads Yesterday at which General Reece and stan were
particular nconveniences under which each ROAD sur
ered and the causes therefor reported and e1-
planned BY the railroad representatives. Dehera hceoo
| promised protection for these weak Spots in0
employees of the various roads were all INFORMED o hs
promise and to-day several mon are at WORK. Inc
Bridge and Tunnel Company. which formerly did all the
Transferring across the river bv the BRIDGE and the Belt
Road which did the transferring between the dinerent
railroad yards have been unable to employ sunceh'
number OF men do all the business. ana the ierroS
and transfer teams have been called upon TO perform
this work but find they have more than they can
do
The Citizens Committee played itslast card in the ar
bitration game to-day With a view of interesting the
directory of the Missouri Pacific ana iron Mouh'ah
roads in the pan notices were sent TO H. O. Hayes ~ "
Kerens T. j. Lockand and G. W. Allen resident uroc''
ors OF the roads, inviting them to select three OF the
directory to Join the committee and settle the e.s.s
,bo O. Nelson said that;he did not anticipato
repy from the directors. He was or theoph-
ion that Mr. Ioxe had struck the Keynote oi '"e 'u
ton In his letter to DI. OReily 10 WHICH no o'e"i''
shows that he does not favor arbitration ana n"' W
answers of the directors would be much IN the same
tenor. -, ,,,
,t,,a ~ encine 3O6 O. tho Missouri Pacific, hauling
twsntv o,ded cars OF grain passed down Poplars ana
turning the corner the levee at lively speed a ~
engine $40 OF tho Wabash which had twenty SIX oa'o
cars OF sand behind It, The tender OF the Ms'oui
ac engius was shattered and the engine was "ioch
The boiler head was several feet into tho s. I'd"
and made a hole out OF which wagon LOAD Oh "nc"'
tumbled The three next cars were sm"snea' i"o
boiler head OF The Wabash engine was knocked In anu
the smoke stack and steam chests knocked on in0
damage is put at $685. 900. Thomm Gillespie 'he ".D
ash engineer said that the switch had been thrown or
hin, and he was Inst starting North when he saw the
Missouri ec train swing into the curve He ~hisou
| dorm brakes and jumrcd. No one was hurt
The Knights OF Labor who were sued py the 'sSou'
Pacific Railroad Company and for whom an answer anu
motion dissolve tho injunction proceea'ns ~
Uorners court had been entered are not pleased 10 KNOW
hat tho court has postponed the hearing until May 70
STRIKERS SENTENCED IN TEXAS.
GALVESTON, Tex, April ia dispatcn u
m. trial Of the contempt cases yesterday SEN
,enoed charles Wilson, charged with displacing swcn
for the purpose of dtching al engine AZ Denton on