The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-07-26
MEETING OF RAILROAD employees.
Shcrt Hand Exporter secrsted in 9 Chandelier
Supports Hustled to the Cooler.

Shcrt Hand Reporter Secrsted in Chandelier
Supports Hustled to the Cooler.
ST. JOE. July PA joint meeting
of the locomotive engineers, firemen,
switchmen and brakemen to consider
the Burlington strike convened at
TOOtle's opera house this morning at
$50 O'Clock. About 700 delegates are
present representing lodges of the
United States, Canada and Mexico.
Great care has been taken of course to
keep the proceedings as quiet as pos
sible. Mr.. Frank p. Mcdonald, chair
man of the grievance committee of the
local brotherhood of engineers, called
the meeting to order. All the morning
a committee was at work searching the
opera house looking for spies with a
lantern. Finally pair of shoes were
found on the stairway leading up into
the attic above the ceiling of the gall
lery. This excited suspicion and the
stage carpenter, whose name is Moore,
was asked about the shoes. He
said that they belonged to him
and when asked to describe
them made mistake. He described
them as being buckle shoes, when they
were fastened with strings. A search
was then made for the owner of the
shoes, who was found secreted in the
chandelier supports, with no clothes on
excepting a hOneycomb undershirt and
a pair of oyeralls. His name is David
E. SeplOgle, a shorthand reporter in
the employ of Lancaster, Thomas s.
Dawes, attorneys, at 3lS Francis street.
Seplogle was found by member of the
local BrakeSmen's Brotherhood, named
Pat McNulty. He was escorted down
the ladder amid the wells of the broth
erhOOd members. who believed SepOgle
was "A Pinkerton employee. Seplogle
stated that he had been hired by Jake
w. Spencer, formerly publisher of the
Evening News, but now proprietor of
the Journal of Commerce, to take the
proceedings of the convention in short
hand for his paper. He said that
he was to be paid twenty-five dollars
for the work, and admitted that
the stage carpenter had shown them
the hiding place. A large crowd gath
cred around him when he was brought
down on the stage and but for the
| Interruption of cooler heads SeplOgle
would have been roughly handled.
He had taken lunch and bottle OF
water up to his hiding place and was
prepared to stay there all day. 1t
was suggested by one of the brother
| hood members that he be photo
graphed and that his likeness be pub
lished in the Police Gazette and the
''Scab Circular, +" but the opera house
was too dark to have the
photograph taken. He was marched
to police head quarters through the
street in his bare feet where ne
is is still confined. Charges viii
be preferred against him this after
noon. great excitement prevailed while
Seplogle was being taken from TIT
opera house and cries of ''PinkertoI
spy'' and 'scab" were made by TIT
delegates. Chairman Mcdonald asked
the men to behave like gentlemen and
not offer any violence to the man, say
ing that if there was any legal methoC
for punishment the man would b
dealt with accordingly. The impress
ion of the legal profession here is tina
Seplogle cannot be punished as there il
no statute in Missouri concerning tn
methods of securing news for the pub
lie prints. After the excitement sub
sided the convention proceeded to busi
ness and elected Frank I
Mcdonald permanent chairman
The forenoon was spent in speecl
making by Frank 2. Sargean
of Terre Haute, Indiana, grand maste
of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engin
GERS; r. Powers, master of the loca
brakemen brotherhood; Mr.. Hitchers
general chairman of the grievanc
committee of the Kansas City, For
Scott s. Gulf railroad. WIN. Sullivan
Charles Porter and r. Morris, all of 81
Joseph, were elected secretaries.