The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-09
DEVINE HITS BACK.
He Has the Boycotters Arrested
for Libeling Him.
A FIGHT OVER EARLY CLOSING.
Nine Shoe Store Clerks Charged With
Libel-Boycott Circulars the Basis
Of the Charge.

| city have been endeavoring to place on the
store of c. P. Devine at sos Front street,
resulted yesterday in the arrest of nine
clerks on charge Of libel preferred by Mr..
Devine. The nine clerks arrested are Her
bert Raymond. Stanley Mankowski, ]. j.
Rose, John Crawford, Samuel W. Means,
Grant Pitman, George 4. Derby, Benja
n. Pitts and Samuel Rucker. They all
gave bonds in the sum of 800 each pend
Ing hearing tomorrow before Justice
Won Tobel. In his complaint Mr.. Devine
Charges that the nine clerks "maliciously,
wickedly, premedtatediy, wrongfully and
uhlawfuily entered into q conspiracy to
inJure and ruin his business and provoke
him to wrath and expose him to public
hatred, contempt and ridicule, and to de-
prive him OF the benefits of public conf
dence and social intercourse
During May fifteen clerks from various
shoe stores in the city met and planned to
have all shoe merchants agree to close
their places of business at O'Clock every
evening from June until January next
petition was circulated and among those
who signed the agreement was G. P. De-
vine, proprietor of the Famous Shoe
House, at 603 Front street. For several
reasons Mr.. Devine did not close up his
place OF business on June 1, whereupon
the following circular was issued and dis
tributed about the streets:
To the Public: The shoe merchants OF this city
agreed upon and signed petition to close their
respective places Of business at 6 O'Clock p m,
Saturday excepted, on and after June !, 1892, to
January /, 1898. All the merchants have kept
Ia II word, with the exception OF Mr.. c. P. De-
vine, proprietor OF the Famous" shoe house,
who positively refuses to close his store at
O'Clock. and further states that he will allow no
one to dictate 10 him to what hour he will
close
Now, in justice to the balance Of the mer-
chants. we kindly beg the public not to patron
ize man whose word il OF 80 little value to his
fellow-merchants, after the hour of p. m. By
doing your trading before that time you will as
sist us greatly in our early closing movement,
and also show the following named firms the
respect and good will that is due them for their
interest and willingness in behalf OF the boot
and shoe clerks: l.. A. Treen & Co., Simisou
Bros, Olcovich Bros, H. Jones, NJ. A. Cox 4
Co., George r. Raymond d Co.. J. Lesser, n. w.
Shoe Company, Charles Eggert & Co.
On June the fifteen clerks again dis
cussed the situation and had printed and
issued the following circular:
To the Merchants and Sales People Of Seattle: We,
the undersigned cierxs, do earnestly beg your
assistance in upholdinE the benevolent course
taken by the prominent shoe dealers of Seattle
In an early closing movement by not patroniz-
ing shoe house that positively refuse. to close
its doors under any circumstances at O'Clock
p. m. The proprietor signed q petition to close
at O'Clock with the balance of the merchants,
but now seeks an opening to take advantage of
ths other merchants situation on q technI-
cality that no man with the right kind o. heart
or conscience would attempt
Please lend US your assistance in this move.
ment for right, and you will do the merchants .
favor they SO richly deserve.
About the time that this second circular
was issued an A-shaped transparency was
hauled about the principal streets in an
express wagon, having painted on it:
C. r. Devine tries to break up the o'clock
closing movement Buy your footwear OF shos
houses closing at p. m.
Workingmen, help US in our efforts to secure
shorter hours by not doing your trading at
stores keeping open after p. m.
Don't buy OF q merchant who Yepudiates his
own signature. C. p. Devine signed an agree
ment to close at p. M, and keeps open.
With one or two exceptions, the nine
clerks take their arrest philosophically,
and say that they are confident of winning
| the case. Benjamin H. Pitts, one OF the
clerks, who is employed by II. Jones 81
| Son at Ito Commercial street, said yester-
| day:
| When We went around with the petition Mr..
| Devine signed IL, and we supposed he was going
| to stand by the agreement. He gave as his rea-
son for not closing that some of the other shoe
| stores were open, and that he didn't propose TO
| close unless they all did aud unless certain
! other shoe stores closed on sunday. That 10 all
| there il to It He repudiated his own signature.
| The other merchants who signed the petition
are standing by their agreement.
| Mr.. Devine said, in explanation of his
| course in the controversy:
| The clerks have overstepped the bounds of
| reason, and in justice TO myself have adopted
| the course now already known They have pub.
| lished to the people that have repudiated my
own signature. II is not true There was
| verbal understanding that ! would close up il
| all the shoe stores in the city would do the
| same. The Pike street stores are open; so are
several Others In the business part of the city.
| For twelve years a travelling salesman,
| and consequently know the position OF clerk
| They are doing great wrong They have said
| that they would drive me out Of business They
| had ample warning that l did not intend TO
| close, for in the PosT-INTELLIGESCEa OF Nav %
| was statement from me saying that would
| not close on June l. because the clerks had not
| succeeded, as agreed, in having all the mer.
| chants n the city sign the petition.
The maximum penalty for one convicted
| of libel is $1,000 fine or one year in the pen
itentiary, or both fine and imprisonment.
A COUGAR IN TOWN