The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-20
THEHOMESTEADSLAUGHTER
Captain Cooper, Leader of the New York
Pinkertons, Tells the Story Over.
low, Accused Of Participating in the Muir.
derous ARRAY at Homestead.

PiTTsBURG, Nov. 19-At $50 o'clock this
morning the Critchlow Homestead murder
case was resumed. There were fewer on
lockers in the room than yesterday. Capt.
Cooper was recalled for cross-examination.
and said he had been a Pin kerton officer since
1867. and that he was under indictment for
riot and murder. He left New York July 4
to come to Pittsburg. He was in command
of the New York party. He met Captain
Kinds In New York. They met the Chi
csgo men in Youngstown. About seventy
five came from New York. There were
mono from Canada, except possibly one
man. They all reached Pittsburg July 6.
They landed from the train near Bellevue
three hundred of the PIukertons. Witness
had been in the employ of the Pinkertons
for twenty five years, except the past two
weeks.
Were you not the Hey. Rube' of q cir
Gust" he was asked.
"A whatP said the court and the district
attorney together.
He knows what / mean,n said attorney
Brennan. THE fighting man of the cir
Gus"
well. 1 was for nine years employed by
the Pinkertons to look after Barnum's or
Gus. l was not the Hey, Rnbe.' as you
call il.
when we got near the works we found
some revolvers. Captain Hines distributed
the arms. There were two boxes of guns.
each containing sixty-fve guns-Winches-
ter rifles. sixteen shooters. About one
hundred maces were distributed among the
men. Besides our men and the crew,
Deputy Sheriff Gray was on the barge. 1t
took Us three hours to reach the works.
We threw out the gang plank and
man threw himself on the plank and
began firing at us. We were close to him,
about six feet. The man on the plank had
revolver, and was firing rapidly. Others
were firing from the shore. There were
about twenty Pinkertons on the plank. of
whom about ten were armed; the remain
der had clubs. l saw the man fire. None
of US Tired at the man. did not see the man
get mp. did not know the man was shot
In the back"
Don't you know this man fell on the
plank on his face. and Captain Kinds, or
you, shot him in the back9'
mo, sir. The man was not on his face at
any time. did not shoot him, and don't
know who did"
lyon say yon could see into the mill.
about three hundred feet from the
bargesw
''Yes. sir. could"
"Wa as this W here the breastwOrks weref"
mo; the bank was lower.n
How many times were the barges struck
by missiles from the cannOnP
six or eight times. l was hit by one of
the missiles; it was nut 1t struck the
boat, and glanced off and struck me on the
knee. and | was laid MP for ten days"
do You know that this came from q
cannonf"
We'll it followed thereport of the on
and was too big for anything but can
non."
when was Conner shot7"
'about 11:30 IN the morning"
Where was he when he was sbotp
He was inside the boat, near tho door,
on the outside barge. He was picked up
and laid on a table, and after the surrender
was carried to Munhall Station. 1t was
eight hours before he received medical at
teDtiOn, except his arm vas tied up by a
medical student, who was with us. After
the shooting commenced from the bank
ordered our men 10 fire and two vOlloys
were fired. l then told them to hit the
man Who fired if they could. There had
not been shot fired from the barges till
the man on the plank fired, and the crowd
followed. Two men besides CAPTAIN Kinds
were shot before shot was fired from the
barges and before any orders were given
themen on the barges to shoot"
On cross-examination he said no one on
the barQes had been hit until the man on
the plank fired. This was when the battle
really commenced.
Captain Klein had only q flesh wound,
did he notT wasasked.
well, he died." answered the witness.
want any,"
II don't mean Klein mean Hinds.D
HE was shot in the leg"
Captain Burt of the Chicago contingent
of Pinkertons. vas then called. His story
of the battle did not differ materially from
Cooper's He said when the plank was
thrown out the crowd yelled: BLANK you:
don't you come on shore, you black sheep
OF you will be killed" No shots were
fired, he said, until four of their men had
been shot.
AT the afternoon session the jury han d ed
Judge Kennedy n petition asking that the
members be allowed to attend church to-
morrow. The court denied the peti tion
back. The crOss-examination of w. III. Burt
was then begun.
You are under indictment for riot and
murder?" he was asked.
''Yes, SIR"
You met the New York and Philadelphia
delegatian at Youngstown"
Yes, sir"
You were in charge of the Chicago dele
CATION when you reached Homestead"
Yes SIR
How many were there from Chicago9n
"One hundred aud twenty -four. We left
Chicago July 4. L was notified by Frank
Murray, superintendent of the Chicago
eseDcy, to get ready to 60 to Homestead to
men about fifty were regulars. / did not
know the remainder. L knew we were to
meet others. Captain Nordrum was in
charge of the Chicago division till We
reached Pittsburg. The Chicago men were
on one barge and the New York and Phila-
delphia men on the other. was just GO
ing to the bow when the firing COM
menced. Captain Kinds had charge of the
men on the bow of the boat Some of my
men were in the front of the boat with
Captain Kinds. There were aboue fifteen
men on the boat. No one on the bow of
the barge had gun in his hands when
the gang-plsnk was run ont: some had
clubs or maces"
You had your back to the bow of the
boat and how could on tell who fred firsti"
II knew what we ordered to do. The
men on the bow OF the barge were all old
men in the service and always obeyed or
ders. We ordered not to fire till told to o
so. and know they did not fire till so or
dered, There were no shots fired from the
barge till Captain Cooper ordered them.
This was after the yolley from the shore. u
Peter COnnors. another Pinkerton, said
he was the barge. They reached the
works about $3.50 A. NJ. As they passed
thronah Lock No. the barges were fired
upon from the shore. and this continued
until the works were reached. He said:
up to the time when we were fired on,
after we attempted to land. there were no
shots fired from tho barGes. although four
of our men had been shot"
Witness told of the attempt to burn the
barges, the use of cannon and dynamite.
heaviest firing was from IL A. NJ. to 3 L. VI.
He was close to Connors when he was shot {.
Capt. w. Il. Rodger, of the Little Bill,
described the barges and the incidents of
the trip. He corroborated the other wit
nesses He stated that II. {. Frick en-
ployed him to take the men TO the works.
but he did not know who sent the arms TO
sha hoat He was 0rdereG IN fir nm fha