Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-10
testimony in his own words, signed by him.
self and witnessed by Marshall H. Reno,

testimony in his own words, signed by him.
self and witnessed by Marshall H. Reno,
follows:
John T. McCurry-I board at 141 James
street. I was formerly connected with the
Allegheny Police Department in the city OF
Allegheny for about Il years. About a week
ago l met Captain William Rodgers on
Smithfield street. He said: "Are you doing
anything Jonn2'
l said: Nothing, only down at the ball
games; turn the tables there"
Offered McCurry a job.
"Well," he said, 'I have got good job for
you, and will give you S. a day and your
board; but 1 am not at liberty to tell you
where am going" 1 said, 'alI right" So
saw him again and he told me to get some
men for him If L could, and L got one. He
wanted me to go to work on the 1st. ]
said, captain, L can't do it. promised
to go down to the ball game and stay there,
and am going to stay with AL. Scandrett.' VI
/ said, 81 will be ready to work for you on
Tuesday" He said "All right" so got my
satchel and went over to his Office on Water
Q. What day?
A. On Tuesday. So went down there and
went on the barge, and just had an idea
that the barges were going some place
the way they had them fixed up-beds and
lots of provisions; and he came down about
dinner time and he said, "yohn, want you
to watch on one of these barges. am going
to put you in one of the boats" Put me on
the bsrges as wapchman that night and on
the boat the next day. l said, "All right, Cap.
tain. 1 would rather go on the boat l am .
the river" He said. "All right" and he
went away and came down about or II
o'clock and took the boats then.
Thought They Were Going to Beaver.
They hitched on the Little Bill and Tide,
and we went down to the dam. Some OF
them said we were going to Beaver for
that dam down there. mean the men on
the boat. thought that myself So we laid
there till y or o'clock.
o. Did anyone tell you that was where you
were going when you got on the boat?
A. oh, no. just the men talking.
Q. The Captain or none of them told you?
A. Oh, no; the Captain did not tell me
O. The men on board talked as If they
were going to Denver, but the Captain or no
one in authority said where, that is the idea?
A. Yes, sir. So we laid there until II OF
Q. How was the boat loaded that night?
A. The boat was loaded at the dam. The
cars stopped there.
@. A train of cars came with lot OF men?
A. A lot of men, supposed to be Pinkerton
detectives; didn't know; and just as soon
as they got on board, as soon as we left, they
had orders to get their uniform, and they
proceeded to uniform themselves. The
Little Bill, she took the lead and we went
above to the lock, guess. / staid back on
the barge of the Tide, and before we got up
to the lock she broke her helm-yoke. The
Little Bill took one OF the barges and the
Tide the other, and everything proceeded
nicely until we got below lock No. l. when
this helm-yoke broke on the tide, crippling
her. and we whistled, and the Bill came
back, and we landed, and the Bill took our
barge and we went through. She hitched
on to both of them.
Shot at by Men in a Skin.
@. The Bill took hold of the other barge
and proceeded on the journey7
A. Yes sir. Then we went on nicely until,
suppose pretty near 4 or o'clock. Before
we got up there there were skiffs there, and
they had signals; and there was skif with
three or four fellows in it that shot at us.
They shot at us all the way along.
Q. What kind of weapons could You sect
A. We could not see. 1t was kind OF
foggy;
A. was out forward on the barge. The
men we had out there was about % men.
The rest was all in the barges.
Q. As YOU approached Homestead what
A. Well that is when they commen ced
firing. Before we landed or got up to the
landing, you know, there was q whistle
there, a given signal.
A. They gave that signal did not know
what it was: could not say positively-a
little pump-and q skiff came down. did
not know what 1t was, but suppose it was a
revolver they shot at Us from the skiffs.
Then We got out.
Q. Was there any firing from the boat at
that time?
A. Not fire. There was not shot fired
until we landed. / was just one among the
three men that went out forward and helped
to tie her up.
O. Tell about where they went to land7
A. They went to land below the end of the
@. Did you see any fencef
A. The fence came away up, away above
@. Were you near the fence7
A. No, sir; we were at the lower end OF the
mill.
Q. Was there q fence theref
A. There was no fence there. There was q
fence up by the side of the mill. saw il
coming down toward the river, but the river
front was all open. There Is big lot oil
spiles along there, right along the waters
edge-I don't know what it was-and then
we got the lines out.
How the Shooting Commenced.
O. Who got of with you?
A. We did not get on. One Of the men
took line and threw it over q spile and
hauled it in.
O. Do you know who it was threw it over
the spilesf