St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-18
Beatty, the Alleged Rome-
stead Poisoner, Held
for Trial.
Damaging Testimony Given
at the Hearing by One
Of the Cooks.
Master Workman Dempsey
Implicated in the Plot by
the Witness.
Testimony Also Given by Some
Of the Alleged
Victims.

PITTSBURG, Dec. 17.-rhe hearing In
the case of Robert Beatty, charged with
having been party to plot to poison
nou-union men employed in the Car
negie steel works at Homestead, was
held at the office of Alderman McMasI
ters this afternoon. Il will mold the
defendant for trial at court" was the
decision of the alderman after hearing
the testimony of half dozen or more
witnesses.
The little Office was thronged whens
at 2:S0 o'clock, the alderman directed
the case to proceed. Attorney Brennan
appeared for the defense and Il. Y.
Breck for the prosecution. Patrick
Gallagher. the confessor, was not pres
ent. j. NJ. Davidson, a steamboat cook,
was the first witness. He stated that III
August, in company with Gallagher,
they met Beatty in Pittsburg.
1T was UNDERSTOOD" he said, THAT
we we're to 20 To Homestead as cooks
and were to take something with us to
put into the food given the non-unlon
men, in order to make them SICK ana
render them
Unfit for work. W
Beatty took us to the Knights of Labor
headquarters, where we met Master
Workman Dempsey. Gallagher and
Dempsey did most of the talking. Beatty
suggested dosing the men with croton
oil. | said no. Dempsey said he knew
powder which would be better. lie
said he had used these powders In Chl-
cago and he had broken strike III tout
days. 1t is not dangerous, Dempsey
said. lie would guarantee us 500 and
our expenses. We got no powders thai
day. We then left the hall together.
to get $50 and gold watch
and chain if we went. Gallag-
her went to Homestead two days after
that. | went up Sept. %. Beatty gave
me some powders to take to Gallagher:
There were nine in the package, and
gave them to Gallagher. L don't know
whether they were used. Before hat
Gallagher had been given a small pack
age FROM Dempsey. One powder was
enough to put III thirty gallons or tea or
coffee. This was i'll the Knights or
Labor hall, and Beatty was present.
Later, when Gallagher, Beatty ana L
went to X. of l.. hall, Dempsey asked
how the powders worked. Beatty said,
Successfully and wanted more.
Dempsey said lie would get more. Dec.
l 1 asked Beatty what was in the pow
ders. He said rhubarb, Snuif and other
things. He did not say who furnished
them. While we were talking he men
toned Lynch, Crawford and DE-. Pur-
man."
Stuck to HIs story. o..
Mr.. Brennan gave him a severy cross
examination, but did not shake his story
i'm any particular. He insisted that he
had not administered any poison to the
men. He said he was arrested late in
November, aud taken into the school
house building and sworn, and told the
story he had Just told. and was re-
leased. Detective j. ii. Ford testified
to hearing Beatty describe the
powders, and Gallagher say: "Iom
Brady suggested using crOton OIL"
Louis WOlfers, steward OF the llome-
stead mill restaurant, testified To- tho
serious and rapid increase OF illness
among the men after Gallagher'S EN-
ployment; that himself and wife wero
vet suffering from its effects. His wife,
he thought would die. w. f. Bullock
and Joseph Leslie, pay roll clerks, also
suffered from the drugs and testified To
its effect upon them.
Mr.. Brennan then endeavored TO Sc
cure the release OF his client, but the
alderman held him for court III S5,OOO
bail.
Mr.. Brennan thought this amount ex-
cessiye, and was directed by the alder
man to 20 into court ON Monday and
ask the court to FIX the amount.
Master Workman Hugh Dempsey,
District No. 3, Knights of Labor, against
whom witness Dawson in the Beatty
hearing before Alderman McMasters
today made serious statements, was
asked tonight for statement. Mr..
Dempsey carefully reviewed the testi-
monv of all the witnesses and then re-
marked: "At present | have nothing
to say. prefer to remain silent until
the proper time for me to speak on this
Suhipct -