Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-21
EXPERIENCES IN THE MILL

There-Men Falling Sick by Scores-Tht
Evidence Now Being Secured by Pinker
ton Detectives.
Pinkerton detectives are now as plentiful
as candidates for office about the country
collecting testimony and securing witnesse:
for the prosecution in the Homestead pois-
oning cases Grafton was visited yesterday
and thoroughly canvassed A number Of
persons were visited by detective and
their knowledge of the affairs at Home
stead and their experience in suffering
from the effects of the alleged poison were
fully detailed to the representative of the
Carnegie Company.
Hugh Kennedy, of Grafton, who was boss
carpenter at the Homestead mill for a long
period, said: II went to Homestead with
the first boat load of men who were sent
there. There were not over 20 men in the
mill when arrived. 1 boarded in the mill
from the time arrived in July to the lat
ter part of August, eating the food supplied
by the company, and was never healthier in
my life. About the latter part of August
the diarrhea began. took it with the
rest and got terribly sick. worried it out
for a week, but was finally compelled to re-
turn home. L put myself under DR.. Fosters
care, and after spending a week at home re-
cupersted enough to return to Homestead.
Medicine Had No Effect.
AFTER returning to the mill 1 continued
to take the medicine, but 1 seemed to get
worse and worse. / met DR.. Foster and
SAID, Doc, that medicine of yours is no
good-I might as well take SO much water.
He. seemed puzzled about the case and
changed my medicine, and told me to be
careful about my food and diet myself I
finally cut myself down until was eating
nothing but bread and coffee. took my
meals at all the lunch houses, but more par
ticularly at Nos. 1, 5 and 6. During Sep
tember got SO bad had to come home,
having been pulled down in weight from
160 pounds to 12S pounds. 1 was so weak
that it was impossible for me to walk across
q room without support.
"After returning home the Drs. Foster
treated me, but 1 got worse and worse and
weaker and weaker until, after a consulta-
tion, they advised me TO take a change of
air. Alter q weeks stay in the mountains
1 returned to Homestead slightly better and
found nv son William had been sent home,
suffering with the same symptoms as had.
DR.. Foster declared that something was
diet myself Why, even milk and lime
water refused to remain in my stomach.
Every drop of medicine would take would
be vomited. Becoming sus-
picious 1 removed to the hotel and there
began to mend Immediately until eight
weeks ago when left Homestead 1 am
feeling frstrate now, but have tendernes IS
in the abdomen which is painful, especially
after 1 eat anything the least bit strong,
when L swell up and have those sharp,
darting pains
A Man in His Death Agony.
"T've seen the men inside the mill turn
pale and get sick bv the dozens, and turn
over on the floor unable to rise. saw one
man in his death agon1es. He had come
from New York with his family, and shortly
after his arrival was taken sick. Isaw him
rush out of his house one day, moaning hor-
riply, pulling the bedclothes after him, and
crawl under one of the houses. He was
taken to the hospital, and died shortly
after
cit was no surprise to me when the |
poisoning story came out My wife always |
told me was poisoned every time came |
home The men all complained of the same
symptoms as had.
"We were always complaining about the
men to Potter and protested, but he said he
could not account for the taste, as he bought |
The best coffee the market could afford. He |
investigated the matter, and finally hired |
two men to carry water from the well back |
Of the hotel. Every mealtime we invariably |
had fight with the cooks about the taste |
Of the coffee. 1t was the only thing we had |
to complain Of The men who never drank |
coffee never got sick. OF the 160 carpenters
W no were at the mill in the first part of the |
strike, was the only old man who re-
NAMED the day left, all the rest having
been sent away on account of sickness.
Gallagher, the cook IT. No. l lunch |
house, once gave me what he called diluted |
Jamaica ginger out of quart bottle which
he said he had bought in the city for the
men who had cramps. l took some of it
and I thought that 1 would die with the
pains that it caused.
Took Three Days to Get Sick.
'fWe always gave new men three days to
ret sick. When we would see a new gang
come in it would be remarked: well,
ust wait for three days and you'll see
iroves OF new men came in and not one got
,ick.
"My son William was in the Tenth Reg |
ment on the hill and never had a sick |
lay until he came down from there to york |
N the mill He weighed 100 pounds when |
re started to work and when he came out |
'ick his weight was 1873 pounds He took |
sick, came home for a week and returned. |
In five days he was compelled to leave |
again, but WAS able to go back to work in a |
week. In four days he was laid out the |
hird time and was compelled to come homea |
This time he laid in bed six weeks battling |
he skill of five doctors, the family aud the |
iruggist, who all took hand in the mystic
'ious case. L consulted DR.. Woods, whose
ION w9s also at Homestead and at the time
vas lying sick with the same illness as nv
on, and asked why he couldn't do some
hing to relieve the two boys suffering. He
aid he had tried everything and each medi-
'ine seemed to make his boy worse. NV
10Y is still i'll and is having great trouble
With his stomach"
DR.. d. G. Foster, of Grafton, who was at
homestead with the Fourteenth Regiment
It the time of the troubles there and treated
number of tine cases that came out of the
mill including that of his own son, said:
The cases which 1 treated were extraor-
linary in the extreme. / never saw any,
hing like it in the history of disease.
ave not the least doubt that poison was
lsed in the Homestead mills. The sickness
vas most obstinate in the mill, the best
emedies failing to act
No Ordinary Case of Sickness.
NOW the sickness among the troops,
uch as dlarrhea, was easily cured by sim
'le remedies. The disease among the nom
lnlon men was accompanied by an inter-
nittent fever, jumping up to 103 degrees
hen down again to a normal state. Quin-
ne, which was taken in some instances, did
lot have the least effect When 1 went up
o Homestead to see my son, Gilmore, 1 was
urprised at his appearance. He was pale,