Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-02
WILL TRY THE ADVISORY coMxrrrEE.
Objection Of Hugh O'Donnells Counsel
Overrule<l.

1
Overruled.
| According to the testimony Of . Pinkerton
detective yesterday afternoon at the hearing al
PittsburG Of Hugh O'Donnell, VIM. 7. Roberta,
Henry Savoy, David Lynch and Vim. McCone-
| ghy. members Of the advisory committee Of
Homestead, charged By Secretary f. T. F.
Lovejoy Of the Carnegie Company with con-
spiracy, Jack Clifford. a member of the COM
mttee. himself under charge Of murder, has
been exposing the secrets of that body. and il
is expected that he will give sensational testi-
mony when the Homestead cases are called to
| trial.
When the hearing began at o'clock the
ONCE OF Alderman McMasters was crowded.
Nearly ali the members Of the advisory COM
| mittee wore there. but the majority waived a
| hearing for court. AL the witnesses were
targets Of scowls or smiles. according to their
evidence Attorneys J. F. Cox and ". J. Bren-
men were present for the defense and d. F.
Patterson. John s. Robb and Z. Y. Breck for
| the prosecution.
The hearing was without feature until Geo
5. Hotchkiss who said he was an assistant
superintendent in the employ of the Pinker-
tons, took the witness stand In reply 10 At
! torney Breck's questions he said he knew Jack
Clifford, who wss under the charge of murder
| in connection with the Homestead trouble and
who was a member of the advisory committee.
Hotchkiss met Clifford on the street Thursday
week ago and went with him to Capt +. Y
/ Breck 3 office. There a meeting was arranged
for the following Saturday. and Ho:chkiss said
he met Clifford on that day at the Hotel Ander-
| son.
! Necks were craned, and there was a silence in
| the room when he began to tell what Clifford
had told him. Hotchkiss lust got far enough
TO begin telling what Clifford had said regarding
| Hugh O'Donnens connection with the advisory
committee when Attorney Bremen objected
because Clifford was not present, and, for all
the magistrate knew, it was q myth.
There was a skirmish between the opposing
lawyers and it ended in the withdrawal of the
witness before he had told what nearly every
/ person in the room was most anxious to know.
| Enough was given ont, however. to show the
/ Homestead men that Clifford had deserted
/ them, and they know what to expect.
| Other witnesses were examined the prosecu-
ton trying to show that the advisory board had
engineered the whole trouble. both before and
since the riot of July 6.
Attorney Bremen asked for the discharge of
defendants on the ground of an act of the as
semblv of 1891. passed to relieve employees
from prosecution under the conspiracy laws
for hinderlng other men going to work when
they are idle. Under this Mr. Bremen held
they could be arrested for riot, assault and
battery and similar charges, but not for con-
spiracv. They had been arrested on TWO
charges Of murder and Of aggravated riot. and
aS tucse CutIScS covered al lne cases Mr..
Bremen thought it persecution to hold
them for conspiracy, and he asked the rlagis-
trate to discharge the defendants and dismiss
the case. which the prosecution knew would
fail in court.
Attorney Robb said they we're ALWAYS mag
unanimous and would consent to all reasonable
requests, but this is the first case they have
had against the advisory board as "a body the
board that engineered the whole trouble; is pc
cullarly responsible to law for the state Of
affairs at Homestead; uSurped civil authority.
which is rebellious and which il anarcLial- thev
ought to be made suffer rather than some of the
poor fellows WHO did not understand what they
we're doing. The case against the members of
the board he said is not for hindering EMPLOYEES
OF the Carnegie Steel Company from working
but for conspiring 70 and for taking possession
of the works and deprivirg the owners Of their
rights of ingress and egress. establishing q
qnasi-miltary law at Homestead and in jiilfiin
township. and for placing guards at the gates
to prevent the company exercising their rights
as owners of the plant and asked that the de-
PENDANTS he held for trial.
The alderman decided. All of the defend
ants then renewed their bail bonds
After the hearing Jack Clifford was much
discussed man. Vice Chairman Thomas Craw-
ford and Secretary McConeghy of the advisory
committee were both questioned about Clifford,
but they would not talk further than to say
that they had not known that Clifford had gone
over to the enemy until they heard the testi-
lnonv of Detective Hotchkiss. Where il
Chfford?' was the question Of the holr but it
remains unanswered. and likely will remain SO
until the Homestead cases are called in court
IL l. unnecessary to state that Clifford is not in
Homestead at present.