The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-12
POISONING BY WllOLESALE.uev
ALLEGED MURDER or ALMOST TWO
SCORE or WOW UNION HOMESTEAD MEN

Ninc Persons Under Arrest for Trivial Of
fences who win no Accused, It Is Said. OF
the SLOW Kiliing-One Man Directly
Charged with 1t by Detectives mud Ar
rested In Louisville a Cooks Confession
said To Have Been Procmrcd-A Pinn to
Make Woritmrn 50 Ill They Would Leave
Pronounced Ridiculous In Homestead.
| PiTTsp'RGit. Doc. 1l-Tf the detectives In
I tho cmr'oy Of tho Carnegie Company are to 10
believed vast conspiracy OF murder has
grown ont al the Homestead strike 1t was q
plot. they say. To poison by Wholesale the non.
union workincn at tho Carnegie Company's
steel plant. and tho developments i'm, lcats
ineml ers Of the Am,Lsamated Association
ana officials ot other labor organizations.
As result Of tho riot 1t is alleged that thirty
or forty persons already have lost their lives.
aud scores are still suffering In hospitals and
At their homes from tho effects of drugs. To-
day ninc more persons are under arrest. os.
tens!hly on trivial charges. but really to avert
susri' ion until all their alleged fellow-c con.
srirators lavo cen occurred.
The many cases Of illness in tho mills Mt tho
time Of the occupation of Homestead by the
military werc attributed to Lai river water,
yet desril" the efforts to better the supply tho
sickness continued. II was two months aEo
the people were hrlng poisoned. but it was not
until yesterday that the evidence was deemed
strong enough TO warrant legal steps
The object Of the plot. II Is said was to make
lie in the mills unCnduraLie. Tho price to bs
paid when tn" mills were closed was $1,000.
Yesterday 1lol crt !. beatty was arrested in
louisville on tho charge OF poisoning nom
union mon ut Homestead. IIo hli previously
been arrested in Pittsburgh, but escaped
,fNr,, a,
rest was made was sworn out hy J. II. Ford. q
rInkcrton detective. and charges tho prisoner
with administering deadly poison to William
L. Griffith. chief cook IN tho mills
1t was learned last night that special officers
have been investigating tho matter for two
months and have worked up II good case
against several Of the union men. rs well as
| against COOKS who were mroyed In the mill
| with Beatty. 1t Is understood Beatty sup.
rlioi all the cooks with tho poison they used.
AMI was middle man between those engaged
In the cons piracy.
1t will be remembered that shortly after the
arrival of the State militia ut Homestead and
tho non-union men had begun work in the
mills. complaints became, prevalent about the
unwnoiesonle water supplied. Many cases OF
sickness were reported. ont were all attributed
to the imrur!ty of the water.
So firmly impressed were the physicians and
tho officials of the company that the water
posted conspicuously about the mill warning
tn" employees to refrain from drinking the
despite the rreeaution tho sickness contin.
ued aud soon it became current at Homestead
that an epidemic was preva ling among the
men within tho enc losure. A number OF the
sick were, taken to the Hospital for treatment,
them are Still III.
The first intimntion that tho officers had
| correct, came in such manner that 1t was
impos sible to make arrests Immediately. . y
a panic would arise among the men sus pected
aud that they would ileo from the place In q
Its said that ono Of. the. chief cooks at the
| Hon. estcad works with whom the man who
was Was Intmately aca ' met him In The
city one nay and asked hin nj i he dd not want
st Ihs sd sd% the lie p Waaesd
| informcr and his friend could make big monoy
ii" toII them ho was not only en- rloyod by
| tho Carnegie Company. but was also in the
| nay of tho labor assocatIons. and membor
| ofthc strikers committeeman was Just coming
As lie grew more confidential and was drawn
| associations he told OF IA plan TO poison the
food OF tho men in tho mill. So as TO make them
| scl; and rnndnr them unah to work.
Iic detailed tho plan Il" had been pursuing.
| and asserted that nearly. il not all. the sick.
ness among tie mon. OF which REPORTS had
! been current, was "qused By tho poisons he
| had placed in tho food:
he said, HAT ii would be an utter, imrossihl!-
! tho Understanding That Il" would meet them
m IN" ti nd y % I" w i'h hn
KcaliHinl: the wickrAnc-s % tho proposition.
| the two men called urun lhHirman Frirk Of
| the Carnegie tOmInnJ. ana LAID tho matter
| lcfor" him. On aivi,c of the company nt-
torneys tho two men were instEurtcd t. meet
| That evening the iw. men went 10 Homestead.
and We're duly installed IN their places by the
cook.
The day aftor their arrival n number OF the
men were rercre'! SICK ard the cook toll!
them how he had paced III" POISON u colnrcd
powder III ~" food. and got! them to watch
| Tor an oprurtunity !" H." II q %.
two riMEert"N- w.rs engaged to keen close
surN"ilinnG" IN a." iMi",iiants; ms T"il as OF
ate onc M n,|F h"T Of s ,h ana
| Orders Woo thrn given that the workmen
Shout! tai" tjl'ir meal a. the restaurant OUT
s,o tho crciusIr tho reason heinG Z Ven
| that the go. .iany was tired OF furnishing
meal. an! that rs ,Guiet had been restored
and ~ mill in good working order. the meals
| Some TIM lat r tn" men reported Tint the
| feared hat he micht Dcayc the "i,v in hurry.
! They said that tho death 81 som" Of III" men
! had uun"rvcG him. aud th"v t"Ii"veI he would
! make II clean breast Of the Who'll, riot il he was
SUNNI oned to tho Office ana placed under
| This was done, AM when confronted with
! the facts III" cook troke '!pwH an" make u full!
confession. in which h" say" the names o!
Which T." hid rafrct ont his rart OF tho
tho ga mps ~ the militia ana doscd the food
! prnrarsd in tn" rpok hpp-".
His visits We" alwtys :u!!nwod hv increased
! sickness HiNong the mentors ~ the National
| Guard. TINS confession WAS inkcn by u ste
| nogra phnr III III" lr =rnr"Ut Witnesses. After
| maxim. tho cuu'rs- lna the cook logged that
he Should not 'o' laced in Jail and MS wishes
were c,m.'iirI win,
Ito SUI the two original informants have
been kept un'"F tHrNeI,la"cr nlght and day.
nlIr. Charles hlnrsor d "l two weeks after
gong i" itom"-i"h,!. Is SAID that since the
cyhumr aud tho stomach sgbnittel to q
chemist f auniy-'f.
il is -ail ia" chemists IrprTt Viii ra submit
tod n oyilo'-' wien tho ease comes up for
trAi. 4 l"Up't.r called upur Mr.. Frck to
learn n I,Ds-iLl" T.. turn"Gi"'S pcrount o.! tho
Yimr. bat he / -ltlvelS refused to he inter.
y"wri.
Al Homestead tho story was pronounced
ridiruIuU'.