Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-31
PREPARING FOR TRIAL.
Homestead Murder and Riot Cases
to Be Taken Up Next Week.
WISE JUDGES AND KEEN LAWYERS
Will Wrestle With the Legal Side Of the
Late difficulty.
BURGESS M'LUcKtE TO BE TRIED FIRST

of the group of Homestead strikers
charged with murder, riot and conspiracy
will prove the all absorbing feature of the
September term of the Court of Quarter
Sessions.
The personal liberty, citizenship and-in
number of cases-the very life of more
than hundred of the citizens of Home
stead borough are involved.
Both the accusers and the accused are
carefully preparing for the legal battle.
Eminent counsel and swarms of witnesses
will participate in the proceedings and if
advance indications count for anything the
trio of learned Judges will be called on to
untangle any number of legal snarls and
decide many grave questions of law.
The September term of the Quarter
Sessions opens on the first Monday of Sep
tember judges Kennedy, Porter and Nc
Clung will be on the bench. After the
usual formalities a new grand jury will be
drawn and sworn. After the gentlemen OF
the jury have received their instructions
from the Court they will retire to the
privacy OF the jury room and begin the
serious work of the session.
Jail Cases to Come Up First.
First on the programme will be the pre-
sentation of the States evidence in the
cases OF the 250 men now in Jail. Assistant
District Attorney Haymaker, who has
charge of the grand jury work, estimates
that it will require at least two weeks
time to present all these Jail cases to the
jury and if possible secure the indictments.
Then, if all goes well, the Home
stead cases will be taken up.
At this time there are over
hundred of these cases, and before the grand
jury convenes there will be at least 80 more
added to the list. The District Attorney
will ask the grand jury to find indictments
for murder in the first degree against Is of
the strikers. When this is done he will ask
that "a more of the Homesteaders be in
dicted tor aggravated riot, and that Indict-
ments be found against 49 other citizens of
the borough now charged with conspiracy.
As fast as these indictments are secured,
If they are secured, the cases will be taken
into court and tried. Although all of the
lawyers and court officials decline to ex-
press definite opinion on the subject the
chances are that the first man tried will be
John McLuckie, the present Burgess of
Homestead borough. He will be called
upon to answer to the charge of murder in
the first degree.
Legal Talent on Both Sides
District Attorney Burleigh will conduct
the case for the State. He will have as his
associates Messrs Knox & Reed, Captain
Buck, John s. Robb, Lawyer Patterson
and Assistant District Attorney Havmaker.
Burgess McLuckie mas not definitely de-
cided on his lawyers, but in all probability
Messrs. Brennan and Cox, of this city, and
the two Northwestern lawyers, Argo and
Irwin, will conduct the defense.
Both the prosecution and the defense
politely decline to give an inkling OF what
line of action they intend to follow in try
ing the case. Local legal men who are not
interested in the case are almost unit in
predicting that the defense will be an alibi,
but they one and all decline to express any
opinion as to the ultimate result of the
trial. Alter McLuckie's case is disposed of
the others will be taken up in sequence
BurIeigh TIA Ks of the Trials.
District Attorney Burleigh was seen yes
terday. In speaking of the approaching.
trials he said: II really don't know when
the cases will come up, and in point of fact
don't expect to until after the grand jury
has done its work. My assistant has entire
charge OF the grand jury business and he
can probably give you some information on
the subject. Yes, will conduct the cases
in person. The legal talent en-
ployed by the Carnegie Company will
furnish the assistant counsel for
the State. L really can't express
any opinion on the ultimate result or give
you any idea of the methods shall employ
in trying the cases for the simple reason
that have not considered the States evi.
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