Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-07-14
THE W0RKMBN HEARD.
Mr.. MCLuckie Has a Few Words to
Say About the Conspiracy
FORMED TOCUT DOWN THE WAGES
Of the WOrkmen in the Carnegie Mills and Else
William Wehe Explains the
Amalgama!ed Associations
Position.

tigation of the Homestead trouble this
morning about fifty persons were pres
ent including Mr.. Frick and Messrs.
Weihe, O'DOnnell, Carney and other
members of the Amalgamated Associa-
tion. The room was hot and uncom-
Portable.
The examination Of Mr.. Frick was
continued. Mr.. Boatner opened the eX-
animation and Mr.. Frick said the arms
were consigned to the Union Supply
Company, and by it delivered to Capt
Rodgers, of the steamer Little Bill.
His arrangements TO obtain Pinkerton
men were completed July l. So. far as
he knew there was no letter from Pink
ertOn accepting the offer contained In
the letter of June 25. The negotiations
were carried on by Mr.. Frick, the New
York agent and the Philadelphia agent
OF the Carnegie Company.
Ibid you have anything to do with
furnishing the arms?" asked Mr.. Boat
ner.
81 am not sure" replied the witness,
II may have had, but cannot say. l
may have, and likely did have, with our
New York agent, Nh Schoonmaker."
"But you should know. Did you, or
did you not?"
"Well, l have answered that ques-
tion."
Mr.. Boatner thought not, and upon
appealing to the Chair, Mr.. Oates said
the witness could answer more specific
ally. Mr.. Frick then said he thought
he had.
Mr.. Boather then tried to get the wit
ness to answer directly whether his firm
had advised the Plnkertons that arms
would be needed, but all Mr.. Frick
would Say was, he believed he had.
Mr.. Boatner-"In the employment OF
these men was il stipulated they were
to be armed?"
"NO, sir; think not"
well, that is all, said Mr.. Boatner.
"He has evaded this question all
through"
AT Chairman Oates's request the wit
ness again made an explanation Of the
sliding scale. He also submitted to the
committee a copy of the agreement the
company had with the government. Mr..
Frlck said the prices paid for similar
work at Homestead were higher than
any other place. They are at least 4
per cent. higher than paid in Eastern
mills.
did you join in the request for
troopsP"
mo, did not, till Sunday night,
when I wired the Governor that / be-
lieved the troops were necessary. This
was unknown TO the sheriff"
Mr.. Boatner asked If the tables made
of the amount paid the men were for
themselves, and when Mr.. Frick said
''Yes, sir" Mr.. Boatner said, "Well,
those are the highest wages ever heard
Of"
Witness said the introduction OF i'm
proved machinery would increase the
cost of production fifteen per cent, and
that the men worked about 270 days in
the year.
Captain Rodgers was then called and
told of the arrangement made with him
bv Mr.. Frick to take the barges to
Homestead. Captain Rodgers said he
met Deputy Sheriff Gray at Davis
Island dam, who said he was TO accom-
pany the party officially. The witness
then detailed the story OF the fighting
and said the first shot was fired by the
strikers.
Sheriff McCleary was next sworn and
testified that counsel for the CarnegieS
had notified him a week before the men
went out that there would be trouble
and that the company had arranged to
send 500 men to Homestead, and they
wanted them deputized. He was noti-
fed on July 4th that he must protect
the property Of the company. On Tues
day he sent twelve deputies TO the
works and they we're driven away. His
efforts to secure posse was detailed at
length. He was notified the night the
PinkertOns went up and he tried TO per-
suade them not to send them as he fear
ed trouble. He was finally induced TO
send Colonel Gray along TO try and pre-
vent trouble. Sheriff McCleary said the
people would not serve on his posse be-
cause they were afraid OF being killed.
This statement caused general
laugh, and Mr.. Boatner said the war
feeling was not strong here.
The Sheriff said he had not author
lied Col. Gray to deputiSe the Pinker-
tons. He said he believed il he had
gone to Homestead with his small posse
he would have been utterly unable to
have done anything.
"Do you believe you would have been
killed?"
"WelI, l am not sure OF that, but l
know l would have been utterly power
less. They would not have permitted
me to go in"
How could they have driven you
away il you didn't want to go?"
"Well, there was enough there TO
have carried US out of town."
The letter to Mr.. Potter was as fol-
lows:
.'This will introduce Col. Joseph H.
Gray. You will understand that Col.
Gray as the representative Of the Sheriff
is TO have control Of all action in case OF
trouble. KNOX * REEF"
This the Sheriff explained was so Col.
GRAY could withdraw the men in case
Of trouble.
Mr.. Boatner wanted to know why the
Sheriff did not go to Homestead the day
of the trouble, aud he answered because
il was useless.
Samuel B. Cluley said on July the
Sheriff sent for him and asked him to
be a deputy and he consented aud went
to Homestead next day and met the Ad-
vIsory Committee. The next day wit
ness went up with the other eleven
deputies. They were met at Munhall
by the men, who said:
''No deputy will ever 20 in there
alive. Now, mind, tell you don't you
try to go in."
They crowded around and prevented
them from going in. he met Mr.. O'Don-
nell and talked the matter over and
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