Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-04
AGAINST CARNEGIE MEN.
Restraining the Importation of Work
men to Homestead.
TREAT THE ARRESTS AS A JOKE.
Secretary Lovejoy Says It Is Simply q
Bluff Of the Workers.
PRESIDENT WEIHE REFUSES TO TALK

It required much questioning to get w.
J. Bremen, the legal representative of the
Amalgamated Association, to talk about
the latest phase of the situation, and much
he did say was of an inferential nature.
He positively declined to say what further
prosecutions would be made against the
Carnegie people or the Pinke rtons, though
intimating that other charges than murder
would sooner or later be brought against
certain persons connected with the firm.
Asked if there would be any other persons
charged with murder by the locked-out men,
he said: 'I know of no others, though
can't say there will be no more. don't
know what information the men may have.
They may, for instance, know and be able
to prove crimes against certain individuals
that have heard nothing about When
such points are brought out, suitable action
will be taken"
''What bo you expect to be the outcome Of
the informations made to-day?"
Expect to Prove the Charges.
'T can't answer that. It would be pre-
judging the case of the defendants and the
action of the Court In such a serious mat
ter as this it seems bad taste to lightly dis
cuss probabilities These men are charged
with murder. We certainly expect to prove
the charges or we should not have brought
them. The whole matter is so serious and
of such vital importance that we could not
afford to make false move In the courts"
''Do you think any of the defendants will
be held for first degree MURDER"
''It lies entirely with the Court to fix the
degree of the offense. The fact that no op-
position was made to the release on bail of
Mr.. Potter and others to-day would indi-
cate that We do not charge them with first
degree murder"
''But don't you expect first degree in the
case of the Pinkerton men who were on
the boats?'
81 don't care to answer that"
Raising tho Question OF Duress.
Mr. Bremen would talk NO further about
the present court cases. When asked con-
cerning the report that an Injunction was
to be asked for restraining the Carnegie
agents from bringing men to Homestead
under false pretenses the alto rney first said
he did not know, but later he said:
'There certainly should be some steps
taken to protect workingmen in other cities
from the imposition practiced on them by
the Carnegies We are informed by men who
have come here that they were engaged to
come to Pittsburg to work. They told the
agent that under no circumstances would
they 60 to Homestead, but were told that
they were not wanted at Homestead, but at
Pittsburg. Supposing Homestead was 80
or 40 miles from the city, they were taken
there before they knew it. When they
found themselves in the mill they could not
get out. 1 don't care what Superintendent
Potter says, no man can get out of that mill
without permission. The State Guards have
no right to stand at the mill gates and pre-
vent men from leaving of their own free
will, but that is what they are doing.
Getting Pass to Go Out
"When poor fellow has been inveigled
into the works under false pretenses and
wants to get out, he is told he must have q
permit from Mr.. Potter But Mr.. Potter is
not to be found for possibly two or three
days and the man must stay, harassed by
the importunings of the men around him,
who coax him to stay and subjected to
virtual Imprisonment When he does find
Mr.. Potter, who has probably been about
the mill all the time, but not recognized by
the prisoner who does not know him, he
gets permit to leave, but must wait until
the next day to get a boat to take him
away. In the meantime they were subjected
to another course of harassment, and finally.
when the boat was ready to go and the men
had declared their manhood and refused to
stay, they were let CO."
"Mr Potter thus makes out that he did
not illegally imprison the men, but they
were, nevertheless, illegally enticed to the
mill by the company's agents It seems to
me that such treatment of men would not
be tolerated in court of justice, but 1 am
not yet in position to say what we propose
to do about it.