Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-23
THE PINKERTONStSIDE.
BOB AND ELL PINKERTON GIVE
THEIR TESTIMONY.
They Defend Their Detective A gency and
Cendone the Acts of Their Hired
Assassins at Home
stead.

WASHINGTON, July 22.-The special
committee inquiring into the Home-
stead troubles heard the Pinkerton side
this morning. Robert oinkerton pre-
sented statement covering the history
oEhis agency since it's organization, in
1850, stating that for twenty years heV
has furnished men to protect property
during strikes. These men, carefully
aaeAscted. are seldom permitted to carry
arms, except under public authority,
never wantonly fred shot in any
strike.
Men were sent to Homestead only on
the assurance that the sheriff would
swear them in as deputies, if necessary.
Many of these men were regular em-
ployees, thoroughly tried and trust
worthy. The others were vouched for.
They did not 60 into Pennsylvania as an
armed force. The arms were
shipped from Chicago and or
dered not to be given to the men
unless deputized by the sheriff. The
fact is, the boxes were not opened until
the strikers opened fire, and it became
a matter of life and death. Klein had
been killed and five others wounded be-
fore the Pinkertons returned the fire.
The Pinkertons were Handicapped in the
fight by the fact that the strikers made
breastworks by placing women and
children in front. Not single woman
or child was injured.
The statement declares that the &C is
OF the strikers after the surrender of the
watchmen would have been "disgraceful
to savages; but, because done in the
name OF American labor, it is upheld by
some newspapers and political dema-
gogues."
1t declares, also, that on trial, the
Pinkertons' action will be shown to be
legal.
Pinkerton's statement says the his
tory of strikes shows that organized
labor will always murder and destroy
property from sheer wantonness. The
Homestead men would have done like
wise, had the company attempted to
supply their places without protecting
the men sent.
The employment all over the country
by banks of private people as watch
men, is referred to. Then the SUBJ
their counsel assure them that they
,
| that they had right to employ and
men; that il they were attacked. they
had right to kill ii absolutely neces-
sary for self-defense; that they had a
right to bear arms on the premises OF
the Carnegie company, in order to
not they we're deputized by the sheriff
OF Allegheny county; that they had a
right to ship arms from Chicago to the
Carnegie yards at Homestead for the
purpose OF arming their men, if they
had been deputized by the sheriff; that
in view of the attack on the barges,
their men had right to bear arms and
defend themselves, and that all their
acts in firing in self-defence from the
barges after the attack on them, were
legally iustifable under the laws of the
United States and the laws of the state
of Pennsylvania.
Robert Pinkerton was called to the
stand and required to answer loug list
of questions which we're prepared by
representatives OF the Knights of Labor.
The replies in substance were:
The Pinkerton agency owned about
$50 rifles, 400 pistols and an equal num-
Der of clubs, all deposited at Chicago
In all its various branches the firm never
had at any one time more than 800 per
sons in it's employ. The employed were
advised exactly what they were to do
and were perfectly at liberty to refuse
employment to which they objected. AL
the men sent to Homestead knew tht
nature of the employment. The barge
were not constructed for purposes of pro
lection, nor lined with iron or steel, ant
could not resist small arms. The mel
would never have been allowed to star
on the expedition If it had been know
they were to be attacked before landing