Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-12
DiDTHEYUSE POISON?
Master Workman Dempsey and As
|. sociates on Trial.
KANSAS LEGISLATORS IN A fANGLE
More Mysterious Bomb Throwing
in Belgium.
THE PANAMA SCANDAL
CHARGED WITH POISONING.

Hugh Dempsey. District Master Workman,
IL OF L.. Tut Trial.
PIrTsECEG. Jan. 1.-THE trial of Hugh
Dempsey. district master workman of tho
Knights of Labor; J. NJ. Davidson aud Robert
Beatty. charged with poisoning non-union
worknen in the Homestead steel mill during
last August. began here today in Il crowded
court room.
Beatty is accused Of having arranged with
Davidson and other cooks at the mill to admin
lister the poison. which il Is alleged Dempsey
furnished. The serious charge of having pro-
cured and disbursed the money used in the
furtherance Of the scheme is also pu. upon
Dempsey. The cases grew out Of the numerous
and suspicious cases of illness among the work
men IN the Homestead mill. At first those
stricken with the sickness showed all the symp-
toms of typhoid fever and were treated by the
physicians for that disease. But after the first
few days the typhoid characteristics disap-
peared and the doctors were unable to diagnose
the cases as other than poisoning from impure
drinking water.
Numbers of the sick workmen were brought
TO Pittsburg hospitals where they were treated
by prominent physicians of this city, yet six Of
the men suffering from the unexplained disease
died and in all Of the other cases recovery was
very slow
The Carnegie Steel Company was not salts
fed with the explanation that the epidemic
among the workmen was caused by impure
water and suspected something wrong some
where. They let detectives at work to sift the
matter to the bottom. The result Of the detec-
tyes' work was the arrest Of Robert j. Beatty
at Louisville. Ky, on December 10 on war
rant charging him with completely in the poi
soning Of men in the Homestead mill.
He was brought back TO Pittsburg and given
= hearing, at which J. ~ Davidson, one of the
former cooks in the MILL testified. confessing
his own connection with the alleged conspiracy
and duplicating Beatty and Dempsey.
The arrest Of Davidson and Dempsey quickly
followed and tOdsy's trial is the result. The
indictment under which Beatty is being tried
charges that Beatty administered n deadly
poison TO w. E Griffiths. an employee OF the
Homestead mill, his purpose being to murder
Griffiths. The murder Of Chas Closer is also
included. Closer went to Homestead after
the opening of the mill with non-union men.
He was taken sick and died in a short time with
what the physicians termed diarrhpa. He
lived only two weeks after the poison is said to
have been administered. The body has since
been eJhumed and the stomach submitted to
a chemical examination. CLOSER was tho son
of jacob CLOSER a rcal estate broker of Ale
gheuy. and was associated with him in bust
ness.
fosrroSEMESr REFUSED.
When court opened Judges Stagle and Stowe
we're on the bench. Attorneys Porter and Mar
shall, for the defense, put in a strong plea for
postponement OF the cases on account of the
absence of important witnesses. but Judge
Stowe was iniexible and ordered the trial to
proceed.
The first case taken up was that of Dempsey
Mr.. Breck. who is associated with the district
attorney for tbs prosecution, described the
situation Of the dining room. sheds and
sleeping rooms within the mill in
closure. At the start, he s1id, there
were few cases of sickness. but after
July 26 there was q marked increase and on the
sth of September the sick rate rose sixty or
eighty over any other previous day and all
along after that the percentage Of sickness was
higher.
He described how the company became
suspicious and related the arrest confession
and release of Cook Gallagher. He was watched,
however, and that led to the arrest Of Davidson
and Beatty.
The story OF the confession WAS again gone
over how Dempsey suggested croton oil, but
they objected and afterward consented
to administer powders thai Dempsey
sail had broken up Chicago
street car strike in a week. Except
in one instance the prosecution will be unable
TO prove what the poison was. Davidson and
Gallagher. he said. will go on the stand and tell
their stories, which will be corroborated by
other witnesses.
('Ourt here tool n recess