St. Paul daily globe., 1893-01-19
Hugh Dempsey on the Stand
IN the Alleged Poison
ing Case.
He Denies Having Given GAL
lagher or Davidson Any
Powders.
During CroSs-Examination
He Becomes Greatly EX-
hausted.
Three Witnesses for the De-
fense Give UnfaVOpable
Testimony.

PITTsBURG. Jan. 1S.-The defense in
the Homestead poisoning case against
Hugh Dempsey occupied this mornings
session of court by examining a large
number of witnesses to prove that sick
ness in the mill was not unusual. Many
w0rkmen testified that previous to the
strike they had suffered from illness,
the symptoms of which we're similar to
those which killed some of the nom
union men. E. w. Robertson was
brought over from the Jail to the wit
ness stand. He said: My cell adjoins
the one occupied by Gallaghar; | have
talked to him about this case; he has
told me that Dempsey was entirely i'll
nocent of the poisoning charge"
Hugh F. Dempsey, the defendant, was
called. He said: II am district mas
ter workman of d. A. No. 4, K. of H.;
the K. of l.. had nothing to do with the
Homestead strike. l first saw Gala
CHER in my office; he was brought there
by Beatty; Mr.. Davidson was there;
they were introduced to me by Beatty,
and said they were men who
would Go to Homestead
and get work and report to me how the
work was running the mills; nothing
was said about putting powder in food;
Gid not employ them for that purpose:
| told them had four men in the mill
at that time, but that | wanted more re-
ports 50 that | could by statistics show
that the Carnegie company was not
succeeding with non-union men;
Gallagher would come down two
or three times week; l prom
iSed them compensation, but told
them to get work in the mills, so that
the company would have to pay them;
never gave Gallagher or Davidson any
powders: did not say l wanted to give
these men anything to weaken them:
did not talk to them about strike in
Chicago; | was in Hom astead fire.
quently; in the mill only once; knew
nothing about any plot to poison"
Much stir WAS created in the court
room durAg Mr.. Dempsey's cross-eX-
animation by his great agitation. lie
became much exhausted, and fears
were entertained that he would faint,
and thus produce q somewhat unfavor-
able impression. When asked why he
had hired men to spy for him in the
Homestead mill, he replied:
Instructed From New Work.
"Becaus 81 got Il telegram from New
York asking me to learn the condition
Of affairs in the mill, as they were try
ing to arrange a settlement with An
drew Carnegie"
At the conclusion of Dempsey's cross
examination court adjourned. At least
three witnesses called by the defense
today gave testimony favorable to the
prosecution. They were Dr. Osborne,
Capt. Ecker and William Wolsley. DR..
Osborne, when questioned by Mr.. Por-
ter, said that the majority of those
whom he treated for diarrhoea were
men who were employed in the mill.
Cant. Ecker said Gallagher had
told him he was in the mill for a
good pprpose," though the defense
may claim that he meant he was there
merely to report to the strikers the
goings-on inside. Woolsey, once Il
cook in the mills, said all food furnished
the workmen was carefully inspected
by doctors, and that all decayed vegeta
bles and fruits and spoiled meats were
at once condemned, and that spoiled
meat was never given to the men to
eat.
The local assembly of the Knights of
Labor today adopted resolutions OF con-
idence in Dempsey, and promising him
moral and financial assistance in his