The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-07-20
swoRn TO LIES.


jury-story of the Poisoning of Nom
Union Men at Homestead False.
PITTsBURGH, July 15.-Patrick j. Gal
lagher and j. M. Davidson, the Home
stead cooks, who are serving terms in
the Western penitentiary for self-con-
fessed completely in the alleged poison
ing of the non-union workmen in the
Homestead mill, have made another con-
fession in which they say they were
paid to swear away the liberty of Hugh
f. Dempsey and Robert j. Beatty, both
Of whom they now assert were inno-
cent of the crime of which they were
convicted. They further state that so
far as they know, there was no poison
administered to the men in the Home
stead mill. Gallagher's confession is
written by himself, and sworn to before
Squire 8. ID. White, of Haysville. Dav-
idson's was given verbally in the pre-
sence of witnesses
Attorney Porter, one of Dempsey's
attorneys, has ever since the trial been
gathering evidence in Dempsey's favor.
Six weeks ago he received letter from
Gallagher, asking him to call at the PEN
itentiary. Mr. Porter called, and in the
presence of Warden Wright and Squire
White, Gallagher and Davidson told
their stories. Gallagher said the secret
was killing him. He had prepared the
confession and read it to the gentlemen
present, and then made affidavit to it.
Davidson's statements were simply a
corroboration of Gallagher's. Mr.. Por-
ter Friday afternoon gave out the sub
stance of the confession, suppressing
only the names of the men who Gal
lagher says were in the plot to send
Dempsey to prison. Mr.. Porter read
Gallagher's confession, as follows:
Dempsey and Beatty are entirely innocent
never got any powders poison from them,
and never administered any in the mill was
told by Pinkerton detectives who arrested me
that II did not do as they wanted me 10 do,
they would indict me for murder and have me
hanged. They got mo drunk and prepared q
confession for me. was kept supplied with
money and whisky for forty-two days,
while detective shadowed me all
the time was told that II l attempted to
get away would be shot After the story got
into the newspapers. was given q revolver
and was told that / would be justified in
shooting any one who molested me- They
told me they were after Dempsey because he
was at the head of the Knights Of Labor, and
that organization was no good and ought to
DO DTokeu up. lney SAID tnaJ II L WOulQ teS-
tify against Dempsey and Beatty they would
not push murder charge against me, and that
1 would go free. At the most, would get only
sixty days to satisfy the public They contin.
ually cautioned me not to get mixed in my
story, but to swear to what they said and
stick to It. They made me rehearse the story
frequently. There were other witnesses who
were to take their cue from me and make their
stories corroberate mine"
Attorney Porter said Friday: II
have no doubt but when we establish
the truth of what we know to be true,
the pardon of Hugh +. Dempsey and
Robert j. Beatty will meet with hearty
approval Saturday an order from
court will be secured for the convicts
in the penitentiary to give testi-
mony, and the district attorney,
together with the attorneys for
Dempsey and Beatty, will have
Gallagher and Davidson repeat their
confessions, while the district attorney
will cross-examine them. Then, If they
stick to the statements already made,
papers will be prepared and an appeal
to the board of pardons will be made at
the earliest possible day. This done,
attention will then be given to the
several persons instrumental in depriv-
ing Dempsey and Beatty of their lib
erty."