The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-08-11
THE LABOR BUREAUS.
Victims Testify Against Em-
ployutent Agents.
a VIGOROUS DEFENSE MADE.
Couneu Cammittee Hears Pleas OF Men
Who say They Were peeeisedVA
aDivyy. wAh Employers

/ DAFt ~ " -
The committee Of the house Of delegates
on police, license and revenue. composer
| OF +. W. 6osdhue. r. II. Hard and VII
lam Vosghf, held public Investigation OF
| the charges Of fraud zgainst private en-
| tlovrnent agent. in the council chamber
] Yesterday afternoon and gill present re-
| mort to the house on Monday evening
| A number of witnesses we're examined by
| the members without the Intervention OF
attorneys and withou; the for1nality 81 an
| oath, and The agents against whom they
! testified were allo~ed 10 answer them, 10
| ask thErn n few7quesiions and 20 put in
| evidence in defense The lobby was
crowded with witnesses and agents and
the proceedings were watched by Mayor
Phelps, Deleg9se Gleason and Labor Com
missioner jobs Lamb. &
Cav Attorney NJ. G. Winstock was pres
ent to esxamine the witnesses and Harola
| Preston claimed the right 70 pun questions
| IN behalf Of g. w. Crane and 4 rather
warm coRoquy followed. The chaisulan
| said it vas not proposed to have anvocress-
examination and no attorneys wonld be
! allowed TO act. Mr.. Preston entered a
vehement protest, also his client. but they
we're mo.lifieG by Mr. Winstock and uiti-
| nateIy neither attorney took part in the
| proceedings, except that Mr.. Preston ad-
yised If. Crane al times. Mr.. Lamb sat
besids Mr.. Goodfftle and suggested
questions 20 him. Mr.. Crane wanted q
copy of tke sestlmony bat this too was re-
! fused. oS@ 9c5
Then began the hearing of charges
against G. W Crane. Mrs. NJ. A. Lucas
told Of how Crane sent her to- Sheriff
| Woo{sry's house. krst charging her q fee
| OF 81, wich the understanding that If the
| place did notsnit the money would be re-
turned. Finding the people az the sher-
| ifs house sick she did not9~ant 10 work,
and returned to Cranes vito declined 10
refund the fee, saying il would not pc
business. & .s9: &.
The substance of further testimony
against Crane was .as.follows: 9:s1
/ Leo fioss-Tso years ago last month
| / vas senffron Z aeon s: BIZ an employ
/ ment agency to Seattle. paying IS and
4 thinking I Was CO ming direct TO EN- ployer,
/ but Hound the direction was To- Cranes
Office II vent next morning and found
I nosiob for me. demanded my money
back and hiss clerk fold me must go'to
Tacoma for5t though he told me- Crane
would receive. haLf df, the fee. | waited
1 around FOR a7week aud got nothing.
4 III c. oWinslSw paid Crane 81 for
\ lob at the Port Garnh4e sawmilI. where l.
| was 10 get sS5 4 Rfonth and board. Four
/ ofus went together aud presented our re-
4 ceipts To Mr.. Conway, and he handed them
| back to US. q He said: II have no work
foryou. / told Crane wanted four men
+ and he has sent sixteen Qyer. said:
i "Weli, what kind OF country is thisY
| Hese am 2 900 miles from home with
i oaly % eepts In the world Then. Mr..
i Cosix ay told me 10 go TO the cook house
| and get some dinner. hung around for q
/ week or two and finally got job IN the
/ mill, but not the job paid for. went
I back and asked himS Tor the fee, but he
said. +.That is not the way do BUSH
ness. g s9s ~ ss3e
sThe witness then told how reports were
afloat year ago that agents were divid-
Ing fees with contractors, and told how a
decoy letter was sent to Crane from Ever
EFT and ELECTED areply accepting the prop
osition. lie also offered to produce the
original letter.
| W. C. oDuncan. 1907 Filth street-Lottie
| Stewart whom / knew In Oregon. came
| here looking for work and paid Crane 81 90
to take care of two children for man who
was going 10 the Worlds fair. She went
to see him and he put her of, but called
10 see her several times. l found out by
overhearing conversation between the
| man and Cranes agent that all the man
wanted wa. TO get married, that he was
i not going 10 the Worlds fair. and Crane
had sent eight different girls there. After
three weeks he proposed marriage to her.
She demanded the money back, but Crane
refused. The mans name was Smith and
he l8yed at tho SILVER State house.
Brltton Dewitt. gu Com mercial street
About June | was engaged by Mrs.
Stewart, OF Front and Pike streets, to
8 wash dishes ct her dining room. About
an hour after had been at work Crane
/ brought man and offered his services AT
s. month les. than had bargained for
came down S. month. Shortly alter
saw notice On Crane 5 office saying: "A
cook required in the country / asked
Crane " llere IL wa-, and he held out his
hand and said Two dollars, please
offered TO send him the money out of my
wages. bat he said he did not do business
that way.
r. A. Albrecht-In 1880 was engineer
Of the Huron Lumber Company and the
foreman, who could not read, gave me q
! letter from Crane, offering 81 per cent. of
the fee 10 let him furnish all the men
needed az the milk The foreman tod me
TO tear it up and | ord so. On two occa-
sions men came with notes from Crane
when the mill was fun-hanaed. Men were
never hired through Crane. but direct at
the nail. Last spring | applied 20 Crane
for employ nient as au engineer. Lamott,
his clerk, promised me the next Job but
he told me TWO days later | could not
have IT.
Mrs d. Z. Chandler said she was EN-
ployed by Crane for two years and he
never did anything wrong; he often gave
people their money back. She told
another story about Lotlie Stewart. saying
smith paid her board at the hotel two
weeks and hired her BY the month, but
she afterwards took another job.
David +. Chandler-In the winter of
1858 was employed in Cranes office and
never saw anything wrong. One man
paid 81 for job as teamsteF at Muikiteo,
but next morning came back and wanted
his money back. He admitted he could
NOT handle the horses aud could not get
them IN the bills. Crane a few days later
gave him his money back.
The witness was examined by Dr. ]. E,
Criebton as 10 whether IL was customary
when Crane had complied with tae term.
OF has contract for him TO return the fee
and said it was not
Crane then told hts method of DOING
business. lie told absat Mrs. Lucas case
saying that the sheriff teiephonsd for 1
nurse girl, and no sent Mrs Lucas out
Mrs. W ooiery telephoned that Mrs. Luca,
did not suit and asked him 10 find othel
work for her. She called a few times ane
he sad she could have ether work, bu
after few days came back and hernandez
her fee back.
Regarding Leo GoEs, the facts were tha