The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-07-11

tions which it has undertaken to pass
upon by mere techniCalities was evinced
at the outset by the brusqueness with
which it swept aside the plea of privacy
and privilege which the Western Union
Telegraph company was forced to put in
when the jury called for the messages
from President Debs to the members of
his order which had been transmitted
over it's lines The court held the public
safety was paramount to private right,
and so ordered that the dispatches be pro
duced.
That it is the intention of the govern
ment not to be too long about the work in
hand was shown from the fact that the
footsteps of the telegraph official who
brought the dispatches had scarcely ceased
to echo along the corridor leading to the
grand jury room when that body filed into
Judge Grosscup's court and announced
that it had found true bills of Indictment
against Eugene V, Debs, president of the
American Railway union; George w. How
ard, its vice president; Sylvester Kelcher,
secretary and l.. w. Rogers, one of it's di-
rectors, and shortly thereafter the four
men were arrested. They are charged with
conspiracy to commit an unlawful act,
that Is, to block the progress of the United
States mail. Joined in the Indictment
with the four leaders of the railway union
was James Murwin, the Rock Island
striker who threw the switch which de-
rallied mail train at Blue Island on t he
night of June 80.
Debs Howard, KelCher and Rogers
were taken into the Office of District At
torney Milchrist Immediately after their
arrest, and after few hours detention
were released on bail by Judge Grosscup,
their bonds being $4,000 each. The bonds
men are Alderman William Fitzgerald,
who qualified to the sum of $3.50, 900, and
William Shakel, who qualified to the sum
of $50, 900; the bonds being in the sum OF
go, 600 each.
The federal grand jury spent but a short
time on the case of Debs and the other
leaders. The case against them for con-
spiracy had been prepared some days ago
by Attorneys Milchrist and Walker, and
the grand jurors had not been at work
two hours when the indictment was re
oeived and presented in court 1t was
based on some of the public utterances OF
Debs and the other leaders, and this was
clinched by the original orders in writing
sent out by Debs directing men ON the
different railways to quit their work, and
pAlb blOppGo IhG running Vi Lldll
Marshal Arnold found Debs in his
apartment at the Leland. The strike
leader was sitting in an outer room which
ne used as an office when the marshal ap.
peared and there were several persons
with him. When the marshal introduced
himself Debs stepped back into an inner
room, asking the marshal TO go with him
and then the marsh showed his warrant
raaHty tn rrDy - aaiI 4
with apparent cheerfulness, as no walked
into the outer room and reached for his
hat and walking stick.
Il have been indicted and arrested" " he
said to those who were in his office, and
without any further remarks he hurried
away with the marshal.
While waiting for bail to be arranged
Debs in an interview said:
''Since l have been brought here 1 have
been informed that officers of the court
have gone to our headquarters in the Ash.
land and taken my personal correspond
ence and some of the records OF the Amer
lean Railway union. / do not know by
what right this act has been committed. 1t
seems TO me 10 be an Infamous outrage.
Not only did they take my personal eff
fects and papers, but carried with then
my unopened mail. / have never heard
Of that before in this country, and 1 dc
not wish to speak further about it until
am Informed by what right the act was
committed. In Russia and not out OF
that country, have such things been done
{ 1t seems to me like the act of the car OF
Russia instead Of the act Of free coun.
/ try.
'Ihe seizures were made by an Officer
of the court and a postollice official an
not running lottery, and cannot under
stand by what law the postotlice author
/ tiles are a party to the seizure of my pri
/ vate mail. II is an outrage, and you cal
| this free countryf 1t seems TO me no
| to be compatible with the stars and stripes
II is no longer a question of right in thi
country, but question of force, aud alb
| solute force at that.