The advocate., 1894-09-26


taken to Che city police stations.
Lest one may think that humanity iG
dead let me hasten 70 tell chat Che police
men in charge made ell possible haste after
the arrival Of the strangers at the station
houses 10 supply them with food. But
what was the meaning Of all thisG Why
were these travellers arrested at the SUBJ
urban station before shey reached the city
which was their place Of deSsinstionP II
was in response to q telegram received BY
Major Moore, chief of tho district police,
from Baltimers and Ohio detective, who
had shadoWed she forty mem in the box car
from the time Of their leaving Cincinnati.
Il was without any doubt the carrying out
Of plan which would be called conspiracy
had il been praotiCed By Che poor upon the
rich or powerful.
The plan was TO arrest this company Of
men, who were coming east in search Of
work, put them through the form OF trial in
the police court, sentence them to the work
house and make an example Of them which
would strike terror TO tha souls Of CoXey'G
commonwealers and turn them from their
purpose to come TO Washington.
On Sunday morning the city papers told
the story Of the arrest, and members Of the
labor organizations bestiErsd them selves TO
secure legal counsel for the stHRngers whose
trial was TO come on the following m OEning,
l Went early to the court room, and may
never again fnd it my duty 10 endure such
an ordeal. There were criminals, black
and white, old and young, male and fe-
male, all stages and degrees Of vice aud de-
pravity, and ranged along with them be-
hind the IRON grating were the forty
strangers in q strange land. They had
been trapped into the situation and we're
there TO answer to the foul crime Of
poverty,
have many times in my life been proud
of being a KansRn, but never 30 much 80,
never 30 thankful, as when a Kansas CON.
gresham, Mr.. JEFF. Hudson, came TO the
rescue Of these helpless men and announced
himself as their counsel. And what q splen.
did defense he made How it changed the
whole course Of the plot, indulgsd in
some pointed reflections as TO tho useful
ness of lawyers.
IL came over me that lawyer Of ability,
Of integrity and humanity might serve q
farmer constituency in congress with as
great fidelity as the farmer fresh from the
ploW. The quality of the man and not the
circumstance Of occupation is the essential
thing. At all events, was glad TO have at
least one lawyer representative from
Kansas.
But to 60 back TO the forty prisoners. IL
was brought out by questioning the captain
Of the men and another witness chat they
we're in no way connected with the CoXey
movement. They were all men Of sober
habits; not whisky bottle or q card was
found in the car in which they came. Their
behavior had been orderly all the way from
Cincinnati, 80 the railway detective was
obliged TO testify, though he evidently de-
sired TO prejudice the court against the men.
He stated that the conductor had been
afraid to demand fare Of the men, whereas
the truth was the car was rendered the men
at Cincinnati, and the conductor under
stood the case and had no thought Of ask
ing the men TO pay.
These men are nearly all American born,
one Of them a graduate Of college, some
are church members, all are anxious 10
work, and those who went upon the witness
stand bore themselves with exceptional
dignity. Most Of them had lived in the
East at some time in their lives, but had
gone West 10 seek employment. They said