Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-11-12

The second day of the hearing
| Of the case of Levi Sewers, charg-
ed with being one of the origi-
majors Of Saturday nights disturb
| ance in Bellaire with the mill employees
| and non-union men, was begun yesterday
morning before Squire Mason, in the
| Bellaire City Hall. The court was call
ed to order about $3.50 o'clock, and ar
guments were Immediately heard from
Judge ]. B. briggs, for the defense, and
Attorneys James c.. Tallman and James
| A. Gallagher for the State. When the
arguments were concluded, ahcut elev-
en- o'clock, the defense had succeeded
| in proving an alibi and Sewers was
discharged.
| The next case taken up was that Of
the State against Adam Long, charged
with assault in the disturbance of last
| Saturday night in Bellaire.
The first and only witness called for
the State was James Caraco, who IS
one of the delegation of non-union
| men who arrived from Eastern Virginia
Sunday before last to take the strikers
places at the steel plant. In regard to
| the mob's attack made upon him, to-
gether with another non-union employee
Of the mill, Walter Fletcher, Caracas
Testimony was as follows:
We entered Young's cigar store on
Union street last Saturday night to
purchase some tobacco, and had been
there but a short time when the store
was surrounded by a crowd. We re-
manned in the store until the arrival
of the police, who asked Mr.. Young that
we should be ordered out. Mr.. Young
replied in the affirmative We then
left the store, and as the crowd closed
around us I succeeded in breaking
loose and took refuge in Collins saloon,
store. l saw no more of my compan-
| ion, Fletcher, after entering Collins
| l remained in Collins until the arrival
| of Officer Johnson and one OF the
strikers committee, who together took
me to the lodge room, where the strik-
ers were holding one Of their regular
meetings. In company with a number
of the strikers 1 remained in the ante
room and was treated kindly. The
| %,.1 IL L 4
see that l was not molested while under
their protection. They offered to give
me nights lodging and asked me not
| to return to the mill. l told them 1 had
no money WIN which to return home
and they offered, if l desired to leave
the city, to raise enough money for my
trip. | accepted the offer and was es-
corted from the lodge room by three
of the strikers to a house in the upper
end of the city, where l was given
| lodging with one of them, Adam Long.
| The reason I accepted their offer prom
| Using to go home was because | thought
| it necessary to do SO for the safety of
| my life. l slept in a room by myself,
and getting up just before daylight, I
| decided to return to the mill. The bed
| room door was unlocked, so I left the
room in my stocking feet, but found
that the door leading to the street was
| locked. l had key in my pocket
which l have carried since my employ
ment as bell boy in several hotels
| in Eastern Virginia. l tried it in the
lock and found that it st to perfection
l then left the house and made my
way back to the mill.
Caracas testimony finished, the court
| adjourned until one O'Clock in the after
| noon.
The afternoon session opened with
good sized crowd present, which
| nearly filled the hall The first wit
ness. called, for the defense was Adam
Long, and he testified that he had
! taken Caraco to his room for safe
corroborated by Thomas Long and
Levi Sewers.
Arguments were then taken up by
Attorneys Tallman and Gallagher, for
the State, and Judge J. B. briggs, for
| the defense
Attorney Gallagher claimed that in
| addition to assault, kidnapping had also
| been done, but Judge briggs claimed
that as no affidavit had been made for
the charge of kidnapping the de-
PENDANT ought not to have been
brought before the court. The case
| was then left in the hands of Squire
Mason, who remarked that the testi-
mony presented was not of a convict
| ing nature and discharged the defend
| ant.
The decision of the court was re-
ceived by the audience with cheers and
/ applause. This ended the cases to be
heard in Bellaire. The discharge of
both Sewers and Long was learned
with perfect satisfaction throughout
the city. The other three men, for
whom warrants were served on the