The age-herald., 1901-07-24
Tennessee Co, Stops the Ex- portatiOn of Four Hundred
 Negro LabOTeTs
THERE WAS CONSERVATION
Negroes Had Gathered at the Union Passenger Station and When the Leaders Were Arrested Their
 Ranks Broke in Confusion.

The exportation of 400 negro 1aborers to
 Chicago and other Northwestern cities to work in the steel mills was stopped last night by the arrest of A R. Bell and D.
 M. Ryan. two negro labor agents who have been working in the Birmingham district for several days.
 | The arrest was made at the Union pas senger station while the men were in the act of transporting the negroes to the Northwest.
 The warrant under which the negroes were arrested was sworn out before Jus tice H. B. Abernathy by w. I. Grubb The two agents are charged specifically with enticing. decoying and persuading servants of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway Company, a corporation. to leave the service of the said company. This is misdemeaner in Alabama While the warrants are sworn out by MT. Grubb, the action is at the instigation of the Ten nessee Coal Iron and Railway Company
 The scene at the Union depot last night when the arrests were made was one of confusion. About four hundred ne- groes. including many women and child ren, were about the place for the pur- pose of leaving Birmingham. Their inten- tions were to go to Chicago, where they to secure employment from the Latrobe Steel and Coupler Company. | When the arrest of the two leaders | were made the crowd at once became l disorganized. and consternation reigned
 in the ranks. Many had secured tickets to Chicago; many others were attemp- | ting to buy tickests and many were | present to say goodbye to those leav- ] ing. From all came a cry of alarm at the time of the arrests, and those who did not have tickets immediately dis persed.
 Two hundred and twenty-five tickets had been sold by the agents at the de- pot, and those holding these boarded the train for Chicago. All tickets read to the latter place and were sold by the Memphis route. Three special cars were provided for the accommodation of the negroes and the holders of tickets soon filled them.
 On the train were men, women and children, and glad shouts were heard as the cars were pulled out of the station at 1050 o'clock with all aboard who had secured tickets before the arrest of Bell and Ryan. Bell and Ryan have been organizing the crowd that was assembled last night for l several. weeks. They have advertised and in their talks with the negroes have
 painted the West in glowing colors. They
 offered a, special inducement to common laborers of wages at s2.0O per day, and told those of the skilled class that they could obtain much higher wages than
 received here, so it is stated.
 Tennessee Company Suffered. | The Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad company has suffered greatly from the | work of the two agents. Many of their | laborers at the different furnaces have 1 left their employment, and Monday night | they were forced to close down one fur | mace for four hours on account of lack of | labor From the works of the company | at Ensley and Bessemer and from the dif- | ferent mines many of their negroes had l been persuaded away to join the Chica- 1 go crowd. Other companies in the district have | also suffered from their labor leaving to | join the ranks of the emigrants. But the | greatest sufferers was the Tennessee | Company. and that company will take the l most sactive steps in the prosecution of | the agents. sts
 It was stated last night that efforts
 were made to send the crowd from the district Monday night. but this failed on account of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company refusing to furnish a special train or grant special rates to the emigrants. Arrangements were mado with the Memphis route yesterday, how ever, to furnish four extra cars for the train leaving here at 10:20 o'clock and also to grant a special rate for inc crowd.
 This information was given to the ne- groes. and last night long before time for the train to leave the crowd had begun to collect at the station. At o'clock some four hundred were present, many being women and children Many secured tick cts and were passed through to the train f before the arrest of the leaders. But when they were arrested the remaining mem- bers of the crowd began to disappear.
 When the arrests were made last night i, the two negroes were taken to the police station and locked up in default or bonds to. the amount of 5000 each. The arrests were made by officers McCullom and Whaley, who succeeded in dispursing the remainder of the crowd in short order.
 The Agent Talks. When seen at the city Jdh last ntsht the negroes both claimed they had not persuades any person to leave any posi- tion, and they had not violated any laws. Ryan made the following statement:
 s'Several weeks ago Bell came to my office and stated to me that he had contract by which he and could mako several hundreds of dollars by securing four or five hundred laborers for West- ern company. He made me an offer and entered into a contract with him 70 give my assistance to the movement. n hold city licenses and have an of1ce at s171k North Twentieth street. This was made headquarters for the movemsnk.
 Bell had hundreds of circulars p<1ntsdj