The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-09
An Explosion in The Round
House Yesterday.
ASK AID FROM GOVERNOR
Special Police Force Requested to be
Appointed is Refused,
THINKS IT WOULD PREC,PITATE TROUBLE
The Striking Machinists Disown Connection
With Explosion, Fourteen Men Here From
The North Have Done No Work
and May Leave.

The North Have Done No Work
and May Leave.
in the round house at the Seaboard Air
Line shops yesterday morning. There
was a sudden explosion and fragments of
wood were thrown about. Panes of glass
were broken and the few men at work
were greatly excited until it was found
that no damage had resulted. AS the
noise sounded windows in the railroad
offices were tthrown open and heads ap-
peared, while the officials rushed to the
round house to discover the cause.
After making Investigations Superin-
tendent Turner wrote a letter to Cover
nor Aycock. asking for police protection,
but as the Governor did not think this
was necessary he declined to appoint The
police force requested.
The letter is dated at Raleigh June
Sth, 1901, and reads as follows:
Raleigh. ~ c., June Sth, 1901.
To His Excellency, Governor c. B. Ay-
cock. Raleigh, North Carolina.
1JSdJ OtI certain CNll AioDOSbu pei
sons are coming upon the premises of the
Seaboard Air Line Railway, in the city OF
Raleigh, attempting to persuade our ma
chinis7s and worlSmen TO quit work. We
htl y armed these parties off, but they
still persist in coming, very much to our
hurt and annoyance. This morning, some
evil disposed person ignited fuse. and
with il caused an explosion il our Round
House. Fortunately no personal injury
resulted, but thereby creating great alarm
among the machinists at work.
To avoid trouble. l call upon you to
appoint and commission four special po-
hcemen the parties are designated in
paper hereto attached, to afford protec-
tion to cur employees at work in our shops
in the city of Raleigh and to keep off
all such intruders as may come for the
purpose of interfering with the said
workmen.
make this request under Sections 1888,
1889, 1890 1891. 1892 and 1898 of The Code.
Respectfully yours,
J. NJ. TURNER.
Superintendent.
The parties designated by Superinten-
dent Turner TO act as special policemen.
ana whose names appeared on the slip
attached to the above letter are G. C.
Upchurch, A. J. Moore, ]. A. j. Robert
son and William Smith.
An immediate response to this letter
was made by Governor Aycock, which
reads as follows:
Raleigh, n. c., June 8, 1901.
J. NJ. Turner. Esq, Superintendent, Raj
eigh, N. C.
Dear Sir: l am in receipt of yours of
today in which you inform me that Ger
tain evil disposed persons are coming
upon the premises of the Seahoard Air
Line in the city of Raleigh, attempting
10 persuade your machinists and work
men to quit work, and that they refuse to
cease coming upon your premises when
requested and also informing me that
some persons ignited a fuse and caused
an explosion in your round house this
morning You ask me to appoint four
special policemen under the provisions Of
the Code. Sections 1885, 1889. 1890. 1891,
1892 and 1898. | decline to appoint these
policemen | believe that their appoint
ment would tend to. breach of peace
rather than to the preservation of law
and order. The sections of the Code re-
ferred to provide for the appointment of
such policemen and likewise provide that
they shall be paid by the railroad re-
questing their appointment and that they
can be discharged when the railroad COM
pany requests. These provisions make
the policemen essentially the policemen
of the railroad company rather than the
officers of the law of the State of North
Carolina. The striking machinists and
their friends would at once recognize that
these policemen particularly represent
the company rather than the State of
North Carolina. and this would tend to
irritation. If persons forbidden to enter
your premises enter, the law of the State
is ADEQUATE for your protection. You can
swear cut warrant for them and have
them arrested for trespassing upon your
premises after having been forbidden.
You can employ at your own expense as
many guards around your premises as
NAV be necessary to keep off intruders.
From YOUR premises they would have the
same right TO evict trespassers as they
would have if they were police officers.
They can certainly protect your property
against the laying Of fuses and the ignit-
ing of explosives | do not recognize,
therefore the necessity which you seem
to think exists for the appointment of the
police force requested by you. deem it
proper however, to assure you that any
attempt TO injure your property or to in
spire vour men from whatever source ii
NAV come will be met with the full
power Of the State. ! am not sufficiently
Informed as to the merits of the con-