Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-26
STRIKE REACHES THE COURTS
Suits Growing Out Of Labor Troubles Have
Been Initiated.
TWO POLICEMEN ARE MADE DEFENDANTS
Omcers who Arrested NOnunIon Men
on Charge of vagrancy VIII he
sued with Their Bonds-
men for Damages.

-
The Fight between the Union Pacific and
the strikers has at last extended, inci-
dentally. to the courts and legal skirmish
OF considerable interest is promised. The
Union Pacific has Instituted action against
two policemen, Michael Mccarthy and will
liam T. Devereese, who arrested and placed
in jail s. r. Sweeney and Henry j. O'Kane,
two nonunion men employed In the Union
Pacifc's shops at Council Bluffs, on charges
Of vagrancy and suspicious characters. The
ofncers' bondsmen are named, including
as defendants.
These men, Sweeney and o'Kane, had
come over from Council Bluffs to Omaha to
send some money home to their wives, and
returning they were overtaken by these
officers at this end of. the Council Bluffs
bridge and arrested. The ofhcers asked
them their business and they told them
they were at work for the Union Pacific
and explained their mission" said Judge
Judge Baldwin OF the legal department Of
the railroad
what have you to show that you are
workingmen?f said the policemen. and the
men showed them their hands and offered
70 take them TO the Union Pacific head
quarters and prove their statement by US.
but this was not allowed them. The officers
insisted that they were Migrants and took
them to the station. where they were con-
lined In cells. That was $3.50 Thursday
afternoon and they we're kept Shere without
anything to eat until Friday morning, when
they were released.
Men Had Money.
prosecuting Attorney Thomas In looking
over the mornings grist, discovered the
cases against tAese men and exclaimed that
they were not Migrants and should not be
locked up, for on their arrest one of them
produced a gold watch and $2.3S In cash,
and the other had s1.65 in money.
Now, we mean to prosecute these police
men, their bondsmen and the captain to the
full extent Of the law and see that these
men get their rights"
This was the statement made by Judge
Baldwin to a reporter for The Bee. The
papers he placed in the hands Of Mr..
Thomas and they were filed at once. suit
to be proceeded with without delay. Judge
Baldwin says attorneys will be employed
to defend the nonunion men and the case
will be carried to. the ultimate. end Of law.
But the case Of Messrs. Sweeney and
O'Kane does not end here. After their re-
lease from jail they went to the Union
Pacific headquarters to get money to pay
their attorney fees and get something to
eat. What follows was described by Judge
Baldwin and Superintendent McKeen and
John G.. Wizard, assistant special agent of
the Union Pacific:
The men were attacked between Ninth
and Tenth on Farnam by four strikers-w.
w. Richelieu, F. r. Scoles, H. q. Possoth
and w. A. Noble. Sweeney being a very
large man was allowed to make his escape
from the assailants and his diminutive COM
panion, 0'Kane, was pounced upon, knocked
down twice and ,soundly beaten. These
facts ara al rarfaoklv rscff lx-o-r.HA. -
railroad officials, and the guilty parties will
be dealt with as they should be. These
mem sweeney and o'Kane, are intelligent
and wefl-conducted fellows and have a right
to work for us II they wish, and they de-
serve and will get protection that the law
entities them to-"
Judge Baldwin made this statement in
addition:
"These men who have left our employ
had a perfect right 10 strike. We do not
deny them that privilege, and they have a
perfect right also to win this strike II they
can by peaceable means, but they have no
right to resort to violence, and when they
attempt to win their fight by such tactics
the law must call a halt. 1t is an admis-
sion Of weakness to resort to violence and
n the strikers are 80 certain OF victory as
they profess to be, why is 1t that they feel
the necessity Of making brutal attacks
upon our men7
NOW, while the shopmen had the right
70 strike. on the other hand. the men who
took their places had a right to go to work
and they must be protected in the exercise
OF that right and we mean to see that they
are protected. These men tell us that
they wanted 70 go to works that they were
men of families and needed the work. and
we had a right to employ them. There
are two sides to this question and one side
Is Just as grave as the other. The strikers
who are guilty OF violent conduct are men
acing not only the safety OF the men they
threaten and attack. but their own inter-
ests, for they lose public sympathy and
. respect the momen they take up such
methods as these.
"The strikers who surrounded these two
policemen and egged on the arrest of these
two men preeipitated a very bad move
ment. one which may result badly indeed
for them and all parties concerned"
Z strikers Deny Aceuaations.
The strikers deny the accusation against
them and say that some of them were not
within thirty-nve feet OF the men claimed
to have been assaulted.
aside from making this denial we do
not care to discuss the NATTER said W.
w. Riehelieu, but we are not worrying
over the matter at ell. We will be In po-
lice court at the proper time and will be
prepared TO meet the issue"
Strikers last night asserted that six nom
union men had left the Omaha shops dur
ing the evening. Except for an executive
meeting OF the maehinists the strikers
were not doing anything last night. The
charges made by the Union Pacific ofieials
against the four men accused OF assault
created considerable comment. the general
tenor OF which indicated the disapproval
by the strikers as a majority OF violent
methods.
Company Claims Victory.
increases all along the line in our shop