Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-07-25
Methods Used by Stonecutters
in Extorting Money
from Employers.
MuRpHY'S TRIAL CONTINUED
Held Responsible for Funds Entrusted
to His Keeping, No Matter How OBJ
tanned - Secret Committee De.
mands Large Sum for Settling Strike.

New York, July 25.-Counsei for Law
renee Murphy, the former treasurer Of
the stenecutters' union, now on trial
charged with appropriating the organ.
fzation's funds, continued his novel
line of defense before Judge New.
burger in dragging from each witness
admissions as to methods used by the
torting money from employers. There
was a crowd of labor men in court.
John Boyle, treasurer of the stone
cutters union was recalled. BY him
the prosecutor identified contract
between the six members of the stone
cutters union and the lawyers surety
company, which was introduced to dis
prove the testimony that these same
members divided the $4,000 among
themselves. The document was a con-
tract by which the members of the
secret" committee could not draw the
money from the lawyers surety COM
pany unless they filed every two days
a statement of their services rendered
Boyle testified that he had turned over
to Murphy the $1,000 he had received
for services to be rendered" as his
share of the $4,000 trust fund, and
that this fund had been deposited with
the surety company before the Brook
Ign stone dealers association had paid
to the union $4,000.
Employers Pay Workmen's Fines.
Several other witnesses testified
that the trust fund was created by
fines against members of the union
during strike in 1898, which fines
were paid by the employers under an
agreement with the union to end the
strike.
Donald Call, formerly president of
the union, testified that the secret"
committee had demanded $50, 900 from
the Brooklyn stone dealers to settle
the strike in 1902, and that 100000
might have been demanded. AS a-com-
promise the committee agreed to ac-
cept $4,000, which was paid.
William A. Norrie, treasurer in 1902
and now president of the stonecutters'
association, told of the secret" COM
mittee turning over the checks to Muir
ply, the treasurer; how the six other
members of the committee began to
get uneasy about the whereabouts of
the checks, and how they went to
Murphy and told him that he must put
the money through the proper chan
nels of the association Norrie said
that Murphy told them they would
have to dig deeper than him" to get
the money, but that he finally agreed
to meet them the next morning. Then,
although they all gathered as agreed,
Murphy did not appear 1t was after
that that Murphy went to Europe
Murphy Responsible for Money.
After sustaining several objections
raised by the prosecutor upon coun-
sells procedure, Judge Newburger said:
IF 1T Is proven that funds of this
were turned over to the
defendant for keeping, then he will
be held responsible for them and must
give a satisfactory accounting. | will
SO charge the jury II the money in
question was obtained by question
able practice, then there is another
means of correcting the evil. How
the money came into the association
does not lessen the responsibility of
the officer elected to care for It,"
The trial was adjourned till Monday.