Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-07-01
BOB'S CAREER
IN PITTSBURG
The Notorious Ammon Has Led
Strenuous Career From His Ear
liest Young Manhood.
ORGANIZED A VERY BIG STRIKE
Smooth, Oily and Assuring. He Was .
Typical Representative Of the
Trouble Fomenter.

Referring TO the career in the east
OF Robert A. Ammon. well known in
this city. who was recently convicted
OF feloniously receiving money from
Get Rich" Miller, letter from New
York says;
Col. Ammon has been revealed as
the chief gamer In one of the most
preposterously successful swindles yet
practiced In this yicinity-a swindle
which makes 1t clear that human ma
ture Is now as ever ready TO yield TO
absurd temptation offered In the name
OF avarice.
Colonel Ammon has been looked up.
on here for long time as fine type
Of those who win success by assur.
ance. by an impressive manner. and
by what in the colloquialism Of New
York is called front" But he had
more than these outward manifesto
tions. He Is an Industrious man. and.
whatever his moral quality may be,
he possesses a good deal OF intellec.
tual power
He Is still remembered as the ag-
gressive force at the time of Pittsburg
riots in 1877. That town was his birth
place. His father, the late August
Ammon. was highly esteemed in that
city. having been long in the insur-
ance business. The son made his ven
ture in active life as a freight brake
man upon the Pittsburg. Fort Wayne
& Chicago railway. Speedily II was
discovered that some one was a dis.
turbing influence, that turmoil was be-
Ing excited among the men, and after
a little investigation those distractions
were In part traced to young Bob Am
mon. In the spring OF 1877 Ammon
gave so much trouble that, In spite of
considerable influence that he pos
sessed. he was discharged. But in the
summer Of 1877. when the greatest,
most portentous of all strikes. except
ing that Of Debs, began, Ammon ap-
peared as leader and was named one
OF the strike committee on the Fort
Wayne railroad. He had an associate
a much more conservative man. who
was able to prevent the outbreak of
such serious trouble or violence as
Ammon counseled.
However. Ammon persisted In his
purpose to bring about trouble and
at last his associates removed him
from the strike committee. His self
assertion and assurance, however,
we're not checked. and he continued to
agitate until agitation became illegal
action and he was arrested. He was
not prosecuted. however. that being
deferred. and after the strike was ov-
er. through the influence of his faith.
er, proceedings were discontinued.
ber OF the strike committee was of
such proud assertiveness: he assumed
such commanding authority. that II
was said OF him by railway men that
he was acting as though he thought
himself the general manager OF the
Pennsylvania railway. He gave or.
ders. but they we're disobeyed, and
therein came ridicule. The railway
officials were well advised In advance
Of what he intended to do and were
able to block his plans.
The future seemed TO offer no op-
portunitles for him on the other side
of the Alleghanies after the strike. and
II was with no great surprise that IL
was learned that he had become a
member OF the bar OF New York City,
for II was known that there was op-
portunities for practice in New York
that seemed to be congenial to the
qualifications OF Colonel Ammon.