The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-08-04
Painters Alleged TO Have Used In
timidation and Threats Against
Other Worlmein
HELD FOR CONSPIRACY
Bond Fixed at $3.50 Each Inter-
esting Testimony.

Their preliminary was begun before
Judge Payne yesterday afternoon
and concluded this morning The
case is rather an unusual one The
details are brought out in the
testimony, which is here presented.
1t is very interesting because Of its
bearing upon certain questions per
tanning TO the labor problem
Briefly stated, the charge is that
Ridley and Severe used threats Of
violence against Taylor and Reed
because the latter were working on
job where the carpenters were
unfair" in the union sense i 6.
the contractor imployed non-union
carpenters
The u. S laws are very severe
on this class of crime The statute
under which the defendants were
held (Scc. 5so8 Rev. stat. US }
reads as follows
If two or more persons conspire
to injure, oppress, threaten OF IN
timidate any citizen IN the free eX-
ercise or enjoyment Of any right Or
privilege secured to him by the
constitution Or laws Of tile U $.
or because Of his having 50 exer-
cised the same. or if two OF more
persons in disguise on the higl-
ways or the premises Of another
with intent 10 prevent or hinder
his tree exercise OF enjoyment OF
any right or privilege 80 secured,
the shall be fined, not more than
5000 aud imprisoned not more
than II years and shall moreover
be thereafter ineligible to amy
office or place Of honor, profit O
trust created by the constitution
or laws % the y. S.
Ernest Taylor testified substan-
TALLY as follows
am acquainted with the de-
PENDANTS, Bob Ridley and jim Sc
we're. | have known Mr. Severe
about year and a half and Mr..
Ridley about a year. ann a paint
er Contractor / have been ca
gagged ia the bnsiness here in Chick
asha. contracted with Ben John.
son here in Chickasha last Thurs
day, the zsth 81 july, to paint and
paper his residence.
When came over yesterday from
Anadarko, the defendants met me
on Chickasha avenue in front Of
Pieratts Hardware store, and they
ask me If / was going to do the
work and ! told them ! was. They
stopped me aud said that | could
not begin work That if | attempt.
Cd 10 begin tile work they would
put my light out Mr.. Severe
did not say anything until Ridley
got through talking and then i,
began, aud said that he would cuI
the damned head off OF ME If
moved. Severe had knife in hi.
Hand at tne time. I did not see il
until started to get away from
them. The defendant. Severe
said that # we went up to the hous,
and went TO work, that they woulS
lay for Us at the gale and beat ms
head into a pulp They claimed i
to be an unfair" job and we Of
fered TO pay the fine which is i'm
posed By reason working on wha
Is called an unfair job, but the
said they would not accept the fnc
that we could not do the work
w. b. Reed, who was with Mr.
Taylor, had the contract TO do th,
work for Mr johnson, testified a
follows:
| had begun work on the insid
coating and night before last Oh
defendants came to me and told m
not TO go Oh with the work unit
the carpenters got through A
noon yesterday the defendants me
me and Bob Ridley said, You can
go ahead and finish that job.
said. II will if want TO, becaus
l make my living and nobod
makes it for me. - Ridley saiC