The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-01
ARE NOT GUILTY.
Striking Machinists Cleared in
City Court Today.
We're Charged With Assaulting
Santa Fe Detective.

The case of the State VS.. F. c. Boltz
ct al, which is the case of the Santa Fe
railroad against the strikers for dis
turbing the peace, came to an end this
morning by Judge Pro Tenn Greenwood
holding that the state had failed to
make a case and discharging the de-
PENDANTS. w. S. Stark, w. NJ. Nelson
and F. c. Boltz were arrested on the
evening of July 81 by Santa Fe Detec-
tive H. H. Germain and a posse of men
under him as they were crossing VIA
duct in the railroad yards. The detec-
tives claimed that the strikers annoyed
them by calling them names and offer
ed other abuse of like nature which
prompted them to arrest the men and
take them to the police station and that
in making the arrest that no unusual
force or violence was used and that
none of the defendants were struck or
mistreated in any way. The testimony
of the defendants and their witnesses
which was in the preponderence, was of
exactly contradictory nature.
w. S. Stark, who is the president of
the local union, was the one who Jared
the worst at the hands of the officers,
said in teStifying: Il was standing near
the viaduct when German and his
crowd of men came up and ordered US
to move on. After moment or so we
started towards the river intending to
leave rather than to get into trou-
BILE. After we had gone but a short
distance Germain ran up behind me and
struck me with a billy and was followed
in the assault by Clark, the detective,
who was brought up from Kansas City
One of them said with an oath that is
the fellow that we are after and just
! then Germain struck me with billy
and Clark followed by striking me with
his fist. We were then followed to the
river, and as we were on blind street
we were forced to come back by the
men, who then arrested US and forced
us into a run as they started for the
police station with u.s.
William Nelson, another of the de-
PENDANTS in the case said: "They SEEM
ed TO have it in for me in particular
and the man Clark was particularly
brutal in arresting me and struck me
three times with his fist. He claimed
that / pointed him out to crowd OF
our bays as a detective and he would
get even with me for that, and that
seemed to be his opportunity.
F. C. BoltZ, who is the secretary of
the local lodge of machinists, who was
followed to the brink of the river, said:
when German came up to me he SAID,
not go further on account of the river,
and he replied, You had better jump
into the river, that is the place for you
anyway And with that he struck me
several times with MS 1lSl-
The trial of the case attracted more
than ordinary interest from the fact
that it is really a case between the
railroad and the striking machinists:
During the trial of the case the court
room was filled with the striking ma
chinists and their sympathizers. The
testimony in the case has been con-
Trajectory. The detectives swore uni
formly that no blows were struck and
that no violence was used, while the
defendants and their witnesses swore
that each of the defendants was struck
one or more times and that violence
was used in making ths arrests.
| L. H. Greenwood, WAC is acting
| Judge in the absence of Judge McCabe,
made a rather novel ruling in regard
to the costs in the case. He said ii
the prosecuting witnesses in this case
and the witnesses who are in the en-
pIoy of the railroads will waive their
rights to fees in the case, will permit
the case to rest at that. Which was
a rather implied notice that if such a
ruling was not satisfactory that the
costs would be taxed uQ to the COM
planning witnesses in the case: This
arrangement seemed to be satisfactory
as there was no objections made to it.