The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-07
Grants Request of State Society
of Labor.
AN EYE WITNESS TALKS
". H. Johnson Tells About the
Smuggling of Harrity.
limitations Concerning Jury
That Tried Strike Leader.

delegation Of 20 members of the state
society of labor and industry. The com
mittee called at the Office of Governor
Hoch about o'clock and the session
was not over until considerably past 6
o'clock. Almost every member of the
committee took his turn at addressing
the governor, and their plea was one
for mercy and Ieniency. This is very
different from the attitude assumed by
the labor attorneys in the formal appli-
cation for a pardon for Irelan. At that
time the petitioners insisted that Irelan
was not guilty of the crime of slug
ging" the ''scab" mach1nist, J. D. Har-
rity.
Go ahead and talk to me just as
| though you We're in one of your own
meetings" said Governor Hoch, encour-
| aglngIy to the members OF the commit
Ftee- Don't stand on ceremony. What
! ever you have to say, go ahead and say
/ il. can stay here as long as you can
And the committeeman improved their
! opportunities so well that it was almost
! pitch dark in the governors office be-
/ fore they were ready to stop. Nobody
/ thought TO turn on the electric lights.
w. H. johnson, of Arkansas City, an
| eyewitness of the Harrity smuggling,
] was the chief speaker on behalf OF Ire
I Ian. johnson is big, handsome man
/ of about 40 years, and is one of the ma
/
| a strike. He wears good clothes, and
/ speaks with ability and emphasis. He
said:
/ Saw Devine Hit Harrity.
Il worked for the Santa Fe IA
months at Arkansas City prior to the
strike. 1 knew Irelan, and 1 knew
/ this man Devine, the Pinkerton detec-
/ tive who got Irelan into this trouble.
Irelan never counselied violence, but
DeVine frequently tried to get me to
go with him and commit depredatiOns.
! One evening after the strike had been
: in progress some time, I went into a
place where there was a joint to get
! cigar. Somebody suggested that we
take a drink. So I went into the back
room with them. Irelan went in with
US. We found Harrity in there drink
ing a bottle of beer. ] stood next to
DeVine, and DeVine was next to Har-
rity. I saw Devine step back of Har-
rity while Harrity was drinking, and
hit him in the back of the head with
a blackjack is a little slung
shot. Harrity did not fall. but stag
! gered forward against the bar. It all
happened in an instact and then the
door was pushed open, and four or
five Santa Fe detectives rushed in and
arrested the whole bunch. one OF
them put his hand in Irelan's pocket,
and pretended to pull out stone
about the size of a mans fist This
was the man who did the smuggling, l
guess he said. Then they searched
the other union men in the place, and
/ apparently found rocks in their
/ pockets too. They were going to
search me. but I wouldn't let them. I
said: I am not mixed uD in this af-
! fair at all and you shan't search me-.
SO I bluffed them out. If they had
searched me, they would probably
have found rock in my pocket, too.
Was Jury ''Fixed'?
That's the kind of a conspiracy
that was fixed up to stick lrelan. i
might also speak of the conduct of
the jury They were allowed to go
about as they pleased when not in
the jury box. I saw one of the jury
men walking to the court house one
day with one of the Santa Fe detec-
tives. That jury disagreed, standing
eleven to one for acquittal- I'm not
going to say whether the one juryman
| who hung out was the one I saw talk
ing with the Santa Fe detective
Isaac Gildberg then addressed the
! governor, pleading for mercy for
/ Irelan. Gidberg is a foreigner and
speaks with a strong accent, but he
made a strong plea.
H. P. Miller, of Topeka, then spoke.
He said: I'VE had experiences right
/ here in Topeka that Showed US what
sort of work these Santa F'e detectives
are capable Of doing. They tried to
get some of our Santa Fe strikers into
trouble, but failed. If you knew this
man Irelan as we do, governor. you
| would be ienient. I don't want to say
there was conspiracy TO convict
Irelan, but you know. and we all
know the character of Pinkerton de-
tectives. We know they are obliged
to do certain things to earn their
salary"
G. f. Whitlock. of Wichita. said.
Governor, 1 am a member of a dis
reputable Organization known as the
1 typographical union. I come from
that town of which you have possibly
heard=Wichita- In a recent report
] N-1rior
| labor commissioner, you viii find
| where he shows up the true character
of the PinkertOn detectives, and CEN
sures them. Any evidence which
! Plnkertons might produce should be
viewed with a degree of suspicion. BY
committing the sentence of Mr. Irelan
You viii restore to him in part the
dignity which he has lost by this con-
viction.
Advocate of s'Str0ng ARM
w. L. Stark of Topeka said: Il am
one Of the striking nachinists We have
conducted this strike ia a peaeea BILE and
businesslilke manner; we have shown
our desire to be peaceabIe. We have
been SO very peaceable that a good
many people do not even know there is
a strike in progress. But the strike is
still going on, just as strong as ever
The Santa Fe wanted to stir I'D trouble
with the strikers here in Kansas 50 that
they could get an Injunction as they did
in Iowa.
mo doubt Mr.. Irelan was proven
guilty before the jury. The evidence
was there to convict him. But the fact
that those i've or six santa Fe detectives
were there on hand. ready to rush IN at
the critical moment, shows that there
was a conspiracy. I met Devine here in
Topeka several times. He was always
talking about the strong arm govern
ment. That's what we call the violent
methods. Devine wanted IS try the
strong arm movement here in Topeka.
He wanted to put somebody out of bus
mess, he said. That's the sort of a
man that got Irelan into this trouble
think it would be just and fair to
grant him communication of sentence
A number of other members of the
committee made speeches in behalf Of
tIrelan. The charge was made by one