The Washington herald., 1914-04-05
Union Station Sleuth Tells
He Enlisted Twenty Years
Ago to Let Police Depart
ment Know What Army
Was Doing.
BY NELSON SHEPARD.


original "bummers," just as they appear
ed when they marched into the National
CAPITAL along with the rest Of that tat
tered army Of the commonweal twenty
years ago next month. Now Gen. Jacob
S. Coxey again is martialing his hosts
for another grand entry into the Capital
and the cry, ''On to Washington" has
swept from coast to coast. through every
borough and wayside where thousands Of
idle wortmen have taken II UP and
passed the word on until the whole coun-
try is stirred by the clamor OF unrest.
When the redoubtable Co1ey marches
into Washington May q next as he in
tends to do, at the head Of another army
Of the unemployed, led by "a female band
with forty pieces" he may, or he may
not recognize two OF the Oldest members
of the Washington detective force, Ed
ward Horne and George W. Boyd, faith
full guardians Of peace and order In the
District, as two Of his former followers
who marched with the army Of 1894. as
ragged and as dirty as any Of them. all
the way from Cumberland, Nd.
The story Of how Horne and Boyd. at
the instigation OF Richard Sylvester, then
property clerk in the police department.
enlisted in Gen. Coxey's army at Cumber-
land and whooped II up with all their
might for the rights Of the unemployed
with the best Of Coxey's followers. while
they secretly reported all the movements
of the army to Chief Of Police William
Moore at Washington, is too well known
now to be told IN detail again. But no
two men in the District today are more
interested in the return march of the
leader Of the commonweal
Not for Him, He Says.
How'd you like to enlist in Coxey's
army again." Uncle Ned" Horne was
asked. when the veteran detective was
discovered in his quarters at Union Sta
ton where he has been detailed ever
since the station was built.
Not much" the former follower of
Coxey replied II reckon il won't be
much like the old days"
Nor will It. May !. 1894. Gen. Co0ey
and Carl Browne, his marshal. led a
mere handful of commonweaIers from
Massillon, Ohio, into Washington. At
that time the leaders and most Of the
army met with an ignoble fate. Twenty
days the leaders got in the city jail for
trespassing on the Capitol grass, and
they weren't even allowed to carry out
their efforts to petition Congress on be-
half OF the unemployed. Browne and
Gen. Jones were arrested before they had
hardly begun speaking. and Gen Co1ey
was escorted from the grounds by a corps
of police. He was not arrested until
three days later, and his triumphant en-
try into the Nations Capital ended IN
a gloomy cell in the city Jail.
But no such fate is likely to await the
leaders of the unemployed when the army
again Will march into Washington next
May. Some few OF the original common
wealers will be in the ranks, but most Of
them have scattered. Carl Browne died
in Washington January q, but not until
after he had realized the great ambition
of his life to finish his speech that was
interrupted twenty years ago on the Cap |
itol grounds, thereby guaranteeing the |
right of free speech on government prop |
erty. So this time, Gen. Coxey probably |
WILL mount the Capitol steps and exhort |
a vast multitude without danger Of police |
Interference.
Taking to the Road.
It will be a far different army that Cen |
CoXey will gather under his banner this |
time. From the Pacific Coast. 5000 In-
employed are marching now toward Mas
sillon. Ohio. to unite with Coxey's main
division. which begins its weary tramp
April 16. From Chicago, st. Louis, New
York, Philadelphia and the other great
industrial centers OF the country, hun
dreds more will swell the ranks, and II
the dream of Coxey comes true. the Ma
tional Capital will be besieged by an
army, the like Of which he's never before
been seen on this continent. Those who
know Gen. Coxey believe in him and be-
lieve in his dream.
Word comes to Washington that J.
Eads Howe. millionaire hobo and foun-
der of the Brotherhood Welfare Associa-
ton. is arranging with his followers for
a national demonstration in Washington
May l in connection with Coxeys move
ment and from other points of the coun-
try similar news is received that the I'M
employed are taking to the road that
leads either to Massilon or to Washing
ton.
But whatever they do" said Horne.
they've got to go some to kick I'D the
dust Coxey did twenty years ago.
IT was a peculiar organization. that
commonweal army. There probably will
never be another Just like II. It was an
early hour IN the morning when Horne
and Boyd, typical tramps in appearance,
walked into Coxey's camp at Cumber>
land.
To play ''bum" and spy at the same
time was an easy matter They were un-
der instructions to watch every move
that the army made report who were the
ring-leaders. and. in fact. everything
they could find out about the "army."
Welcomed to Ranks.
They weren't anything but a harmless
lot Of ''bums." was Horne's explanation,
''and that's just what we reported. All
the time we were with them we didn't
notice a single crooked thing pulled or
by any member Of the army. and Coxey
himself saw to II that the men kept
straight. They were nothing but a bunch
Of hungry tramps. and all they wanted
was a place to sleep and something to
eat. They usually got both"
When Horne and Boyd applied to Carl
Browne to enlist in the army they were
gladly received into the ranks, but not
until Browne had piled them with cues
tions about themselves. Horne likes to {
recall the different appearance the two