Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1915-01-27
Trust Officials and Borough
Heads Mentioned in
Probe Of Shooting.
A0UGHT0N STAR WITNESS
Hear Testimony of Railroad
Detectives, Jos. w. Crane,
and County Physician;
Expect Long Session.
Special to the EVENING NEWS.

Special to the EVENING NEWS.
New Brunswick, Jan. 27:-With
indications that high officials, proba-
bly, some of those in the alleged fer
tilizer trust and perhaps those OF
the Borough of Roosevelt, might be
indicted, the grand jury continued its
sweeping investigation of the shoot
ing of strikers at Roosevelt in the
second day session here today. Com
paratively few of the fifty or more
witnesses On hand had been heard
when the jury concluded its day S
work about o'clock yesterday after
noon and 1t was stated by an official
of the prosecutors staff that the
hearing might continue for two or
more days. The investigation is to
be thorough one, it was stated in
the sheriff's office yesterday after
noon and no person, no matter what
rank he holds, will be spared if the
evidence points against him.
Probe to Bottom Of Shooting.
Following upon the declaration by
Justice James ]. Bergen made In his
charge yesterday that human life is
sacred, that there was no legal right
to import men to this state to act as
special deputies and that there was
no lawful authority to shoot unless
life was In danger, the jurors are de-
termined to go to the bottom of the
case in an effort to determine who
was guilty of breaking the law.
Houghton Star Witness.
None of the strikers, officials OF
the borough of Roosevelt, labor lead
egs or others 9@re reaSred by the
I'M was ruInoreu
hereab00ts Today that Sheriff Ed
ward F. Houghton would be an i'm
portant witness Chief of Police
Harrington, of Roosevelt, as told,
was the first witness called for exam
nation He occupied the witness
chair for about an hour and half.
County Physician DR.. Edgar Carroll
was the second person to be exam
ined. The latter told about per-
forming an autopsy on the dead bo-
dies of the strikers who were fatally
wounded. 1t is stated that the
wounds indicated that the deadly
bullets had been fred at an angle OF
forty-five degrees to the standing
body. Frank Vail, an American Ex-
press Company agent, who it is de-
clared. was in a railroad car, which
was In the thickest of the shooting,
states that the deputies used the rail-
road cars as barricade and shot un-
der them directly at the strikers,
who were on the opposite side.
Railroad Detectives Questioned.
Central railroad detectives and
guards, who it is declared arrived
from Jersey City about an hour and
half after the shooting, occupied
the greater time Of the day yesterday
giving testimony to the grand jurors
There were about ten of them under
Chief Hughes. They occupied a
room on the second floor of the coun-
ty office building, while all of the
other witnesses, including Mayor
Hermann, Sheriff Houghton, other
officials of Roosevelt and the strikers,
together with newspaper men and
non-participants were kept outside of
the building entirely. Many of them
spent a cold and disagreeable day
pounding the pavement in front of
the Office building, and long before
nightfall they complained of cold
feet. One official stated today that
the investigation might go on for
four or five days, in view of the fact
that the testimony Of most of the
witnesses, who were non-English
speaking strikers and others, would
have to be taken through an inter
prefer, which would prolong the
hearing.
Edward Connolly, an Office boy in
the Williams & Clark fertilizer fac
tory, in front of which the shooting
occurred, is declared to be an import
ant witness for the state. 1t is stated
that he saw the actual shooting and
can relate how the sheriff's deputies
poured out of the plant and fired on
the strikers 1t is believed that he
can identify some of the shooters.
The morning session of the grand
jury today was taken up with the
hearing of testimony from Joseph w.
Crane, a street commissioner in the
borough of Roosevelt, who has
shown by his expressions to be in
sympathy with the strikers, and of
Justice of the Peace Barrett. AS
yet, neither the attorney general or
any members of his staff have ap-
naarad here