New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-06
Grand Jury Frees Sheriff
Houghton of Blame in
Aiming Guards,
TWENTY-SIX NAMED
FOR PERIL OF CHAIR
Are First To Be Charged
Shooting of Workers
Declared WantOn.

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New Brunswick. y j., Feb. 3 For
tho first time iu the history Of this
state. guards. employed TO protect cor
poratjou property during strike, were
charged with criminal offences to-day.
when twerty-siX so-caiied deputy she!-
Us % MIddlcseN County were indicted
FOR murder in the first degree.
The defendants we're charged with
,he wsnton and deliberate Staying Of
two strikers and the woundinG Of
twenty others IN the Borough Of Roose-
welt in the course Of the fertilizer
workers strike IN the Chrome and Car
teret plants Of the American Agrlcult-
ural Chemical Company
The grand jury, in handing up its
presentment, stated Il had uuani-
mously agreed that sheriff Edward r.
Houghton acted throughout the strike
in a rational way, maintained his au
thority and performed his duty in an
honest, courageous and efficient man
ner The jury generated him from
all blame for the shooting and com
mended him FOR his manly and up
night conduct
The jury explained that the prece-
dent Of thirty-fve years had authorized
sheriff Houghton IN enllsting the as
sistanee Of deputies furnished through
Bn organized private bureau.
Mayor Also Exonerated.
Mayor Joseph A. Hermann, Of Roose-
welt, was also eXonerated from the
charge OF having failed in protecting
corporation property rights.
Several hundred persons, mostly
Roosevelt strikers. surrounded the
county courthouse when the grand jury
reported
The courtroom was crowded with
partisan sympathizers Of both employ
crs and union men. 40 demonstrs-
ton occurred when the presentment
was read i was received IN stold
silence.
When Judge Daily entered the grand
Jury room court was declared in SEES
SION, and Charles d. Snedeker. fore
man Of the Jury. handed up the pre-
sentiment. There were indictments foT
murder against twenty-siX deputies,
twenty-five Of whom are IN jail ana
one al large The same deputies were
also indicted for atrocious assault and
battery The names of the men are
Henry Patterson, John Gordon, Car!
Smith. Thomas Murphy, Robert !.
Wallace. James d. Williams. Frank ).
Rick. Ferd Mullen. James Bavier, John
Smith. Edward Gillen, Walter Bede!I,
Michael Manning. Harry Tone, William
IRVING. John c. Moran, Harry GIlmour.
John O'Mara, Alexander Drummer
Harry Terrll Harry c. Ttler, William
Mclaughlin. Touey Simone, Walter
patterson. John Mulvaney and Fred
crick Livingston.
Nearly all gave addresses IN New
ark which proved fictitious. Living
ston is at large, and a general alarm
has been sent out for his Apprehension.
Nolan and Coyle Freed.
John II. Nolan and Frank Coyle, who
have been held IN jail for two weeks,
were not indicted They were DIS
charged on the motion Of Prosecutor
Florance, the evidence showing that
they were at the Lieblg plant III
Chrome at the time the shooting oc-
CURED AT the Williams and Clark plant
IN Carteret.
The assault and battery indictments
returned against the tWenty-sIN dePG-
ties were for the woundIng OF the fol
lowing strikers:
John Garusry, Joseph Furdi John
Nuslka. steve Ebda, Harry Badlck, An
drew Tou,ou. Steve Tote. Steve Bakacs,
John Sobicsky. Antoine COrchanlta,
Andc Ganesos, George Bacnar. Charles
rabbi. Fred Hasler, Palbobak Stanislaw
and H. Halda.
In cxcusing the jury until February
10. Judge DAILY warmly thanked them
for their labors and paid high tribute
90 their work on this case.
The ordinary course has been that
the county judge received the indlct-
ments and handed them up to the Court
Of over and Termincr for trial. The
advantage Of the presence Of the Su-
preme Court Justice is that the prison
crs will be srraigned al once, their
pleas taken, and dates set for trial.