The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937, 1916-01-29
UNION QUARREL
BRINGS TRAGEDY
Fred Ewald Shot To Death BY Peter
Campbell.
fractional Fight In Trades and Labor
Cause-John YOung's Election
as President Questioned.

tteS a1ter he kissed his wife and 16-
month-old baby goodbye, Fred L.
Ewald, 2s, of 43 East Market street, a
bartender for George Landenwich at 113
west efferson street, was shot to death
with his own gun by Peter Campbell, of
sl3 South Hancock street, an employe of
the city fire department. and a leading
member OF organized labor in Kentucky.
i shot him after he had struck me in
the face How it happened can not tell
but l certainly believed that my life was
in danger when | fired the shot" said
Campbell Immediately after the shooting.
He repeated this after he had been lode-
ed in jail.
James Yourell, of 1872 East Main
street, said that Ewald told him long be-
tore the trouble started that he was pre-
pared tor trouble and that if it was nee
essary he would "croak" some one. Mi
nor Challinor, of 1920 West Chestnut
street. said Ewald told him early in the
evening he had given his wife 500 in
case he should be locked up for anything
he might do during the evening.
Ewald died within few minutes after
he was shot The bullet entered the
heart and he was able to utter only few
words. He spoke of his wife and baby
and then fell unconscious. When the
ambulance from the city hospital arrived
he was dead
The shooting was the outcome of a
factional fight in the United Trades and
Labor Assembly. Two weeks ago last
night former President Perry G. Daw-
son, OF the Assembly, decided that John
Young was not elected president of the
organization, because the one vote which
gave him majority was cast by man
who was not legally entitled to vote
However, the new officers, with John
Young at the head, were installed by
Thomas Preso one of the vice-presi-
dents of the assembly, after Dawson and
some others had left the hall.
Dispute Over Office.
When the delegates gathered for their
regular meeting at Beck's Hall last night,
Young took the presidents chair. Thom-
as Kelly, who was first vice-president
under the old regime, also mounted the
platf orm and made the statement that,
since former President Dawson had
ruled there was no election, he would in
sist upon presiding at the meeting in the
absence of Dawson, who was prevented
from being present. James II. Watson,
the newly elected recording secretary.
read letter from Samuel Gompers,
president of the American Federation of
Labor, in which Young was recognized
as president and in which he was in
formed that the request of the local as
sembly to have a representative of the
Federation make an investigation of con-
dtions here would be submitted to the
Executive Committee of the American
Federation of Labor at its meeting in
February.
t,,nt ,Et t1,n, L., 1,,
made addresses for and against the
proposition of not permitting Young to
conduct the meetings until this repre-
sentative had an opportunity to look into
the trouble
Young decided that the meeting was
to be held under his direction and he or
dered the minutes read. This was done
by Secretary Watson, who said the min
utes were not complete and he added
several matters, which, he said, had been
omitted by Former Secretary w. r.
Hickman. This was the occasion for a
general demonstration. Ben HIeffernan
member of the Structural Iron Work
ers' Union, jumped on the platform and
threw papers, which Watson had on his
desk, on the floor.
John Schneider attempted to strike
Watson, but did not succeed. The dele
gates jumped from their chairs and
crowded to the platform. Just then
Ewald, who was not in the hall when
the trouble started entered and said
This is a meeting hall and we will not
have any rough-house."
He started toward Schneider, but did
not strike him.
Ewald Disarmed.
George c. Burton, delegate from the
Postoffice Clerks Union, and Campbell,
then walked up to Ewald, from whose
hip pocket a gun was protruding. Both
attempted to get hold OF the gun, but
Burton was too late. Apparently, when
Ewald noticed that the gun had been
taken from him, he became furious. He
struck Campbell with his left hand and
Campbell was thrown against the west
wall of the hall Immediately after a
shot was fired and Ewald was heard to
say "My God, | am shot" He walked
toward the door and fell at the head of
the stairs.
By that time many of the delegates
were leaving the hall. Fully 50 per cent
of them had left when Patrolman Col
Inns and Rueff appeared, Physicians
were telephoned for, but none arrived
until the ambulance from the City Hos