Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-23

rAOlAA E4lSt EdKG.J
to greater consciousness. Meanwhile
the magistrate waited by the bedside.
Mr. ByerS was elected president of
the Western Maryland Railroad Co. on
March l, 1920. and in 1926 was made
chairman OF the board Of directors
He succeeded to the presidency when
Carl II. Gray, whose assistant he had
oeen. was elected president of the I'm
ion Pacific Railroad.
Native Of Pittsburgh.
Mr.. Byers was born in Pittsburgh ON
February 2, 1878, was an assistant en-
gineer on various divisions of the Penn
sylvania from 1897 to 1902 and then
became assistant engineer OF mainten-
ance Of way for the Baltimore g. Ohio.
From 1904 until 1918 he was with the
Sante Fe, then went with the Great
Northern and came here as assistant to
former President Gray.
Mr.. Gray, the vice president. who
was wounded, started his railroad ca
reer with the Baltimore g. Ohio and
became connected with the Western
Maryland in 1918. He was born at CO.
lumbus, Ohio, on May Is, 1859 He
was married at Columbus in 1923 TO
the former Miss Catherine Gertrude
Leonard. Mrs. Gray was said to be at
Columbus today
Mr.. Byers became widely known in
1922 as q figure in the Nation wide
strike OF railroad shopmen.
Opposed Strikers Paroles.
He would not accede to the demands
Of the strikers connected with his road
and later defended his position before
the United States Labor Board Later
he appeared before Gov. Albert c.
Richie and opposed the granting of
paroles to four strikers who were under
sentence for violence.
The twentieth annual convention of
the Maryland and District of Column
bia Federation of Labor meeting at
Hagerstown in April. 1924, adopted q
resolution condemnlng the Western
Maryland ano Mr.. Byers for not ac-
cepting proffer of the federation to
act as mediator.
Mr.. Gray had been with the Western
Maryland longer than his chief and at
the general Office it was stated I'M
omclany there was an arrangement
whereby he reported directly to the
board Of directors instead of the presi-
dent. Mr.. Byers, however has been
chairman OF the board since 1925.
Heard Shots at Corner.
Patrolman Walter P. Koehler said he
was the first policeman to enter the
offices. He said he heard shots as he
was standing at a nearby corner.
sprinte6 up the steps of the building
and found Byers lying on his back near
the door with his hands flung over his
head.
The vice president was lying about 10
feet away, and beside him, Koehler re-
ported, lay a .32-caliber automatic
pistol which held five cartridges.
He said he found 10 empty shells on
the floor and said the gun must have
been reloaded.
ONCE employees were unable to say
how many shots they had heard.
Mr.. Byers came in conflict with three
religious organizations in 1925 when
the engineers and firemen on his rail-
road, chiefly a coal carrier from the
Western Pennsylvania, Western Mary
land and West Virginia fields, struck
for increased wages.
Condemned Report.
A report of the organization more
favorable to the strikers than the rail-
road management was condemned by
him as neither logical nor just"
He said the conclusions were the Gin
eyitable result which might be ex-
pected when the ministry leaves it's pull
pits and attempts, without practical ex-
perience. to solve complicated indus
trial problems.
Rabbi Edward L. Israel, defending
the report, said the railroad had moi
been sincere with the investigators
j. w. Stringer special representa-
tive of the president of the road, said
that only three or four minutes before
the shooting he went into Byers' ONCE
and talked with both men.
They seemed to be holding a quiei
discussion and apparently were on the
most amicable terms, he told the police
His widow and five sons survive Mr.
RyerS