Evening star., 1946-02-07
Union Leader 10 Seek
Prosecution Of Head
OF Railroad in KiIIinu
BY the Associated Press.


BLOOMINGTON, ILL.,, Feb. IA
strike leader announced today he
would demand prosecution of George
P. McNear, president of the Toledo,
Peoria & Western Railroad, in the
fatal shooting of two T. P. 81 w.
strike pickets and the wounding of
three others.
w. C. Keiser, vice president of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Enginemen, said he would ask
the State for indictments charging
murder against Mr.. McNear and
four railroad guards. He declared
Mr.. McNear was In Peoria at the
time Of the shooting at nearby Grid
ley yesterday, but that an effort
would be made to prove he was re
sponsible for the actions of his rail-
road guards"
Mr.. Keiser made the announce
ment at Peoria strike headquarters
as representatives of the Is rail-
road brotherhoods, on strike against
the T. P. & w. since October /,
opened a conference to determine a
course of action.
Further Questioning Planned.
Clifford N. Coolidge, States at
torney here, prepared to question
further four men identified by Ed
ward Kalahar, jailer, as special
agents for the railroad.
The men were taken to the Nc
Lean County Jail yesterday and held
overnight without charge. Mr..
Coolidge said that when questioned
yesterday, all four denied firing on
the pickets as the train stopped to
switch onto siding.
Mr.. McNear could not be reached
Immediately for comment on the
union leaders assertions.
A request that Gov. Dwight n.
Green call out the State militia was
made after the shooting by Mr.. Nc
Near.
Self-Defense Claimed.
In telegram to the Governor,
Mr.. McNear said the pickets were
slain as result of an attack by
mob and that the train crew
members acted in lf-defense."
1--WE deplore such a state OF af-
fairs" he. said.
Company officials said the train
was on an inspection trip of prop
critics of the 239-mile line running
from Keokuk, Iowa, to Effner, Ind,
and had travelled about 40 miles
from East Peoria to Gridley.
Mr.. Keiser, vice president of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen
and Enginemen and leader Of the
striking unions, described the train
as "armored" and said that "our
strikers were shot down in cold
blood by employed gunmen of the
railroad"
Mr.. Keiser said pickets had been
maintained at various points along
the line since the strike began and
that there were about 20 at Gridley.
They had followed the train, he
said, from East Peoria and they
were standing on the public high
way" when the train stopped.
IS&As 1ASAoCA d1io ~. IA. VASNdl1 z
Of Peoria, one of the pickets, said
the pickets offered no violence
when four guards stepped from
the train to throw a switch. Mr..
Mcguire said, however, some of the
pickets called them some names"
and one of the guards opened fire.
The slain men were identified as
Irwin Paschon, 27, former timekeeper
of the railroad, and Arthur Brown,
A, of Spring Bay, Ill, an engineer.
The shooting marked the first vio-
lent deaths attributed directly to
labor disputes in the postwar period.
When the line was returned to
private operation by the Government
last October, about 500 members of
the 13 railroad brotherhoods went
on strike. The dispute stemmed
from several issues, including pay,
rules and working conditions, as well
as the rehiring of "A former en-
|ployes whom company officials
charged with violence before the
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