The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1946-02-28
Union Evidence
lConfinued From Page OneJ

Pickering, son-in-law Of l.. T.. Roarke,
head of the Merchant Protective Assn
strikebreaking outfit, roamed the
state trying to enlist exseryicemen as
strikebreakers for $500 mohth plus
expenses.
The scabs moved into the yards Dec.
% armed with shotguns. They fired
at pigeons for practice and were
seen tampering with a tank in the
yards. Jan. 18 the first train moved
over the strikebound line and with it
the first union casualty went to the
hospital, shot by McNcar guard,
Robert Brown, an ex-convict with
long prison record.
Firing Of the shotgun opened real
war Of violence against the unarmed
pickets. Most serious incident came
Jan. 81 when car sped past picket
shanty and riddled it flimsy walls with
bullets. Fortunately, no strikers were
injured.
On Jan. 29 the union received word
that four scabs were buying firearms
at the Koren Jobbing Co, in Peoria
The four men, two Of whom had a
police record, were driving McNears
personal car, 1941 Chevrolet sedan
with 1915 license plates.
They bought IS shotguns and Ii
boxes of shells. Union leaders notified
the police and the car was stopped
and the guards arrested. A day later
they were freed and the weapons re-
leased.
Feb. 3 the union received informa-
ton that the company was going to
run a train east. On the 5th, Paschon,
head timekeeper of the road and a
strike leader, was sitting down to sup
per when the phone rang. He told his
wife later that the anonymous phone
caller used foul language and then
said: you're going to get what the
picket shanty got" Paschon recog-
nized the voice as that Of Roy Daily,
former deputy sheriff and ringlead-
er Of the strikebreakers. That same
day four other strikers were threaten
ed.
Following day the death train left
the yards. 1t had an armored car ahead
Of the engine and two other armor-
plated cars with special portfolios for
guns. The train switched at Eureka,
Iii. Pickets, who were in the yard
of a striker, shouted at the scabs and
threw few rocks at the fortress. AS
the train left Eureka the windows
were raised and the guards fired 10
to II shots at the pickets.
At about that time Sheriff Earl
Richards of Bloomington received a
telephone call from man who identi-
fled himself as George P. McNear and
who said there was going to be trouble
on the road.
Trailed in autos by the pickets, the
train went on to Gridley where it halt
ed at crossing. Four guards left the
train and approached a switch. They
carried one rifle, two automatic shot
guns, one pump shotgun and pistols.
They yelled for the pickets to drop
whatever they had in their hands.
Picket captain Garland Brown ordered
them to drop everything and they did
Then guard fired to the north and
+. T. Parks, an eX-marine, fired into
the crowd, hitting Howard Williamson.
Someone pointed to Paschon and yell
ed: "That's the man." and fire con-
centrated on him.
Proof that he was singled out was
supplied by Tom Tracy of the Bro. OF
Maintenance of Way Employees
(AFL). He was next to Peschon and
when Pegchon shouted that he'd been
hit, he rushed over to help. As he
picked Peschon up, another shot OBJ
viously aimed at him, went through
the wounded mans back. Peschon col
lapsed into Tracy's arms.
Arthur Browne, the other man slain,
was an active strike leader and had
also been threatened before the shoot
ings. State police arrested the four
guards, among whom was the man
Peschon identified as threatening him
over the phone.
No charges have been placed against
McNear yet despite the unions de-
mand that he be indicted for murder
along with the four guards. The unions
are also demanding a federal investi-
cation of threats sent to the wounded
man after they were released from the
hospital and the use of out-of-state
scabs by the railroad.