Labor Union President Accused of Embezzling Relief Funds
Joseph L. Murphy, a prominent labor leader in Seattle, has vanished after allegations surfaced that he pocketed money intended for the survivors of the Roslyn mining disaster.
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A warrant was issued yesterday for the arrest of Joseph L. Murphy, president of the Western Central Labor Union, charging him with the embezzlement of $300 intended for the Roslyn relief fund and approximately $65 from Labor Day celebration proceeds. The investigation was sparked by W. G. Armstrong, who discovered that Murphy had failed to deposit contributions into the citizens' committee account as promised. While Murphy initially claimed the funds were in a savings bank, an inquiry revealed no such deposit. Murphy, who also held a commission as an organizer for the American Federation of Labor, has since disappeared, leaving behind members of his Typographical Union who had held him in high esteem.
“I found Murphy had received about $300, and learned from Mr. Toklas that only about $100 had been paid over. I then went to Murphy and asked him about it. He admitted having received the money, and said he had the balance in the People's Savings bank.”
This incident of a trusted leader exploiting charitable funds for a disaster relief effort echoes the timeless vulnerability of mutual aid organizations to internal corruption. Even in the 1890s, the betrayal of working-class solidarity was a major civic scandal that left a lasting sting on the local labor movement.
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