The General, the Strikers, and the Company That Wouldn't Ride With a Scab Crew

Brig. Gen. A. V. Curry, of the National Guard, is in the city, a guest at the Northern, and was to consult with Gov. McGraw, Assistant Inspector General S. W. Scott and Col. Green yesterday. The work of investigating the conduct of Company G, of Spokane, and Company K, of Sprague, and Troop A, of Sprague, will not be carried through by officers appointed by Curry. The military board, by a unanimous vote at a meeting which Gen. Curry presided, has amended the rules and regulations so as to give the governor power to appoint a committee of three officers for such purpose, with power to summon witnesses and take testimony under oath. Such a committee will be appointed by Gov. McGraw this week and will pursue the investigation with full authority under the law and the military rules.

Gen. Curry yesterday gave his account of the transactions at Tacoma in relation to the insubordination in Company G, of Spokane, in an interview with a Post-Intelligencer reporter. He said:

"The first [sign] of any sympathy between Company G and the strikers was the arrival of a delegation of strikers from Tacoma to tell the troops it was very dangerous to send the Eastern Washington companies home with any but a regular crew. We had a very troublesome night getting from Camp McGraw to Tacoma, which would necessarily lead that section to which Company G was attached to believe that the trip was dangerous. The windows were broken by the engine's back-firing; he found soap in his tank and was not accustomed to the track. Company G was on the first section and their engine was disabled by lack of water, the faucet having been turned and the water run out.

"While waiting at Edison for forward movement, I was standing on the bank near our engine, and Company G, being on the last car of the first section, was immediately ahead of us. A committee which said they were from Company G, headed by one Chris. Munter, came to me and entered a protest against going over the mountains with such crews, fearing that accidents might happen to a crew that was not thoroughly up to its business. They stated that they would obey all orders, but protested against going from Tacoma to our homes with other crews than a regular one. I replied that I would attend to the matter in proper time, intending to place the entire self-constituted committee, as they were, in arrest for insubordination.

"Just at that moment their train made a forward movement, and they all ran and jumped aboard. On our arrival at Tacoma they immediately went to the superintendent's office to arrange for transportation, which took probably half an hour. On my returning to the depot I saw nothing irregular or out of place with G company or any other, and accepted an invitation from Paymaster Mount to go up town to breakfast, leaving Col. Green at the depot and virtually in charge of the troops, he being the ranking officer in my absence. After eating a hasty breakfast I returned to the depot, having been absent not to exceed forty minutes.

"On my arrival I met Col. McCarthy, who informed me that he had disarmed G company; that there was no guard over them, but that he had taken their arms away from them for what he considered mutinous conduct. He stated that they told him that they would not ride with a scab crew, and protested against making a trip with such. He also stated that they told him they would not shoot if ordered to shoot, and he thought it was his duty to disarm them. I said to him I feared he had acted hastily, and was sorry he had not waited and reported the matter to me. But Brooks, commanding the company, was standing near me, and I asked him where his company was. He said they were all at or in the car. I ordered him then to order his company into the car. The company all entered the car as ordered. I then entered the car and gave the company as severe a reprimand as I could possibly give for their conduct. I then learned from responses made by many of them that only about one-half of the company were present when this conversation with Col. McCarthy had occurred, the balance being in the baggage car on guard, or, not wishing to go to breakfast with the others, were not in line — those in line spoken to by Col. McCarthy having just returned from their breakfast up town. I then left the car, ordering them to keep their seats until further orders.

"After leaving the car I met a deputy United States marshal, who informed me that G company could not go over the mountains unless they were under guard, and that his authority came from Mr. McCabe. I at once found Mr. McCabe in his office and asked him if that was his order. He said he had so told the deputy marshal in charge. I replied that he should not dictate to me how I should take that company home; that was my business and not his. He said he thought perhaps that was correct, and withdrew the order.

"I then determined to have G company brought out in public and to hear from them in public if there was any intention on the part of the company to disobey any orders. I told Mr. McCabe this, and asked him to sit down and hear what was said. He said he was very busy, but if possible would do so. I then returned to the depot and ordered the company marched out and put in line in the depot. I then, placing myself before them, asked them the following questions to be answered by the company:

"'Are you loyal to the old flag and to our state?'

"'Will you obey all orders given you by me or the officers appointed over you?'

"'Will you submit without objection to any necessary [guard duty]?'

"'Will you [support] the National Guard and observe the oaths you have taken?'

"To these questions they all as one man answered yes. I then asked them if they were in sympathy with the striking [miners] to such an extent as to interfere with their duty as guardsmen, to which they all answered as one man, 'No.' I then asked them if they had disobeyed any order given them by Col. McCarthy or any other officer, to which they answered, 'No.' These responses were made in a bold, distinct and positive tone, and in the presence of a large number of strikers, officers, soldiers and citizens generally.

"I then ordered them back to their car, and before leaving the depot ordered their arms returned. I then had this car placed next [to the engine], temporarily putting it under the command of Col. Joseph Orton for the trip home, telling him to report to me promptly if any of this company faltered or refused to do its duty. Col. Orton reported to me after arriving at Spokane that G company had furnished its regular proportion of guards on the trip, and had done its duty on all occasions as far as he knew.

"My object in restoring the arms to the company after they had made their own avowal of loyalty was prompted by the fact that I knew a majority of this company personally, and knew them to be as loyal to our cause as any citizen or member of the National Guard. I also believed then, and do now, that it would have been more detrimental to the service and to the good of discipline to disarm them for the length of time of a stated disagreement than in the way I adopted, having determined at that time to make a thorough investigation as to the disturbing element in Company G and punish the same with the severest penalty possible. Many members of the company, who are reliable, good citizens of Spokane, say that they did not make the remarks to Col. McCarthy which he claims they did. If it became actually necessary for Col. McCarthy to have taken action without reporting the facts to me, it was his duty first to have reported the facts to Col. Green, who was at the depot during all of the transaction."

The statement that the detail of Companies B, D, E and F under command of Col. Green, which went to Spokane and back with the militia train, went as an escort to Company G, which appears among the participants as of July 15, is declared by the colonel to be erroneous. He says that the detail simply went to guard the trains to Spokane and back to Tacoma, and on the trip over Company G was not an escort but did its full share of duty with the other companies.