The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-07
DYNAMITERS FOR $3.50 APIECE
AMATEUR DETECTIVE IN THE
LAST POST g. M'CORD PLOT.
Guthrie Was Told TO Join the HOusesmiths
and Brldgemen's Union and He Says
He Did, and Was Sent With Moran and
Weir 10 DO the Job-Others Indicted.

and Brldsemen's Union, and He Says
He Did, and Was Sent With Moran and
Weir TO DO the JOb-OtheFs Indicted.
Charles Moran and Thomas Weir, the
two iron workers who we're arrested on
February "a for plotting TO blow up with
dynamite Post 4 MoCord's building, at
BM and $40 East T~wenty-third street, were
indicted by the Grand Jury yesterday.
John Guthrie, who was arrested with them,
was not indicted He is said to have made
a confession involving certain union men
in a scheme to blow up buildings on which
there are strikes OF the Housesmiths and
B~ridgemen's Union. As a result OF the
story told by Guthrie the District Attorneys
Office is looking for W other men.
Moran and Weir were arraigned before
Jud ge O'Sullivan in General Sessions yester-
day and pleaded not guilty. They were
indicted under a section Of the penal code
which makes it a felony to place dynamite
against a building and endanger life and
property. Assistant District Attorney
Mott asked that bail be fixed at 81 800 in
each case.
I'VE have a very strong case against
these men," he said. The building in
Twenty-third street, which they are charged
with attempting to blow up, backed up on
some crowded tenement houses and the
amount of dynamite they had in their
possession when arrested was sufficient to
lave caused great loss Of life and destruc-
ton of property. We have the confession
of an accomplish
Counsel for the two men said that they
were laborers and that reasonable bail
would be 81 900. Judge 0'Sullivan fixed
bail at 81, 800.
From what could be learned at the Dis
trict Attorneys Office, Guthrie is said to
have heard that there was a plan to dyna-
mite the derricks at the building and to
have gone to Post q McCord and told them.
He Is a young fellow with some spirit, and
!he protested that 1t wasn't a proper thing
dor any man TO be engaged in. Guthrie
was told to join the union and to make
acquaintance OF the men who were to do
the job. He says that he was selected
with Morgan and Weir to put some dyna-
mite under the arm Of the derrick. Ac-
'cording to Guthrie, each of the three men
was to be paid $3.50 II the job was successful.
Guthrie has named the man who promised
to pay the money. 1t could not be learned
definitely that the plot had its inception in
the Housesmiths and Bridgemen's Union.
Guthrie says that when all plans had been
completed he met Moran and Weir at Twen-
ty-third street and Third avenue. They
noticed that six detectives were Watching
them. They separated and walked toward
the East River. Weir, according to Guthrie,
went to his nome and came out with a hand
bag. Then they walked to the stringpiece
at the foot of East Twenty-fourth street,
where they were Joined by Moran. Guthrie
eays that Weir opened the bag and that 1t
contained two packages OF dynamite, each
package weighing about seven pounds.
Guthrie took one Of the packages. The
other was buried nearby.
Moran then went TO the tenement house
back OF the building. Before he got into
the house he was arrested by detectives.
Guthrie was arrested on his way to the
building, and Weir was picked up in the
neighborhood.
The District Attorneys office has had
the case under investigation for some time.
Assistant District Attorney Pinchot is still
working on it, and it is expected that others
will be involved before the investigation
is completed.
Secretary Patrick H. Farrell of the Greater
New York Council of the Housesmiths and
B~ridgemen's Union was told of Guthrie's
statement last night and asked what he had
to say about it.
Il have a good deal to say about it" he
said. I'VE would like to know who paid
the money. The whole Ching was a put up
Job to bring the union into disrepute.
Gut hrie was a %non-union man working for
Post d McCord in Jersey City, when our
walking delegate took him of the job.
We clothed and cared for him, but he
sneaked back to Post & MoCord Moran
Weir were never in the union. The
union had nothing to do with the affair.
but this is an attempt to disoredit the
union,n