Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-24
THINKS LABOR UNIONS
CANNOT Be IMPLICATED
BY A RETIRED DETECTIVE

LOS ANGELES, Oct. %, 191O.-It is
now twenty-three days since the
people of Los Angeles, and, in fact,
all the civilized world, were shocked
by the blowing up of the Times
building and the cruel assassination
of twenty-one persons. Newspapers
were full for several days Of state
ments from the police department, de-
tectives and others engaged on the
case. There have been about as many
clews as there are labor union men IN
Los Angeles. Every day there have
been two or theree clews that led
with certainty to some person con-
nected with the crime, the suspect be-
ing either arrested or some place where
he would be arrested within Few
hours. Now that excitement has
somewhat subsidized it seems well to
stop and take stock of what we have
in the shape of evidence and what
has been accomplished in the way Oh
work.
In the first place it is evident to
any intelligent man that the Times
building was blown up with dyna-
mite or some other nitro -glycerlne eX-
plosive. Second, this was done by peo-
pie who were enemes of the Times.
That it was done by people who may
be connected with labor unions do
not doubt, but that the labor unions
as such had any knowledge of it or
that they would consent ito crime
so diabolical l do not for moment
believe. In other words, l am satis-
fled that this crime was committed
by anarchists, or what is generally
known as the 'inner group or an
archistic element of powerful or
ganization. The police force has un-
al n
well as private detectives employed
on the case, to solve the mystery, to
identify the culprits and drag them
before q bar of justice. The efforts
of the police department must neces-
sarily have been of no avail, first, be-
cause they do not understand intricate
detective work; second, because they
do not have the means at their COM
mand to accomplish it even if they
knew how. Detective work never can
be successfully accomplished by beat
ing tOm-toms and giving out 1ntorma-
tion to the newspapers.
REWARDS ARE WRONG
We are informed by newspaper dis
patches that one great detective looked
for two hours at the launch in which
the dynamite was carried away from
the powder works. The question,
had he had patience and looked for
one hour longer would not the guilty
men have arose from the dunage of
the boat and surrendered? naturally
suggests itself
There is one thing that the public
may be prepared for and that is
for a report stating that this was the
work of Mexican reVOlutiOnists VINO
sought to avenge themselves against
the Times because of the position II
took in favor of surrendering Magon,
Villareal, Sabadia and DeLara. l
firmly believe that the perpetrators OF
this crime will sooner or later be APP
pretended and brought into court 10
answer for their crimes, but it Will
not be until after the theory that all
the labor unions il the state are in
volvcd and that all the labor union
leaders have a guilty knowledge OF the
crime is abandoned, and when they
have ceased to look for the criminals
among half starved and drunken no
boes and boarding house keepers on
the theory that they are still in Los
Angeles or in the state.
One Of tthe serious mistakes that has
been made is the offering of rewards
Large rewards offered for the appre-
hension and conviction of unknown
criminals can have but three effects:
First, to stimulate amateur and would
be detectives to impOtent efforts, and
citizens generally to evolving absurd
theories and discovery of imaginary
clews, all of which only tend to con-
fuse and misead the officers who pay
anv attention to them; second, to eX-
cite the cupidity Of unscrupulous per-
sons and tempt them to put up a job
on innocent men, or at least suborn
perjury at the trial of a suspect in
order to make sure of the reward, and
third, to discredit to some extent at
least the evidence Of the prosecution
and to cause the trial jury to look
with suspicion on the testimony Of
witnesses on account OF the fortunes
Maid for conviction. If % per cent Of
The money offered as rewards was paid
into the hands Of a committee of in
telligent men and used for intelligent
detective work, satisfactory results
would follow,