The San Francisco call., 1910-10-28
MORRIS MAY BE
PRATT, EASTERN
CAR DYNAMI7ER
Answers Description of Man
Who Hurled Bomb During
Cleveland Strike
Advance Theory That "Smithy"
Purposely Drew Attention
From Real Plotters
Especial Dispatch TO The Call

Especial Dispatch TO The Cdlil
SAN RAFAEL, Oct 27.-The dark.
Spanish looking member of the dyna-
mite trio known as Morris answers In
every way the description and charac-
ter of man named Pratt, who played
a prominent part in the dynamite out
RACES during the Cleveland car strlKe
of 1899, and is believed to have taken
part in the San Francisco car strike, is
the information given the authorities
today by Thomas G. Hansen. formerly
division superintendent of the Cleve-
land electric railway company and re-
Gently superintendent Of transportation
of the Manila electric railway at Ma
nila-
Hansen since his return from Manila
has been doing expert work for the
United Railroads, and visited Marin
county today to investigate the move
ments of "Smithy' and the stranger
who was with him at Corte MADEIRA
Larkspur and Escalle at the time he
worked on the Antoine Johannsen home.
Since the beginning of the dynamite
investigation Hansen was struck by the
similarity between Morris and Pratt
and has been conducting an investiga-
tion to satisfy his own suspicious.
PRATT THREW A BOMB
The fact that "Smithyf often men
toned Cleveland as a place he had Wis
tied and where he had been employed
caused Hansen to go deeper into the
supposed connection between "Smithys'
companion and Pratt. w. Hicks, mo-
torman of the United Railroads wear
ing badge 500 and former motorrnan
of the Cleveland street railway, sup
ports Hansen in his theory.
Prom the beginningq of the dyna-
mite case" said Hansen today, Il was
astonished at the strong similarity be-
tween the description of Morris and
Pratt. At the time of the Cleveland
strike Pratt was business agent of the
stree railway union. Through a con-
fession made by moorman implicated
in several of the strike outrages Pratt
was known to be the leader in acts of
violence on the part of the strikers.
The motorman who confessed, prompted
by reward of $1,000, was named Bart
lett
Pratt was the one who threw the
dynamite bomb on the roof of the Lake.
view car barns when they were filled
with strdike breakers He had hand
in the wrecking of a car with nitro
glycerine at Wilson and Euclid ave-
nues, in which 10 passengers were Sc
riously injured. When Bartlett con-
fessed Phatt fled. He told his friends
he was going to California.
MAN FOR DARK WORK
From the results of my investiga- :
tions here I believe he was in San
Francisco at the time of the car strike
in 1906, and I have found traces of him
since. While have no positive knowl-
edge that he has been in San Francisco
in the last year, have found no trace
of his leaving for the east. In my opin-
ion he is just the sort of man who
would be the brains of the dynamite
plot at Los Angeles. 1 think this man
'Smithy threw himself purposely in the
limelight while Norris, or Pratt, did all
the scheming and planning. 'Smithy,
because of his glass eye, good carriage
and other noticeable features, acted as
though he wanted to attract attention.
Pra, with his daring, unscrupuious na-
ture, would be the man to do the dark
work, while 'Smithy was the bait to
keep the detectives away. Pratt and
Morris are so much alike. I think, TAX
ing into consideration the outrages at
Cleveland and this at Los Angeles. they
must be one and the same man. I wrote
my views to Earl Rogers a week ago
and asked for a meeting, but received
no answer"
Hansen will communicate with Ira A.
Mccormick, general manager of the
Harlem division of the New York Cen
trail railroad, and with w. Web, claim
agent of the Cleveland electric railway
company, both of whom remember
Pratt. and may then better trace his
mOVpmAnfS