Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-03
M'MANIGAL BLEW
UP POWER PLANT
Los Angeles Dynamiter Plants In.
fernal Machine in Omaha on
July %, 1910.
CHIEF DoNAHUE TELLS STORY
Burns Men Connect the Crime with
Others In which the Self
Confessed Dynsmiter
Was Engaged.

The attempt TO wreck by dynamite the
new power plant Of the Omaha 6 Coun-
ell Bluffs Street Railway company on the
morning of July 2. 1910, was the work Of
Ortie McManigal, later indicted with the
Mcnamara brothers at Los Angeles,
Proof of this was gathered by Chief of
Police John j. Donahue OF Omaha and
his department and William j. Burns
men in the weeks following the explosion
which destroyed a portion of the first
floor of the new power plant and dam
aged It to the extent OF $4,000. Chief
Donahue has received word that McManl-
gal has confessed to the crime.
''ortie McManlgal came here July 10.
1910" said Chief Donahue, ''and regis
tered at the Union hotel under the name
OF George Fisher After reoonnoltering
he placed bomb under the electric
power plant about 12 o'clock at night,
when the Waterman was at lunch, set the
fuse and waited for tho explosion to
wreck the derrick Through some mis-
timing OF the clock or misplacement OF
the dynamite the explosion wrecked only
about half the ground floor. Had the
bomb been better placed the derrick
would have been destroyed and the en-
tire structure wrecked.
Burns Men on the Job.
I'VE began working on the case at
once, but were not very successful. Later
William ]. Burns sent his men here and
they finally discovered that McNfaniEal
had been here and registered at the
Union hotel under an assumed name.
Evidence was gathered which preCluded
any doubt but what the Job was done by
him. immediately after the explosion he
left the city and Burns men went on his
trail.
81 was Under subpoena by District At
torney John ID. Frederlcks TO go 20 Los
Angeles and appear as witness for the
state. was supposed TO report there on
October H. as was also Mr.. Wagner OF
the Union hotel.
Il fully believe that McManIgal also
attempted to wreck the new Douglas
county court house We have been un-
able to gather evidence OF a conclusive
character that he did II and the Burns
men have also failed. but the clrcum-
stances point to him as the guilty man."
Power Plant Explosion.
The explosion at the electric power
plant occurred at 1890 o'clock In the
morning and the jar was felt in nearly
every part OF the city.
In his confession McManlgaI said he had
registered at a hotel called Murray, but
his description fitted the Union hotel
lie said It was block west of the Bur
lington station, an odd place" and lust
what he had wanted. He confessed to
having usssd several names while In
Omaha, but couldn't remsnber the one
he had registered under at the Union
hotel
George +. Wagner, proprietor Of the
Union hotel, said: "They have had the
register OF that date in Los Angeles for
four months. I can't recall the Fisher
who registered here under that date
Some OF Detective Burns agents came tc
me and inquired for some man OF an.
other name, looked over the register
said they had located their man and
left. 1t was evidently McManigal, foI
they said he had gone 20 California and
they left on his trail"