The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-04
WHY STEP
WAS TAKEN
Statement by Clarence barrow
in Mcnamara Case
MEN WERE CONSIDERED
Chief Counsel for the Defense in Bad
Physical State--How the Ne
gotiations Were Con-
Quoted.


Quoted.
Los Angeles, Dec. 4.--All known angles
in the unexpected termination OF the
Mcnamara murder case were summed
up Saturday night by Clarence S. Oar
row, chief counsel for the defense, in a
statement dictated to the Associated
Press.
Mr.. Darrow's statement is as follows:
mo motive Of any sort entered into
the disposition OF the Mcnamara cases
except the welfare of the men accused
OF murder.
Believing as did, that the action
taken would save the lives OF the ac-
cused men, | had no more right to re-
fuse it than doctor would have to for
bear an operation on a patient to save
his life.
"a committee of Los Angeles people
beginning work No. 20, made it possible
to accomplish the result. Their sug-
gestions were brought TO me first by
Mr.. Steffens on that day, and every day
thereafter as matters proceeded until the
final determination.
How much their efforts had to do
with the states attorney / cannot tell,
but it was at their intercession that
negotiations were begun by attorneys
for the defense. l expected the final
action every day after this action COM
menced, and it was taken the first min
ute that an understanding was reached.
It was impossible to delay action beyond
the time an understanding was reached,
on account of the imminent danger we
were in for two weeks of having the
matter become public property and thus
making the end difficult TO achieve"
Labor Not Harmed.
Earlier in the day Mr.. Darrow had
said:
81 cannot talk about it, but organized
labor was not hurt and the leaders
would not be so bitter if they knew the
facts
Mr. Darrow was perturbed by the re.
ports that labor leaders had been led to
believe the defendants innocent and that
they had no advance information on the
pleas.
The impracticability of taking the la
Dor leaders generally into their conf
dence, it is thought, is one reason that
it was not done, though il is known
that barrow sent messages to several
prominent labor leaders a week ago urg-
ing them to come here for confer
ence.
"Just ten days" continued Mr.. Oar
row, 1--WE talked with the Mcnamara
brothers about pleading, but only in
the last few days did things come to
climax"
How did they feel about the mat
teri"
swell, they accepted their fate with
resignation, but felt glad | think that
they had averted a possible death pen
atty for one of them
DarTow declared that as the parole
laws covered the cases of the McNam-
aras, John J. might be out after serv-
ing brief term. As for James b.,
with a life Imprisonment sentence, the
situation would be more difficult.
Though many statements purporting
to have come from the McNamaras have
been current, counsel announced Satur-
day that the brothers had not been in
terviewed since they left the court room
Friday, and would not be until after
sentence was pronounced on Tuesday
night.
Attorney barrow will take few
months rest at his country home here
and will return to Chicago in the spring.
hA ala4 nf L. I'm
to the local political situation came in
for big share of discussion Saturday
"Tm afraid it means the defeat Of
Job Hartman, Socialist candidate said
Mr.. barrow, "but it viii not hurt the
Socialist movement here. 1t will get
stronger in a short time. I'm sorry
for Job Hartman"
All Up to Committee.
tThe citizens committee, should say,
had practically everything to do with
the settlement of the Mcnamara case"
said Mr. barrow when informed of Dis
trict Attorney Fredericks' statement on
the subject.
81 could not act without an opening.
The committee made this opening /
made no proposition to have James B.
Mcnamara plead guilty until after the
committee had begun its work. / could
not.
"Fredericks' statement concerning
Steffens is completely his own conjec
ture," barrow continued. ut is not
true"
did you put Steffens on?" some one
asked"
q did not" said barrow "He acted
entirely on his own initiative and au-
thorty, so far as the defense is con-
cerned. We did not get him to do what
he did"
barrow said, in explaining his posi-
ton, that he repeatedly had said to
Fredericks that if the district attorney
saw any way of ending the trial he,
barrow, wanted to know about it.