The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-12-02

excepting as he might have been well
acquainted with the fact that for some
time there had been in the building a
leakage Of gas. He had no facts what
ever except his insane enmity upon which
to base his charge against the unions.
Had he been a conscientious man or a
cool or sensible man, he would have await
ed the developments of a forthcoming IN
vestigation. But Otis, in a bitter TRADE,
exhibited to the world his rancorous spirit
toward trade unionism, his violence Of
character, and his thirst for revenge on
union men.
"SimpIy One of Mystery"
"As everybody knows, the dragnet in
vestigation Of ,--e explosion and fire, aft
er the lapse of months, left the case SIM
ply one Of mystery. For half year it
was plain to all observers that circum-
stances were favorable for the Matching
of a plot against such union men as
should be selected as the objects Of Otis
diabolical revenge. Time and again the
thought must have occurred to union off,
Gals. Which Of US shall be the ones to
have charges framed up against them?
with OTIS money, Of which he has
millions, to be used in hiring detectives,
the biggest lot of Matchmaking thieves
that ever went unwhipped by Justice a
plot could be eoncocted involving any
man in the United States whose organi-
zation or whose principles had ever at
tracted the poisoned pen Of Otis. It was
not until nearly seven months had ex-
pired that, in series of events inten-
tionally made theatrical. organized labor
and the public were apprised of the fact
that Otis victims had at length been
found. The secretary and, two other
members OF the Bridge and Structural
Iron Workers International Association
meantime had had weaved about them a
body Of purely circumstantial evidence
sufficient to justify, not their arrest and
transportation to California by the regu-
lar processes OF law, but what amounted
to their kidnapping. attended by the
slightest degree Of legal formality pos
sible.
II may be permitted to interrupt the
narrative at this point to say that from
that day to the present the proceedings
of Otis agents and detectives have time
and again served to throw suspicion on
their honesty, on their alleged facts, and
hence upon their entire side of the
case. The daily press in general indi-
Gated, by their sighting the information,
that II was too much for their credulity
to ask them to believe in the placing Of
suit cases near the home of Gen. Otis
and 'of the Los Angeles secretary of the
Merchants and Manufacturers Associa-
ton the day OF the explosion, except as
the transparent acts OF superserviceabIo
detectives.
Attack ON Burns.
Moreover. IT is preposterous to sup
pose that II John J. McNamara were a
dynamiter he would have any Of the
explosive substance either In the base
ment Of the building containing the Of
fices OF the Structural Iron Workers
Union or In any building belonging to
or rented by a member of HIS family.
The slipping Of dynamite into the hand
baggage Of the two other members OF the
union would be q trick OF legerdemain
easily accomplished BY any OF the thieves
and blackguards who are alleged by UNI
doubtedly authority TO be In 30 great q
majority IN their sneaking profession.
The tending OF cIockwork dynauits
bombs - various parts Of the country