Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-12-07
Crossed
Job Hartman
Kept in Ignorance OF Schemes 81
Other lawyers Until News
papers Told.

Los Angeles, Cal, Dec. Job Har-
Iriman Issued the following statement
Ion Saturday morning:
According to the morning papers,
the names of many men who are
heavily interested in the San Fern
ande and San Pedro harbor deals, out
LOT which the Inain issues of the cam
paign have arisen, were present at
conferences involving the p1eseRt COM
promising of the Mcnamara case.
| For months these men have said
that they were absolutely certain OF
the guilt Of the defendants and the
prosecution, and Detective w. J..
Burns have informed the public
through the public press that they had
an absolutely conclusive case against
1.-The accused men.
And Harrison Grey Otis, through his
organ, has been demanding vengeance
and has been clamoring for the lives
IF these men.
This being true, it is apparent that
| hese "big business" men were not
inspired with disposition to meet la
Dor on the high plane of a COM
promise or an effort to amicably adj
Just, as far as possible, the conflict
ing interests, as is claimed for them,
out, on the contrary, they hayes with
their alleged advantage, pressed the
defendants to enter a plea of guilty
Just four days before the election
with the hope of converting this fact
Into political advantage, and to divert
ohe public attention from the real is
sues of thefcampaign.
Whoever will read the front page Of
Saturday mornings Times cannot but
be convinced but that this was the
sole purpose that inspired their action.
The prosecution sqrrenders its al
Legged advantage in criminal case to
become an issue in a political cam
paign.
arrangements, or the desire on the
part of the men to plead guilty. was
not taken into any of the conferences
by the other attorneys, and did not
know of it until after the plea of guilty
mad been entered.
/ have been engaged in the cam
paign and. have taken no part In the
case since the primaries. have not
been In the court room. or in the
county jail, or have not seen the men
since November 1. gFs
i have not talked with the attor9'
news or either. of them about the
ease, or anything directly or indirect
ly pertaining to the case since that
date. My time has been entirely oc-
eupied with the campaign.
When the disaster concerned oc-
CURED. was profoundly convinced
that it was a gas explosion. and feft
that we would be able to prove this
fact beyond q question Of doubt.
When was retained in the case
was equally confident of the absolute
Innocence of the two Defendants.
Harriman's statement has had an
excellent effect. He issued another
statement to the Socialists, but the
moral effect was not needed, as every
worker had gone about his task with
redoubled zeal
The newspapers are filed with
stones of probable arrests OF others
Implicated in the action. Bribery
lis q word that stands out in awful
lblackness on every page. More ar
rests are threatened by the over
wrought newspaper writers who see
terrible spectres behind every door.
These stories are met with reasslE-
ling statements "there will be no
more arrests in connection with the
bribery affair.
Burns telegraphs the story he was
offered $4,000 bride and threatens
more arrests of all sorts Of bad men,.
Ortie McManigaIs fate is in doubt
Malcolm McLaren, Burns chief opera.
! tive. made q, special plea to District
tAttorney Fredericks asking for elem.
iency for the confessor. Freder1eks
promised to do the best he could.