Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-04-24
MCNAMARA KIDNAPPED"
Declaration of President of the Iron
Workers Association.

indianapolis, Ind, April 23.-Declaring
that the police had kidnapped" J. j..
Mcnamara and that the finding of dy-
Mantle In storage compartment belong
ing to the offices of the Association of
Bridge and Structural Iron Workers was
not proof OF MeNamara's guilt. because
detectives had often "created evidence
against labor unions, Frank NJ. Ryan,
president of the Iron Workers Associa-
ton issued formal public statement to-
night on behalf of himself and the exeeu-
tive board.
Mr.. Ryan said the association 'is en-
phatically opposed to the use of any eX-
plosive for the destruction of life and
property in labor disputes" and asks the
public to withhold Judgment in the case
until the facts are known. The state
ment praises Mcnamara and continues;
.To the public it may seem that the
finding of explosives in vault supposed
to be in his sole control is evidence of his
guilt but to those know know, as we
do, that in times gone by private detec-
tives in the employ of manufacturers
have wlIfully created such evidence for
the purpose of convicting labor leaders,
ed in our courts time after time, the mere
finding of explosives will not prove so
convincing.
ALREADY there is evidence in our hands
to the effect that strangers had access to
the vault in which the dynamite is said
to have been found.
ITO us il seems strange indeed that the
police should find il necessary to kidnap
Mr. Mcnamara and take him to Chicago
in an automobile, when, as they assert,
they have an abundance of evidence on
which to convict him. Evidently those
men feared the outcome Of any proceed
ings in this state and preferred to take
their prey into a district which tney know
is intensely excited.
I'VE are necessarily forced TO the con-
clusion that this action was taken only
because Mr. Mcnamara is an officer of a
labor organization, as we have never
known of similar procedure in the case
of others than labor leaders
The alleged confession is said to
so.er ~ typewriter pages ana To re-
lot. Ia the movements Of the men no"
,r,le. ..rrtst and others sought by de-
I dive.
According to Capt. Wood. il de-
sttii,s in detail the dynamitinS OF
! ajlain.4. railroad trains and facto-
lies where conflicts between union
and n-union labor existed. The loss
OF many lives and the destruction oi
property valued at almost $2,0o0o00 Is
said 10 he detailed. The chief of the
Chicago detective department said the
confession was placed in the posses
sion of attorneys representing the Ma
tlonai Erectois Association and has
been sent to Los Angeles To be used
in the trial OF the cases against the
men under arrest.
THE confession was made at the
home of Detective Reed of the Chicago
police department in South Chicago,
said capt. Wood. More arrests in the
ease are expected and disclosure of the
details of the confession at this time
would make them almost impossible.
while here the men under arrest
were never in communication with
each other and neither knew that his
companion was a prisoner in the same
house They were questioned inces-
sanity and finally confession was OBJ
tained from one of them.
Then tie California authorities
were notified at once and after indict-
ments had been returned there, the
extradition papers were hurried here
Not until these papers were received
was any move made to place others
wanted in the case, under arrest.
"Tac plants of dynamite, found
sIpce the Indianapolis arrests We're told
of in the confession and the names
and whereabouts of other men, now
being sought. are known to the de-
tectiYes.'