The searchlight., 1911-12-08

and the Times existed feeling q
intense bitterness. The state of Cali
fornia added $1,000 to the reward Of
fered for the capture of the dynamit-
ers. and the Los Angeles city coun-
Gil. at the urgent request Of Mayor
George Alexander, offered an addt
tional reward Of $4,000.
General Otis had long been antici-
pating this very thing In his warfare
with the labor unions, by maintain
ing a fully equipped auxiliary plant
In duplicate In another part Of the
city, Of which few people knew. By
this means the Times was enabled
to get out its regular editions within
4s hours after the explosion.
The arrests marked the end Of one
Of the most thrilling criminal hunts
ever recorded. Many times detec-
tives knew in advance that certain
explosions were to take place and
dared not prevent them lest they
warn the quarry Of their presence.
For six months. during which more
than dozen bomb outrages were
staged by the "wrecking crew." its
members are said never to have been
out Of sight Of . detective. All this
7, time the men were being sought by
regular police in the cities in which
they were operating. but never once.
despite the omnipresence Of posters
describing their appearance accurate
ly. were they molested by the au-
thorities.
A few weeks before the Times
building was destroyed an attempt
was made to blow up a bridge at
Peoria, Ill. This was in the latter
part of September. 1910. An error
had been made In the adjustment Of
the machine and 1t failed to explode.
1t was found by a watchman and
turned over to detectives employed
by the Erectors' association-the ma.
tional body of open-shop contractors.
against whom the hand of the
"wrecking crew" had been turned.
The contractors who had been
forced to stand helpless while a prop
erty loss running over S5.000,000 had
been inflicted upon them. saw in the
Internal machine their first clew. and
soon a swarm of detectives went to
work in Peoria. Some worked into
the confidence of labor men and
learned. 1t is said. that a Chicago
man had done the job"
Comparison Of the machine found
at Peoria and those picked up at Los
Angeles convinced the detectives the
dynamitings had been planned by the
same person and carried out by his
agent or agents. William ]. Burns,
head Of the Burns Agency and the
man who exposed the San Francisco
graft ring. chanced to be in Los An.
geles at the time of the explosion
! and was called into conference with
Mayor Alexander. the chief of police.
other city officials and representa-.
tives of the Merchants and Manufac.
! turers' association.
He was offered a reward from the
state, city and private interests which
now totals 100000. In the event thai
he undertook the case and his mer
ran down the criminals.
Going back to the peoria plot. he
traced McManigal to his Chicago
home. and then placed special
, squad Of shadows on McManigals
3 trail.
J, A connection was soon established
!. between McManigal and the McNa
maras. and their connection with /;
J, number OF additional dynamite case,
q established. Events came rapidly {,
a head. James b. Mcnamara and Nc
y Manigal being arrested at Detroit ol
April IL. 1911. and his brother te
days later at Indianapolis. The lai
Q ter was taken from an executive
meeting of the Iron Workers unior
i OF which he was international seer,
tary. and a search of the union heaC
l. quarters revealed a mine Of dyn,
l. mite. bombs. etc. ready for use. Th
= men were taken to Los Angeles
where they have since been in jail
o McManigal's confession and corr
l. borative evidence connected tn
Is brothers with a series OF over on
% hundred dynamite outrages, exten'
i ing from May 81. 1906. until April