The Hartford herald., 1911-12-06
To Murder and Dynamite
ing Charges.
LIKE BOLT FROM CLEAR SKY
Comes Action ConVicting Men
Of a StupendOns and
Awful Crime.
THUS WILL ESCAPE GALLONS

Los Angeles, Cdl., OeC. ls--Jd JdLneS
B. Mcnamara pleaded guilty to muir
der in the first degree here to-day.
His brother, John ]. Mcnamara, en-
tered a plea of guilty to having dy-
namited the Llewellyn Iron works
here on Christmas day, 1910.
James b. McNamara's confession
clears up absolutely. the explosion
and fire which at 1907 a. M, Octo-
ber 1, 1910, wrecked the plant of
the Los Angeles Times and caused
the death OF twenty-one persons,
a The mems lives are considered
saved. James B. likely will get a
life term and John ]. fourteen
years.
The contention that the Los An
geles Times building was not dyna-
mited is dead beyond resurrection
or argument.
In statement to the court of the
intention of the defense, Attorney
Lecompt Davis, for the defense,
said: After a long consideration
of the matter and final consultation
between counsel for the defendant,
we have concluded to withdraw the
plea of not guilty and have the de-
fendant enter in this case a plea of
guilty, and the like course We in
tend to pursue with reference to J.
J. Mcnamara, wherein he is charged
with having destroyed the Llewellyn
Iron works or with having placed
dynamite at the Llewellyn Iron
works"
Then each was called in turn and
formally made his plea.
"If I could have seen any way
out of it, we would net have done
IT," said Attorney Darrow, after the
trial "The Los Angeles Times
building was blown up by nitro
glycerine, to be sure, but the bomb
touched off the gas, and the gas
really did it."
Later he said: "Of course feel
have helped the McNamaras by get
ting them to plead guilty, in so far
as they probably will not be sentenc-
ed to death. We have had this ac-
tion under consideration since a
week ago Monday"
WJohn j. Mcnamara secretary
treasurer of the International As
sociation OF Bridge and Structural
Iron Workers. brother of James
B., did not enter a plea at this time
to the indictment similarly entered
against him for the Times explosion,
but when arraigned Tuesday, It is
virtually certain that the proceed
ings against him for this charge will
be dismissed. The State admits II
has no Evidence to connect him
with this case. John j., however,
pleaded guilty. to having caused the |
explosion of the Llewellyn Iron /
works. in which nobody was killed.
District Attorney John d, Fred
erick will recommend life imprison-
ment for James b. Mcnamara, and |
ten years for John ]. McNamara,
but Judge Walter Bordwell alone
can fix the sentence.
ortie r.. McManigal, who confess
ed to having blown up the Llewellyn
Iron Works here in December,
1910, at the direction OF John ].
Mcnamara, will be brought to trial.
but II is expected the State will rec
ommend a light sentence. because
he turned States evidence.
What GOmpers Says.
Toledo, o., Dec. IL am as
toundedl am astounded! My !
credulity has been imposed upon. It
is a bolt out of a clear sky" These
exclamations were those of Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation OF Labor. who was told
OF the Mcnamara admission.
Asked II he believed to-day's de-
velopments would injure the cause
of organized labor, tears came into
Gompers' eyes. "They are not go
ing to do 1t any good" he said.
"The cause OF labor has been impos-
ed upon both by supposed friends
and enemies. The cause of labor
can not win by such methods as
these men pursued. This unex-
pected self-convlction is nothing
more or less than failure Of two
individuals to live up to the high :.