The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-12-04
STORY IS TOLD
BY FREDER|CkS
DISTINCT ATTORNEY EXPLAINS
JUST NOW AGREEMENT
WAS REACHED.
STATE STOOD ADAMANT
EFFORTS OF sTErrENs AND At
TORxEYs FOR DEFENSE TO
SAVE }. d. WERE ALL
UNAVAILABLE.

LOS ANGELES, Dec. s.-Further
exposition by Captain John d. Fred
ericks In q second interview given to
the International News Service today
Of the avalanche Of eyents which bore
down upon the Mcnamara defense.
and forced them to surrender to his
terms projects into still stronger re-
lief important facts In connection with
the understanding by virtue OF which
the dynamtters confessed.
barrow. Fredericks asserts. enlisted
Lincoln Stefens in the effort to bring
OF J. J. McNamara unscathed. to Sc
cure the liberty Of the big labor leader.
the man who stood at the immediate
head Of the circle OF dynamiters. and
to let the weakling younger brother
pay the penalty Of his crime. He as
serts that barrow did this after his
own advances In that direction had
been Tepulsed by the district attorney.
That this eddy Of sentiment in the
name Of humaniatarianism had not
the slightest influence in bringing
about the ANAL agreement. Captain
ffedericlks reitereates with ecmphasis.
Never Changed Position.
II changed my position In no re-
spect whatever" declared Fredericks.
And the defense simply were fored
into my camp to surrender. Why, l
could Dee them coming ~ plainly az
one sees = wagon approaching along
the street. There was no alternative
for them. and their little sortie along
the line Of brotherly love preachments
to business men did not change the
situation In the least.
II cannot conceive that any consid-
cradle number OF persons. allied with
either labor or capital. will contend
to INV nj tod n =
which the defense had been offering
since July. to let J. J. Mcnamara es-
cape the consequences OF his crimo.
1t will not appeal to the sentiment OF
justice Of many persons that the weak
brother, the tool should be hanged ana
the plotter set freee.
THAT suggestion was never consid =
cred for moment by me; from start
to finish l held to my position that
John J. Mcnamara must plead guilty
and take his punishment along with
his brother"
when Lecompte Davis called me
up the afternoon OF Thanksgiving day
he felt mo out little by asking me
again II had changed my mind.
told him emphatically I had not.
suppose they hoped that some of the
men at their Wednesday night meet
Ing had been laboring with me. and
that It had had its effect. Then. when
he Asked mo II It would be all right
to call up again AT o'clock al night.
after they had talked the matter over
further. said, Not unless the first
words you sAy are they will both plead
guilty. Unless you can say that do
| not ring up at ALL
I'm standing by my guns I was moi
actuated BY any vindictiveness. had
| duty to perform and certainly
would have fallen far short OF It tc
! have agreed to let the arch criminal
escape. l believe that in doing my
duty ~ I saw 1t, / have served the
best interests Of organised labor. Thi'
| thing will not stop here
out the stables and stand on q highe
| ana broader plane. 1t will all re
| dound to the benefit OF the man VIII
works with his hands. Right even
tuaily will triumph, but 1t can neve
be made to triumph by wrong an
illegal methods."
Captain F'redeficks reiterated hi
statement that the arrest Of Der
Franklin was tho hnAl blow to tn
defense.
Even If 1t Is true" he said, 'tha
the defense had no guilty knowledg
Of the bribery Of jurors. the dis
closures Of that arrest made It i'm
4 possible for them to continue wit
the slightest chance OF saving tn
McNAmaras.
But previous to that we had bee
piling up evidence. clinching our cas-.
making sure Of witnesses whom the
expected to get away from US an
in innumerable ways building up
cass that nothing could defeat .,
cept crooked Jury. They kne
most OF these things and their heart
sank. their courage dropped . litt
more ut every blow.
within the last few weeks we ha
gotten records of express and post
shipments from J. J. to j. B. thu
were incrimating evidence OF mue
importance.
. From Cincinnati had come q resi,
ter with J. B. McNamara'a name sign
} cd with that Of Frank Eckhoff. in tt
Same handwriting A. that Of his 9th,
signatures as J. a. Brice.
"A group OF important Californ
witnesses had been corralled by |
and kept in hiding. where they coul
: not find them.
Then they had lost out complet,
, ly in the night for Phelps. OF Il
powder company, the man who so
; the dynamite. He was the most In
portant Of all the California witness
and defense tried their best. by bril-
: cry ana intlmatton 10 get him aw,
from U.S. He stood pat; they cou
Y not touch him.
Again. We had recently discover,
that In August. 1910. Schmidt. Caple
and Brice and several labor leAde
stopped for some time down
Il Venice. in n cottage there and CO
Quoted some experiments with e
plostves out in the hills.
BREAKS between husbands an
N wives was another factor that help,
US out. For instance the efforts
the defense to effect q reconciliati
N between J. E. Munsey and his viii
OF Salt Lake, had failed. and Nj
Munsey and her son were to be wi
nesses for us. ]. b. hid at their hou
for two weeks on his way East aft
the dynamiting. Munsey was the loo
secretary-treasurer OF the Intern
tional Association OF Bridge al
Structural Iron Workers. When
B. left San Francisco October Il
after the crime here. he wont to q
Lake and was met by Munaey and "
taken to his home. where he "
known AZ 'WilliAms.' He aid n
leave the house for two weeks. NJ
Munsey later recognised him AZ M
Namara and would have been one
u our witnesses.
And. OF course the certainty tn
H. Wa would rat them nn TIA 7