Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-12-05
MCNAMARAs ARE
SENTENCED
James B. Makes Written
Confession of His
Heinous Crime
he IS TRULY PEN|TENT NOW
His Brother Is Given Fifteen
Years at St. Quentin
Penitentiary.
BY Special Leased Wire to New Mexlcan)

Penitentiary. /
BY Special Leased Wire to New Mexlcan)
Los Angeles, Calf. Dec. 5.-James
B. Mcnamara, confessed murderer,
was sentenced to life Imprisonment
here today by Judge Walter Bordwell.
His brother, John J. Mcnamara, secre-
tary of the International Association
of Bridge and Structural Iron Work
ers, who confessed to the dyna1niting
of the Llewellyn Iron Works, was
sentenced to Is years in the peniten-
tiary.
Twenty-one persons lost their lives
in the Times disaster. No one was
killed in the Llewellyn Iron Works
affair.
Murderer Pens Confession.
The Imprisonment of both men will
be in San Quentin penitentiary. James
B. McNamara's brief confession, penn
ed by his own hand and bearing many
evidences of a man little skilled in
letters, follows:
II, James B. Mcnamara, defendant
in the case of the People, having here
tofore pleaded guilty to the crime of
murder, desire to make this state
ment of facts:
Planted Sixteen Sticks Of Dynamite.
"And this is the truth: On the
night of September %, 1910, at 5:45 p.
7 nj in IT, oil
the Times building a suit case con.
tanning l6 sticks Of 80 per cent dyna-
mite, set to explode at l o'clock the
next morning. 1t was my intention
to injure the building and scare the
owner. l did not intend to take the
life of any one. / sincerely regret
that these unfortunate men lost their
lives. If the giving of my life would
bring them back would gladly give it.
In fact, in pleading guilty to murder
in the first degree, l have placed my
life in the hands of the state.
(Signed) JAMES B. M'NAMARA."
Murder in the First Degree.
After the reading of the confession,
Judge Bordwell asked:
"Is that statement correct?"
"It is," said Mcnamara.
"Then the court finds," said the
judge, that the degree of guilt of the
defendant is murder in the first de-
gree"
! James B. Mcnamara you may
stand" he said.
what is your full name?"
James Boyd Mcnamara" said the
prisoner.
The court then began formal state
ment, reciting the indictment for the
murder of Charles J. Haggerty upon
which Mcnamara pleaded guilty and
asked Mcnamara if he had any state
ment to make.
Il have not" he said.
'"Have you anything to say?" the
court asked of District Attorney Fred.
ericks.
No Dickering.
"There has been no dickering or
bargaining in this matter" replied
that official. :.
Counsel on the other side are well
aware of the usual custom of granting
clemency to persons pleading guilty.
This defendant by so pleading has
settled for all time question which
otherwise would always have been in
doubt. He saves the state great ex.
penditures and served the state in
other ways"
"The defendant will arise" said
Judge Bordwell, and then commented
upon McNamara's declaration that he
did not intend to destroy life.
A Murderer at Heart.
'The circumstances are against
that statement" he said. "A man
who will place 16 sticks of dynamite
in place where you. as printer
knew gas was burning in many places
and knew many were toiling, must had
no regard for life; must have been
a murderer at heart and undeserving
ing of clemency."
For reasons other than such plea
of nonfntent, Judge Bordwell de-
lclared, he would impose the penalty OF
imprisonment for life.
John J. Mcnamara came next. The
Llewellyn Iron Works indictment was
read to him by the Judge.
i Plea for cIemency.
He said he had nothing to say. Dis
trict Attorney Fredericks, however
said that as in the other case, the
plea Of guilty permitted consideration
but pleaded that the defendant John
]. Mcnamara, be given "a few years
at freedom at the end Of his life."
Judge Bordwell declared that the
structures against James p. McNamars
would also apply to him.
Clemency, he declared, was not be
cause Of merit as to intent. He ther
Imposed sentence of fifteen years IL
San Quentin penitentiary, one mor
iyear than had been predicted.
The McNamaras were taken from
the court room back to the Jail.
Burns Tells Another Secret.
i Cleveland, ohio, Dec. 5.-Showr
James B. McNamara's confession o.
the Los Angeles Times dynamitint
here today, Detective William J
Burns, declared that 1t is only part
i ly true.
d "Why don't Jim Mcnamara tel
" how he knocked off the gas cock
~,