Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-02
Development of Mcnamara
Crime by Detective Burns.
SIX MONTHS ON THE TRAIL
Traced From Los Angeles Through
Country to Indianapolis.
PEORIA CASE PART OF THE PLOT
History of Conspiracy, Beginning
With Destruction Of the Los An
geles Times Building.

SCAco 41uSS 0ull010R.
The crime for which James B. Nc
Namara and his brother. John j.. who /
was secretary and treasurer of the Inter- |
national Bridge and Structural Iron
workers Association, were arrested and !
placed on trial in Los Angeles was the |
blowing up of the Los Angeles Times |
newspaper and printing plant. At a few
minutes otter 1 O'Clock the morning OF
October 1. 1910. while the Times staff /!
was getting out the days paper, the |
building, situated at Broadway and, First |
street, was wrecked by dynamite. Time
clock bombs had been used, it was ascer-
tanned later.
The effect Of the explosion was fright
full. One whole wall Of the building COL
lapsed. Floors gave way and crashed to
the cellar. FLAMES arose from the lower
part and spread swiftly.
The firemen and the police took twenty.
one bodies out Of the wreckage. Some
had been killed instantly by the explosion.
Others, caught by the sweep of fame,
were burned to death.
number Of the dead were union men.
Many Of them were married and had chill
dren.
Bomb at Otis Residence.
Later In the morning a bomb was found
in the home of Gen. Harrison cray Otis,
proprietor and editor Of the Times, and
an uncompromising opponent Of the closed
shop. This bomb let 60 in the street just
after detectives who had been examining it
were frightened away by the rattle Of its
met hanism- Other bombs were found,
cunntngly contrived mechanisms, in which
an alarm clock. a Illuminating cap and q
can Of nitroglycerin were the chile. COM
ponents. The tragedy Of the early morn
ing. together with the discovery of the
bomb In Gen. Otis house and another
bomb near the house of the secretary of
the Merchants and Manufacturers Asso.
citation, thoroughly alarmed the city.
The city council appropriated 5000 for
the purpose of tracing the dynamiters
and murderers and offered a reward of
$500 for the arrest of any one RESPONSE
BILE. The California legislature added $1O,-
COO and the State Building Trades voted
1000 to the fund. The mayor of Los
Angeles. George Alexander knew Of a de-
tective who had made first-class record
in the San Francisco graft cases-William
J. Burns. Burns was hired. looked around
Los Angeles and disappeared after exam
lining the bomb picked up at the home Of
F. ]. Zeehandelaar, the Merchants Asso-
citation secretary. 1t was a long time be-
fore Burns was heard of. When he re-
appeared he had his men and the evil
dence.
An Experienced Detective.
AS q matter Of fact, Burns had been
busy on dynamiting cases before the Los
Angeles Times building was destroyed.
In September, 1910. foundry In Peoria
sticking by the open shop principle had
been blown up. and Burns was put on the
job to catch the criminal. The investiga-
ton OF this crime led by curious and
interesting series Of steps to the arrest Of
Times outrage. All the clue in the Peoria
explosion was a clockwork bomb that
hadn't gone of, a machine containing q
ten-pound can of nitfoglycerin. There
nothing to produce Identification Of buyer
or seller A description and picture Of
the can went through the newspapers and
fell under the eye OF an agent for an ex-
plosives company. He guessed 1t might
have been one Of his cans. When he saw
it he was sure. Burns began to get un-
der rapid Roadway. He discovered that
a man calling himself j. w. McGraw had
purchased the nitroglycerin In Portland.
Ind. saying he wanted to use 1t in q
stone quarry near Indianapolis.
On Trail Of John ]. McNamara.
Burns traced McGraw to Munice, Ind.
and then to Indianapolis He learned
that McGraw had been seen talking with
John J. Mcnamara, SECRETARY ana treas
urer Of the International Bridge and
Structural Iron Workers Association. q
union that was fighting hard for q closed
shop. Burns heard that John J. Nc
Namara had been active in warning en-
ployers not to use non-union men. With
detective Swallowed Mcnamara. Night
and day the ironworkers' oniciai was
watched. He never got out Of sight Of q
detective. At this very time the Los
Angeles Times explosion occurred. Mayor
Alexander in hiring Burns had no idea of
how much progress the detective had
made already.
The bomb recovered in Los Angeles
was an extremely powerful explosive, 50
per cent gelatin. Burns located the
powder company from which it had been
obtained and was told that q man named
j. B. Bryce had bought it for the pur-
pose Of blowing UP stumps. Later on
Bryce and man named Leonard got
] 200 pounds of the same kind of stun
and received 1t at the company's works
at Giant Cal She two, with a third
named Morris. carried the explosive away
in a power boat Burns traced the boat
and turned up Part OF, OF the explosive ,lae n
Bryce and Leonard" who was really NJ.
A. Schmidt. had been rooming In San
Francisco. But here Burns lost the trail.
J. B Bryce had managed to drop out Of
sight.
Spots McGraw in indianapolis.
The bombs found in Peoria and in Los |
Angeles were alike. which made Burns |
inclined to connect McGraw with the |
Times explosion. but there was absolutely |
no indication that McGraw had had any.
thing to do with the Los Angeles affair |
However. Burns had a theory that |
through McGraw he could get to the &C. |
tual criminals. The detective came back |
to Indiana and spotted McGraw in In |
dianapolis. McGraw went to Chicago and |
was trailed by Burns men. He journey |
ed to Kenosha and met the very J. b. |
Bryce that Burns had been hunting for. |
And Bryce was James b. Mcnamara, |
brother Of John j.. the ironworkers' Sec |
rotary and treasurer. James b. lived In |
Cincinnati. Burns discovered that Nc !,
Graw's real name was Ortie McManigal.
But there was nothing definite to go on |
yet Burns watched the pair for months. |
fearing constantly that there would be \
a mother dynamftfng somewhere. with loss |