New-York tribune., 1911-04-24

quarters of a conspiracy that has re-
suited in eighty destructive explosions
Of dynamite. causing a property loss of
S2,OO0,OO0 or more. continued to-day and
tonight, after the sensational arrest of
John j. Mcnamara, secretary and treas
urer of the International Association of
Bridge and Structural Iron Workers,
late yesterday.
Ten assistants of William ]. Burns.
employed by the National Erectors AS
sociation, worked with the local police
and detective departments.
The Erectors' association. 1t is stated,
represents in its membership 80 per cent
of the structural steel and iron contrac-
tors Of the United States. Against them
in their efforts TO operate ''open shops"
its officials assert. explosions of dynamite
under bridges. viaducts and buildings
from Springfield. Mass. to the Pacific
Coast have been directed.
1t was after the most serious of the
explosions. that which wrecked the Los
Angeles Times Building costing the lives
of twenty-one persons. that the indict-
ments were returned by a grand jury
upon which were arrested here John j.
Mcnamara. and in Detroit, ]. B. Bryce,
alleged 10 be James Mcnamara. brother
of John j. Mcnamara. and Ortie L. Nc
Manigal.
Rumors Of More Arrests.
Rumors were many tonight that more
arrests here were impending. but the po
sci in violent controversy with the pri-
lice refused to discuss the report.
President Ryan and other officials Of
the bridge and structural iron workers
were in conference in their headquarters
all day.
Daybreak this morning found the off,
cials Of the association and their coun-
vate detectives. the local police and Wal
ter Drew, attorney for the Erectors' as
ISOLATION as to whether or not search
warrant held by Burns vested in him
power 10 seize the books Of the associa-
ton.
Superintendent Hyland Of the Police
Department finally removed the books TO
Police Headquarters. where 1t was SAID
transcript would be made Of receipts
and expenditures made by authority OF
Secretary Mcnamara during the last two
years Mr. Drew said these entries
would be offered as evidence when the
case was brought to trial at Los An
geles.
Union Safe Broken Open.
The books were taken from a safe in
the Offices of the association after an
expert had cut the locks. President
RYAN and other officials of the interna-
tional union said that Mcnamara, who
had been taken from the city immedi-
atelv after his arrest yesterday, was the
ONLY official that knew the combination
of the safe.
After five hours work the safe locks
Welded. and over protests Of the officials
Of the union and their counsel, William
7. Burns. the detective. Mr.. Drew ana
w ]. Ford, Assistant District Attorney
of Los Angeles. began an examination
Of the books. which continued for several
hours
The custodian of the building in which
are the offices of the ironworkers' as
sociation told the indianapolis police to-
day, they said, that Mcnamara had
asked him for permission to bulld the
commitment in the basement in which
they claim explosives were discovered
last night. Here, the police SAID, Ola
books and letter files Of the association
were found, piled indiscriminately about
four bundles of dynamite.
A police sergeant guarded the dyna-
mite all of last night and to-day pending
it's removal. Business men whose offices
are in the building or in neighborlng
buildings made protests to the police
against the great quantity of explosive
being permitted to remain in the busl-
ness centre Of the city.
The police to-day made another trip TO
the barn, three-quarters of mile west
of indianapolis, said to have been rented
by John j. Mcnamara from d. Jones,
where seventeen sticks Of dynamite and
two quart cans Of nitro -glycerine were
found last night. and interviewed Jones
who is a structural ironworker. Jones
denied having any knowledge Of the ex-
plosves.
MY God. l didn't know there was
dynamite in the barn." he said. "They
couldn't have rented the barn if l had
known they intended storing dynamite
there. ] haven't slept a wink since it
was found. and stood guard over the
barn all night"
Says Mcnamara was Kidnapped.
Declaring that the police had kid
Mapped j. j. Mcnamara and that the
finding of dynamite in a storage COM
partment belonging TO the offices of the
Association Of Bridge and Structural
Iron Workers was not proof of McNa-
mara's guilt because detectives often
had created evidence against labor
unions. Frank NJ. Ryan. president Of the
Iron Workers Association, to- might is
sued a formal public statement on be-
half of himself and the executive board
Mr.. Ryan said The organization is
'emphatically opposed TO the use of any
explosive for the destruction of life and
property in labor disputes, and asks the
public To withhold judgment in the case
until the facts are known. The state
ment praises Mcnamara and continues:
To the public il may seem that the find
Ing OF explosives in a vault supposed to DO
IN his sole control Is evidence of his guilt,