The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-01-05
IMPORTANT GOVERNMENT WIT
NESS BEING GUARDED BY
BURNS DETECTIVES
Hugo Thorsch Explains His connec
tions With Labor Unions in PhiIa-
delphia and IndianapoIis-Eckhoff in
Court.

indianapolis, Ind, Jan. 4.-Frank
Eckhoff, of Cincinnati, an intimate
friend of John j. Mcnamara for years,
appeared at the federal grand jury
chamber today.
R. H. Johnson, manager of the
street railway lines at Peoria, ILL.,,
also came in answer to a subpoena,
related details of various dynamite
explosions now being investigated by
the government.
District Attorney Fredericks of Los
Angeles, announced that he had tele-
graphed his assistants in Los Angeles
that he would take no part in the
dispute between Samuel l.. Browne,
chief of the county detectives there,
and William j. Burns over the re-
wards offered iE connection with the
arrests Of the Mcnamara brothers.
Eckhoff, confdant of John J. Nc
Namara and a neighbor of the Nc
Namara family in Cincinnati, has been
for weeks guarded by Detective Will
liam j. Burns assistants against con-
tact with persons alleged to be inter-
ested in sealing his lips. 1t is known
that he is one of the principal wit
nesses relied on by the government in
its effort to expose groups of men in
many cities charged with having fur
ther7d explosions against property of
employers of non-union workers.
Is5 Int nf t., ~, ,1sv
connection of Samuel Gompers and
former Mayor Bookwalter, alleged by
Burns to have significance in Book
walters dropping his dynamiting in
quiry two years ago, is following
Burns to Philadelphia. He will arrive
in that city late tonight and it is be-
lieved will examine the labor union
affiliations of Hugo Thorsch, who prior
to seven years ago, published labor
paper in Philadelphia He is now as
sociated with Bookwalter in the print
ing firm in which, according to Burns,
Gompers was concerned.
Tells Why He Moved.
Thorsch in a statement today, de-
nying partnership with Gompers or
seeking the labor leaders influence in
getting printing contracts with unions,
said that the reason he moved his
business from Philadelphia to Indian
apolis seven years ago was that the
National Union of Carpenters and
Joiners transferred its headquarters.
He lad obtained printing orders from
Frank Duffy, secretary of the Carpen-
ters' Union in Philadelphia, and he
was advised, he said, that other labor
organizations purposed to initiate the
carpenters and move their head Off
ces TO Indianapolis.
Duffy was treasurer Of the McNa
mara defense fund board.
After | came here and as other la
Dor organizations moved their ma
tional offices here" said Thorschh, Il
succeeded in getting big orders from
the unions of teamsters, barbers,car-
penters and coal miners. John Mitchell
is good friend of mine, and he was
president of the Mine Workers. L
never got any business from the iron
workers, though / often asked John
J. Mcnamara for printing work"
No Confirmation.
At none of the various national un-
ion headquarters in this city today
was it possible to obtain confirmation
of charges that labor officials were
advised Of the dynamiting operations
of John J. Mcnamara two years ago.
No affirmation was issued Of Book
walterr's statement that he told "a
score of national labor leaders" his
investigation OF local explosions had
conclusively exposed the guilt Of Nc
Namara year before the Los An
geles disaster.