The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-04
His AffiIiates Were Told of Dy-
amiting Two Years Ago
BURNS ACCUSES BO0KWALT TER
For His Failure to Prosecute Mcnamara
at That Time-No Assistance from
Labor Leaders in Present
Investigation.

1 Indianapolis, Jan. Adjective Will
! liam j. Burns yesterday openly charged
| former Mayor Charles A. Bookwalter of
this city with negligence in not prose
cutting John J. Mcnamara two years ago
on evidence in his possession indicating
that the officials of the international
! Association of Bridge 4 Structural Iron
Workers had caused dynamite explosions
| here.
! Bookwalter admitted he told score
of prominent national labor leaders two
years ago he was convinced of the guilt
! Of Mcnamara and the iron workers un-
| ion in connection with four explosions
on the property of Albert Won Spreckels-
en- in October, 1909
| He said his reason for dropping the
| dynamite investigation was that he per
sorally had financed it, and when his
| term of office as mayor expired his pub
| lie interest in it was dead.
| "No union labor leaders, not even Sam
uel Gompers, head of the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor, have lifted hand in
assisting us in clearing up the dyna-
mite conspiracy, either before or after
! the Mcnamara confession at Los An
geIes," yesterday, said Oscar LAWYER spe-
| cial government prosecutor for the dis
trict OF southern California.
Mr. Lawler asserted that though UNI
1 ion labor leaders were quick to denounee
! the MeNamaras after their confession
and many Of them We're quoted as say
ing that every effort should be made
to prosecute all guilty persons to the
] full extent of the law, no one had vol
unteered to get from the McNamaras
any details of the alleged conspiracy in
which they figured.
Asked concerning the supposed con
fession Of f. A. Clancy, the coast labor
| leader. Jointly indicted last week with
other labor men, Mr.. LAWYER replied
| that no statement on the question had
! been made BY his office nor would be.
did he make a eonfessionl" was
asked
1--WE didn't need any" replied law
! Ter
"Whv some Of the coast labor leaders
even interfered with the progress Of
our investigation at Los Angeles" said
Mr. LAWYER later
He was shown the statement Of Clancy
| In San Francisco that Lawler tried to
"browbeat' him. LAWYERS only COM
ment was that the remark sounded like
that Of man who was being squeezed
very hard"
National labor officials affiliated with
Samuel Gompers and the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor We're informed two
wears ago BY Charles A. Bookwalter,
who, as mayor at that time conducted
secret investigation that John j. Nc
Namara had directed series of dyna-
mite explosions
Thi. was made known by Bookwal
ter Yesterday, who said that he expect
ed to be subpenaed by the federal grand
| iurv. which resumed its session yester-
dav. He said he would bare all the
details OF the municipal investigation
that satisfied him that John j. McNa- |
/ mara, as secretary treasurer Of the In
ternational Association of Bridge and
Structural Iron Workers, was the con-
spirinr executive who caused the explo-
| sions in this vicinity.
| Bookwalter even said that he, him
self. had told John J. Mcnamara OF
! the strong suspicion against him and
that in his conversations with score
os labor leaders he had placed the re-
sponsibility upon the ironworkers' UNI
l ion.
eve were on street car together one
| day shortly after the Won Speckleson
1 explosion in October. 1909" said Brook
walter Yesterday, when John j., whom
| knew very well. asked me in a taunt-
/ ING way, If | had learned who blew up
/ the buildings | was irritated those
DAYS because myself had received
! threatening letters and had TO have a
/ fnr 1oug an |
answered rather hotly: Yes, and | could
put my hand on one Of them without
4 leaving this car
4 "NVhat did the labor leaders say when
4 YOU blamed the ironworkersf g Brook
\ walter was asked.
"There are lots of good men in the
union and they always have denounced
acts of violence | think some of them
4 said it was a shame"
/ did any of these men tell Mr.. Com
pers that suspicion pointed strongly to
! the guilt of the ironworkersf"
! Il don't know whether they told him
| or not. but Sam Gompers Is one OF the
best informed men in this country
Brookwalter said that Gompers visit
! ed indianapolis several times subsequent
\ t. his own conversations with the la
| Dor leaders. both before and after the
McNamaras were arrested, and that he
(Bookwalter) met Sam. Gompers himself
/ twice while with labor union men, but
that no reference was made in his pres
ence TO the explosions.
DO YOU think Gompers could have
stopped the guerrilla warfare had he
! tried?' was another question.
81 do not, as the ironworkers were
only an allied organization to the Fed
Grafton of Labor. j. J. Mcnamara was
not the kind of man to take orders from
/ anybody"