Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-28

And what were the antecedents Of
this trial?
Back in the summer Of 1905 dyna-
mite was found at New Haven, Conn,
on a job on which non-union work
men were employed Later the iron
workers union called a strike on sew
eral contractors, and the strike be-
came genera. That was the begin
ming, according TO the government,
and il spread until Mcnamara orga-
nized a "dynamiting crew" Altogeth-
er 100 explosions occurred, those at
Los Angeles being among the number.
Two striking condolences attended
the trial
One was that on October 1, 1911,
exactly one year after the Los An
geles Times" building was blown up,
with loss of q lives, the federal au-
thorities at Indianapolis first consid-
cred the possibility of prosecutions for
illegal interstate shipment Of dynamite.
and nitroglycerine on passenger
trains. Ortie z. McManigal's confes-
sion, obtained after he and the Nc
Namara brothers had been arrested,
implicated others as having actually
carried explosives in suitcases on
trains, or as having entered into a con-
spiracy. This indicated, In District
Attorney Charles w. MiIler's opinion.
the necessity for q grand jury investi-
cation. Indianapolis was the head
quarters Of John J. Mcnamara, secre-
tary of the iron workers union, and
the point at which, it was charged, the
conspiracy was entered into and from
which the explosives were carried.
Another coincidence was that the
trial began on October l, 1912, the sec
ond anniversary of the Times" ex-
plosion. The federal grand jury, after
several months investigation, return
ed indictments against "a union labor
officials. Before the defense began its
f! case this number had been reduced to
Il on account of various eliminations.
AS a motive for the crimes charged
the government referred to the strike
against employers Of non-union labor,
consisting of bridge. viaduct and build
! ing contractors who maintained an
open shop" policy, employing work
men regardless of whether they be-
-onged to the union or not This strike
never has been called Off It was al
legged that a warfare waged by the
union spread all over the country un-
/ til violence was resorted to, or, as was
stated, ''picketing spread to smuggling,
smuggling to dynamite, and dynamite
"a nitroglycerin."
! Mcnamara, at the headquarters of
the union in Indianapolis, although
later named by witnesses as the active
perpetrator OF the explosions. was
then unsupported by the contractors
But the advent OF McManigal and
James B. Mcnamara, brother of the
union secretary. as regularly hired
dynamiters, working under John ]. s
direction. and. as McManigal charges
with Hockin's leadership. the explo
sions became so bold as TO arouse sus
. picion that they were the work of an
| organized band
: Detectives already had been work
ing on the case when the killing of q
: people in Los Angeles by bomb SCI
= OF at o'clock in the morning, showed
5 that the desperation Of the dynamiters
/ had reached the murder stage.
Much Of the evidence that was pre-
3 cluded at Los Angeles by the pleas Of
j guilt by the Mcnamara brothers came
? out here Federal Judge Albert B
! Anderson ruled that while the specific
charges were Illegal transportation al
D other evidence relative to explosion,
j might be offered as showing a motive
3 The testimony was that the destruc
ton OF the Times" building was no
strictly part Of the campaign agains
: non-union iron and steel work. blu
: was done in an effort to unionize vari
4 Gus trades in Los Angeles. James E
: MCNAMARA, who set the bomb, was
e printer. Witnesses stated that McNa
I mara afterwards expressed little re
g greet that p people were killed, anG
4 in fact, expressed disappointment tina
/ be had not killed Gen. Harrison Ora
l. Otis. proprietor of the Times; tina
n the dynamiter was sent to the coas
s at the solicitation OF Tveitmoe, a rec
ognized union labor leader, and tina
a Tveitmoe furnished David Caplan an
r NJ. A. Schmidt. who were also indict
S ed for murder, but who never wer
e captured.
, = All the 100 explosions came in 70
e scrutiny by the jury here, and the feel
g OF operation extended from Boston (
e Los Angeles.
e Who caused those explosions
s was the question before the jury.
l. Broadly the charges were that ].
Y Mcnamara began them and though
II them an effective means OF fightin
n open shop" contractors Make tn
d. damage as heavy as possible" McMal
a. igal said always were his instruction
Hundreds OF thousands OF dollar
IS worth OF property was said to hay
IS been destroyed. Finding the mainte
e ance OF a hired "dynamiting crew
le cost money. Mcnamara Is alleged
Ie have appealed to the union for fund
,e and in this way, the governmer
N charged. others became implicate
ID For instance, the government set OF
k that the union executive board deci
T. ed at last TO allow Mcnamara s1.Ot
IL a month. for which he would be r
a quired TO give no accounting. Letter
a. also were written which, the COVER