Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-04
Former Mayor Bookwalter
Of indianapolis Says He
Told Leaders Two Years.
Ago of McNamara's Guilt
CITY PROBE SHOWED
IRON WORKERS. PART.
Investigation Dropped When
Bookwalter Went Out Of.
Office, But He Said It Had
Proved Responsibility.

Othce, But He Said 1t Had
Proved Responsibility.
!, indianapolis. Ind, Jan. 3.-National
labor officials affiliated with Samuel
eompers. and the American Fedora.
tion OF Labor, We're informed two
years ago by Charles "A. Bookwalter.
VINO as mayor at that time conducted
q secret investigation, that John j.
Mcnamara had directed series 81
dynamite explosions.
This was made known BY Bookwal..
ter today when he was informed that
the governments Investigation here
embraced an inquiry into the circum-
stances of the four explosions direct.
ed against Albert Won Spreckelen. q
general contractor, on account az Ia.
Dor trouble. ,Bookwalter declared ha
expected to be subpoenaed by the fed.
eral grand jury, which resumed its
session today.
He said he would bare all the de.
tails of the municipal investigation
which satisfied him that John ] Nc.
Namara, as secretary-treasurer Of the
International Association OF Bridge
conspiring executive who caused the
explosions IN this vicinity. Book
walter even said that he, himself. had
told John ]. Mcnamara Of the strong
suspicion against him and that In HIS
conversation with score Of labor lead.
ers he had placed the respQ iIity m.
the Iron Workers union.
Accused MeNamara on CIR.
I'VE were on = street car together
one day shortly after the Won Shrecke.
len explosions, In October. 1909" said
Bookwalter today. when John ]. !, !,
whom knew very well. asked mo In
q taunting way If had learned who
blew up the buildings. was irritated
in those days because I, myself. had re
ceived threatening letters and had ia
have guard at my house for sixty.
days, SO answered rather hotly. yes,
and could put my hand on one oil
them without leaving this car. Il
Asked whether he told any one else
besides Mcnamara of what his investi
cation had disclosed, he said:
Yes, / told score of labor leaders
what knew and that the iron work.
ers were to blame" Is
''What did they say when You blamed
the iron workers?"
Did Not Inform Gompers OF Plots.
There are lots Of good men In
union labor and they always have
denounced acts of violence. think
some OF them said 1t was shame"
did any Of these men tell Mr..
Gompers that suspicion pointed
strongly to the guilt Of the iron work
ers?'
II don't know whether they told him
or not, but Samuel Gompers lis one OF
the best informed men in this coun-
try"
Bookwalter said that Gompers visit
ed Indianapolis several times subse.
Q,lent to his own conversations with
the labor leaders both before and after
the McNamaras confessed and that he
(Bookwalter) met Gompers himself
twice while with labor union men but !
that no reference was made in his
presence to the explosions.
"The only remark made about
labor matters to Gompers, !" said
Bookwalter, was to tell him that we
had strike when the city hall was
built and that the union had made ms
q party to the demands
Mr.. Brookwalter was then told that
was being made to as
certain as to whether he had informed
Gompers. He denied that he was in.f
innate enough with Gompers to have
discussed the question.
TITS true that my partner, Hugo
Thorsch Is close friend OF Mr..
Gompers, having known him for twen.
ty years." &
fovr hok - y
knew while these explosions were go
ing on who was responsible for them q?
"Gompers is the general OF . great
army and like general he did not In,
quire when any OF his men were en-.
gagged in guerilla warfare. But II
these were called to the attention Of
the general. naturally he would re.
buke them"
"Do you think he could have stop
ped 1t had he tried?"
Il do not, as the iron workers were
only an allied organization to the Am,
erican Federation OF Labor. John ].
McNamara was not the kind Of man
to take orders from anybody"
Inquiry Dropped After 45 Days.
Bookwalter asserted that his inves-
tigation convinced him beyond doubt
that McNamara and the iron workers
were guilty. He said the inquiry, al
though lasting only forty-fiye days,
was thorough one, and was dropped
because his term as mayor had expir-
Continued on Page 10.)