The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-18
All Conversations and
Letters Of Alleged Con-
spirators Recorded.
IN P SESSION
OF GOVERNMENT
Unionist Leaders Arc Astounded
When They Discover That for
Months They Have Been
Talking Directly Into the
Ears Of Their Prose- d
cutors.
speclal 10 The mines. piepatot.,

Especial to The Times Dispatoh.>
indianapolis February t7.-Eyery-
thing that has been going on In tha
office OF Frank NJ. Ryan. president of
the National Association OF Bridge
and structural Iron Workers, since tho
arrest of John j. Mcnamara, ia known
to the government officials, all the
conferences between tho officers all
orders issued 10 members of the or
sani6ation and the contents OF all
letters dictated BY Ryan aid Hockin
10 stenographers. This fact was ad-
mitted to-day when i: became known
that dictasraph had boon concealed
near Ryan's desk soon after Me-
Nnmaras arrest. and that the deputy
district attorney rented a room Just be-
10" In the same building. and to which
the wires from the dictagraph led Here
all that passed in the office above waa
faithfully recorded by stcnogra piers iu
the employ of the district attorney
ASituicd by Discovery.
When President Ryan was informed
at noon to-day that a photograph had (
been placed in his office ard had baen
there Tor four months, ho refused to
credit the statement saying. that ID
was impossible. When asked for ner-
mission to mako a search for It ha
smiled and gave his Consent a mo-
mcnt later, when tho instrument was
found and tho connecting wires were
he could not talk coherently rsfa
The instrument was fastened 20 tina
wall just under the end OF Ryan's desk.
and one might have worked at the
desk for n year and never suspected
It's presence. The wires leading from
IL TO the room below passed through
the floor and wero also concealed Tn
der the office of tile iron workers. is
the office of c. S. Murphy, OF the City
Directory Company.
Mr.. Murphy said that some time ago.
! the exact date he doea not remember,
Assistant United States Attorney Mich
OILS made arrangements wit him for
the use of one of his rooms. He says,
as he knew Nichols we'll. he readily
consented TO letting him have tho room,
although the assistant government
prosecutor did not disclose to him for
what purpose tho room was to be
used.
He said. however. as the Federal In.
vestga ton was Just beginning, he had
suspicion that 1t might have some-
thing To do with the dynamite cases.
, Later, he said he found out that there
were wires and Instruments In the
room and at least two men who, no
later learned. were Stenosraphers wars
at work there, at least one all thf
time. Then he suspected that It was
one OF thu modern dictagraph schemea
that was on foot, but he had no def.
mite information, h says. +
Admit Story Ia True.
Assistant District Attorney Nichola
as Well as his chief District Attorney
Miller, admitted that tho dictagraph Z
story was correct. Mr.. Nichols said he
know 1t was In the offices, although
he refused to say when tho work had
been done or by whom. When asked
ii the instrument had been of valuable
service to the grand jury investigation,
lie merely smiled.
The names OF the stenogra Pliers who
| had bean working i'm Murphy's offlces
We're learned. and II has also been
learned that they spent considerable
time In the neishborhood OF the grand
jury room.
1t IS said that the iron workers bs-,
came suspicious o-day or that at leash
conversation oamo down tne dlcta,.
graph wire IN which one person said:
Who knows? I'll bet those fellows
are hearing what we are saying right
now 1T was believed thac search
had been made of the offices by soma
one following the remark.
The report OF the suspicious of tbs
iron workers that all was not we'll az
their Offices caused concern in govern
ment circles as to the future advan-'
tages OF the dictagraPh, and by reason
OF certain conferences regarding tho
matter ct noon to-day the "tip'' thar
K
Ryan was visiby astonished WHOM
ne saw the littic disk pulled loose from
under his desk, and as the man who
found Il started out. Ryan who had
said nothing while the wires were bss
ing brok en- asked:
Hey, wnat are you going TO do with
that"
Get II photographed" was the en-.
swer.
Well. bring 1t back. I'd Ike TO keep
It." he said.
The disk Is not large and can ts
easily concealed behind any convsnf,nt
corner or projection in a room, and
by reason of II conversations can bs
taken down by Stcnogra Pliers In ottesb
parts of the same building. The wires
were broken to-day. however. and no
more dictagraphs are expected to be
found around the iron workers quar-.
ters
4 Sample Conversation.
As further showing the operation OF
the dictagrap phi. Mr. Nichols gave out
a sa mple of a conversation known to
hava taken place last Wednesday soon
after tho arrests were made:
IIoclsin: Go right In. boys: Til bD
there in a minute"
Voice tevidcntly reporter): ''Wili eli
these men DO abb. TO get bond"
IIock!n: "Wo hope 80, but we hava
no money to furnish" FRI
Voice: How much money is th4rs IN
tho iron workers treasury?
Hockin; "About 10000. think"
Voice: is II your idea that the Bo1a I.
'erninent Will pay the expense OF ttess !
men coming to indianapolis on March ;,
IL for arraignment?"
Eockin: well, non. that puts an idea
into my head; hadn't thought about