The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-10-01
Case Opened Today, Jus, Two Years
After the Blowing up of the
Los Angeles Times
Building.
FIFTY ONE ACCUSED
Officials OF Iron Workers Union From
All Over the Country Are
Charged With
Conspiracy.

TUnit Press Special Service.J
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. THE final
chapter in what the government al
leges was gigantic conspiracy on the
part of iron workers and others to
fight their battles with dynamite and
nitroglycerine began here today. The
cases Of ffty-one officials of the In
ternational Association of Bridges and
Structural Iron Workers and other
rnjon leaders indicted by the federal
grand jury here on February 6, 1917.
on charges of conspiracy. were called
in federal court before Judge A. B.
Anderson
There was considerable comment
over the coincidence that two years
ago today. the Los Angeles Times was
dynan1ited, resulting in tEenfy-one
lives being lost, the sentencing OF 8.
Mcnamara, former secretary-treas
urer of the iron workers to fifteen
years and his brother ]. B. Mcnamara
to life imprisonment in California
and precipitating the investigation by
the government which eliminated in
the present trial.
The McNamaras and John ]. Nc
Cray, former member OF the iron
workers executive board, were the
only men indicted by the federal grand
jury not expected to appear in court
today. McCray was never found and
the government authorities believe ne
is dead.
Immediately after court convened
Olaf "A. TYeitmoe. secretary of the
California Building Trades council,
and previously indicted at Los Al
geles in connection with the dyna-
mite conspiracy and r. y Clancy,
both of san Francisco, were
arraigned on the indictments re
turned here Both pleaded not guilty.
When indicted, Tyeitmoe and Clancy
who were then in California requested
that they be arraigned when the
trials opened, which was granted.
District Attorney C. Is. Miller then
made motion that all the defend
ants be tried as in one case in order
TO facilitate procedure. This was
granted. The work of selecting a
jury then began.
The fifty-four defendants were ar.
rested on charges OF conspiracy In
the indictments returned by the fed
eral grand jury. forty-seven violations
OF the law are shown All the defend
ants are alleged 10 hare conspired to
bring about those violations.
Other indictments In addition 10 the
general conspiracy indictment on
which the arrests we're made. charge
the defendants with Transporting nj
troglycerin. Others charge them with
aiding and abbeting Ortie McManigal
in the unlawful transportation OF nj
troglycerine Another charges tfe
defendants with carrying dynamite
and another with aiding and abetting
NcManigal in the transportation o.
dynamite j j Mcnamara is alsc
named as carrier of dynamite Il
drawing the thirty-two dynamite il
dictments District Attorney Mile
endeavored TO cover every possibl
phase OF the dynamite cases whicl
accounts for the fact that in many II
stances, the same alleged transaction
are the basis for different charges.
The federal grand jury conye enc
here Nov. Z, 1911. Four hundred wi
nesses from various parts OF the coul
try were examined On February
1912. indictments were secretly T
turned and writs were issued and SCI
to United States marshals in the di
tricts where the indicted men live
simultaneously all over the countr
the defendants were taken into Gu
tody by United States marshals II
only man indicted who was not foun
was McCray and according to info
nation in possession of the COVER
ment. he died in West Virginia
fore the grand jury convened.
That the present trial will last r
less than three months and may p'
sibly be in progress for six mont
or more, was the declaration of D
trict Attorney Miller who is in char
81 the case for the government.
cording to some of the attorneys
the defense, however, the trials m
last six or seven months at least.
Seven hundred witnesses have be
summoned. The government
subpoenaed 400 already and the
Tense, nearly that number. 1t is pr
able that as the case progresses,
ers will be called.
The trial has called forth a or
array of legal talent. w. y. Hardi
an indianapolis attorney, is chief co
sci for the defense but nearly ey
defendant is represented by an
torney. United States Senator j
w. Kern, of Indiana, is one of the
Tense counsel.
District Attorney Miller is assis
by Assistant District Attorney Char
w. Nichols and Special Assist
JasaSs w. Noel.