New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-07
BURNS DENOUNCED
BY BARROW ATTORNEY
Says Detective Boasts That He Is
Going to "Get" Gompers.
if He Can.
NO EFFORT TO DRAG HIM IN
But Lines May Cross with Gov.
eminent Investigation and In
formation May Be Passed,
Fredericks States.

Los Angeles. June 6.-Bert H. Franklin
testified to-day on cross-eXaminatiOn in
the trial Of Clarence s. barrow for alleged
jury bribery that he had made his frst
| confession Of guilt at the Office and in the
presence OF Oscar LAWYER, special govern
ment prosecutor in the dynamite con.
spiracy investigation: that he had first
| been approached with a view to getting
him to turn states evidence by a deputy
United States marshal. and that later he
had applied for employment to the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Association.
which took prominent part in the Nc
Namara prosecution.
Franklin was on the stand all day, but
his ordeal at the hand of Mr. Rogers. chief
counsel for the defence. was broken several
times by verbal controversies between OPP
posing counsel one Of which included a
denunciation Of William ]. Burns by
Rogers.
Rogers's denunciation of Burns grew out
Of continual objections by the prosecution
TO the questioning of Franklin concerning
his negotiations with the District Attorney.
He had asked the witness II he had not in
making his confession I'm which the names
of Burns and Gompers were used. been
told to bring Gompers's name into his tes-
tlmOny whenever the opportunity arose.
The District Attorney insisted that Burns
had nothing to do with the prosecution and
that no one sought to implicate Gompers
In the barrow trial.
"Burnss men are concerned in every de-
tail Of this case" retorted Rogers. even
to bounding our witnesses and watching
our Office and using telephone devices in
our places. No man could truthfully deny
that William J. Burns's men. employed by
the National Erectors' Association. were
behind this case in every particular"
District Attorney Fredericks said that
no one had sought TO implicste Gompers
in the present case. a statement which
brought Rogers again to his feet.
ut is a matter Of common knowledge"
he declared, dramatically. that the
United States IN this district, through
Oscar LAWYER, and in other districts has
made a strenuous effort To connect Mr.
Gompers and TO bring his name In. and II
is a matter OF common knowledge. right
from the evidence in this case. that the
federal grand jury at Indianapolis sent for
this check book: that II came into court
from indianapolis. where they are investi-
eating these other charges. II is our con-
tcnton that this prosecution against Oar
row Is but step against Gompers Mr
Burns is announcing everywhere that he IL
going 10 get Gompers II he can, through
barrow
III Burns has anything against Mr.. Com
pers and is following Mr. Gompers. that Is
his business not ours" said District Attor-
ney Fredericks. We have no charges 10
prefer here against Mr.. Gompers in any
way, shape or form. and II Mr.. barrow, "a
this witness has said. had not mentioned
the name OF Gompers and II had not been
brought in on cross-examination OF this wit
ness, the name of Gompers never would
have been mentioned In this case.
oscar LAWYER is the attOrney-may be
the attorney for the national government
investigating something along his own line,
and the lines may cross. and there may be
information passed back and forth. but
there is absolutely no effort to drag any
one in here. and when counsel makes that
statement II is misconduct.