The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-09-24
DYNAMITING CONSPIRACY
CASES COME OCT. |
81 Men Who Are Present or Former
Members of Labor Unions, Are to
Appear to Stand Trial at
Indianapolis

| indianapolis, Ind, Sept. 24.-Charge,
with completely in the so-called "dyna
hitting conspiracy" fifty-one men, pres
ent or former officials Of labor unions
are to appear for trial before Judge Al
bert b. Anderson and jury in the fed
eral court of this district on October !.
Ind cted under a federal statute for.
| bidding the transportation Of explosives
on passenger trains, the defendants are
alleged to have been concerned in ma
tion wide plot to destroy the property OF
contractors employing nonnnion iron.
workers, eliminating in the explosion in
the Los Angeles Times building, which
cost twenty one lives.
Fifty-four we're indicted by the grand
jury in lis report of February 9 last
but OF this number John j. and Jane.
b. Mcnamara are in San Quentin prison
California. and J. j. McCray, former
member of the executive board of the
international Association of Bridge and
Structural lronworkers, has not been
found bv the federal authorities.
Most of the defendants are or have
been connected with the ironworkers'
association, which, since 1905 has been
engaged in a struggle with the National
Erectors' association, an organization OF
structural steel and iron contractors en-
ploying non-union workmen. Members
of this employers association suffered
loss from more than one hundred expl0-
sions from 1905 to 1911.
Following the arrest of John J. Nc
Namara, secretary-treasurer of the IRON
workers association, at its headquarters
in this city, and the arrest Of James b.
Mcnamara and Ortie f. McManigal in
Detroit, in connection with the Los An
geles Times explosions presentments
were made to the federal grand jury of
this district that officials of the iron
workers association and other labor UNI
ions had been concerned in a conspiracy
to intimidate employers Of unorganized
labor by a systematic destruction OF
their property.
Ortie McManigals confession, in which
he related that he had been employed by
the Mcnamara brothers and Herbert s.
Hockin acting secretary treasurer of the
ironworkers' association, to dynamite
bridges and buildings in course of con-
struction by non-union contractors, was
the basis of the governments inquiry.
He is to be the principal witness for
the government in the forthcoming trial.
A mass of letters and other records. seized
in raid on the offices Of the ironwork-
ers' association, also will be offered as
evidence of general conspiracy secretly
to convey dynamite and nitro glycerine
from coast to coast in campaign
against employers OF unorganlzed iron
workers
Most prominent among the defendants
are Frank NJ. Ryan, president OF the
international Association of Bridge ana
Structural Ironworkers; Herbert 5. Hoe
kin, acting secretary treasurer and the
alleged head of the ''dynamiting crew;
John T. Butler of Buffalo, first vice
president; and Michael ]. Young of Bos
ton and Philip A.. Cooley of New Or
leans, members OF the executive board.
Business agents and secretaries of 10.
cal ironworkers' unions throughout the
country. alleged to have been implicated
in the illegal transportation of explo-
sives from state to state, make up the
greater part of the list of defendants,
but officials OF other unions also are in
dicted. They are Olaf A. Tveitmoe,
secretary of the Building Trades Council
of California; William X. Benson, for
mer president of the Detl pit Federation
of Labor; Clarence z. Dowd, organizer
for the international Association of Ma
Hiram Cline of Muncie, Ind,
organizer FOR the Association of Car
penters and Joiners; and Spurgeon p.
Meadows, business agent for the car.
penters and joiners' union of Indianap-
oils.
United States Senator John w. Kern
is to be chief counsel for the defendants,
and the government will be represented
by District Attorney Charles W. Miller |
and his assistant, Clarence Nichols, who |
conducted the grand iury's investiga-