Evening star., 1912-11-17
McNamara's Preparations for
Blowing Up Times Told.
TEN WITNESSES ON STAND
Hiring of Launch to Garry 500
Pounds of Explosive Recounted.
PHONE RECORDS IDENTIFIED
Neighbor of Convicted Dynamiter
Admits Demanding $500 for As
sisting Him to Return East.

INDIANAPOLIS, November 16.-Inci-
dents of James B. McNamara's prepara-
tions to blow up the Los Angeles Times
building. in the wreck of which twenty
one persons were killed, were blended
into a dramatic story by ten witnesses
from California at the dynamite con-
ference trial today.
How the dynamiter rented a furnished
room in Mrs. Lena Ingersolrs fiat in San
Francisco. how he got in touch with F.
A. Schmidt and David Caplan, his al
legged accomplices; how he called up from
the fiat to procure the gasoline launch
Pastime and to buy fifty pounds of 50
per cent nitrogelatin, high explosive.
and how. after nxing the Los Angeles
Times explosion to occur at l am. Octo-
Der /. 1910. he returned to San Francisco
and at IL o'clock that night begged Mrs
Ingersoll to allow him to remain there.
offering her a whole months rent, were
details related by people who had per-
sonal dealings with Mcnamara.
Found Explosive in Parlor.
James c. O'Brien told how a cottage
owned by him in 18th avenue. in the
sout ern part of San Francisco, had been
rented before the Los AngeIes explosion.
and how when several weeks iater ne
went out there to learn why the cottage
was not occupied he found ten boxes OF
nitroge.at.n rocked in the parlor.
brien said in his Ignorance Of what
the BOXES contained he hooked into one
box with a l-snted cigar in ms .mCutn,
and, tn.nning the explosive was cdnuieS,
knocked STICK against tie DoX.
~ Las Angeles 0etectIve related What
he saw re.at..e to lne site or the wreck
OF the Times building.
Another det el. p.l.ent OF the day was
an aom.sslon by Franh EchnoH of en-
cinnatl tAat he aided IN the escape ana
con.eaiment of Mcnamara when me dy-
nam ter was retuFh4ns east. EcAhuH also
Admitted having uemanded money from
,ue .McNamaras Ito keep his mouth
shut"
Rented Room to McNamara.
Mrs. Ingerso.l was the first important
California witness to be called. S-ie SAID
she now lived at Victoria, y. c.
Sne said on SEPTEMBER |, month be-
fore the Los An.e.es explosion sue rent
eo a room TO ncNamaia, a, VINO used tne
LAS j. b. b. ice. La,er Men Namara was
visited by Scnm DIT, VINO Vas oescriUed as
having a s4ulnty let eye, or g.ass
eye. Schmidt also known as ScnIn..t,
or Schm.uty, .-red at the nome OF
Mrs. Lawn, a frlen. OF mis-. II,eerSo.l s.
1T was IN TINS way tina, Mc>a.nara was
ulrected where To rent a room.
On September IA MCNAMARA left Mrs.
ln9ersoL's and went TO d hotel. From
the MOTEL as testified by a telephone tp-
orator, most of the caus were .iic TO
the powoe. company for the purchase
of tine explosive and to the owners OF
the iauncn IN OAK and. Mrs. i.loei sol.
said sne 0ld not AGAIN see McNamara un-
Til the night of Octoper l.
Offered One Months Rent.
AZ about II o'clock that nigh he
came to the house and wanted ME to give
him room." she testified. said 1
could make no arrangements at that
hour. Then he begged me TO allow him
to sleep on sofa. saying he would g,ve
me the rent OF the nat for a whole
month. / declined and he left. On the
following night he called On the tele-
phone and wanted to come and / again
refused to allow him. That was the last
saw of him unit. after his arrest
Miss Ethel Gill, a telephone operator
In the San Francisco Hotel. identified
recoros OF calls by McNamara to the
powder company and to the launch own
erS.
keeper OF boathouse at Alameda across
the bay from San Francisco. He testi-
fed late in September two men, identi-
fled as AAcNamaTa and Schmidt, who
gave the name of F. A. Perry. said they
wanted to rent q launch for fishing t. ip
for week or ten days. They selected
the gasoline launch Pastime, but Stanley
referred them to Edward H. Baxter and
Allen d. Burroughs.
Gave Security for Launch.
These two owners testified that Nc
Namara and Schmidt negotiated for the
renting Of the launch, finally agreeing to
pay $40 for ten days rental and giving
500 cash security, which later was re-
funded. SEPTEMBER 20 written agree
ment was entered into and Mcnamara,
after beng instructed how to run the
launch, took possession OF it.
The next step in the narrative was the
testimony OF Harrison NJ Nu.ter, clerk
In a hardware store in San Francisco,
who sold Sl.oO worth OF aluminium .et-
ters to make two sets of the word Peer
less. In that way the original name
'Pastime" on the launch was disguised
by the name Peerless" The keeper OF
the boathouse after the Times explosion
noticed that nails had been driven about
the launch's name and paint had been ap-
Piled a. though on its return the craft
bore its original name.
About the middle Of September, Bruce
Mccall. employe of a powder company.
testified he received telephone call from
the "Brice Construction Company" in
quiring about the purchase Of 500 pounds
of high explosive, to be used to blow up
stumps on a ranch.
Paid for 500 Pounds Of Explosive.
II told the caller that 20 per cent was
strong enough for that" said Mccall.
but he insisted he wanted 80 per cent
nitro-gelatin. l replied we only made
II 50 per cent, but we didn't have 1t in
stock. A man called and left an order
for 500 pounds. and paid the bill. He
gavs his name and left a rural address,
saying he would call and get IT. In a
launch"
Two days after the launch was rented,