The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-10-03
DAVIS CONFESSES
TO DYNAM MITE
OUTRAGES
Followed In the Footsteps OF
the McNamaraS
AFTER TWO YEARS SEARCH
Davis Was Invited to Kill Effective
William J. Burns But De- -.
clined to Act

New York, Oct. 3.-Dynamite out
RACES that rivaled the exploits of the
Mcnamara brothers and OF Ortie Nc
Manigal were confessed yesterday
by George L. Davis "a union IRON
worker. Davis, who was arrested
yesterday, was the George O'Donnell
who figured in the trial at Indiana
polls that resulted in the conviction
Of Frank NJ. Ryan, president of the
international association of bridge
and structural ironworkers, and 81
of his associates His arrest and its
consequence round up the work the
federal government started more
than two years ago, when the dyna-
hitting of bridges and steel frame
buildings all over the country be-
came q ational scandal.
All the explosions that Davis says
he caused were touched on and testi-
fed to at the dynamiters' trial in
indianapolis, but the fact that Davis
caused them remained unrevealed un
Ill he himself told of it yesterday.
Davis's confession resulted yester-
day in the arrest in Indianapolis OF
Harry Jones, secretary-treasurer OF
the ironworkers' union. His confes-
sion supplements the evidence pre-
scented at the Indianapolis trial and
makes fresh charges against some
of the men there convicted and now
in prison. Some of his revelations
concern President Ryan, who is now
out on bail pending appeal from
prison sentence of seven years.
Davis says he was the man chosen
to kill Walter Drew, attorney for the
national erectors' association, in Dec
ember. 1911. after Drew was charged
with kidnapping John ]. Mcnamara
It was suggested also that he try to
get" William j. Burns, the detec
tive employed by Drew and his as.
sociates to uneasth the dynamite con
spiracy. The price on Drew's head
at that time, Davis said, was $4,000.
Il told them" his confession contin-
ues. that didn't want to mix up in
such business" Davis consented to
return 10 indianapolis without extra
dition His bail was fixed at $4,000.
The conspiracy, thought TO have
been broken up by the conviction of
Ryan and others, still exists, accord
ing to Davis's confession With the
exception of Harry Jones, the men
he mentions in connection with the
various dynamite jobs already had
been arrested, although his confes-
sion indicated that the government
| had not obtained all the incriminat-
| ing evidence against these defend
! ants when they were tried at Indian
apolis. Davis is the ODonnell who
was considered an important adj
| junct to the dynamite conspiracy trl,
ais, but who could not be found at
| the time. Jones is new figure in
the case. He formerly was financial
secretary of New York local No. 40
| OF the ironworkers and was elected
| international ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS at
| the convention held at indianapolis
last January The affidavit against
| him, charging conspiracy to trans
port explosives unlawfully, the same
charge upon which 80 of his fellow
unionists were convicted in the fed
eral court in Indianapolis last Decem
! ber was made by Assistant United
States District Attorney Clarence w.
| Nichols.
Davis was arrested by a United
States marshal yesterday on a
charge of blowing up with dynamite
a New Haven railroad bridge at
Mount Vernon, n. Y. September 3.
1911. He is also charged with hav-
| ing conspired with the Mcnamara
brothers, Frank NJ. Ryan and other
officers of the international bridge
structural ifonworkers' union to
wreck the Mount Vernon and other
bridges.
The complaint asserts that Davis
| and his fellow-conspirator on Janu-
airy %, 1911. transported As pounds
OF dynamite from Bellefountaine. o..
TO Indianapolis over the CLEVELAND
division OF the Big Four railroad. On
September 3. 1911 1t is alleged. Da-
Wis carried 30 pounds of the explo-
sive from New York city to Mount
vernon, a suburb and there blew
up part OF the railroad bridge.
The United States district attor.
ncy's Office at New York gave ont
yesterday afternoon what purported
to be a synopsis OF Davis's COMES.
sion. IL said that he had done a dy.
namiting job az Trenton. y. j.: had
blown up an Erie railroad bridge at
Harrison. y. j.; had plotted TO blow
up the Blackwell's island bridge in
New York city; had wrecked a
bridge at Pelham. y. Y; Balti-
mere and Ohio bridge at Brawshaw.
Nd; the Chelsea pier in the North
river at New York: had DESTROYED
materials in the yards Of the Penn.
sylvania railroad at PHILADELPHIA.
wrecked drawbridge over the
Bronx river and done similar Jobs
in Perth Amboy. y. J.. Somerset and