The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1913-10-08
Alleged Confession Of Man
Implicated
IN MANY MURDEROuS PLOTS
Asserts Conspiracy Thought
TO Have Been Broken
Up Still Exists.
CONVICTED MEN DUPLICATED

MECHANICAL we're confessed to-day by
George f. Davis, union iron
worker.
Davis, who was arrested here to-
day. was the George O'Donnell who
figured in the trial at indianapolis
that resulted in the conviction OF
Frank NJ Ryan, president of the In
ternational Association of Bridge
and Structural Iron Workers, and
thirty-seyen of his associates. His
arrest and its consequences round
up the work the Federal Govern
ment started more than two years
ago when the dynamiting of bridges
and steel frame buildings all over
/ the country became national scan
dial.
All the explosions that Davis says
/ he caused were touched on and tes-
/ tilted to at the dynamiters' trial in
/ indianapolis. but the fact that Davis
caused them remained unrevealed
until he himself told of it to-day.
Davis confession resulted to-day
/ in the arrest in indianapolis of Har-
~ Jones. secretary-treasurer of the
/ iron workers union His confess
sion supplements the evidence pre-
sented 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 out
on bail pending appeal from a pris-
/ on sentence Of seven years.
Davis says he was the man chosen
, to kill Walter Drew, attorney for
the National Erectors' Association,
/ in December. 1911, after Drew was
/ charged with kidnapping John J. Nc
/ Namara It was suggested also that
he try to get William ]. Burns,
the detective employed by Drew and
/ his associates to unearth the dyna-
mite conspiracy. The price on
Drew's head at that time, Davis
said, was $4,000.
Il told them" his confession con-
tinues. that | didn't want to mix
up in such business"
Davis consented to return TO In
/ dianapolis without extradition and
left for there this evening. 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 10 Davis confession. With the
exception of Harry Jones the men
/ he mentions in connection with his
various dynamite jobs already have
I been arrested. although his confess
sion indicated that the Government
had not obtained all the incriminat-
ing evidence against these defendA
ants when they were tried az In
dIanapolis.
The Apprehension of this McMan-
( zeal of the East was due to Robert
Foster. Louisville detective, who
Swallowed the iron worker through
Eastern cities Finally, several
weeks ago, when Davis was dis
pleased with his treatment by the
union, Foster persuaded him to
make a full confession.
This was on Sept. 16. For a week
Davis had been working in Pitts
burg for the Thompson-Starrett
Company. Then the local delegate
of the iron workers union told him
he must pay a $2S initiation fee to
the local union or quit work. Da-
Wis quit. The detective told him
that ne knew all about his deeds,
anyway. and Davis. feeling that the
union had deserted him. aceompan-
led Foster 10 New York Here In
the presence of the representatives
of the Federal District Attorney and
the National Erectors' Association
he dictated and swore to the long
detailed confession which was given
out by the district attorneys Office
to-day.
Davis said he had been an iron
worker since 1900 and had been EN-
ployed at Denver, Pueblo, st. Louis
New York, Washington, Providence
Cleveland. Pittsburg and Birming
ham. In the early days of the troub
les between the union and the
bridge builders he was member OF
the entertainment committee Whose
: duty il was TO assault non-unior
, workers. He began his career as 4
dynamiter at Trenton. n. j.
The Courted Stranger.