Imperial Valley press., 1913-05-19
DYNAMITE CHARGE AGAINST
LAWRENCE MILL MAGNATE
lBY UNITED PRESS AssocIATIoNs]

[BY UNITED PRESS ASsoCIATIoNsl
| BOSTON, May 19.-Charged with
conspiracy to plant dynamite in an at
tempt to discredit the Lawrence textile
strikers in 1912, William NJ. Wood,
multi-millionaire president of the
American Woolen Company, sometimes
called the woolen trust, and alleged to
have been a powerful factor in the
writing Of the Payne -Aldrich tariffs
schedule X, today was placed on trial
in the Suffolk superior court.
Unlike previous trials in which there
has been labor on one side and capital
on the other, the trial Of Wood pre-
sents the reversed aspect Of capital the
defendant and labor the accuser. Fac
ing Justice Brown with Wood were
Frederick E. AtteauX, Boston manu-
facturer of textile mill accessories, and
Dennis Collins, a Cambridge dog fan
cier. The three men We're indicted
last August by a special grand jury
called to investigate the matter shortly
after John j. Breen, an undertaken Of
Lawrence, Mass, and school COM
missioner at tlie time, was found guilty
Of planting the dynamite and was fined
$500 after he refused to take the stand
in his own behalf.
Before the trial opened today great
crowds filled the court house. Prom
nent labor leaders and Socialists were
among those who literally stormed the
doors to get INTO the court room. Evi-
dence of The great interest in the
proceedings was shown in the install
lation Of telegraph wires in the court
house for the first time in the history
Attorney Joseph C. Pelletier and his |
assistant, A. C. Webber, appeared for |
the government. Attorneys Samuel L. |
Powers, Daniel II. Coakley and Henry T. |
Hurlburt appeared for the defendants. |
Since his indictment Wood has been at |
liberty. on $4,000 cash bail. The same |
bail was SET Tor the other two de-
PENDANTS.
Breen, who was found guilty Of |
planting the dynamite on May is, was
expected to be chief witness for the
prosecution. He willingly testified pe-
fore the grand jury which indicted
Wood, AtteauX and Collins. Ernest |
w. Pitman, an East Milton quarryman
and prominent in other business en-
terprises, was to have been another
government witness. He committed
suicide, however. August 2Tth, the day
before he was to have testified before
the grand jury. Pelleter is understood
to have talked informally with Pitman
about twelve hours before the latter
ed himself and at that time Is 6"
to have gotten enough information to
compel the others to testify at the
grand JUiy III estis dfioii.z i=1's ar.Sss
1t was during the critical time in the
historic Lawrence strike that dynamite
was found" by the Lawrence police
shortly after Joseph Ettor's arrest late
in January. The cry was Immediately
rased that the textile strikers had
brought it in to dynamite the mills
and the court house. The dynamite
was "founu.' on a tip from School
Commissioner Breen, in the cobbler
shop OF Urbano di Prato. in the home
OF Joseph Assaf and in some bushes
near the Immaculate Conception ceme-
terry. 1t was only after diagram had
been drawn by Breen that the explosive
was found" at the cemetery, and ii
took two trips by detectives to find
1t in the cobbler's shop. The dis
cOvery Of the dynamite occurred jan
uary 10. Breen was arrested Janu-
ary 81.
William NJ. Wood, the most promi-
nent Of the three defendants, is one
Of the best known textile mill men in
the world. His father came from the
Portuguese island Of Pico as boat
steward and settled at EdgartOwn.
where Wood was born. It is believed
Woods Portuguese name was Alphonse
kehalr. He secured work as an Op-
erative in textile mill and changed his
name to that Of his employer. After
hls fathers death Wood moved to New
Bedford, where he was employed in
the counting room OF the Wamsutta
mills. Later he was transferred to the
manufacturing department, where ne
learned the cotton business. After some
years ne. went into the banking house
Of ]. A. Beauvais & Co., only to re-
turn to the cotton manufacturing bus
mess in Fall River as treasurer Of one
Of the largest mills there.
Wood married the daughter OF Fred
erick Aver, who made millions in pat
ent medicines, and from him got the
real start which afterward placed him
in charge Of one Of the great textile
mills in Lawrence. 1t was almost
wholely through Woods efforts and
enterprises that the American Woolen
Company was put on its feet during a
time when things looked black for that
organization.
Besides being president Of the Amer
lean Woolen Company, Wood is a di-
rector in numerous other mills and sew
eral Of New England's largest banks.
He is a member Of the National Asso-
citation Of Wool Manufacturers, the
foIle Mdfket CluD, nlSn protective
tariff organization, and OF various other
similar organizations. He was once
publicly asked how many automobiles
he owns and replied, I'm sure l don't
know. | only know | always have one
handy wherever happen to be-" He
owns almost as many handsome yachts
and several country homes besides a
magnificent residence in Boston's ex-
elusive back bay section.