The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-12-01
DYNAMITE CASES
HEARD ON APPEAL
Plea Made For Thirty Union
Labor Officials.
OUT UNDER HEAVY BONDS.

Defendants Ask That Verdicts Rem
dered In indianapolis Last December
Be Set Aside-AppeaI REEVES Story
of Nation Wide Plot Which culmi-
mated Fatally In Los Angeles.
Another chapter in the nation wide
story of the dynamite plots which ex-
tended throughout the country and
eliminated in the fatal explosion in
Los Angeles in 1910 was begun when
the case of thirty of the convicted
men was called before the United
States circuit court of appeals III Chi
cage n few days ago.
Thirty of the thirty-three labor union
officials who We're adjudged equally
guilty with the Mcnamara brothers in
| promoting explosions asked that the
present court set aside the verdicts
rendered at Indianapolis last Deem
| Der and that they be given new trial.
Opposed to them, the federal govern
| ment asked that the convicted men
be sent back to prison at Leaven-
worth, Kan, to serve out their terms.
A sentence of seven years. the heayi-
| est penalty of ALL hangs over Frank
NJ. Ryan, who is out on $4,000 bond
/ pending this appeal. He was given the
/ longest term. Judge A. B. Anderson
at indianapolis said. because he was
/ president of the International Associa-
/ ton of Bridge and Structural Iron
workers. out of whose funds the ex-
/ penses of the dynamiters were paid
Seven Get Six Years Each.
Six years Imprisonment is the pen
atty which Olaf A. Tveitmoe Of San
/ Francisco and each of six others ask
to be set aside. Tvcitmoe is a labor
leader prominent on the Pacific coast.
He and the six other men were given
! the second longest terms because they
We're found guilty of voting to APP
propriate the unions funds for dyna-
hitting nonunion work or actually aid
ing John ]. and James Il. Mcnamara
! in explosions on the Pacific coast.
The other prison terms, most of
which have been suspended pending
the appeal, vary from four years to
one year and one day Three days Of
the present court We're devoted to the
hearing of the appeals and the govern
ment's opposition.
When the argument was concluded
Judges Kohsaat. Baker and Seaman
took the petition under advisement
and will render their decision later
1t is understood that should the pres
ent appeal be adverse to the convicted
men it will be carried to the United
States supreme court
Basis of the Appeal.
The basis Of the appeal rs submit
ted to the court 10y Chester r. krum
Of St Louis and Elijah n. Zoline of
Chicago, the counsel, was:
That under the federal statutes there
is no such crime rs the conspiracy of
which the men were conyicted-v
conspiracy 10 violate the law against
the interstate shipment of explosives
on passenger trains.
That there being no such conspiracy
the defendants could not have been
guilty as principals in the carrying of
: explosives by Ortie L. McManigaI and
the McNamaras
That the defendants did not have a
fair trial.
District Attorney Charles w. Miller
of Indiana had charge of the govern
ments case, the brief of which con
tanned more than 700 pages.
Among those who are not appealing
| is Herbert S. Hockin, now serving a
SIX year term at Leavenworth. lie
was called the Iago of the conspiracy
, 1t was charged that he not only car
ried dynamite and nitroglycerin in q
} suit case, but that he gave information
2 to detectives while in the confidence
of his co-conspirators. At first he ap-
4 peared among the defendants at the
trial at indianapolis, but later he was
abandoned by his counsel and was
kept in Jail before the case went to the
iury