The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-11-29
FICkERT Is
TRAPPED IN
OWN OFFICE
Wonderful Record of Trickery and
Corruption Exposed By John
B. Densm0re

port of John B. Densmore, Director
General of Employment, U. S. De-
partment of Labor, to Secretary of
Labor VIM. S. Wilson. Mr.. Dens-
more was ordered by Secretary Will
son to investigate the circumstances
surrounding the trial of Thomas J.
Mooney and his co-defendants,
charged with the bomb outrages on
July %, 1916.
Of these defendants Warren K.
Billings was tried, convicted and
sentenced to life imprisonment in
San Quentin Penitentiary; Thomas
j. Mooney was tried and sentenced
to be hanged; Mrs. Rena Mooney
and Israel Weinberg were tried and
acquitted, and Edward D. Nolan was
admitted to bail, and is now await
ing trial.
Mr.. Densnore secured a dicta-
phone, employed a corps of compe-
tent assistants and proceeded to San
Francisco to get busy on his job.
There were apparently insurmount-
able difficulties to be overcome in
the installation of the dictaphone in
Fickert's office, but the report of
Mr.. Densmore shows it was finally
accomplished, and the machine was
put into perfect working order.
What the investigators heard dur
ing several months of patient lis
tening was a mass of evidence of
the most Gannabe conspiracy ever
concocted by a public official on
this continent.
! Not only evidence conclusively
proving frame-up against the al
legged bomb defendants was obtain
ed, but also evidence of much other
dirty work in the ramifications of
corrupt practice was unearthed -
such as bribery, perjury, subora-
ton of perjury, jury-fixing and 9TH
er criminal acts that would aid
Fickert in prosecution of innocent
men and women and the securing of
immunity for the guilty.
Fickert secured his tools from the
lowest stratum of society and was
aided in his diabolical work by high
er-ups who, with Fickert, will have
their constituencies souls burned by
The sunlight Of publicity if they do
not themselves dwell in the dun
geon cells they would have others
occupy.
The story is too long to print in
The Journal but we think Densmore's
report will ere long appear in pamph-
let form.
Grand Jury Called
Very soon after the Call appeared
on the streets Presiding Judge Nor
gan of the San Francisco Superior
Court summoned a grand jury to
probe the Densmore charges. The
grand jury is now in session.
John B. Densmore, Director Gen
eral of the Federal Employment Ser
vice, was instructed by Secretary of
Labor Wilson to furnish to Gov.
Stephens, of California, copy of his
report in the Mooney case.
He also was directed to place him
self entirely at the Governors dis
posal.
In telegram notifying Governor
Stephens of his action, Mr. Wilson
revealed that the foreman of the
grand jury at San Francisco inves-
tigating charges of irregularity made
in Mr.. Densmore's report had asked
him to furnish the jury with a copy.
Wilson Criticises Method of Probing
Densmore's Report
Secretary Wilson's telegram to the
Governor criticized the method of in
vestigating the charges made by
Mr. Densmore, but said the govern
ment would place at Mr.. Stephens
disposal all material it has bearing
either on the Mooney case or on
the charges made in Mr.. Densmores
report.
Secretary Wilson said "the San
Francisco grand jury does not seem
the impartial and appropriate in
strument the prosecution calls for
because it involves the District At
toney who is the legal adviser of
the grand jury"
District Attorney Fickert, the legal
advisor of a grand jury probing
charges of corruption against him
self How does that sound to you?
you?
The renort lo st nipht was that