Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-10-15
PUT ME- ERCURY IN
ENGINE BOILERS
MAN CONFEsSEs
Machinist, on Trial at Ell
Paso, Admits Trying to
Damage Train Service on
the Southern Pacific.

Ell Paso, Texas, Oct. 14.-Details
Of an alleged conspiracy to dam
age train service by putting mer-
curry in boilers, was revealed in
federal court here today when an
alleged confession was read to the
jury after an attempt to keep the
statement out of court had failed.
The signed statement was made
by James J.. Doak, machinist, ac-
cordfng to testimony of Luis De
Nette, chief of the local bureau
of the department of justice.
Doak, in the purported confess
sion, said he poured quicksilver in
two locomotives and names three
of the union leaders on trial as
having knowledge of the alleged
plot. Those mentioned G/2 II. II.
Dietz, secretary of the San An
tonic Railway Machinists; C. c..
Hanley, general chairman of the
Houston machinists; and John B.
Yocham, secretary of the Houston
machinists.
Others Advised Him.
81 have no hesitancy," the state
ment reads near the closing para
graph, sin stating that / would not
have been engaged in this work
had it not been for those who ad-
vised me to do so and from whom
i should have had advice Of diff
ferent nature"
The other defendants, besides
those mentioned in Doak's state
ment are Charles Poe, travelling or
ganizer of the Machinists' union,
and John r, Doak, and ]. i. Will
liams, union machinists, and John
M. Morgan, general chairman at
San Antonio of the striking rail-
way shop crafts.
De Nette testified that he OBJ
tanned the alleged confession after
he had received information con,
tanned in an alleged confession,
said to have been given by Will
liams to U. S. Marshal d. A. Wal
ker in San Antonio.
He said that we were too smart
for his bunch" the federal officer
testified. 'He said that he wanted
to make a clean breast of it. He
gave the confession on his own
litC Will dlltl JULIE lOlu LildE w IL
liams had confessed"
Doak's statement tells of a meet
ing at the home of Yocham at
which Doaks brother and Han
ley were present.
Handed Him rwo Bottles.
I'VE drove in an automobile to
section of the city, where
a man handed me two small but
heavy bottles in the presence of
IIanley and Yocbam, 1t says.
IL went to the trades council
hail where Yaet Dietz. For ideH-
my half of the card given
~ me by Hanley matched a half
card carried by Dietz. He gave
me three ounce bottles of mer-
curry. I poured one in an engine
at Houston.
II came to El Paso, and on Sep
tember ~ poured quicksilver into
the dome of another locomotive.
| was arrested the following day."
A. ]. w. Schmid, U. S. commits
sioner, testified that Doak pleaded
guilty before him on a charge of
the strike injunction.
WAS All rye NltneSS.
That he was an eye witness to
the placing of mercury in the boiler
Of a locomotive in San Antonio
was the testimony of Jesse Roy
ston, a pipe filter. He then
pointed out Williams as the man
he saw commit the offense.
Il saw a white man climb UP |
one side Of the locomotive while !
was on the other" Royston. who
Is negro, testified. "He ben.
over the dome and stuck his hands !
n there.
"A little while previously, I had |
1eld my flashlight for the inspec-
or to look in the boiler. 1t was
clean then. We looked in the
boiler after this man had stuck
Continued on Page Two