The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-09-22

ness agenJ IOr IHe lOCdI uOh
workers union, was found
guilty on a blackmail charge
by a jury in Criminal Court
at 2 p. m. today. The jury
was out two hours, but delib-
Grated only forty-five minutes.
Preceded by warning by
Special Prosecutor Eph Inman
that responsibility for the pres
ent crime wave lies in weak
kneed juries, the blackmail case
against John j. Mcnamara,
business agent of the local iron
workers. union, went to the
jury at noon today in Criminal
Court.
Mcnamara has been on trial eight
days Of charges Of terrorozing work.
men, some Of them members Of other
unions, who were installing boilers
in the new Elks Bldg. in November,
1928, in an attempt to get the work
for his own union. 1t is the first
time in Indiana legal history the
State has attempted to apply the
statute against blackmail to labor
war.
Inman, veteran criminal lawyer,
hired to assist Prosecutor William
II. Remy, closed the argument with
an eloquent plea for conviction Of
the defendant.
Much at Stake
"There is much at stake here in
this case. You gentlemen are the
final judge Of the law and the facts.
1t Is your duty to protect the affairs
of society and if you do not convict
this man the blame will not rest
with the judge or Prosecutor Remy."
Inman's address was preceded by
closing arguments for the defense by
Attorney Charles e. Cox, who insist
ed that the State had not proved Nc
Namara guilty beyond all reason
able doubt"
Special Judge Fred c. Cause
turned the case over to the jury
with his instructions, chief Of which
was that the defendant should not
be convicted upon his record else
where. Mcnamara recently complet-
ed a twelve years term in the Cali
fornia State prison on his plea of
guilty TO a charge arising from the
famous dynamiting cases in that
State in 1910 during a labor war.
Mcnamara went to his Office. lie
was calm and unconcerned.
1.-THE defense has referred to me
as a lawyer retained by interests
who want to dscredit organized
labor" said Inman, L was appointed
| by the court ut the request of RLmy
to assist him. 1 have nothing per-
sonal against this defendant, who
wouldn't stop short of overturning
the government if need be to attain
his end. My client is the State of
Indiana.
Refers to Crime Wave
"If the juries of this country
would stand straight up and do their
duty, they would stop the crime
wave which is inundating the United
States.
"If you should be derelict enough
in your duty to send this man back
to the community unpunished for
this outrage, you will ruin the COM
munity. You will embolden him to
do things he does not dare do now.
Do you want your properties made
safe, your very lives? 1t is a ter
rible situation"
Attorney Cox, during his closing
argument, made a plea for justice
for Mcnamara.
1--WE do not ask mercy for the de-
fendant. He doesn't need it. 1 am
asking for justice under the law"
Cox denounced Claude NJ. Worley,
special investigator for the prose-
cutor's Office, as that marvellous
sleuth, who could dig up something
on anybody except that arch Grim
inal of Marion County" Inman said.
All through his argument Cox in
timated that his client is a victim Of
persecution by the State or somebody
with an "ulterior motive"
Cox VS.. Inman
Cox ridiculed the idea Of apply
ing the blacllinail law to a labor
dispute. He said the indictment
had not been sustained by States
evidence.
Cox, launched into a denunciation
Of the prosecution questioning the
motive behind the case.
This case is but an illustration
Of the tendency of our time, to
correct and regulate everything by
law. But for that tendency or some
Interior motive back Of this affair
this case would never have
happened.
Never before has a prosecuting
agency applied the blackrnail law to
labor dispute. Hundreds of times.
workmen have settled far worse con-
troversy and the law never inter