Evening star., 1947-03-11
Threats Probed
InAnlbushDeafh
President
Mystery Phone Calls
Over Long Period
Revealed by Friend
HARTLEY WILL ASK FBI to probe
McNear Staying. Page AS
By the Assoeioisd Press

1
| By the Assoeiofed Press
| PEORIA, Ill, Mar. 11.-George
P. McNear, jr., SIS, central figure
in a prolonged strike against
his 239-mile railroad, was killed
in ambush last night and inves-
tigators attempted today to de-
termine whether the shotgun
assassination was a fulf1llment
Of old threats.
In another phase Of the investiga.
ton, States Attorney Roy Hull saic
he would question officials of the
striking railroad brotherhoods "anc
anyone else who might throw light
on the killing of the president of the
Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad
as he took walk near his fashion
able home.
A close friend of the McNear fam
lily, Mrs. Robert Clark, related that
as long as two years ago Mr. McNear
had received threats by telephone
from an anonymous caller. One OF
these calls, she said, carried a
threat to blow up your house" An
other was q warning that Mr.. Nc
Near's car would be blown up, Mrs.
Clark said.
Whether Mr.. McNear had received
any threats recently, Mrs. Clark
said she did not know. Mr.. McNear,
she added, was prone to hide such
incidents, to keep from worrying his
family.
More Violence In Strike.
The cane Mr.. McNear was carry
ing at the time of the killing was
one he habitually carried as an aid
to walking. Mrs. Clark said she did
not believe he carried it for protec-
ton against possible assault.
Mr.. McNear's assassination capped
incidents Of violence along the
shortline railroad during the last
two weeks. Since 1941 he had de-
fed 13 railroad brotherhoods whose
strike against the freight bypass
line is one of the country's longest
labor disputes. 1t has been going on
for II months.
Police have been unable to solve
the recent firing Of shots into an
automobile carrying nonurion work
ers near the T. p. & w. yards at
East Peoria or the firing into the
cab OF a T. p. g. w, locomotive near
Hollis, I'll.
Detective Chief Fred Nussbaun
said he was rechecking all witnesses
in the assassination case to deter
mine whether Mr.. McNear's killer
fred from an automobile or was
on foot.
Stick Found Across Street.
Mr.. McNear's walking stick, he
said, was found across the street
from where his body lay. Chief
Nussbaum said Mr.. McNear, a pow
erfully built man, might have been
shot where the cane was found and
staggered across the street, or he
might have flung his cane at his
attacker.
Chief Nussbaum described Mr..
|McNear as IAN aggressive man" who
might have hurled his stick in des-
perate attempt to halt his slayer.
Coroner Chauncey Wood said he
found no powder burns ON the VIC
TINS body, which he said indicated
he was not fired on at close range.
Three witnesses said they saw an
automobile speeding away after the
shot was fired. However, police 1t.
Frank S. Flood declared "I don't
see how McNear could have been
shot from an automobile. He said
two other witnesses in position to
see the street down which the car
would have sped did not see an au-
tomobile.
No Witnesses to Shots.
No one could be found who saw
the shots fired. 1t. Flood said Mr..
McNear apparently walked across
the street, about 100 feet, before he
collapsed on his back on an 18-inch
coping beside the sidewalk.
DR.. Robert Sutton, who resided
nearby, and two Bradley University
students who live with him, said
they saw an automobile speeding
away after they had heard the shot
and Several groans." Cornelius
O'Brien, q private watchman, had
just spoken to Mr.. McNear and was
more than a block away. He said
he heard the shot but saw no auto.
mobile.
Mrs. B. K. Lyons, who resides
nearby and looked out when she
heard the shot, but saw no car
police said.
Police said that the fact all lights
were out and the streets were dark
added to the confusion over what
happened. 1T. Flood said the area
had been thrown in darkness when
an electric transformer burned out
earlier in tho evening. He said
police were convinced this incident
had no connection with the shoot
ing.
The feeder railroad across Hin