Union Offices As Dynamiters.

New York Times 100 years ago today, October 5, 1912:
District Attorney Miller Names Ryan, Hockin, and Tveitmoe as Directing Explosions.
UNION FUNDS FOR DYNAMITE
Prosecutor Expects to Prove That Executive Board Was Party to Blowing Up Plants.
    INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 4.— Extracts from a little green check book, in which the Executive Board of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers is charged with having kept an account of money paid out for dynamiting jobs, were read at the trial of the defendants in the dynamite cases to-day.
    District Attorney Charles W. Miller told the Jury that the Executive Board met regularly and appropriated money for the expense of explosives. The money, he asserted, was paid by checks signed by President Frank M. Ryan. One of the stubs read: "Expended for organization purposes, $233, at Clinton, Ia." It would be shown, Mr. Miller said, that Ortie E. McManigal was paid that sum for causing an explosion at Clinton, and that "the whole system of explosions throughout the country was carried on with the approval and support of the officials and executive board of the union."
    Moulton H. Davis, of West Chester, Penn., it would be shown, Mr. Miller said, was one of the men who promoted explosions in Pennsylvania. Davis was formerly an executive board member.
    When McManigal hesitated about blowing up jobs in Peoria, Ill., according to Mr. Miller. Edward Smythe, business agent there, wrote: "Don't fear, I have friends on the police force here. In fact, I control the police."
    Mr. Miller said that Herbert S. Hockin, another union officer, told McManigal that he had "decided to use nitro-glycerine."
    "That's pretty dangerous stuff," said McManigal. "Yes, it's the strongest stuff ever invented," was the answer. They went to Muncie, it is charged, where they met J. B. McNamara. On a pretext that they wanted to experiment, they bought from J. W. Kaiser 120 quarts of nitro-glycerine. Then they rented a vacant house in which to hide the explosive.
    While the Muncie "crew" was on duty, Mr. Miller asserted, Charles N. Beum, of Minneapolis; Henry W. Legleitner, then in Pittsburgh; Eugene A. Clancy, of San Francisco; Frank C. Webb, of New York; John T. Butler, of Buffalo, and Michael J. Young, of Boston, were active in sending information about non-union jobs that were to be blown up.
    Olaf A. Tveitmoe, of San Francisco, Secretary of the California Building Trades Council, was charged by Mr. Miller with being directly responsible for explosions on the Pacific Coast. The first witness will probably be called on Monday.