Amateur Sleuth Catches Dynamitards

Sunday morning, 八月 12, 1900, 聖. Louis Police arrested four former Transit Line streetcar workers for blowing up the Olive Street line on Maryland Avenue between N. Taylor and N. Euclid Avenues on the previous night at 11:00 比前收市價. Police arrested Maurice Brennan, Fred E. Northway, James Schwartz and James Finnesey.

Police found 30 pounds of dynamite and 30 feet of fuse in Maurice Brennan’s home while reports stated that Northway had previously had 50 pounds in his home in the 1500 block of N. Spring Avenue a few doors away from Brennan’s home on Lucky Street. Brennan and Northway confessed and implicated Schwartz and Finnesey.

James Schwartz denied taking part in the dynamiting but admitted being with Brennan and Northway before the explosion and after the explosion. Finnesey was reportedly in another part of the city with several sticks of dynamite.

The identity of the dynamiters was discovered by A.V.L. Brokaw, the surgeon for the Transit Line. 博士. Brokaw thought that he could discover the identity of the dynamitards through his work at the streetcar company. Brokaw saw many of the strikers including a handful who President Edward Whitaker had rehired while largely ignoring his commitments to end the strike.

One of the former strikers confided in Dr. Brokaw the identity of the men responsible for the recent bombings and also told him of a plot planned for that night, 星期六, 八月 11, 1900.

Brokaw quickly informed another streetcar official, Division Superintendent James F. Davidson of the Transit Company. Brokaw and Davidson quickly told Night Chief of Police John N. Pickel of the plot. Pickel was hesitant to move forward without a search warrant.

博士. Brokaw insisted that his information was good. 博士. Brokaw stated that he would be responsible for any possible litigation by the suspects. Pickel was satisfied and preparation were made to catch the men at Olive Street and N. Boyle Avenue, where the reported explosion was to occur.

Accompanied by Dr. Brokaw and Mr. Davidson, Chief Pickel and several officers proceeded to Olive Street and N. Boyle, when they heard a large explosion farther to the west in the Central West End.

Chief Pickel, 博士. Brokaw and Mr. Davidson, arrived on Maryland Avenue between N. Euclid and N. Taylor Avenues where a section of the Olive Street line had been exploded by the dynamitards. Bystanders reported seeing two men leave the area.

LT. McNamara encountered private watchman Patrick J. Higgins had stopped and talked to the two men, one of whom he knew as Fred Northway. McNamara checked his information and found Northway’s name as one of the men identified by Dr. Brokaw as a dynamitard.

Higgins stated the men were carrying an empty pistol and a minnow bucket. Northway stated they had been fishing in Creve Couer. They identified the explosion as a gas stove explosion on Olive Street. Higgins stated, “It was a hell of a loud explosion for a gas stove.” Higgins released the men since he did not have anything more than suspicion.

LT. McNamara let Chief Pickel know what he learned from Higgins. 在ST. 路易警察, 博士. Brokaw and Superintendent Davidson proceeded to Northway’s second floor flat at 1517 Ñ. Spring Street but took their time to give Brennan and Northway time to get home.

聖. Louis Police arrested Northway first. A search of his house did not reveal any explosives or other bomb making material. They struck gold a few doors down at Brennan’s home at 3728 Lucky Street.

Brennan’s first floor apartment contained 30 pounds of explosive, 30 feet of fuse and other bomb making material. The stash certainly proved lucky for St. 路易警察. Confronted with the evidence both Brennan and Northway confessed.

With these arrests, 聖. Louis Chief of Police Campbell believed that the dynamitard ring had been smashed. Chief Campbell was correct. After their arrest, no more streetcars were blown up.

James Finney was released because no other evidence other than Maurice Brennan’s and Fred Northway’s confessions could be found to implicate him. 然而, John W. Whalen, who owned the saloon where Brennan, Northway and James Schwartz planned the August 11th bombing, was arrested. Maurice Brennan actually placed the dynamite, which blew up the streetcar line on Maryland Avenue.

The Transit Workers Union condemned Brennan’s, Northway’s and Schwartz’s actions. The union refused to provide lawyers or any other assistance to the men. Streetcar conductors also implicated Brennan and Northway in blowing up a car at Pestalozzi and S. Seventh Street as well as a car on July 27th at 1014 軍器廠街.

Brennan and Northway were convicted of the dynamiting and sentenced to eight years. 諾斯韋服滿刑期，但布倫南他跳下債券和消失. 諾斯韋活到 68 歲. 他在聖死. 在路易 1937. 他服他的刑期後，打印機的學徒.

詹姆斯·施瓦茨他跳下債券對他的審判之前學習Schwartz和諾斯韋的定罪後. 施瓦茨是在四月被殺 1902, 同時經營在舊金山電車. 蒸汽機車來襲施瓦茲的有軌電車致其死亡. 施瓦茨去世後，, 他的真實身份被發現了他的遺體被送回給他的家人在聖. 路易.

莫里斯·布倫南逃到Nodaway縣, 密蘇里州. 布倫南發現工作作為一個皮匠. 布倫南顯然繼續著他的犯罪方式, which would lead to his death at 59 歲以下. 布倫南被槍殺路過的汽車在十二月 10, 1922. 布倫南率領的有軌電車罷工期間暴力的存在. 他遇見了他的末端劇烈以及.

隨著dynamitards逮捕, 聖. 對全市1900的效果路易電車罷工接近尾聲. 罷工者將基本上認輸九月 1900.

這篇文章是從摘錄 在ST. 路易內戰: 在ST. 路易電車罷工 1900. 您可以訂購這本書 點擊這裡. If you order the book, 我真的很感激檢討. 如果你已經離開的評論, 非常感謝.

You can leave a comment or ask a question about this post on my Facebook頁面 和 Twitter的個人資料.

別起來