On October 1, 1910, a devastating explosion rocked the Los Angeles Times Building, initiating a fire that claimed the lives of 21 people and left over 100 injured. This act of violence, later dubbed the "crime of the century" by the Los Angeles Times itself, was carried out by union members belonging to the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers. The incident immediately sparked a massive investigation, with the City of Los Angeles hiring
renowned private detective William J. Burns to bring those responsible to justice. The bombing was not an isolated event but rather part of a larger series of bomb attacks across the nation that Burns had already been investigating for the National Erector Association, suggesting a deeper, more organized campaign of violence.
The Attack and Its Immediate Aftermath
The bombing of the Los Angeles Times building was a direct assault on a prominent symbol of anti-union sentiment. Harrison Gray Otis, the publisher of the Times, was a vocal opponent of labor unions, making revenge or anger a suspected motive for the attack. The explosion, caused by explosives placed by union members, led to a catastrophic fire. The sheer scale of casualties—21 dead and over 100 injured—underscored the brutality of the act and galvanized public and official response. The city and law enforcement authorities swiftly announced their determination to apprehend the perpetrators, offering a $25,000 reward, with an additional $50,000 raised by the Merchants and Manufacturers Association (M&M).
Despite the immediate outrage and commitment to justice, weeks passed without arrests, intensifying the pressure on investigators. The incident was particularly alarming because it mirrored a pattern of dozens of earlier, non-fatal bomb attacks that Burns had been tracking. This context suggested that the Los Angeles bombing was not an isolated act of disgruntled individuals but potentially part of a coordinated campaign, elevating the stakes of the investigation.
William J. Burns: America's Sherlock Holmes on the Case
William J. Burns, known as "America's Sherlock Holmes," was a prominent private investigator and law enforcement official. His reputation for conducting private investigations into notable incidents made him the ideal choice for the City of Los Angeles to lead the hunt for the bombers. Burns had already been investigating a nationwide wave of iron manufacturing plant bombings for the National Erector Association for four years prior to the Los Angeles incident. He took on the city's job as an extension of his ongoing investigation, leveraging his existing intelligence and network.
Burns's investigation was meticulous and strategic. He learned from Herbert Hockin, a paid spy within the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers (IW), that Ortie McManigal was handling the union's bombing campaign under orders from union president Frank Ryan and secretary-treasurer J.J. McNamara. Burns infiltrated a hunting trip involving J.J. McNamara and McManigal, where J.J. reportedly boasted about blowing up the Times Building. An undercover operative also secretly photographed J.J., which Burns later used to identify him as a "Mr. J. B. Bryce" who had checked into a Los Angeles hotel the day before the bombing and left hurriedly the next morning.
Arrests and Confessions: Unraveling the Conspiracy
On April 14, 1911, Burns, his son Raymond, and police officers from Detroit and Chicago arrested Ortie McManigal and James B. McNamara (J.B.) at the Oxford Hotel in Detroit. Their suitcases contained dynamite, blasting caps, and alarm clocks, clear evidence of their involvement in explosive activities. Initially, the men were told they were being arrested for a bank robbery in Chicago, a charge they could easily refute with alibis, leading them to agree to accompany Burns to Chicago.
In Chicago, McManigal and J.B. were held in a private home rather than a police station. Burns, through persuasive tactics, convinced McManigal that he possessed comprehensive knowledge of the bombing campaign and that cooperation could lead to a lighter sentence. McManigal subsequently confessed, stating that while he hadn't participated in the Times bombing, J.B. had informed him that he and two others, Matthew Schmidt and David Caplan, were responsible. McManigal's confession also implicated other IW leaders, including Ryan, J.J. McNamara, and Hockin. This breakthrough allowed Burns to secure extradition papers for McManigal and both McNamara brothers, leading to the arrest of J.J. McNamara in Indianapolis and their eventual transfer to Los Angeles to face justice for the devastating bombing.
The Broader Implications of the Investigation
Burns's investigation extended beyond the immediate perpetrators of the Los Angeles Times bombing. It uncovered a much larger conspiracy, revealing that the Ironworkers Union leadership was aware of and had approved over 100 bombings between 1905 and 1910. This extensive campaign of violence, perhaps the largest domestic terrorism campaign in American history at the time, highlighted the extreme measures taken during the intense labor conflicts of the era. The successful apprehension and subsequent confessions of the McNamara brothers and McManigal were significant victories for law enforcement and a stark warning against the use of violence in labor disputes.
