The morning call., 1891-12-05
WRECKED BY BOMB
4 Dastardly Attempt on the
Life Of Russell Sage.
He Escaped Alive But the Bomb -ThrOWer
Vas Blown 10 Atoms.
One Of Sage'S Clerks Hurled Through a Win
COW and Many others Injured.
The Deed Of Crank.
Special 10 The MORNING CALI


Building in which it was located being
shaken to the very foundation by the ex-
plosiOn Of a dynamite bomb, hurled by a
crank, who had made a demand upon Sage
for the immediate payment Of S1,25O,OOO,
the ultimatum being, in case Of refusal. the
death of the millionaire, the crank himself,
and those employed in the office. Never in
the history Of the metropolis is it probable,
that an event has occurred which for the
time caused such excitement in Wall street
and lower Broadway. Fully $4,000 people
were drawn to the scene Of the explosion,
and for an hour the police were powerless
10 bring order out of chaos.
THREW THE BOMB.
At 1915 o'clock this afternoon a
small. shabbily dressed man, appar-
emily about % years old, carrying a
brown leather handbag, called at Russell
Sage's Office, on the second floor Of II
Broadway, and asked to see Mr.. Sage. W.
r Laidlaw. Sage's clerk, told him Mr.. Sage
was busy and could not be seen. The man
persisted aud continued to talk in loud
tone, when Mr.. Sage, who was in an inner
Office, came out to see what was the matter.
He asked the man what he wanted. The
man demanded 100000 from Sage, and
upon being refused he dropped dynamite
bOmb, and an explosion followed.
The man who threw the bomb was blown
to pieces, one Of Sage's clerks was instantly
killed and several were dangerously wound
ed. Sage's injuries were only slight.
DEMANDED AN INTERVIEW.
1t has been learned that when Mr.. Sage
came out of his Office to ascertain the cause
of the noise produced by the caller, Mr..
Sage asked the man what he wanted. The
man replied: al demand private inter-
view with you" Sage replied it would be
impossible for him to see the man then, but
he might probably do so later in the day.
The man continued to demand a private
interview then ana there, and Sage ordered
him TO leave the Office. On this the man
dropped his leather bag and an explosion
which shook the entire block instantly fol
lowed.
GREAT DAMAGE DONE.
Sage was thrown across the room and
stunned. Laidaw was also thrown across
the Office and had one leg badly lacerated..
The stranger was thrown against the part-
ton wall and was by far the most severely
injured. There were three others, whose
names could not be ascertained at the mo-
ment, who are injured. The injured men
were taken to O'COnuell's drugstore across
the way, where it was found that Sage and
Laidlaw, though severely jured, had not
received any fatal wounds. It is known
one of the clerks in Sage's office was blown
out through the window. Nearly all the
windows on the east end on the north side
Of the building were shattered and the in
terror of the building was badly wrecked. 1t
is said TWO at least of the occupants of the
building were torn to pieces by the force of
the explosion.
THE DYNAMITER KILLED.
At first it was reported that the man who
caused the explosion was not killed out
right, but was among the injured taken to
the Chambers-street Hospital. Later it was
learned he was instantly killed, his body
being blown to pieces. The head, how
ever, is sufficiently unujured to make identi-
fcation barely possible. Ia the Office of
Russell Sage the safe was broken open and
the securities scattered over the building
and into the streets. The callers In Sage's
Office at the time Of the explosion were
Colonel J. j. Slocum, E. c. OSBORN, G. w.
t 10 -
Il is said Norton was badly injured, and
that lie was taken in an ambulance 10 the
ST Vincent Hospital. Pieces Of several
bodies were picked up On the second floor
Of the building near the scene of the explo-
sion, and placed in a net. One Of the pieces
picked up was a head with the face intact.
1t was that Of young man with brown hair
growing thickly upon the head. As both
Lenzies ard d. ". Osborn are missing it is
supposed that their bodies compose por-
tiOn Of the mangled heap.
RUSSELL sAGE's INJURIES.
Sage, in a conversation after the explo-
sion, said he considered 1t a deliberate at
tempt to kill himself and destroy the build
ing. The man insisted upon presenting
Sage with his card, but he declined to ac-
cept it. Sage was completely covered with
lime and dust and his clothing was blown
into tatters, and his hands, face and clothing
were covered with blood. Sage's injuries
mainly consist Of cuts and bruises upon the
forehead, while his face and hands are filled
with small cuts.
Jay Gould was downtown at the time and
on hearing Of Russell Sages injury dis
patched his private physician, DR.. A. p
Mum, to his relief.
Both fire and ambulance calls were at
once sent out and in a few minutes after
the explosion the building was surrounded
by fire engines, ambulances and policemen,
The news spread all over downtown and
every street in the neighborhood was soon
thronged with thousands of excited men,
and the widest rumors prevailed.
WHO THE VISITOR WAS.
Russell Sage was taken to the drug-stor
opposite his office, where it was found his
injuries were not very serious. His face
was badly burned and the hair on his head
and face was burned off. He was much ex-
cited. but said brokenly: "The man, who
gave his name as II. d. Wilson, came to my
Office just now. l have never seen him be-
fore. He had carpet-bag in his hand, and
said, If you will not give me 81, 200 900 |
will blow you all to pieces l know moth
ing further, except hearing a great exp!o-
sion"
One of the bystanders, who was crossing
Broadway just as the explosion occurred,
said the shock was SO great that men near
by fell senseless on the walk. One side of
the building then for an instant resembled
a Niagara. 1t was perfect sheet of minute
atoms of glass, and in the mass was the
figure of man who was hurled through
window. Then man, who was so cut and
bleeding as to be unrecognizable, climbed
from Sage's Office to the windOw-sill and
seemed about to jump. but was prevailed
upon to wait.
THREE ROOMS WRECKED.
Three rooms, No. 50 and the two adioin-
ing, were totally wrecked. All that re-
mained unimpaired in the Office Of Sage
vas bis desk and the office chair. The win
dows on the Rector-stree side OF the build
Ing were blown out and those on the other
side OF the building were shattered
Washington Connor escaped without in
jury.