Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-12-05
By Man Who Demanded Money
Of Sage and Vas Refused.
II. Sage Escapes Death. But Others
Were lot So Fortunate.
The Building Badly Xftclsd.-.The Bomb
ThroVef Was Killed.
Thought That He Must Have Been Insane
Object Not Known.

building on the southwest corner Of Broad
way and Rector streets just across the way
from the old Trinity buryipg ground. The
building 10 a brown stone structure, tve
stories in height and with frontage Of rs
feet on Broadway, extending back 200 fec,
to Church street.
| The noise and shock WAS caused by q
dynamite bomb exploded in the office OF
Russell Sage, the millionaire fnancief and
railroad nagnate. who occupied 8 room
IS and SO second floor.
| The bomb was hurled by crank whose
identity hiss not been defiaitely determined,
but is believed TO have been Wilson, resi-
dence unknown. Wilson demanded ST.
200, 600 from MIR. Sage. and being refused
| and ordered from the otfoe took the bomb
from = small grip sack that he carried and
| flung il upon the floor. A deafeninR crath
instantly followed; the walls and ceilings
came tumbling down upon those in the
offices the windows of the building were
blown out and across Rector street into
| Trinity cemetery, and the building trem-
bled to it's foundations.
Panic reigned supreme throughout the
building. Every Ciiice in the structure was
emptied of Its occupants in q twinkling,
and people ran over and trampled upon
each other in their mad haste to get down
the siaifwsys. The people close at hand
| saw . man blown through one OF the win
dows of Ssge's Office into Rector street.
Pedestrians passing the building at the
time were thrown to the ground. The
| noise Of the explosion was heard for blocks
around and the people rushed from the
offices along lower Broadway and Wall
| street. and ran bAreheaded into the street
| to learn what had happened.
For few moments everybody in the
| vicinity was stunned, then there was rush
for the building, now enveloped in q thick
cloud Of white dust. which poured out from
| the broken windows. In less than i've
minutes after the explosion, Broadway and
Rector street were packed from curb to
| curb with q struggling mass of excited
humanity. Probably never in .he history
Of the metroI oils has An event occurred that
| for time caused more excitement in Wall
street and lover Broadway.
Fully $4,000 people were drawn to the
scene. and for an hour the police were pow
erless to bring order out Of chaos. The
| fire alarm and ambulance calls were imme
diately sent out, and both were promptly
responded to.
ground and formed FIRE line about the
building. Meanwhile the Injured were
being cared for in OConneil's drug store,
on the opposite side Of Broadway. All
came from Mr.. Ssges tiiice, where the
bomb WAS exploded.
One of the first to be brought to the
store was Russell Sage himself. He had
groped his way out into the corridor after
-. - toI
and across the street. He had an ugly
wound on the forehead from which the
blood was flowing freely, and several lesser
iaceraied wounds of the head, and was
suffering greatly from the shock.
He was placed upon . lounge in the drug
store and his injuries Immediately attended
to. BY his direction q dispatch was sent
DR.. J. P. Mum, who shortly was in attend
ance on Mr.. Sage. Mr.. Sage rallied
quickly, snd was soon able to tell the story.
He said the man called At his office about
noon and sent him card bearing name
"H. ID. Wilson" His clerk informed him
that the visitor desired to see him immedi-
ately and he left gentleman. with whom
he was conversipg, 10 go to the outer office
to see the stranger.
The man told him he must have 81 ,200,-
600 for his immediate use. MIR. Sage
seeing the man Was q crank, bugsn to
temporize with him. IL want il right
away" ssid the visitor; al have lot Of
dynamite in this bag and if | don't get the
money forthwith, I'll blow up the place."
Mr.. Sage thought this was mere bluster,
| and telling him to get out turned TO go back
| to his private office. s'Then cant have
| it?' said the man. "Well, here goes"
After that Mr.. Sage said he knew nothing
| II atil he found himself on the lounge in the
drug store. After his wounds were dressed
and he had recovered somewhat from the
shock, Mr. Sage was taken home in cab
The police cleared the building Of all
| persons and made . search in the wrecked
offices. The interior Of the offices showed
the force Of the explosion IS something
terrific. All the petition walls were blown
down and the ssshes and window frames
we're forced outward. The ceiling has
been torn down, the Il jor forced downward
rendering it unsafe to walk upon.
| The detk and chairs were overturned
and every piece Of glass in the big air shaft
that ran to the door was shivered into
thousands Of particles. Just inside Of the
door Of the general office was found the
body Of man, with the head severed from
the trunk. The man had pointed, reddish
beard, brown, curly hair and heavy nous
taohe. The whole lower part of the body
was shattered to pieces. The right arm
was missing, as was the left leg. The re
mains are supposed be those Of II. d
Wilson, who threw the bomb. He seeml
seems to have been the only person killed
outright.
Benz. F. Norton who was blown out the
window Was clerk In the Office Of Mr.. Sage
ard vas removed to the Chambers stree
hospital, where he died st ] 30 while
under an operation for fracture Of tbs
skull. His injuries consisted Of frsctur
ed ,kuIl, burns Of the face and interns
injuries. He vas = resident Of Far Rock
away, l. l., and was 35 years old.
The probabilities are that not more thar
two persons met with death. The injured
are all doing we'll, though come are sefi
ously hurt. and several have already made
ante m oftem statements. The list com
prises Col. John J. Slocum Of this city
brother in-law Of Russell Sage, cashier II
his Office; W. Il. Laidlsw, clerk in Mr.
Sage's ofice; c. w. Osborne, Brooklyn
clerk, whose condition is dangerous Franz
Robertson. . brokers' clerk, condition il
cfi0cal; fTAbK MeIlis, stenoffhpner
Mr. Ssge's office; 8. g. Calhoun, TELEGRAPH
or rerator. living in Brooklyn; y. g. Morfi
son. Who has m offes 10 the building.
Three unknown persons vent 70 thu
Chambers street hospital and had wound
dressed. RUSSELL Sage, Jr.. stsses that bi
fsiber bad receive three or four threaten
ing letters of late, signed James Walsh
In them the writer demanded $1,000. 900
~ be was about to marry two women, tn
widows Of Spinols and Mannheim, snd h
wanted the money to put him on thei
J financial level.
Mr.. Sage paid no attention to the letters
although the writer threatened his life
They were assumed to be the production
Of harmlss Iunatic.
4 Inspector Byrnes tonight tonight took :
Mr.. 6sge's house the head Of the ma
found desd in Mr.. Ssge's Office. Mr. Sag
, identified the head % belonging to tie ma
/ Who threw the bomb.
An Albany Dispatch says it 10 believe
there that the dynamite crank WAS Hifsr