Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-28
MURDEROUS MANIA
Tragic Event on the Chicago
Board OF Trade.
CASSIUS BELDEN'S INSANE DEED.
His Victims VIII All Probably Re-
cover, But One is Seriously ard
Another Severely Wounded.
THEWOULD-BE ASSASSIN CAPTURED

1 nj WUUID-b6 ASSASSIN UAPIURED
Wild Panic Among the Brokers After the
Madman Had Ended His Revolver Fusil-
lade-The Demented Mans DeIusion-
Examination of the Michigan Train
Robbers-La Liberties Statement-One
of the Centralia Thugs Surrounded in
swamp-Clue to the Kessier Case.
CHICAGO, Sept. 2s.-Cassius Belden, an
insane carriage painter entered the south
gallery of the board of trade and draw ing
a revolver he deliberately fired twice
towards the ceiling and three times into
the crowded pits of the floor below and the
opposite gallery. A panic Immediately en-
sued among the traders, every one seeking
safety in flight or concealing themselves
behind bulletin boards and other objects
on the floor. Three persons were struck
by flying bullets. They were: Amri NJ.
Bennett, board of trade operator, shot
through the neck; Charles w. Roswell
assistant chief operator of the board of
trade telegraph Office, Jaw broken by bull
let; Mrs. w. w. Lewis. of Titusville, Pa,
Worlds fair visitor, flesh wound in the
back
Woman's Cry Gives Warming
The first warning TO the brokers was a
cry OF woman who was seated near the
maniac. All eyes were attracted by the
noise. the hubbub of the traders ceased
and in another instant the shooting be-
gan. Every one scrambled for shelter and
1t was several minutes before any one re-
h., l
what had happened and to. take means to
stop the work of the madman The first
to act was Thomas w. Barrett, of the
commission firm of Boyden 6; Co., who
rushed up to the stairway and throttled
the man, throwing him to the floor, while
boot-black wrenched away the smoking
weapon A scene of pandemonium had
by this time set in. The traders had
partly recovered their wits and the news
of the shooting had spread to the people
on the streets who Immediately began to
crowd into the building.
The Mobocracy Was on Hand.
They surrounded the prisoner and his
captor. From fighting with the prisoner
Barrett now had to fight for him. Half
dozen of the directors and other cooler
heads promptly assisted him and the ex-
ing and hauling that followed rush was
made by the self-constituted bodyguard
of the prisoner and the man was hurled
into a rooms The maddened crowd ran to
the room and the great stai Hase creaked
under the weight. In order to notify the
police 1t became necessary for one of the
secretaries to crawl over the heads of the
men, but in a short time IA squad of off
GERS arrived, marched up the stairway
and the crowd fell back
The Shooter and His Victims.
The man who did the shooting refused
to give any name but Chicago" at first.
but subsequently he said be was Cassius
Belden,a "a carriage painter, living at BITS La
Sale avenue His incoherent talk and ap-
parent indifference TO the deed he had
done made it evident that he was insane.
Business was entirely suspended and the
traders began to group around the fallen
forms of Bennett and Roswell. Bennett
was the most seriously injured. He Law
insensible upon the floor with gaping
wound in his neck. Roswell, however.
rapidly recovered himself and walked to
his desk where he remained until the
physicians arrived. The right side of his
face presented a horrible sight. 1t had
literally been ploughed up by the bullet.
The jaw was shattered and several teeth
were knocked out.
Bennett's Wound Not Fatal.
AT first it was thought that Benefits
wound was a fatal one, but his physician.
DR.. B. w. Graham, reports that the injury
Is only of a serious nature and that his pa
tient Will recover. Bennett is the secre
tary of the Board of Trade Mutual Benefit
association. y benefit fund has been
started for him, and liberal contributions
are being made the fund promising to be
one of the largest subscriptions ever raised
on the board The third person injured,
Mrs. W. w. Lewis, of TitusviIle, Pa, who
Is here visiting the fair, sat beside her hus-
band in the north gallery, and one of the
first shots struck her in the middle of the
back, intlicting a severe flesh wound