Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-05-12
MUSCATINE'S SENSATION.
The Outrageous Attempt to Blow up
Three Residences.

Three Residences.
The attempt to blow up the resi-
| dences of Editor John f. Mahin, +.
M. Kessinger and n Rosenberger at
Muscatine yesterday morning, as de-
scribed in last evenings ARGUS, was
the one topic naturally, which agi-
tated all minds in that city all day
yesterday. The effect was to COM
pletely paralyze business. No one
thought or talked of anything else
but the dastardly crime, and even
the schools were closed for the day
in consequence. The Journal of last
bevenlng, of which Mr.. Mahin is edi-
tor, introduces its account of the af-
fair by saying:
The most dastardly deed ever
known in this city, yes, we might
say the state, was perpetrated at the
small hour of night. about 1870
O'Clock this morning when the tools
of the saloons almost simultaneously
used dynamite or some other terrible
powerful explosive on the homes OF
John Mahin, editor of this paper, f.
M. Messenger, n retired capitalist,
and n. Rosenberger, an attorney,
ieopardiZing not only the lives OF the
three persons named above but the
innocent lives of the methers, chill
dren, guests and help. 1t is some
thing that pen can not describe, for
words do not suffice. That this
should be done in Muscatine was
never anticipated or thought OF by
the better class of citizens. w hat
are we coming to? ..Will anarchy
reign supreme in this city?" are the
questions every good citizen is ask
ing of himself today.
| Complete Wrecks.
: The three houses were completely
wrecked. 1t is believed dynamite OF
nitro glvcerine was the explosive
used though among the debris in the
cellar of the Kessinger house was
found the twisted and blackened
fragments of % pound tin powder
can. The bottom and top were torn
off and the fluted sides were bent and
twisted. How much of the deadly
+, explosive was contained in this re-
ceptacle is not known.
The escape of the occupants OF the
three houses attacked was marvel
Gus. In Mr. Mahin's house the en-
tire family were thrown from then
= beds. while Mr. Mahin's son. Harold
= who slept on the second floor, was
: found down stairs. though unin-
I iured. and not knowing how he got
D there. At Mr.. Rosenberger's resi-
= dence. the greatest damage was done
a the house being leveled to the
f ground. The Journal says:
Almost Miraculous
=
/ him self he did not know where his
! family were. His wife found hersel
I down in the cellar covered with plas
ter. lath and flooring. while her babe
I was buried beneath her feet. and the
other little one was wcdged in be
. tween some of the timbers. She
: picked up her precious babe and pro
, ceeded to help the other one out o
: its dilemma. Upstairs Mrs. Rosen
beger's sister. Miss Hattie Prizer. o
Brighton. and Miss Emma McCul
, Tough. of Nebraska, were sleeping
l" The shock threw the former out o
! bed and the walls having bulged out
|. thus permitting the second floor t.
drop to an angle 40 degrees. she
rolled down to the ground without
much injury except to receive sever
al pretty bad bruises. Miss McCul
Tough was also tumbled out and sliC
down or climbed down studding
d In the fall or throw down to Mr.. r..
he had his left ankle badl.
: wrenched and sprained, it being
swollen to more than twice its nor
NAL size. The little babe received
several bad scratches on its head.
g Mr. Kessinger's home was thu
y least damaged of the three, though
all the the windows and doors wer'
shaken out and the interior is in
4 state of chaos. The family an'
guests all escaped injury.
The Financial Loss.
d 1t is hard to estimate the loss pc
f cuniarilv, but it will reach at leas
$40. 900 to $15. 900, for no insuaanc'
companies insure against such losses
Mr.. Mahin's loss will be in the neigh
: borhood of $4,000, for it PRACTICAL!
, means the rebuilding of the hous'
t from the ground up. 1t will TAX
d So. 900 or So, 900 at least to replace
d Mr.. Kessinger's loss, and nearly the
II same at Mr.. Rosenberger's
: The lives of 20 people in all were
I imperiled by the explosion.
$ 4 mass meeting was held last even
inc at Muscatine to consider the out
: raGe and take measures to ferret on
d the guilty fiends and bring them tt
Justice Steps were taken looking t'
: the offering of reward for their APP
= prehension, etc. A purse of S4,31'
V was raised for this purpose, to which
5 the board of supervisors has added
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