The sun., 1893-09-28
A MANIAC AND HIS PISTOL.
rrug. SHOTS RING OUT ON THE CHL-
ChGO BOARD OF TRADE.

,.de for sheiter-Two Men on the Floor
R,diy wounded and Woman in the OPP
,o,ito Gallery Hit-uaFd Work TO Save
N, Man frons . Lynching when the Fusii-
Lad. Enaea-tIe was Turned Loose fror,
an Ins,ne Asylum . Few Months Ago.
CHICAGO, Sept. 27.-Cassius Belden. o car
vses painter. residing at 1856 Lasalle avenue.
sntsred the mems gallery OF the Board OF
Trade at 11:4, o'clock this morning. took
deliberate survey OF the crowded scene below
t- him. drew o revolver. and began shooting.
!. Beiore he wss overpowered he had very seri-
ously woun ded Ammi Bennett. Secretary OF
il; the Board OF Trade Mutual Benefit Associa-
! Non. and ,,hattered the face Of @. W. Roswell.
4 one ofthe chief assistant operators ofthe West
! arm Union Telegraph Company, who happened
n be crossing the floor at the time the
sbots .Eere fred. Mrs. ". ". Lewis OF Titus
Vile. IA, was seated beside her husband In
the north gallery when Belden began to
shot /. and one OF the shots entered the middle
offser back. inilictinR o severe desh wound.
The bullet which struck Bennett passed
though the back Of his mock and remained
ihbedded in the tissues at the base OF the
.terebellum. and the surgeons are chary OF
Attempting an operation In the weakened
bstste OF their patient.
Ethe right side OF the Jaw. shattering It and
T knocking out several OF his teeth. 1t was
I. terrible wound. and apparently from weapon
: oilarGe calbre.
When the red bearded man entered the gal
IerS though his actions were strange and
he was muttering to himself. little attention
was paid to him By the crowd who stood beside
him until he suddenly whipped Q pistol from
his coat pocket and commenced firing. The
ykapon seemed to be directed toward the gal
kry, which ever since the rush OF World's
hur visitors has been specially set apart for
the use OF women and children. and Mrs.
LOWS was injured by one Of the two bullets
which the maniac fred in that direction.
At the third shot the man lowered his weapon
toward tho floor OF the house. which was
crowded with brokers. He pulled the trigger
third time. and Bennett staggered and fell
The fourth shot, By miracle. found resting
place In the pine floor. but the fifth struck
Ros we'll full on the side Of the face.
Al this time the men in the gallery who
stood beside Belden made no attempt to stop
Hie shooting. and the scene which followed
hhe firing on the floor below was indesoriba.
ble When the brokers realized that they
were targets they threw themselves behind
any shelter they could find. Some flung them-
selves headlong through the doorway into the
broad passages. which speedily became
choked with the struggling mass OF men.
Others buried them selves at full length on the
floor and sought thus to escape the bullets
which were flying overhead. A multitude OF
panic- stricken men jumped over the telegraph
counters and the tumult was intense.
Sud denly a coo!-headed man was seen to
leap from the startled throne and make his
WHY to the gallery where the rod bearded man
. s,bod with his revolver detying the panic-
tkricken crowd below him. 1t was young Tom
Barrett OF the firm OF Boyden i Co.. and q
hnoted amateur boxer and athlete. He rushed
into the gallery and confronted the assassin.
, The man raised the pistol. He had one shot
left. It was a case OF life and death with Bar
rett but he did not hesitate. His big right
hand shot out. and the man fell half stunned
inacorner. Before he could rise Barrett flung
himself upon him and wrested away his pistol.
For n moment the maniac struggled. and
almost succeeded in shaking Off the grasp OF
his captor. But Barrett stuck to him like q
bupdo& lodging the heavy blows the man
rJned at him. and two more men jumping In.
W q prisoner was secured.
Then from the pandemonium below arose q
tcry from the throats OF 1000 excited men
tip rrsting for vengeance.
Lynch himl Lynch him! Throw him
ever" was the cry. Up the heavy iron stair
rase men swarmed by the hundred. II the
tmob could get at him he was sure to be torn to
pieces. and it looked for Ave minutes as II that
would be his fate.
. Tom Ba rret. reinforced by Henry Hudum.
hi Waters. and Dick Eustace. fought against
the crowd. Half a dozen Of the directors. who
mad rushed to the scene Of the disturbance
from tho adjacent Board rooms. took in tho
situation at glance. and they united with tho
calmer few in endeavoring to save the man
kom the fury OF the mob. For over six min
ntes they struggled and fought and hauled.
Then by concentrated rush they forced their
way through the crowd and rushed their pris-
ener to place Of safety In ono OF the Board
rooms.
Even then. however. the enraged brokers
were not contented. They set up loud shout
hnd rushed for the private Offices. The great
Iron stairrase was thronGed with men. who
Sraaso 'a mem May were eus 4ad as bnssaa
coats oats were torn. and hats went flying.
d essnn in the il Ssy ss bsps s
being enacted. At the first pun Of the revolver
sry was '1faed toward ths 0PnOste gal
S;.eSo.%panod them fol- over 9ne another in a
fipped and fell aud others rolled over them.
uwas ,s,Sa marvel that no one was seriously In
Realizing that the lunatic was, going to
empty empty every chamber In his revolver az the
er1wt. yhody was running for safety. Com
mission men with orders In their hands
SIpneeZed against each other behind the big
Hailetin boards. The little smoking rooms at
We corners were packed; The people in the
corn corn pit and in the vessel mems aisle ut the
sNuth sNaih OF the Exchange room were compare
SSSeiy S1y safe for the pnatic was lrlng over their
heSds at the crowd beyond
.nIe IIhers was a sPrintinG match between 400
sna Sai, ooO men for the wash room at the south
,Test corner and for the broad doors leading to
the thhe south exit The egress from this part OF
sre e heli n was much easier than from the north
sIh part. and In less than hall m mute the
worn worn pit, except for dozen or twenty men who
we're lying down behind the edges OF the steps.
looked like a deserted village.
thi add TO the confusion which roigned all
ais time; men were rushing about getting up
to,eold second lynching party. This WAS to .rspn-
totfe the throng on the staircase and in the
i%ah%e; ioan%ae Howls OF rage went up when II was
oand that the man was held In safety and thar
ahuetermined body of officials had arrayed
'nsmseives for law and order.
He crowd fell back quietly.
A. ION! Barrett. who had the presence of mind