Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1893-05-25
In low
saioonmen Blow Up and !,
the Homes Of Active ~ mrset
hibitiOnists
The Postmaster Of ~,
one OF the victims--'@'ins
Fatalities Resn,. No

! M. Kessinoer onn Aahin aud ;
wrecked by explosives last woss were
Mahin is the postmaster !, Nj.
ana editor of the Evening .Icu. city
lie Is n of the Oldest new. ulnal.
men In the state in point '9papef
Mr. Kessinger is n Of ~ service.
known citizens of the place oet
The explosion took nlaco
Just after the electric lights ws,a -, !
tinguished. The noise was ! '1e e.
thunderbolt had struck thai -
town. The first report was th pai,of
Mahln's residence was ablaze ans y.
hre department appeared nronsu we
1t then appeared that it was MOI y
elements, but fiends who had sous ,ss
TO burn and kill. Giant powder
some other powerful explosive tr.a'
formed Mr.. Mahin's house into
utter wreck. Every wall was ia,,aa
from the foundation, and Doors ,0
niture and fixtures were reduced !.
fragments.
The loud report awoke Mr. NJ,
VINO at first thought that his nom
hao neen struck by lightning. ~
Immediately assisted his wife ons
three children, all of whose sleenIaa
apartments were on the second aoo,
from the house and then summonos
help.
He experienced great difficulty in
getting out, as the doors were iammad
An exit was finally effected tbrongh
a broken window in the parlor. Ths
escape of the family without seriou.
injury is miraculous. A small bla,e
evidently caused by the exposure Of
an electric light wire, was quickly
put out before it made much head.
way. A large wardrobe that stood in
the apartment occupied by the two
daughters, tottered when the exnl.
sion came and fell against the bed al
an angle, but fortunately missed
them. 1t is evident that the exnlo
siye was placed in the cellar under
the center Of the house, as il was
there that the mass OF ruins was most
striking.
Immediately following the report
there was a second explosion. This
came from the residence of Il. NJ. Kes.
singer, corner Of 5th and Orange
streets. The bomb that had done the
mischief had been thrown in a lower
window on the west side of the house,
completely demolishing the interior,
tearing up the floors and blowing out
doors and windows. The hall and
parlor floors were torn from the joists.
A handsome piano lay on its side and
countless articles Of bric-a-brac were
scattered about. The fact that all
the occupants slept Oh the second
floor accounts for their escape.
Guards We're placed at the doors
Immediately after the situation was
realized, and no one was allowed to
enter the house. Hundreds of per
sons who heard the reports rushed up
to the scene of the disaster.
Another residence which it was
sought TO destroy was that of n. Ros-
enberger, a well-known attorney OF
Muscatine. 1t is said that a baby in
Mr.. Rosenberger's home was blown
out of a second story apartment to
the ground, but being wrapped in
clothing was not injured.
j. A. Harvey, president of the Iowa
State Temperance Alliance, has been
in Muscatine for three days. He has
prosecuting injunction suits
begun last fall against saloop keepers.
The day before Mr.. Harvey was in
the district court; and associated
with him was N. Rosenberger, whose
house was also endangered in the
series of explosions. The trial OF
William Crate, ct al, came up. Both
sides waived the argument, whereup-
on the judge announced his decision
to be that the injunction should pro-
coed against William Crate as the
Of the nuisance, and Charles
as the owner OF the building.
In other cases tried, one of them be-
ing that Of Turner Hall, a decree for
injunction was ordered.
The damage done to the three
will amount to $4,000. John
Mahin lives near the center Of the
f. NJ. Kessinger lives a mile
distant from the Mahin residence,
md n. Rosenberger a mile out IN the
country. The three widely separated
blasts were fired almost at the same
Trails of the bombs show
them to have been professionally pre-
They were placed in the
;eliars and exploded by time fuses
ired outside. At Kessinger's the
grass on the lawn shows the
ocation OF the fuse. The Rosenber-