The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-30
An Attempt Made on the Montana
National Early this
Morning.
Tho Explosive Used to Open tho
Vault Was Poorly
Located.
1t Only Blew mp Part os tho Stairs and
Wrecked the Woo Presidents
Room, Nothing Moro.

badly planned ons. took place at one
O'clock this morning. Az that hour persons
| for block around the corner Of Main and
Edwards streets. where tho bank IL, heard
terrific explosion. Everybody rushed
toward the locality. In the excitement
for = few inmates. IL was uncertain whether
the report had como from the Montana
bank or from the Merchants bank on the
opposite corner. The doubt was quickly
settled, as the big room OF she Montana
bank near the vault began to Hll up with
smoke. Policeman Bossler. who had run 10
the scene with the first noise of the OF xplosion,
gave the alarm and soon Acting Sergeant
finnsRan and Policemen scharrenbroioh
and Quinton were the:s too. Soharren.
broioh was stationed ON the Main street
side TO watch the elevator door. at which
there IL IN outlet from the bank. Mean
time Finnegan. Bossler and Quinton went
to tho rear TO see that no one escaped from
that point. as the affair was at once sized
mp ~ an attempt at burglary. All doors on
the Edwards street side Of the building
and In the rear were tried. and all found
| secured. This, together with the fact
that there were no open windows to indi-
cate that any one had left the building that
way. and tho further fact that all the doors
Of the bank proper were locked, led to the
belief shat whoever caused the explosion
was still in the place.
| While all the outlets from the building
were being watched Acting Sergeant Finne-
gan got q lantern from the man Who runs q
lunch counter in . wagon on tho corner,
and went up the stairway from the Ed
| ~arAa a~Ap n{AA 5o h>
trance 10 the upper floor except by way of
the elevator in the front OF Main street
side. II winds around near the top and
floor. Al the top Of the stairway the effeot
OF the explosion was seen. The upper step
had been torn out entirely aad shattered
into pieces. The pieces had bscn
s1Ds.o, a1'Is. y til. ...as, sS'oe OF tho
Just over III. seairvay soaring large se,ns holas
IN the plaster. The weather boarding
alongside the upper steps had been splin-
tered. Al first sight IL seemed - ii the
burears had gotten over the vauls ind
exploded charge OF giant powder that
the light short distance into the opening.
however. IL was seen that the explosion had
taken place at point at lsass six feet back
OF the Yault. The smoke inside and the
dust az we'll made it hard TO see clearly
whether tho explosion had had any et1sot
on tbs big vault. and the next thing to dc
was TO act inaide the bank and see.
A hack had b"en sent for Assistant
Cashier Wsiriok. who lives on Rodney
street. and he cams promptly and opened
the doors Of the bank. An exanins tion
revealed the fact that the vault WAS not in
the stairway was badly broken. The room
back of the vanlt and over which the OK
plosion occurred. 10 that of Vioe-PFesident
MsCulioh. After an entrance had been
gained to the bank this room was seen to
be worry much of wreck, principally from
the broken plaster and lathes from the ceil-
ing This examination and the wreck OF
the stairway above made 1t plain that the
work of the robbers had boon done from
above and not on the inside Of the bank.
While all this investigation was going on
many of tho crowd that had gathered began
TO express doubts as to whether q burglary
had been attempted, and 10 lay the dsstruc.
tion done to an explosion of gas. That it
was an attempt at burglary. however, was
very quickly settled BY party who had
gone up to make . second investigation
upper step two augur holes were found.
One was in the wainscotina of the wall OF
one of the rooms on the second story and
about eight inches from the Aoor.
The other was in the floor
way Of the landing just under
SnuS IA e00 WoAubCOtluk anu lew lOCu6G
from the wall. Tho one in the wall had
not been bored very far, not even psnstrat-
ing the wainscotinR. That in the floor
however. was in between two and three
inches. and from the fact that the bottom
OF the hole still showed wood tho infor-
ioiss. On the same landing in the rear
the glass IN the two windows looking
south had been smashed. DIR. Hsrbs
Halloway. the state veterinarian. occupies
room on the second floor OF the building.
Immediately back Of whore the stairs make
Of enlng on TO the landing. and not twenty
feet from the point on the stairway whore
the explosion occurred. The doctor was
In bed asleep at the time and
was OF course awakened by the noise.
Dressing himself, and taking double bar
reled shotgun hs went out and Joined the
people who were trying TO find the cause Of
The explosion and the people who caused il
He afterwards stood guard on ths lauding
with his shotgun to see that no one went
out of the building from the upper floors
nobody in the upper pat of tho building
was proved by Policemen Bossler and
QuintOn. who made Q search OF all tho
floors. They tried every door and found
them looked, and inspected all dark spots
where II was likely or possible that a man
might hide. They even went out on the
roof, but found nothing.
On the south side OF the building towards
the rear 10 . tire escape extending clear |
from the roof to the top OF Low building |
adjoining. Actiag Sc, Rsant FinnsgAn with |
his lantern made the descent of the hre |
ladder to SEQ II the burglars had gone that |
way and left any trao.A Bessler and Quin- |
ton meantime were exploring tho upper |
stories aud found what possibly afforded I
the craftsmen An easy method of escape. |
The windows on the south side Of the bank |
haildtng open ous ON the roof of the Union |
block. u would be an easy matter 10
cross the roof OF this building aud drop
about eight or ten feet to thv roof of the |
Galen block. From there men anxious
TO escape might Ind many ways of reach
ing the ground. Doubts are expressed ey
som,. though, a. 10 whether the men who
caused the explosion were In the building |
when IL took place. They think the rob- |
bors left after tirnR the fuse. intending to
so back after the explosion. The noise IL |
caused and the consequent sxcitement evi. |
IDENTIFY caused them 10 VT - far away as
possible.
The theory. among the many advanced,
which sssms the most likelv. 10 this: The |
men who undertook the job had been In the |
bank and In the upper part Of the building |
during ths day. aud had sized uR or