Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-12-17
FEARFAL SUNDAY TRAGEDY.
A Young Bank Clerk Caught Steal
ing
A FIyE-HUNDRED DOLLAR CHECK.
The Fidelity Company Notified and In
vostigatiOa Begins.
fIyE-HUNDRRD DOLLAR CHECK.
The Offender Under cross-Examina-
uon Suddenly Jumps up, shoots
'vo of the comnnny's Officers, and
y. q Kills Himself.

oeio 81 n, u, ~agedy was enacted in
the PR, u, e " the Citizens state
bank OF I " bluffs, which may re-
suit fatally or three persons. John
Huntington, assistant bookkeeper and
collection clerk, shot c, A. Cromwell
of Minneapolis and f. II. Hayden of
Chicago, president OF the Fidelity and
Casualty company OF New York. and
then emp,led his revolver Into his own
brain, inhcting a wound from which
he died two hours later. Cromwell and
Hayden, 1t is thought, will recover.
Huntington was one OF the best
known gentlemen in Council BLUFFS and
numbered his friends by the hundreds.
50 far as can be learned he had no
bad habits. and that Is what makes his
act the harder 10 explain. on the 2Oth
OF last July a check Tor $500 was turned
over to him by Ira L. Hendricks. one
OF the employees of the bank. in the
regular routine Of business. Hunting
ton charged up the check 10 the Union
Stock Yards National bank OF south
Omaha. and from that day TO this Moth
Ing has been heard OF II. The day fol-
lowing Huntington LETT for u vacation
trip Of several weeks TO New York.
The bank officials Kept thinking thc
check would turn UP sooner OF later
ana deferred any action. As time passed
on, and II became evident that the bank
was out $500, they cent u measugo ~
the Fidelity ana Casualty company
notifying them OF the fact and susscst-
ing that inspectors come on at once
and make an investigation. The bank
officials claim at the dime they had no
charges to make against huntington
or any other employo OF the bank Al
OF their employees We're bonded IN me
Fidelity, and they preferred that the
Fidelity should make the investigation
rather than make II themselves,
Messrs. Cromwell anu Hayden arrived
In the city last Friday and took rooms
at the Grand hotel. They cross-eNSm-
Ined each OF the bank employees
through whose hands the missing cheek
had passed, and among the rest Hunt
ington, They claimed to have discoV-
cred that he had been spending more
! than his salary of $40 per month, which
| he was receiving, would warrant, and
! on this, together with the fact that the
J check Ind been last seen In his hands,
4 they based their suspicious
I Huntington and the representatives
| OF the Fidelity company met Saturday
/ and made arrangements Tor another
| meeting at the bank Sunday afternoon,
/ when the investigation was to bh re-
! suned At their appointed time they
| were together, and Cromwell and Hay
/ den commenced to put the young man
] through a running cross-fire OF ques-
/ tlons. President j. d. Edmundson and
! cashier Harmon OF the bank were
] present during most OF the interview
] The conference had not been IN prog
/ ross for more than fifteen minutes
4 when Huntington rose from his chair,
pulled q revolver and commenced tlrlng
/ M the representatives OF the Fidelity
/ oompany. The revolver he used was a
| Af-calIbre that belonged TO the hank
| and had been kept In the desk OF Mr..
Spooner, the paying teller. Inc hfat
three shots were fired at Cromwell
who had taken the lead in the lnterro-
yafIon and nil three took effect. The
fourth struck Hayden, and then Hunt
ington raised the weapon 10 bis own
head and fred He fell to the floor un-
conscious and remained so until MS
| death at 1:10 p m.
The two wounded men ran out OF the
bank down First avenue and into the
/ Grand hotel, blood dripping from them
al every step, They were taken TO
their homes and Dr. Donald McRhe'
Ir was summoned. one of the bullets
had taken effect In Cromwelrs back
lust 10 the right Of the spine, hboul
mo waist line. II was found about
,n,r Inches below the surface and eX-
traoted, The second bullet struck IN
,he left side OF his cheek plowing lts
.ae rn,,nd the right side OF his neck
w.; came 10 stop after 3ust missing
~, csrotid artery. The third struck
III, In INC wrist. he having thrown
~ Ma hand to strike the revolver out
W luntinrton's hand. II broke one
~ me homes OF the forearm clear IN
,,ro and Embedded Itself in the lone,
almost severing II, When the pau w.
sen,n .bs polnted end down. cromwell
LII ,robabiy lose the use Of his rlgh'
,,a,,t an account Of a stiffcning OF the
,sr,et Joint. as the result OF the frac-
tura OF the bones. ~,
HAYDEN Jared better. me pullel
s,runk him In the neck. and after plss'
Ing around about q quarter ~ me W.
~, aoor. where II was afterwarfl
.. MS wound IS not considered
sar,ous nature. but variation OF
" III, tnrh would have killed him
,r,.a builet that took Huntingdon
40. a,,erad the skull behind the ear
"a lodged back Of the right eye. Wher'
~ ~. ,,,eee,,ce was shown by discolora'
tans1 N the lAut iiAn 49, tf'~
=, ~" III possession showed ne nag
y, ,,i,rned II all out beforehand ann NJ
p l'.nu in the face of the terrible
S Xxx be was medltating was surpris.
~ iii of the men who were presfhl
lns, ~ interview tesiifylng ihat thel
hsd nat the slightest idea aiiytilIlE ~
nau orstnary run Of things was
~ ,rgb, AZ by the young man
u,rv. narents OF Young HnntluRto,
4, ouce sfmmoned. Tho age1
,hor was besiee herself Win Rr,st
~ asath 81 ihrlr son was not aflil,
Nv enough, but the honest old pepp,'
llon .sred 10 he grleved more that then
seo,,id hrve carnvnt'ed ne w,
~ \, rof-bing his EMPLOYERS Anf
csln attempting intruder. more thar
then x ,,nra fact NJ fis death.
oyr. \, re r. dad IS bad enoueh' sali
ste- .shr. that he should do sucf
ming IL terrible a.. .,..,, :,
Il Fdnundson. the pr--nNnt o
~. hank was sFen ard asked ier ~
, as ~ ire srair lle SAIL; THunt
yer. cromwell Hayden and ] YER
hs,,,,yg II the private once Cromwell
sli'n he northwest corner Of III
NOM. i in the northeast Hayden In th'