The herald., 1894-12-17
HIS HIS SALARY SA|!L|AIR|}Y WAS TOO SMALL,
Tragic End of a Bank Clerks
Career.
He Was Suspected of Embezzling a
Small Sum.
when inspectors Came to Investigate
the Dsfalcation He Shot Them Both
and Then Blew Out His
Own Brains.
By the Associated Press.


bank of Council Bluffs, which may re-
cult fatally for three persona. John
Huntington, assistant bookkeeper and
collection clerk, ehot G. A. Cromwell of
Minneapolis and f. n. Hayden OF Chi
cago, representatives OF the Fidelity aad
Casualty company OF New York, and
then suicided. Cromwell and Hayden,
it is thought, Will recover.
Huntingdon wue we'll known and num-
bered his friends by the hundreds. So
far az can be learned he had no bad
ta bits and this Is what makes his act
harder to explain. Last July cheek
f. OF $500 was turned over TO. him by Ira
f. Hendricks. one of the employees OF
the bank. Huntington charged M the
check TO the Un Dn National bank
of South Omaha, and from that
day to this nothing Whatever hns ever
heen seen or heard otOt. The day fol-
lowing, Huntington ie5t for a vacation
OF several weeks to New IorE. Ihs
bank officials kept thin king the check
would turn MP sooner or later and de-
ferred any action. Ae time passed and
it became evident thsf The bank was
ont $500 they sent a. meaeege TO the
Fidelity and Caeualtv notifying itof the
fact, and suggesting inspectors como on
at once and make an inve0tisAtlon. The
bank tiicis,ls claim that CT the time
they had no charges to make against
Huntington or any enplaycea OF the
bank IL par hicular. All tholr EMPLOYEES
were bo nded in the Fidelity. end they
preferred that the Fidelity company
should mske the inves:i satiope rather
Gnan make it themselves.
MassrT, Cromwell and HAYDEN
arrived in the CITY laet Friday and took
rooms &C the Grand Hotel. They CROSS
& xamined each of the bank employees
tn rough whose hands the mise ing check
ha, passed, and among the rest Hunt
iugA on. They claimed tc hnve discov-
cred that he had been spending more
than, the salary of $45 month which
he wa, receiving would warrsn+ and on
this fact. together with the fact chat the
check h. been last seen in his hands,
they base 4 their suspicious.
HuntinA ton and the represer tatives of
the fidelity company met Saturday night
and arrange, for another meeting to be
held at the b. NIX Sunday morning, when
the Investigate III Was to be resumed. At
the hour appol nte6 they were together,
and Cromwell A1d Hayden co nmenced
to put cross-frs OF questions. Presi-
dent Edmondsou and Cashier Hannah,
of The bank. were present during the
most CT the interview.
The conference hal not been in prog
ress more than Is minutes when HS =
ington rose from his chair, puli'a. Is,
revolver and commanced firing at The
representatives OF the Fid slity compssiy.
The revolver no used wa g "A cal tbsr
81 hni h o,1l- a \ q hoc
kept in the desk OF &. +. 81 0oner. til Q;
paying teller. The fret thfee eho'ss
we're fired at Cromwell, who had taksn
the lead in the interrogation. and nlls
three took effect. The fourth str hcks
Hayden, and then Huntington re ised,
the weapon TO hie OWL heac and fired.
He fell to the floor uncongcioe;e aAd re-
meined in this condition until h;s ceeth.
The wounded mesa war' tN4ssl &c
Grand hotel, blood nll thb TINS drip
ping from them at every etep. They
were taken to their roome lu!d Dr.i DTI-
aid McRae w6s summoned. Ho iora1C
that one of the bullets had taken effect
in Cromwells back, lust 10 the right o!
the spine. about the waist Ible. It was
iound about four inches below the aur-
face and extracted. Ene second ullet
struck the left aide OF rIe cheek.
ploughed its way e4cund the right aide
of his neck aud came to stop after
missing the carotid artery. The third
struck Inn in the right wrist, as he
threw u bis hand tosstriko the'revoiver
out If Einntngtcn's htnds. Ii broke
one Of the bones ci HE orearni and WAS
imbsdded III ho second bone, almost
sereriug il. The victim will probably
lose the uee CT his arm oa account OF the
injnrs to he b5ues.
EarGen Jared better. The ballet
struck nln in the neck, paHsed through
snd iu bedded itFelf ri u door. His
wound il not considered of sarl o,re ma
ture. but a vRristion Ui ERlt ala inch
would have killed tam.
The bullet that guok Hunt agtcu's
siie entered The head juss back OF the
ear and lodged in the bgcg of the right
eye, where Its presence was ehown by
~ dieeolofatioo OF tho .iG. His having
the weapon in his poesession shows
that he had planned the tragedy oit be-
fore hand
The parents OF Huntington were at
once summoned Ths aged mother was
beside herself with grief. The death of
their son was siil ,gtion enough, bar the
honest old people appear96 TO be grleved
more that their son rhould have CONS
mitted The two crimes o, robbery OF his
employees and then attempted TO MUIR
der, than over the nero fact OF his
death.
That he is dead ia bad enough. :" said
his mother. "but that hs should do
sucu n thing is terrible"
d. Edmondeon, president of the bank,
WIGS seen ana aeked for his version Of
the alfaid. Ee said:
Huntington, Cromwell, Hayden and
I were sitting in the private Office.
Cromwell wRa in the northwest corner
of the room. in tho northeast, Hayden
abou: the center and Huntington be-
tween Hayden and myself. We were
seated about table that stands against
the wall.
MIR. Hannah, the caehiar, had been
sitting between Hayden and Huntington
uutil o few minutes before the shooting
toJk place. when he went out into the
front part of tho bank. Hayden and
Cromwell had been questioning the
young man very closely about his mode
of living. On one occasion he had de-
posted $40 in the bank and Cromwell
asked him where he got it. Hunting.
ton said he borrowed it, but when asked
of whom he borrowed it, he could not
remem Der, and said that it wac none of
their buHiness, any way. He wAr not
bound to gay from whom be got the
money. Up to that time l had the most
implicit confidence in Huntington's
honesty, but l must confess bis evasive
answers made me doubtful.
AZ l. 4.