The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-12-20
IOWA TRAGEDY !.
Council Bluffs Bank EmpIoye
Shoots Two Inspectors
y. and Himself.
HIS OWN WOUND FATAL.
An Investigation Of His Az
fairs the Cause Of the
Bloody Deed.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia, Dec. 17.-At II
q. M. tragedy was enacted in the pri-
yate office Of the Citizens State bank
of Council Bluffs which may result IA
tally for three persons. John Hunting
ton, assistant bookkeeper and collection
clerk, shot G. A. Cromwell of Minne-
apolis and F. N. Hayden of Chicago,
representatives of the Fidelity and
Casualty company of New York, and
then emptied his revolver into his own
brain, infiicting wound from which he
died in two hours later. Cromwell and
Hayden, it is thought, will recover.
Huntington was one of the best known
men in Council Bluffs and numbered
his friends by the hundred. So far as
can be learned he had no bad habits
and this is what makes his act the
harder to explain.
Cause of the Trouble.
On the goth of last July check Of
$500 was turned over to him by Ira F.
Hendricks, one of the employees of the
bank, in the regular routine of business.
Huntington charged up the check to
the Union Stock Yards National bank
of South Omaha, and from that day to
this nothing whatever has been seen Or
heard of it. AS all of the employees
were bonded in the Fidelity and Cas-
ualty company the bank officials noti-
fed that company to send inspectors to
make all investigation. Messrs Crom-
well and Hayden arrived in the city
last Friday. They cross examined each
of the bank employees through whose
hands the missing check had passed,
and among the rest Huntington. They
claimed to have discovered that he had
been
Spending More Money
than his salary, and on this, together
with the fact that the check had been
last seen in his hands they based their
suspicious. Huntington and the rep
resentative of the Fidelity company
met Saturday night and made arrange
ments for another meeting at the bank
Sunday morning when the investlga-
ton was to be resumed. At the hour
appointed they were together and Crom
well and Hayden commenced to put the
young man through running cross
fire of questions j. D. Edmundson
and Cashier c. B. Hannah of the bank
We're present during most Of the inter:
view. The conference had not been in
progress more than Is minutes when
Huntington rose from his chair,
Pulled q Revolver
and commenced firing at the represent
atives of the Fidelity company. The
first three shots were fired at Crom-
we'll, who had taken the lead in the in
terrogation, and all three took effect.
The fourth struck Hayden, and then
Huntington raised the weapon to his
own head and fred. He fell to the
floor unconscious and remained so until
his death at ITO p. m.
The two wounded men ran out of the
bank down First avenue and into the
Grand hotel, blood dripping from them
ut every step. They were taken to
their rooms and doctor summoned.
He found
Both Men Badly Wounded,
but says they will recover. The bullet
that took Huntington's life, entered the
skull just behind the ear and lodged
back of the right eye where its pres
ence was shown by a discoloration Of
the lid. His having the weapon i'll his
possession showed he had planned it all
beforehand, and his GOODNESS in the face
Of the terrible deed he was meditating
was surprising, all Of the men who
were present at the interview testify
ing that they had not the slightest idea
anything out of the usual order Of
things would arise.