The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-12-19

BODY of an Unknown Man Found by
Hunters Near Pana, Iu.-Passenger
on n Train Murdered by Negro
TOughs.
COUNCIL BLUFFS. Ia, Dec. 16.-At
IL o'clock today a tragedy was enacted in
the private office of the Citizens state bank
Of Council Bluffs. which may result fatal
ly for three persons. John Huntington, as
sistant bookkeeper and collection clerk, shot
c. w. Cromwell of Minneapolis and f. H.
Hayden Of Chicago, representatives of the
Fidelity and casualty company Of New
York. and then emptied his revolver into
his own brain. inhicting a wound from
which he died 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
on the goth of last July a check for $500
was turned over to him by Ira F. Hen
bricks one of the employees Of the bank, in
the regular routine of business. Hunting
ton charged up the check to the Union
stock yards national bank Of South Omaha
and from that day to this nothing what
ever has been seen or heard of IT, The day
following Huntington left for a vacation
trip Of several weeks to New York City.
The bank officials kept thinking the check
would turn up sooner or later and deferred
any action. As time passed on and it be-
came evident that the bank was out $500,
they sent a message to the Fidelity and
casually company notifying it Of the fact
and suggesting that inspectors come on at
once and make an investigation.
The bank officials claim that at the time
they had no charges to make against Hunt
ington or any employe of the bank. All Of
their employees were bonded in the Fidelity
and they preferred that the Fidelity COM
pany should make the investigation rather
than make it themselves. Messrs. Crom-
well and Hayden arrived in the city last
Friday and took rooms at the Grand hotel.
They cross-examined each of the bank en-
ployes through whose hands the missing
check had passed and among the rest Hunt
ington. They claimed to have discovered
that he had been spending more money than
his salary Of S45 a month, which he was
receiving, would warrant, and on this, to-
gether with the fact that the check had been
last seen in his hands, they based as their
tives of the Fidelity company met Satur-
day night and made arrangements for an
other meeting at the bank Sunday morning,
when the investigation was to be resumed.
At the hour appointed they were together
and Cromwell and HAYDEN commenced to
put the young man through a running cross
fire of questions. President ]. D. Edmund
son and Cashier G. r. Hannah Of the bank
were present during most Of the interview.
The conference had not been in progress for
rose from his chair, pulled revolver and
commenced firing at the representatives of
the Fidelity company.
The revolver he used was a 4S-caliber,
that belonged to the bank and had been
kept in the desk of G. F. Spooner, the pay
ing teller The first three shots were fired
at Cromwell who had taken the lead in
the interroga ton, and all three took ef-
feet. The fourth struck Hayden, and then
Huntington raised the weapon to his own
head and fired. He fell to the floor uncon-
scious and remained so until his death at
ITO p. m.
The two wounded men ran out of the
bank down First-ave and into the Grand
hotel, blood dripping from them at every
step. They were taken to their rooms and
DR.. Donald MacRae, jr., was summoned.
He found that one of the bullets had taken
effect in Cromwells back, just TO the right
of the spine. 1t was found about four
inches below the surface and extracted.
The second bullet struck in the left side
of his cheek, plOwed its way around the
right side Of his neck and came to a stop
after just missing the carotid artery. The
third struck him in the right wrist, he haY-
ing thrown up his hand to strike the re-
VOlver out Of Huptingtons hand. 1t broke
one of the bones Of the forearm clear in
two and imbedded itself in the bone, al
most severing il. When the ball was taken
out it was cut almost in two from the
pointed end down. Cromwell will prob
ably lose the use OF his right hand on ac-
count of a stiffening of the wrist joint as
the result Of the fracture Of the bones.
Hayden Jared better. The bullet struck
him in the neck and after passing around
about a quarter of the way, emerged and
imbedded itself in a panel of the door,
where it was afterward found. His wound
is not considered of a serious nature, but
a variation of half an inch would have
killed him. The bullet that took Hunting
tons life entered the skull Just behind
the ear and lodged back of the right eye,
Grafton of the LID. His having the weapon
in his possession showed he had planned it
all out beforehand and his coolness, in the
face of the terrible deed he was meditating,
is surprising, all of the men who were
present at the interview testifying that
they had not the slightest idea anything
out of the ordinary run of things was
thought OF by the young man.
The parents of young Huntington were
at once summoned. The aged mother was
beside herself with grief. The death of
their son was affiiction enough, but the
honest old people appeared TO be grieved
more that their should have committed
the two crimes of robbing his employers
Al. ,N4 ffV,r 70 lar