The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-12-19
TRAGEDY IN A BANK
Cashier Of a Bank at Council
Buff Shoots Two
STATE BANK EXAMINERS
And Then Sends Bullet Crgshine
Through His Brain.
The Suicide Was Short in His Accounts
The Wounded Men Had Close Call
but Both VIII Recover.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia, Dec 17.--John
Huntington, remittance clerk in the
Citizens State bank, of this city, shot
and seriously wounded f. N. Hayden,
of Chicago, and A. Cromwell, OF Mime
apolis, respectively superintendentand
inspector of the Fidelity and Casualty
Company, of New York, and then com.
mitted suicide by shooting himself
through the head Sunday morning, at
about 11:15 o'clock in the private Office
of the bank.
There was shortage in the bank ac-
counts of $500, and this caused the act
The shortage dates from last July. On
the 10th of that month four $500 checks
passed into the Citizens bank. Only
three of those checks have ever been
accounted for.
1t was just II o'clock when the con-
ference between Huntington, the bank
officials and Messrs Hayden and Crom-
we'll began. Huntington was asked
regarding the money he borrowed from
his sister and he replied that the
amount was about 800. Asked what
was his disposition of this money, he
said it was none of the other mems
business. Cromwell, who had done
most of the talking with Huntington,
replied sharply that that was not the
kind Of thing they came here for that
it was worse than useless for Hunting
ton to talk that way and they wanted
no more of it. Huntington became ex-
cited and angry and leaning forward,
raped on the table and said: You
can't come here and bulldoze me. l
won't have it."
Mr. Hayden interfered and succeeded
in calming Huntington and for fifteen
minutes or so the conversation Nro-
ceeded.
In few moments Huntington left
his chair and started toward the other
side of the room. He had recovered
from his angry excitement OF la few mo-
ments before and appeared perfectly
calm, although apparently somewhat
angry. Hayden and Cromwell sup
posed Huntington was going to the
wash room and conversation for the
time was suspended.
Huntington, however, had no inten-
ton of going to the closet. He stepped
by Hayden and pulled revolver from
his pocket and placed it close to Crom-
wells head and fired. The bullet struck
the right side of the neck, passed
through behind the windpipe and
lodged in the left side of the neck.
Huntington then turned his weapon on
Hayden, who, startled by the first shot,
had started in his chair and before his
victim could raise to his feet, sent
bullet through the neck. The wound
narrowly missed the spinal column, cut
through the skin and flesh of the neck
and passed out within two inches Of
the point where it struck.
Instantly Huntington turned on
Cromwell, before the latter had time
to rise, and fred third time. Crom'
we'll threw up his right hand and re-
ceived the bullet just above his wrist
Both bones of the arm were shattered
and the ball lodged in the arm. Az
Cromwell succeeded in getting on his
feet, Huntington fred again, this time
striking Cromwell in the feshy part Of
the back, and as Cromwell ran for the
door a fifth shot grazed the skin on his
right side and buried itself in the cas-
ing of the door.
Huntington was left alone in the
room and all those in the bank sue
ceeded in escaping from the outer dool
just as the ryoung man placed the re
volver to his right temple and fred the
last remaining shot into his own brair
and fell heavily to the floor with th'
blood gushing in stream from a gap
ing wound.
Cromwell was the first to escape from
the bank, and he ran to the Grand no
tel, block away, leaving a blood.
trail ON the stone sidewalk as he ran
The wounded men were at once at
tended in their rooms by DR.. McCrae
who lives in the hotel Hayden's in
iury was found to be not Of seriou
nature, although he really had a close
call than did Cromwell, who brough
away three pieces of lead. His woun'
was speedily dressed and Cromwell wa
placed under the influence OF norphin
while the doctor probed for the bullets