Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-12-17
SHOT HIS ACCUSERS
Attempts to Kill Two Men and
Commits Suicide.
JOHN HUNTINGroNsB BLOODY CRIME.

assistant BOOkkeeper in the Citizens State
hank at Council Bluff, Brought to Ray
for Stealing q Check, Puts Three Bullets
Into c. A. Cromwell, Fourth Into F. n.
Hayden and tho Fifth Into His Own
Brain, Dying Later.
COUNCIL BLUFFS Ia, Dec. 1..-At II a.
m. yesterday a tragedy was enacted in the
private Office of the Citizens State bank
OF Council Bluffs which may result fatal
ly Tor three persons. John Huntington,
assistant bookkeeper and collection clerk,
shot c. A. Cromwell, of Minneapolis, and
+. n. Hayden, of Chicago, representatives
of the Fidelity and Casualty company, of
New Yok, and then emptied his revolver
into his own brain, infiicting 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 num-
bered his friends by the hundred. So far
as can be learned he had no bad habits
and this Is what makes his act the hader
70 explain.
Check MysteriOusly Missing.
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 Hunt
ington charged up the check to the Union
Stock Yards National bank, of South
Omaha, and from that day to this moth
ing whatever has been seen or heard of
1t. The day following Huntington left
for vacation trip of several weeks to New
r:f fr IL.
ing the check would show up sooner or
later and deferred any action. As time
passed on and it became evident that the
bank was out 500 they sent a message to
the Fidelity and Casualty company noti-
lying 1t OF the fact and suggesting that
inspectors come on ut once and make an
investigation.
Fidelity Agents Make an Inquiry.
The bank officials claim that at the time
they had no charges to make against
Huntington or any employe of the bank.
All OF their employees We're bonded in the
Fidelity, and they preferred that the FL
deity company should make the investi-
CATION, rather than make it themselves
Cromwell 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 the salary of s45 a month
which he was receiving would warrant
and on this, together with the fact that
the check had been last seen in his hands,
they based their sus picions
And Huntington Opens Fire.
Huntington and the representatives of
the Fidelity company met Saturday night
and made arrangements for another meet
ing at the bank yesterday 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 j. ID.
Edmundson and Cashier c. r. Hannah.
of the bank, were present during most of
the interview. The conference had not
been in progress more than fifteen minutes
when Huntington rose from his chair,
pulled a revolver and commenced firing
at the representatives of the Fidelity COM