The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-17
He Suddenly Draws Revolver, shoots
Two Of His Inquisitors and then
Commits Suicide.
COULDN'T STAND EXPOSURE
TRIPLE TRAGEDY IN PRIVATE Of
FICE OF COUNCIL BLUFFS BANK.
Two Representatives of the New York
Fidelity and Casualty Company
Were the Victims.


Bank of Council Bluffs which may result
fatally for three persons. John Hunting
ton, assistant bookkeeper and collection
clerk, shot c. w. Cromwell, of Minneapo-
lis, and f. H. Hayden, of Chicago. repre-
sentatives of the Fidelity and Casualty
Company of New York, and then emptied
the revolver into his own brain, infiicting
a wound from which he died two hours
later. Cromwell and Hayden, 1t 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 hab-
its, and this is what makes his act the
harder to explain. On July 20 a check of
$500 was turned over to him by Ira E. 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 Oma-
ha, and from that day to this morning
nothing whatever 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 became evident that the bank
was out 500, they sent a message to the
Fidelity and Casualty company, notifying
it Of the fact, and suggesting that in
spectors come on at once and make an in
vestigation-
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 FL
deity, and they preferred that the Fidelity
company should make the investigation
rather than make it themselves. Messrs.
Cromwell and Hayden arrived in the city
last Friday and took rooms at the Grand
Hotel.
SPENT TOO MUCH MONEY.
They cross-examined each of the bank
employees through whose hands the miss
ing check had passed, and among the rest
Huntington. They claimed to have discov-
cred that he had been spending more
money than his 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 suspicious. Hunting
ton and the representatives of the Fidelity
company met Saturday night and made
arrangements for another meeting at the
bank Sunday morning, when the investiga-
ton was to be resumed. At the hour ap-
pointed they were together, and Cromwell
and Hayden commenced to put the young
man through running cross-fre Of ques-
tions. President j. Z. Edmundson and
Cashier c. r. Hannah, of the bank. were
present during most of the interview
more than fifteen minutes when Hunting
ton rose from his chair, pulled revolver
tives of the Fidelity company. The re-
volver he used was a forty-eight caliber
that belonged to the bank. and had been
paying teller The first three shots were
fired at Cromwell, VINO had taken the lead
In the Interrogation, 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 un-
conscious. and remained so until his death
The two wounded men ran out of the
bank down First avenue and into the
Grand Hotel, blood dripping from them al
rooms and Dr. Donald MacRae. jr.. was
summoned. He found that one of the bull
lets had taken effect in Cromwelps 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
the 0I Is s sde Of his ness and
to a stop after just missing the carotid
artery. The third struck him in the right
strike the revolver out of Huntington's
hand. 1t broke one of the bones of the fore.
arm clear in two and imbedded itself ir
u.
ball was taken out it was cut almost In
two from the pointed end down. Cromwell
will probably lose the use of his right hand
on account of stiffening of the wris
joint. as the result of the fracture of the
bone. Hayden Jared better. The bulle
struck him in the neck, and, after passing
emerged and imbedded itself in a panel q
the door. where it was afterwards found
His wound is not considered of a serious
nature. but a variation OF a half inch would
have killed him.
THE LAST FATAL SHOT.
The bullet that took Huntington's life en-
| tered the skull just behind the ear and
| lodged back of the right eye, where its
| presence was shown by discoloration OF
the lid. His having the weapon in his pos
| session 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 pres
| ent at the interview testifying that they
| had not the slightest idea anything out OF
| the ordinary run of things was thought ol
| by the young man.
| at once summoned. The aged mother wa.
| beside herself with grief. The death Of
| their son was affiiction enough. but the
| honest old people appeared to be grievec
| more that their son should have committed
the two crimes of robbing his employer.
and then attempting to murder. than ovel
Il
| THAT he is dead is bad enough" sait
| his mother. but that he should do such
| thing is terrible.
| ]. ID. Edmundson. president Of the bank
| was seen and asked for his version of tn,
| affair He said: Huntington, Cromwell
/ Hayden and / were sitting in the privat,
| office. Cromwell was in the northwes
| corner OF the room, i in the northeast
| Hayden about the center and Huntington
| between Hayden and myself. We wer,
| seated about table that stands agains
| the north wall. Mr.. Hammer. the cashier
! had been sitting between Hayden and Hunt
| ington until a few minutes before tn,
| shooting took place, when he went on
| into the front part of the bank Hayder
| and Cromwell had been questioning tn
young man very closely about mis- mod,
| of living. On one occasion he had depos
| tied $40 in the bank. and Cromwell askes
him where he got IL. Huntington said h,
| borrowed it, but when asked OF whom n.
| could not remember and said that it wa
| none OF their business anyway. He wa
! also unable to say of whom he got IN,
| money to pay back the loan. Up to tha
| time 7 had the most implicit confidence I,
| Huntington's honesty but must confess
! his evasive answers made me doubtful OF IL
HUNTINGTON'S GOODNESS.
"I saw that something unpleasant wa
about TO occur and got up TO leave tn
room. Just / got up. Huntington di,
likewise. He passed behind Hayden and
supposed he was going to get a drink a
the water tank. There was nothing in hi