Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-20
TRAGEDY IN A BANK.
The Bookkeeper Ends a Contro-
versey BY Suicide.

First Fired Upon Those who Accused
Him and Seriously Injured Two-Was
Under Examination About Missing
Check for $500.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA, Dec. 16.-At IL
o'clock to-day a tragedy was enacted in
the private Office Of the Citizens State
Bank, OF Council Bluffs, which may
result fatal for three persons.
John Huntington, assistant book
keeper and collection clerk, shot 9. A.
Cromwell of Minneapolis, and M. f.
Hayden of Chicago, representatives of
the Fidelity and Casualty Co. of New
York, and then empticd his revolver
into his own head, inficting a wound
from which he died two hours later.
Cromwell and Hayden, it is thought
may recover.
Huntington was one of the best
known men in Council Bluffs. On the
Goth of last July check of $500 was
turned over to him in the regular
routine of business. Huntington
charged up the check to the Union
Stock Yards Bank of South Omaha,
and from that day to this nothing has
been seen or heard of 1t. The day fol-
lowing Huntington left for vacation
trip Of several weeks to New York City.
As time passed on and it became evi.
dent that the bank was out $500, they
sent to the Fidelity and Casualty Co.
notifying it of the fact, and suggesting
that inspectors come on at once and
make an investigation. All of their
employees were bonded in the Fidelity,
and they preferred that company should
make the investigation. Messrs. Crom-
we'll and Hayden arrived in this city
last Friday and examined each of the
bank employees through whose hands
the missing check had been passed,
Huntingdon among the rest.
They claimed to have discovered that
he had been spending more money than
the salary of $45 month he was re-
ceiving would warrant, and on this, to-
gether with the fact that the check had
been last seen in his hands, they based
their suspicious. Huntington and the
representatives of the Fidelity Co. made
arrangements for meeting at the bank
this morning. At the hour appointed
Cromwell and Hayden put the young
man through running cross fire OF
| questions.
President ]. d. Edmundson and
Cashier G. r. Hannah of the bank were
present during most of the interview.
|
more than fifteen minutes when Hun
ting.on rose from his chair, pulled a
revolver and commenced firing at Crom-
well and Hayden. The revolver he
used belonged to the bank and had been
kept in the desk of G. f. Spooner, the
paying teller.
The first three shots were fired at
Cromwell, who had taken the lead in
the interrogation, and all three took
effect. The fourth struck Hayden, and
then Huntington raised the weapon to
his own head and fired. He fell to the
floor unconscious and so remained until
his death at ITO p. m.
The two wounded men ran out of the
bank, down First avenue, and in the
Grand Hotel, blood dripping from them
at every step. Cromwell will probably
lose the use of his right hand, on
account of stiffening of the wrist joint
as result of the fracture of the bones.
Hayden's wound is not considered dam
gerous, but variation of half an inch
would have killed him. The bullet that
took Huntington's life entered the skull
just behind the ear and lodged back of
| the right eve