The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-01-11
HURLS BOMB IN A
BANK; TWO dead
RoLLO STEELE, REFUSED LOAN
DROPS MISSILE IN PHILA-
DELPHIA INSTITUTION.
Thrower and Cashier Blown to Pieces
Six Employees Injured, Some of
Whom May Die-Explosion Com
pIeteIy Wrecks Office.

pletely Wrecks Ofice.
Philadelphia, Jan. demanding q
loan of $4,000 and failing to get it,
Rollo Steele, formerly of Garner, Ia,
and Chicago, dropped bomb in
the Fourth Street National bank Sat
urday, blowing him to pieces, instant
ly killing Cashier w. q. McLear and
injuring six others.
Blast Causes Great Excitement.
The Fourth Street National bank
is the largest financial institution in
the city and occupies the greater
portion of the first floor of the Bull
lit building on Fourth street between
Chestnut and Walnut streets in the
heart of the financial district. The
explosion was terrific and it caused
tremendous excitement in the crowd
ed building and the street.
The explosion occurred few min.
ues before IL o'clock, at time when
the bank is usually well filled with
persons In a hurry to transact bust
ness before the bank closes. No
one saw Steele enter the bank
except E. F. Shanbacher, the vice
president, who was passing out Of the
building on his way to luncheon. He
noticed the man was poorly dressed,
looked like a Russian and carried
a small parcel. The man walked
straight back to the rear of the bank
and asked clerk to direct him to
the office of the president, Richard H.
Rushton. What took place in his Office
is best told by the president himself:
Demands Loan of $4,000.
81 was very busy when the man
entered my office and l asked him to
be seated for a moment. He was
very poorly dressed, had patches on
his shoes and his entire appearance
made me bit curious. While he was
waiting for me to finish the business
l had in hand at the moment l hap
pened to notice that he looked at me
very curiously. asked him his bust
ness and he gave his name as G. E.
of $1,000. He did not look like a man
who could make loan of that amount
and l asked him for collateral. He
said something about an insurance
policy and that it would mature in
from one to five years. l was then
convinced the man was crank and
decided to dismiss him at once, not
for moment thinking there was any
harm in him. l told him at once
that he would have to see the cashier
and directed him out in the banking
department At the same moment
called my colored messenger, William
Crump, to see that the man was quick
ly taken out of the building. AS I
turned to continue my work at the
desk there was terrific explosion
and thought the building was coming
down. The man had not time to reach
the cashier, the explosion came too
soon."
Two Lives Snuffed Out.
Details as to what actually happened
when the man left the Office of Pres
ident Rushton differ as no one can
be found who saw the man drop the
bomb. The door to the office of Cash.
Ter Mclean is only few feet from
that of President Rushton, and the
man must have dropped the deadly
missile between the two rooms.
Cashier McLear was sitting at his
desk at the time and his body was
badly mangled. The bomb throwers'
body was torn to pieces
At the time the explosion occurred
all the vaults were open, books were
piled on desks and papers of all sorts
Of value were lying on desks prepare
tory to being put away for the day.
The explosion devastated the interior
of the big banking room. Glass and
wooden partitions were wrecked and
leveled to the ground as though a
cyclone had swept through the place.
Desks were ruined and iron bars were
twisted, in fact there was hardly an
object left intact in the room.
Believed Building Collapsed.
The explosion blew every one in the
banking room to the floor and for
moment they were dazed Many OF
IuOAh AoI hhOWihS WhoI udu
and fearing that the building, which
is an eight story structure, was falling,
made rush for the door, Mr.. Rush
ton among them. The roar of the
explosion brought the tenants on al
floors to their feet and general rush
was made to the elevators and the
stairways. AS the excited Peep. e
came out there was rush from the
street to rescue those who it was
thought had been caught in the cx-
plosion. In the meantime an alarm of
fire was sent in and firemen was
quickly on the ground. There being
no fire in the place the firemen and
police ordered everybody out and a
strong guard was thrown about the
building.