Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-01-06
Made a Demand for $4,000 in
The Fourth Street National
Bank in Philadelphia.
MUCH VALUABLE PAPER DESTROYED
Cashier Of the institution Wac Killed
as Was the Man Who Threw the
Exploslve-tinppcncd With such an
Awful suddcnness That Nobody
Knew What Had Occurred.
tBy Associated press.l

tby Associated Press.)
PHILADELPHIA, PA, Jan. 5.-De.
manding loan OF five thousand dol
lars and failing to get II, n man who
has not yet been identified. dropped
bomb In the Fourth Street National
bank today, blowing himself to pieces,
Instantly killing Cashier w. y. Nc.
Lear and injnring six others, one or
two of whom may die. The only clue
to the identity of the bomb.thrower
was bunch of keys In n portion of
the clothing attached to which was n
plate inscribed "R. Steele, Garner,
Iowa" The Fourth Street National
bank is the largest financial institu.
ton in the city and occupies the
greater portion of the first floor OF
the Built building on Fourth street.
between Chestnut and Walnut streets
In the heart OF the financial district
The explosion was terrific and II
caused tremendous excitement In the
crowded building and the street.
The explosion occurred n few min.
utes before IL o'clock at time when
the bank Is usually well filled with
persons I'm hurry to transact bust.
ness before the bank closes. No one
saw the unknown man enter the
bank except e. +. Shanbacher, the
vtce-prestdent,s who was passing
through the building on Ills way to
lunch. He noticed the man was poor
ly dressed, looked like Russian and
carried small parcel.
President Rushton's Story.
The man walked straight back to
the rear of the bank and asked n
clerk to direct him to the office OF
President II. Rusbtou. What took
place in his office is best told by the
President himself. II was busy when
the man entered my office ana | ask.
ed him to be seated for 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 fin
tsh the business I3had' inthand at the
moment. I.happenefl to notice thatthn
locked 5at, me very 'curloI8ly asked
him his business and ,'he y gave. his
naIite as &c. .E:SssNllliamA aid said he
wanted q loan iofss5.086glS He3dilhnot
lookHilike. d. many @hnt ,coiiid make a
loan of' that amount. sand,II askedshjm
FOR collateral. i: He 3'said Something
abort an insurance policy and that. it
would mature lin from one to five
years. was then convincedsthe man
Was a crank and decided ito, dismiss
him at once not for a moment think.
Ing there was any harm in him. /
told himt he would havesto see. the
| cashier and directed him out into the
banking department. At the same
moment called my colored messen.
ger William Cruhip to see that the
man was quickly taken out of the
building. AS turned to continue my
work at the desk there was terrific
explosion and thought the building
was coming down."
Details Are Lacking,
| The man had not time TO reach thC
cashier. the explosion came to soon
after. Details as to what actually
happened when the man left the Of
flee of President Rushton differ as
no one can be found who saw the
man drop the bomb. The door to the
office of Cashier McLear is only a
few, feet from that of the President
and the man must have dropped the
bomb between the two rooms. Cash.
Ter McLear was sitting at his desk
at the time and his body was badly
mangles The bomb thrower's body
was torn to pieces.
at the time the explosion occurred
tiiO NauitS vert OpeHen, DOCKS were
piled on desks and papers OF all sorts
of value were lying on desks prepar.
atory to being put away for the day.
I. Wrecked the interior.
| The explosion devasted the interior
of the big banking room, Glass and
wooden partitions were wrecked and
leyeled 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. or all
the persons I'm the room. at least six,
all of them clerks, were hurt. two of
them probably fatally, Three were
sent to the hospital The explosion
threw every one in the banking room
to the floor and for a moment they
were dazed. Many of them not know
Ing what had happened and fearing
that the building which is an eight
! story structure was falling, made a
rush for the door, Mr.. Rushton among
them.
| Excitement Was Intense.
The roar of the explosion brought