The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-01-08


Time When Bank is Crowded-In-
terror of Banking Room Wrecked.
Every Prison in Room Frustrated.
All OF the Injured Were Clerks in
the Establishment.
Philadelphia, January 5-Demanding
loan Of five thousand dollars and
failin to get it, man VINO has not yet
been identified dropped a bomb in the
Fourth Street National bank today,
blowing himself to pieces, instantly
killing Cashier w. T. McLear and in
juring six others, one Or two Of whom
may die. The only clue to the identity
of the bomb-thrower was a bunch of
keys found in a portion of the clothing
attached to which was plate inscribed
''R. Steele, Garner, Iowa.
The Fourth Street National bank is
the largest financial institution in the
city and occupies the greater portion
of the first floor of the Bullet building
On Fourth street between Chestnut and
WALNUT streets, in the heart Of the fl
nancial district. The explosion was Ter
rife and it caused tremendous excite
ment in the crowded building and the
street.
TIL explosion occurred few minutes
before IL o'clock, at a time when the
bank is usually well filled with persons
in hurry to transact business before
the bank closes. No one saw the un-
known man 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 Rus
sian and carried small parcel The
man walked straight back to the rear
of the bank and asked a clerk to direct
him to the office of the president, Rich
ard II. Rushton. What took place In
his/office is best told by the president
hihdself:
II was very busy when the man en-
tered my office and asked him to be
seated for moment. He was very
poorly dressed, had patches on his
shoes and his entire appearance made
me a bit curious. While he was wait
ing for me to finish the business I had
in hand at the moment, / happened to
ousIy. l asked him his business and
he gave his name as G.. E. Williams
and said he wanted a loan Of SIS 900.
He did not look like a man who could
be made loan Of that amount and
asked him for collateral. He said some
thing about an insurance policy and
that it would mature in from one to
five years I was then convinced the
Il IOl {r.
miss him at once, not for moment
thinking there was any harm in him.
told him he would have to see the
cashier and directed him out into the
banking department. At the same mo-
ment I called my colored messenger
WNam Crump, 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 I thought the building was coming
down. The man had not time to reach
the cashier, the explosion came 81
SOOn.'
Details as to what actually happened
when the man left the office of Presi-
dent RushtOn differ as no one can be
found who saw the man drop the bomb
The door to the office Of Cashier Nc
Lear is only a few feet from that o.
President Rushton and the man mus
have dropped the deadly missile be
tween the two rooms.
Cashier McLear was sitting at nj
deck at the time and his body was bad
~ mangled. The bomb thrower's bod.
was torn to pieces.
At the time the explosion occurred al
the vaults were open, books were pile
on desks and papers O. Al sorts O
value were lying on desks preparator.
to being put away for the day.
The explosion devastated the in
terror of the big banking room. Glas
and wooden partitions were wrecke
and levelled to the ground as thoug
a cyclone had swept through the place
Desks were ruined and iron bars Wer
twisted, in fact there was hardly a
object left intact in the room. OF a
the persons in the room at least sl1
all of them clerks, were hurt, two c
them probably fatally. Three of tn
injured were sent to the hospital.
The explosion threw every one in tn
banking room to the floor and for mo
n ment they were daZed. Many of the1
= not knowing what had happened, an
= fearing that the building which is a