Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-06


Lat lie would not leave until he had mad
another interview with the president.
Cashier McLear was sitting at his desk
,uSt inside the wooden counter when sep
aratei his office from the reception room.
Williams walked over to the counter
and renewed his request for loan of 50,
90 In the office with the cashier were
McIlhone. his secretary, and Willie Wright.
4 messenger boy. The secretary had his
back turned to the counter and the boy was
II the rear of the office. They did not hear
the details of the conversation between tne
cashier and the loan applicant. but the
s'nshier finally turned away from the coun-
ter with the remark that the bank could
rot lend money without good collateral.
Just at that moment the cashiers tele-
hone bell rang. He picked up the IN
s-rument listened for second and SAID
All right. come in Monday and well TX
hat up" He was sitting in his chair haif
iNriug the man on the other Slde OF the
ounter. when the latter quickly pulled q
,Ein:ng metal cylinder from his pocket and
tossed ii over at the cashier. mere was
! pun If white smoke. tremendous re-
port and then all was confusion
Body Torn to Piece.
Wien the police got in they found the
"a shier's body about twenty feet from the
spot where he had been sitting. The force
Vt the explosion had struck the upper part
Of his body, and it was torn to pieces HIS
nody had been thrown against. window
on the Harmony street side and parts OF 1t
We're hurled with the bits of glass INTO the
street. Every strip of clothing had peeh
'nrn from McLear's body with the eXcep-
ton of his cola, The bomb had hit the
floor about five feet from him. His desk
and chair were blown into spiinters.
Cramp the negro messenger. who was
standing about ten feet from the spot where
the missile exploded. but in front of the
counter. was blown into the big open CRATE
Both eyes We're blown out. and one was
wing on his cheek held by shred His
clothing also was torn into rags, and his
'ace and body cut horribly by the flying
PARTICLES of glass and spinters.
But the bomb thrower-it was some time
before the police could find trace of him
IN the pile of debris that Uttered the execu-
tive offices. One leg was picked up under
pie of plaster in one corner of the room
hut Il was scarcely recognizable as hu-
man limb. Another leg, equally mutilated,
was found in another corner OF the room
Part Of the trunk. with only stunlps left for
arms. was found about twenty feet from
he spot where the man was standing. and
part of il was wedged into grating nfteen
ieet from the floor. The ceiling was the
nest gruesome sight. For an area of al
most twenty feet it was red with blood
md particles of human flesh.
Hurled Through Partitio,.
McTlhone the cashiers secretary, was
driven through a glass partition by the
trickling from numberless wounds in his
head The office boy, who was in the
,ashier's room also. was hurled twenty
feet.
The glass partition which separated the
reception room from the second vice pres
dents office was blown to pieces. and it
was the crashing of huge piece of plate
glass on the head of Clerk Thomas a.
Rutter that caused the injuries which may
result in his death.
Nearly all of the other persons who
were injured were hit by flying glass, al
though many of them who We're working
in the main Offices of the bank We're
Knocked off their feet by the concussion.
President RuShton, who was standing
about hftY feet from the spot where the
bomb struck. was thrown to the floor and
bruised. All that saved him and many of
the employees in the main business office
was the big three story steel vault,
which served to break the shock from
the main offices. The bomb struck within
ten feet of the vault, and the police have
expressed the opinion that it may have
been the intention of the thrower to
wreck it. If he had succeeded and had
lived he certainly wouldn't have had any
trouble in getting many times the amount
that he had asked as Il loan.
The Fourth Street Bank is one of the
richest banks in Philadelphia Its de-
poSits are estimated at 100000, 900. The
explosion upset the combination of the
'
the time lock.
A little money. in coin, was blown from
drawers. and later, when an effort was
made TO pick this from the debris 1t had
to he separated sometimes from human
flesh.
Police Guard Building.
President Rushton was much affected
After the explosion he went home for
awhile. but later in the day he returned
to the bank and superintendent the efforts
that are being made to get it into shape
for business again. The police depart
ment Immediately upon hearing of the
explosion. sent 100 men to guard the
building. The news spread quickly. and
soon the streets leading to the bank
were chOked with people.
The bank had about 1870 employees work
ing in the main building when the ex-
piosion occurred, and these rushed panic
stricken from the building.
1t was announced tonight that the bank
will resume business on Monday. I'm
mediately after the dead and injured had
been removed the work of clearing up
began. The first thing done was to search
for securities and other valuable bank
papers and the books and money that had
been scattered by the explosion.
The police believe that the bomb-throw-
they picked up near a part of his mutt
lated body The ring contained the name
'R. Steele" Garner, Iowa. 1t is the idea
of the police and the bank officials that he
was not an anarchist. but mere crank.
The Keys have been photogra phed by the
police and the pictures will be sent to va
rinUs cities in hope of finding a clue which
will clearly establish the identity OF the
bomb thrower.
man answering the description of the
earlier in the day visited the
Equitable Trust Company on Broad street
.tnd demanded a loan of 500 on securities
he declared to be in his possession. Receiv-
ing Teller McDevitt, whom he approached,
ordered the stranger away. The man FUN
bled in his pockets. but finally withdrew.
lie stopped at the doorway, however, and
again fumbled in his pockets.
a woman patron of the trust company
pa sSed the man. and his eyes followed her.
This. it Is said, diverted the mans atten-
ton and when the Waterman, following in
structious of the teller. ordered him out he
reluctantly left the building. Shortly after
ward news of the explosion at the 4th
street bank reached the trust company.