Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-04

NEW YORK, June A dynamite plot
of almost inconceivable fiendishness, in
which the lives of women and children were
not regarded in the attempt to levy black
mail for a petty sum, resulted in the
mangling and serious injury of Mrs. Eliza
Morroney, seventy-siX years old; Mrs Jo-
seph Morroney, her daughter-in-law, and
Annie Morroney, ten years old, a daughter
of the last named, in the kitchen of their
home at Mount Vernon yesterday.
In some manner, in which the women
have not been able to explain on account of
their serious condition, a heavy charge of
dynamite was placed in the kitchen stove.
While the afternoon meal was being pre-
pared it blew the stove to atoms and partly
wrecked the fve-story apartment building
and hotel of which Joseph Morroney is
proprietor.
The force of the explosion shattered all
the windows in the building where it oc.
Cured and rocked 1t to it's foundations,
causing panic among the tenants 1t was
felt for blocks away, and the noise attract
ed a great crowd to the scene.
Windows of House Shattered.
Morroney, against whom the plot was d.
rected, was downstairs in his saloon at the
time. While the windows of the place
were shattered and glasses and bottles
broken. no one was injured.
In view Of the recent threats against
himself and family in letters signed by
1.-The Black Hand, Morroney at once
OWNED the meaning of the explosion and
rushed upstairs to the second floor, which
he occupies as living apartment.
Almost the entire floor was wrecked. A
large hole had been blown in the ceiling
and another in the floor beneath the range,
and water and gas pipes had been broken
off by the stove lids which We're sent
hurting about the room with the force Of
n ny m hn1 tal1 1l,, Il
cooking utensils were scattered about and
lying upon the floor in the midst of the
wreckage. crushed and bleeding Morroney
found his mother, wife and child.
A hurry call was rung for an ambulance
and the injured women and child were
taken to the Mount Vernon Hospital. The
aged woman was found to be the most seri
ously injured. and her recovery is doubtful
Her right arm was shattered and was am
putated. She was also badly burned and
her body torn by the flying bits of iron and
steel.
Child's Hair Burned Off,
Mrs Joseph Morroney was also severely
wounded. She had many burns and in
juries to the body. Her daughter was
flightfully disfigured about the face and
her hair was burned off.
Part of the wreckage had to be moved
away before the injured persons could be
removed from the room. When the victims
We're restored 10 consciousness they were
able only to give an imperfect account o.
the circumstances surrounding the expio-
sion.
Morroney reported the explosion as plot
against him by the Black Hand and
the entire police force of Mount Vernon
was set to work upon the case.
Several months ago Morroney who is
quite rich, received the following letter:
IF you don't leave 500 at 11tl avenue
and Sd street, you will get in serious trou-
bic. Don't forget.
"BLACK HAND SOCIETY"
Morroney received other letters but gave
them only passing attention, half regard
ing them jokes by some of his friends.
Only few days ago, however, he received
another letter, making the ninth commune
cation of the kind, which caused consider
able excitement In his household 1t ran:
You have been fooling US right straight
along. You didn't leave the $500, as we
told you. Some day we will get you and