Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-07
He HAD TWO WIVES
Identity of Philadelphia Bomb
ThroWer is Established.
FUSE AND EXPLOSIVES
Man Had Been Experimenting With
Them for Two Years.
PATHETIC STORIES OF WOMEN
Reverses and the Illness Of his Son
Believed to Have Made Him
Desperate. =

police officials that he was Rollo Steele,
formerly of Garner, Iowa. later of Lynch
burg, Va.
The bomb thrower was found to have
slept Friday night at the Grant House,
hosiery on the outskirts of the tenderloin,
frequented mostly by respectable working
people The man registered as j. X. Steele
of New York. He arrived at the hotel about
7 o'clock Friday night and engaged 90
cent room. He carried grip, which he re-
fused to allow the colored porter to carry TO
the room.
When detectives searched the room today
they found several yards of slow fuse,
.nnmber~~of decorating caps, revolver
box of cartridges in the grip, together with
a number of tools and some clothing. There
was suit bearing the tag of chicago
clothing house., and a pair OF oVeraNs'
marked with the name of Lynchpurs
merchant There was also a wayblll Tor
box shipped over the Southern railway. AS
Rollo Steele was reported to have been In
Chicago and Lynchburg, the latter place
within few days, the police say there IS
little doubt as to the bomb throwers lden-
tity.
the explosion will die.
Trying to Save Crump's Eyes.
VIM j. Crump the negro messenger in the
Rushton of the institution, who is the most
| seriously injured operated on Satur-
day. His condition was such a few hours
after the explosion that he was reported
dead but he rallied, and the physicians OPP
Grated in an effort to save his eyeslght,
| though his eyes will never regain their nor
| NAL condition.
| Crump was visited after the operation by
his brother Thomas of Richmond, Va,
| through whom he gave interview. he
| said that his recollection of what occurred
| comedies with the statement made Satur-
day by President Rushton regarding the
| affair, except that when he started 70
escort the bomb thrower out of President
| Rushton's office he walked him past Cashier
| McLear's desk Crump says the man was
| apparently making for the door, and he per-
| mitted him to go on alone. When the mes
| senger turned to go back into Mr. Rushton s
| office he saw that Steele had stepped back
| to Mr. McLear's desk. 1t was then that
| Crrmp remarked to Mr. Rushton: That Is
a persistent man" He says he started to-
! ward Steele when the explosion occurred.
| He remembers nothing more.
! Mr.. Rushton called on Crump in the hos
| pital Yesterday, but after he returned nome
| he was in such a nervous condition that ms
| physician ordered him to bed. and several
| bankers and close friends who called to see
| him were denied admittance to the house
| With the entire place heavily guarded
| by uniformed employees and squad OF
police. the Fourth Street National Bank, in
| which a bomb was exploded saturday WIN
fatal results, was opened for business To-
| day Despite the fact that the interior OF
| the large banking room was almost COM
| pletely wrecked the 100 employees and the
| patrons were little Inconvenience today
! AS soon as the smoke Of the explosion
had been cleared away Saturday the WORK
| of clearing up was begun and large force
| of carpenters and other workmen was
! continuously employed until the bank had
been put in shape for the resumption OF
| business
| Many of the clerks worked all day yes
| terday adjusting the books and otherwise
| closing up the business of the week winch
| was so suddenly interrupted at the closing
hour Saturday. A dozen of the clerks al
| work are wearing bandages around In
iuries received by flying glass and Other
| wreckage.
Experimental With Explosives.
| LYNCHBURG, Va, January 6.-Mrs. Bes-
sic l.. Steele, wife No. of ]. r. Steele, die
not know of the incident until late this
afternoon. Steele left her early Thursday
morning, telling her he was going to Dan
VILE to secure work on a railway construc-
ton contract. He told other friends he was
going to Atlanta, Ca and others to Flor
ida. There is no doubt among his friends
here that the wrecker of the bank had beer
living here for the past three months.
ReVerses in business the continued illness
of his wife and ten-year-old son, involving
him in debt and the fact that he was ou
Of work. it is believed. drove him to hi:
act
For at least TWO years Steeie mao pt Il
engaged III eAp Pc III aS fan,r; hattore
a. a,,foding them He stated to n frie =.
when his wife went to a hospital recently
suffering from pneumonia, While his sor
was there with typhoid fever, that h'
| should not be surprised at anything M
! heard Steele worked as foreman mere 10
| two months on a big building and quit hi
Job there Tuesday. The last seen or heard
| of him here was when he left his home a
go O'Clock Thursday morning.
Mrs. Steele stated that she was from
Grand Rapids Mich and that the othe
wife in Chicago had been divorced by he
husband prior to her own marriage to him
From what can be learned from neighbors
Mrs steele has evidently been expectin,
something similar to what has occurred, a
she has frequently talked to them of wha
She would do .'if ANYTHING would happen
Tonight Mrs Steele said she had only few
doIlaIs and owed money in the city.
II is said tonight that Steele contem
nlated attemptinp a demand on one of tn
iocaI hanks similar to the one in Philadel
mia He dropped a hint only a short tim
ago il is said that he would do So TIL
nolice are making an investigation. com