The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-01-07
REFUSAL TO HAND OVER S5,OcO
ON DEMAND FOLLOWED eY
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
TWO PEOPLE KILLED AND SIX INJURED
TO PIECES AND CASHIER
FEARFuLLY MANCLED.


fore noon all unknown man hurled q
bomb in the Fourth Street National
bank at Fourth and Library streets.
The resulting explosion tore the bomb
thrower to pieces and killed w. z. Nc
Lear, the cashier. Half dozen
other employees of the bank and
patrons were injured.
Two of those hurt may die. The
bomb thrower had demanded money
from the president. Richard p Rush
ton. When this was refused he took
the missile from under his coat and
hurled 1t at Mr.. Rushton. A slight
fire followed the explosion and ten
ants In the Dullitt building, In which
tho bank Is located. fled from their
offices. The police were quickly on
hand and they placed the vaults and
the securities of the institution under
under a heavy guard. The body Of
the cashier was badly mangled and
the bomb thrower himself was blown
to fragments. The only clue to the
bunch of keys found in a portion OF
the clothing, attached to which was q
plate Inscribed 'R. Steele, Garner,
Ia"
The Fourth Street National bank Is
the largest financial institution In the
city and occupies the greater portion
of the first floor of the Bullitt build
S,,.x ID, h~ ~ nf hA fpn tn1
trict The explosion was terrific and
it caused tremendous excitement in
the crowded building and the street.
Interior Of Room Devastated.
At the time the explosion occurred
all the vaults were open, books were
piled On desks and papers Of all sorts
OF value were lying on desks prepara-
tory to being put away for the day.
The explosion devastated the interior
of the big banking room. Glass and
wooden partitions were wrecked and
leveled 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.
The explosion blew every one in the
banking room to the floor and for a
moment they were dazed. Many of
them, not knowing what had hap
pened and fearing that the building,
which is an eight-story structure, was
falling, made rush for the door, Mr..
Rushton among them. The roar Of
the explosion brought the tenants on
all floors to their feet and a general
rush was made to the elevators and
the stairways. AS the excited people
came out there was a rush from the
street to rescue those whom it was
thought had been caught in the explo-
sion.
Not only Is the entire interior of
dows looking out on small side street
were blown out. The explosion scat
tered all the books and papers of the
institution that were not in the vaults
at the time. Some of them were
blown out of the windows and were
returned by those who found them. 1t
probably will take days before the
bank officials are able to tell how
many of the valuable documents in
the banks custody were destroyed, as
the whole place was strewn with torn
bits of paper.
President Rushton's Story.
President Rushton, after the explo-
sion, rushed to the eighth floor of the
building from the street floor to the
rooms or the Downtown club, dining
organization. He was very much ex-
cited, trembling like a leaf. He told
the following story:
"A man who gave his name as G. e.
Williams, shabbily dressed, giving no
place OF residence, came into my office
ana asked me to lend him $4,000. |
was busy looking over some papers on
my desk at the time and paid but lit
Tie attention to what the man said. He
sat there looking at me very curiously
until became suspicious that he was
crank and asked him to excuse me
Ior minute while went into another
once. AS | left the man he arose and
Went over to the cashiers window. I
aoticed him talking to the cashier, but
20 not know what he told him. The
explosion followed next. The man
was killed. also my cashier, w. Y.
McLear. The explosion caused great
excitement amongst us ALL Glass flew
from the smashed window and fell In
shower over US and four or five
women were among the employees who
rushed for the door,"
Mr.. Rushton left the Downtown club
ana returned to the first floor. On
MS way down In the elevator, accom-
panied by several officials of the bank,
the seriousness Of the tragic scene
from which he had just escaped OVER
came. him and he was unable to say