Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-01-08
HURLS BOMB IN A
BANK; TWO dead
UNKNOWN MAN, REFUSED LOAN,
DROPS MISSILE IN PHlLA-
DELPHIA INSTITUTION.
THROWER AND CASHIER
BLOWN TO PIECES

THROWER AND CASHIER
BLOWN TO PIECES
Six Employees Injured, Some of Whom
May Die-Explosion Completely
Wrecks Office and Causes Great
| Excitement.
| Philadelphia, Jan. demanding a
loan of $4,000 and failing to get it,
an unknown man dropped bomb in
the Fourth Street National bank Sat
I ay, blowing him to pieces, instant
ly killing Cashier w. 2. McLear and
injuring 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 a
plate inscribed "R. Steele, Garner,
Iowa."
Blast Causes Great Excitement.
The Fourth Street National bank
| is the largest financial institution in
the CITY and occupies the greater
portion of the first floor of the Bull
| lit building on Fourth street between
' Chestnut and Walnut streets in the
heart of the financial district. The
explosion was terrific and it caused
tremendous excitement in the crowd
| ed building and the street
The explosion occurred a few min.
/ hnfnrn of ry1,
the bank is usually we'll filled with
persons in hurry to transact bust
ness before the bank closes. No one
saw the unknown 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 Russian and carried
a 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, Richard H.
Rushton. What took place in his office
is best told by the president himself
Demands Loan of $4,000. .
Il was very busy when the man
entered my Office and l asked him to
be seated for moment He was
very poorly dressed, had patches on
!. his shoes and his entire appearance
made me bit curious. While he was
waiting for me to finish the business
had in hand at the moment | hap
pened to notice that he looked at me
very curiously. | asked him his bust.
| hn I, ic
Williams and said he wanted loan
of $4,000. He did not look like man
who could make a loan of that amount
and l asked him for collateral He
said something about an insurance
policy and that it would mature in
from one to five years. | was then
convinced the man was a crank and
decided to dismiss him at once, not
for moment thinking there was any
harm in him. | told him at once
that he would have to see the cashier
and directed him out in the banking
department. At the same moment
called my colored messenger, William
Crump, to see that the man was quick
ly taken out of the building. AS l
turned to continue my work at the
desk there was terrific explosion
and thought the building was coming
down. The man had not time to reach
the cashier, the explosion came too
SOON"
Two Lives snuffed Out.
Details as to what actually happened
; when the man left the office of Pres
ident Rushton differ as no one can
be found who saw the man drop the
bomb. The door to the Office of Cash.
Ter McLear is only few feet from
thai of President Rushton, and the
man must have dropped the deadly
missile between the two rooms.
: Cashier McLear was sitting at his
, desk at the time and his body was
badly mangled The bomb throwers'
body was torn to pieces.
: 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 prepare
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
Z object left intact in the room. Of all
the persons in the room at least six,
all Of them clerks, were hurt, two of
them probably fatally. Three of the
injured were sent to the hospital.
Believed Building Collapsed.
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 happened
and fearing that the building, which
is an eight story structure, was falling,
made a rush for the door, Mr.. Rush.
ton 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 peop. e
came out there was rush from the
street to rescue those who it was
thought had been caught in the ex-