Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-29
POLICE CLUB
UNEMPLOYED;
BOMB THROWN
WOULD-BE ASSASSIN AND HIS
COMPANION SLAIN
GREAT DEMONSTRATION IN NEW
YORK ENDS IN KILLING
Thousands Throng About Union
Square, Sing Marseillaise and Are
Charged by offcers-Then
Comes Explosion

| By Associated fTesS.
NEW YORK, March 2S.-A bomb in
tended for the police, who had roughly
broken up meeting of 10000 unem-
ployed in Union square today, exploded
prematurely in the hands of the would
be assassin, horribly wounding him,
| killing his companion, inJuring slightly
four policemen and throwing to the
ground score of those who were
! massed in the vicinity.
Tonight Union Square park where
the public demonstration had been
made, is roped off from pedestrians,
hundred police patrol the park, and at
the station houses reserves are held in
readiness
No further disorder had developed at
a late hour.
Bomb throwing in the foreign settle
ments of the east side Is rather COM
mon occurrence but for the FIRST time
today saw an engine Of destruction
openly and deliberately directed against
a squad of police officers. 1t was meant
for Captain Reilly's squad of twenty
men, and a longer or slower burning
fuse would have proved an instrument
of death for probably every man of the
squad.
Police Break Up Meeting
A labor, or more exactly, laborless
meeting, without police sanction had
DBcH duNtIliFtu W DC liCia ct tic Ftti -
this afternoon. OF the thousands that
gathered a large number wore red hats,
and here and there a red flag was dis
played.
Suddenly an order to clear the park
was given, and the. $50 police, half of
them mounted, charged the crowds. ar
irving in time to drive them back to
the streets of the square circling the
park.
In the wide streets the crowds, fast
assuming the nature of a mob, fell into
an Indifferent formation and marched
about the square. Having cleared the
park of all but few apparently harm
less men who occupied benches. the po-
lice contented themselves with keeping
the paraders moving.
Encouraged, the procession grew;
shouts of derision and oaths directed
at the police filled the air, and then, as
though by prearrangement, strains of
the Marseillaise rose from 10000 throats.
The police, hastily reinforced, held
themselves in restraint. Captain Reil-
lys squad, Which had been stationed at
the east side of the square, started at
double quick pace, two abreast, across
the park.
As the squad neared the fountain
that marks the center of the recreation
grounds a slightly built man darted
out from the shadows cast by the
heroic statue of George Washington
and ran toward the officers, whose
backs were turned to their pursuer.
large man kept at the others heels
Within twenty PAGES of the moving
squad the two men halted and the
smaller raised a hand in which was
clasped a smoking bomb.
Explodes In His Hand
Even as he drew back his arm to
throw the weapon it exploded. The
shock that shook the skyscrapers of
the square threw a score of people to
the ground. Then the would-be assas-
sin and his companion fell, the latter
dead, with his breast torn out. The
bomb thrower still lived, but his right
| hand had been shot off, both of his
eyes were gouged out and his skull
and a shoulder were fractured. The
four policemen who brought up the
rear were injured, but not seriously,
cne of them being hit on the foot by
piece of the bomb.
! A panic followed the explosion.
Many were injured as the mounted
police surrounded the injured and drove
back the mob. half dozen arrests
were made offhand of those nearest
| the bomb thro wing, but no particular
Importance is attached to the arrests.
! Little is known of the bomb thrower
| beyond what he has told himself. Rem
dered unconscious at first, he later re-
gained hir senses at hospital and
under prolonged questioning declared
he had been commissioned to kill the
police. They had beaten him, he said.
At first he had insisted that he acted
alone, and later, when he said his act
was inspired. he refused to reveal the
| identity of his companion. His first
statement was:
"I am Eli Silverstein, 21 years old
/
| BROOKLYN I was entirely alone in this
thing; no other person being in league
with me- I made the bomb from di-
rections I got from the encyclopedia
I was ten feet from the police and
wanted to throw it at them. I was
mad: cop had hit me. The bomb
went off in my hand"
Later he added: 81 was told to do
this. I bought the nitroglycerine for
the bomb at drug store at Clark
street and Broadway, Brooklyn
made the bomb myself from piece of
| saspipe, / have wife and two chill
! dren in Russia. I have been in the
United States for two years. My near
est relative is named Cohen and lives
al q Park street, Brooklyn. | worked
for a tailor named Goldstein on Eld-
ridge street, near Brooke street, Man
haitian"
He refused to incriminate others and
nothing further had been learned from
him when he was placed under the
anaesthetic. preparatory to an opera
ton. There is little chance that he will
long survive.
Silverstein's companion has not been
/ identified. Silverstein's statements,
made unwillingly caused him the great
| est physical effort When he had re-
fused to say more of his act and when,
i on a cot at Bellevue hospital he seemed
4 to be dying, he repeated again and
i again "My name is Silversteln," as
though in death he wished to leave the
indisputable knowledge of his identity.
! The bomb was about the size. appar-
CONTINUED Page Two)