The Springfield herald., 1908-04-03
BLOWN UP IN
BED AT HOME
ATTEMPT TO MURDER GEN. Bull
KELLEY WELLS AT PANDORA
MINE NEAR TELLURIDE.
BED TORN TO SHREDs
WOUL-BE ASSASSIN CREEPS INTO
SLEEPING ROOM AND PLACES
DYNAMITE.

Telluride. Colo.-The discharge of
an explosive under the bed OF Gen.
Bulkeley Wells. general manager of the
SmuTgler-Union mine. Saturday morn
ing, shortly after 2 o'clock, wrecked
the sleeping porch of the building,
hurled the general across the room,
completely destroyed the bed on which
he WIS sleeping, tore out the walls and
broke many of the windows.
General Wells. by telephone, sum
moned mis- employees and called upon
Sheriff C. A. Fitzpatrick and his depu-
ties % investigate the affair. The eff
forts of the generals men and the
sheriff up to a late hour Saturday
have resulted in no tangible clews. No
one, save the general, was in the house
when the explosion occurred. The
house is at Pandora, near the Snug
gler-Union mill, and is used as head
quarters for the office force and as
residence by General Wells. The build
ing is closely guarded by employees of
the company, and as an additional pre-.
caution IN immense searchlight at the
mill sweeps over the house and takes
in all of the property of the company
and the roads and trails leading TO it..
General Wells was only slightly
bruised Saturday night he distated
tn following statement:
Il went to bed at 1890 on my sleep
ing porch on the second story of my
house ct Pandora, where the mill of the
company is located:
1.-The explosion occurred about 2
O'Clock, the hands of the clock in the
dining room having stopped at 2:O3
o'clock. l was asleep at that time and
was rendered unconscious from the
shock. | found myself at the other end
of the room from which the bed was
located. covered with pieces of bed
ding and debris of the wreckage of the
room.
las soon as could collect my senses
| called upon the guards Al the mill
and my men here to look for the man
or men who had placed the explosive
in my room. then telephoncd Sheriff
Fitzpatrick, who left town with Il num-
Der of men and came to Pandora. The
men formed line about my house
and searched diligently but neither
party met with success.
Yesterday morning someone with a
ladder climbed into the second story
of my house and placed the explosive
there. This must have been done some
time between . and - o'clock. when I
was in Telluride. | returned here at II
o'clock.
Il have not as yet formed any
theory or opinion to which can at this
time give expression. Sheriff Fitzpat-
rick is conducting the Investigation
and ! can give out no statement as to
who did this deed until those iDvestiga-
ticns are finished.
81 was not badly injured. though Sc
verely shaken up. My hands and face
are cut. The floor underneath my bed
was blown out, n hole about two and
half feet in diameter being made.
The stripping was torn from the room
and am battered considerably.
MY opinion is that the explosive
used was dynamite.
Il have received no threatening let
ters of any sort for fully three months.
though prior to that time | received
many.
THE county has offered IS 900 for
the apprehension of the man who
caused the explosion.
The person who placed the dynn-
mite under my bed must have entered
from the back of the house. as the
house is right against a hillside. The
searchlight does not cover the back OF
the house. or rather the end of the
house and a person could gain en-
trance there without being shown by
the searchlight.
The mottress underneath me was
torn to bitstorn to bits. | attribute my
miraculous escape to the fact that |
was sleeping between heavy woolen
blankets. | was alone in the house at
the time of the explosion. my family
being in Colorado Springs"