Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-04-03
BLOWN UP IN
BED At HOME
ATTEMPT TO MURDER GEN. euL.
KELLEY WELLS At PANDORA
MINE NEAR TELLURIDE.
BED TORN TO sHREDs
woUL.BE ASSASSIN cRGEPs INTO
SLEEPING ROOM AND PLACES
DYNAMITE.

Telluride. coio.-The discharge Of
an explosive under the bed OF Gen.
Buiieisy Wells. general manager OF the
SmuT sier, Union mine. Saturday morn.
irS. shortly after o'clock. wrecked
the sleeping porch OF the building.
hurled the general across the room.
completely destroyed the bed on which
he was alecping. tore out tho walls and
broke many OF the windows.
General Wells. by telephone. sum.
moned mis- employees and called upon
Sheriff G. A. Fitzpatrick and his depu.
ties 20 Investigate the affair. The ef.
forts OF tho generals men and tho
sheriff up to = late hour Saturday
have resulted In no tangible cisws. No
one. save the general. was In tho house
when tho explosion occurred. The
house In ~ Pandora, near the Snug.
gier- Union mill. and Ii used as head.
quarters for the once force and ms u
residence by General Wells. Tho build
inI In closely guarded by employees OF
the company. and NJ nm additional pro-
caution nm immense scarchlight at tho
mill sweeps over the house and takes
In all Of the property OF the company
and tho roads and trails leading 10 u.
General Wells was only slightly
bruised. Saturday night he dintatcd
IN IOIlOWlnR nthtctuent.
Il went to bed nj 1880 on my sleep
Ing porch on the second story OF my
house IT Pandora. where tho mill OF tho
company is located:
Tho explosion occurred about :
o'clock, the hands OF tho clock In the
dining room having stopped at ::03
o'clock. wns asleep nt that time and
was rendered unconscious from tho
shock. found myself at the other end
Of the room from which tho bed was
located. covered with pieces Of bed.
ding and debris Of tho wrcckagc of tho
room.
"As soon as I could collect my senses
I called upon the guards at the mill
and my men hero to look for tho man
or men who had placed tho explosive
In my room. then tclephoned Sheriff
Fitzpatrick. who ieft town with num-
bcr Of men and came TO Pandora. The
men formed line about my house
and scarchcd diligently. but neither
party met with success.
Yesterday morning somconc with n
ladder climbed into tho second story
of my house and placed tho explosive
there. This must have been done some.
time between 3 and IL O'Clock. when
was In Telluride. I returned here at IL
o'clock.
II have not az yet formed any
theory or opinion TO which can Mt this
time give expression. Sheriff Fitzpai.
rick IL conducting the Investigation
and I can give out no abatement ns to
who did this decd until those iEvestign.
items are finished.
II was not badly injured. though sc.
vercly shaken up. My hands and face
are cut. The floor underneath my bod
was blown out, hole about two and
n 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.
II have received no threatening let
ters OF any sort for fully three months.
though prior to that timc I received
many.
"The county has offered $4,000 for
tho apprehension OF the mnn who
caused tho explosion.
"The person who placed the dyna.
mite under my bed must have entered
from tho back Of the house. rs the
house Is right against n 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 searchiight.
1.-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 n.
the time of the explosion, my family
being in Colorado Springs"