The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-29
DEADLY EXPLOSIVE
 INTENDED FOR POLICE
More Than Score of Policemen Have Narrow Escape From Bomb While
 They Are Trying To Control
 Thousands of Unemployed.


 tended for the police, bomb premature ly exploded in the hands of Selig Sil- verstein, also known as Cohen, in Union Square park today, and Cohen, as well as comrade who stood beside him, were blown to pieces.
 Twenty-Five policemen, the intended vic tms, who were marching within 15 feet of the spot where the bomb was exploded, had miraculous escape.
 The bomb thrower's right arm was blown off, his eyes were torn out and he was otherwise so badly wounded that his death is expected at any minute.
 The victim of the bomb who was in- stantly killed by it's explosion was identi- fled tonight as Ignatz Hilderbrand, a tailor who lived with his wife and three children at 2SS Third avenue. H Half dozen other men, principally policemen, were wounded in the excite ment which followed the explosion and a panic such as the New York force has rarely been called upon to handle was precipitated in which scores were trampled by horses or cut and bruised by the heavy sticks of the police in their flying charge to disperse the mob.
 
 flying fragments of the bomb, Cohen, who is Russian Jew about 25 years old. never lost consciousness. Lying on the ground near the fountain in the park, where the explosion occurred, and later in Bellevue hospital, he told the story of his act
 For the Police.
 'It was for the police," he cried, after the first policeman had reached his side. s'1 was to throw the bomb at the police because a policeman assaulted me one day l had to do this,'' he groaned.
 At first he declared that the bomb had been handel to him. Later at the hispital he said:
 q bought the nitro-glycerine for the bomb at drug store al Clark and Broad . way, Brooklyn. 1 made the bomb my self from piece of gas pipe"
 Throughout he showed the most remark able fortitude. He refused to make any disclosures as to his accomplices, if he had any. but in a rambling way told the police that he had wife and two chll- dren in Russia and had been in America ten years, He said that he had been em- ployed by a tailor named Goldstem on Eldridge street, near Broome.
 If was not until late tonight that the rolice secured definite information about inc man. Then they located him at No. s2 Beaver street, Brooklyn, the home Of Mrs. Jacob Alexander who admitted that Cohen was her cousin.
 Real Name Is Cohen.
 'Silverstein is his mothers maiden rame., she said, and he always used that in preference to CoheE. He came lere to live with me about three weeks ago, saying that the doctor had ordered linn to stop work on account of his lungs nd Q a couple of days each week. My husband oii not want him around because he did lot like him, but because he said he was il. I did not want to driyo him away.
 .I first met him six years ago when he came over here from Bielstok In Russia. He was about IS years old then. He was a good Orthodox Jew then and every body liked him. He lived with me for about three months in Monteith street and then he moved from New York. He rad two sisters, Sophia and Elsa, who lived near the Bowery, but don't think Sslig ever lived with them. His mother lives in Russia and his father died there
 Tt was about year ago that he began to have these notions. He got lot of looks from London, printed in Ytddish, which are here now. They were all about the freedom of thought and pretty soon Sclg declared that he was an Atheist and believed only in nature. His other cousin, Lipman Cohen, who lives at No. Fl Park street. Brooklyn, told me that Selig called himself a radical socialist. We all said that he was crazy.
 well this is what has come of it. But l can only say that he was always q rice man. He left my home at o'clock this morning. He was in the best of spirits then. He gave me S1 to buy my little girl pair of shoes. That was always the way with him. He was tender hearted, kind and thoughtful. He always helped his friends. I have seen him give away his money lots of times. It is too Gsd
 Responsibility for the Deed.
 Cohen selected the climax of a meet ing that had been advertised to discuss the wants of the unemployed to hurl his bomb. It has not been ascertained that he was in any way connected with the conference of the unemployed, under whose auspices the meeting was to have been held, and indeed, statement was issued by those who are interested in this movement tonight, repudiating the mans act, and announcing that the or ganization would itself undertake an in vestigation to place the responsibility for the act.
 The meeting had been advertised two weeks ahead. A permit for the gathering was refused by the police department, however, and so it happened that at o'clock this afternoon hundreds of people began pouring out of the Eastside and other sections, where the poor of the city are located and heading toward Union Square. Advised ahead of time that some attempt might be made to hold the meeting despite the refusal of | thel hermit Inspectors Schmittberger and ! Steinbruck, commanding about 150 po- | lcednen, of whom about one-third were I mounted, were ordered to the spot to | ljeep the crowd moving and halt any I attempt to assemble meeting. Ideal Day For Meeting | The clouds broke away and the naimy \ sun came out making the conditions I ideal for an open-air meeting. By the | thousands the crowds fiocked to ana around Union Square park so .hat ny I ? o'clock a situation of extreme deli  --.--.--.zx...x> .<,rr T, Ax,xn