The San Francisco call., 1909-02-17
MILLIONAIRE FOILS
DARING BOMB PLOT
Rich Kansas City Merchant,
Aided by Wife and Son, Turns
Tables on Desperate
Bandit Had Planned Prison for
Victim if He Did Not Pay
Blood Money

Blood Money
KANSAS CITY, Mo, Feb. 16.-Law-
renee NJ Jones, a millionaire dry goods
merchant, president of the Jones dry
goods company; his wife and his son,
Chester, narrowly escaped death today
at the hands of desperate man who
entered Jones home and with a dyna-
mite bomb in one hand and revolver
in the other demanded $1,000 from
Jones. After clever maneuvering, last
ing over two hours, Jones managed to
gain the mans consent to accompany
him and his son to a bank for the
funds. While the trio were about to
whirled down town Jones threw him
self upon the man from behind and
seized him around the chest in such
fashion as to pinion his arms
AT the same time by a trick he had
learned when a boy, he kicked the
mans feet from under him. Both fell
and rolled down the stone steps al the
edge of Jones' porch. Chester his son,
was upon the intruder before he could
recover. The young man seized the
mans pistol in one nand just as the
trigger was pulled. The weapon failed
to explode
WOMAN SEXES BOMB
Mrs Jones then ran in close and
seized the bag containing the bomb,
which she carried to the house. An
examination of 1t showed that the
match had ignited, but failed to eX-
plode, the powder doubtless having
smothered the flames.
At the police station the intruder
gave the name of C. H. Garnett. He
acknowledged. however, that this was
not his real name. Garnett is about
5 feet 6 inches tall, weighs about l5O
pounds, and is 40 years OF age he
has the appearance of being a for
eigner. but speaks English quite we'll
He has tanned skin and dark halr
recently cut. His eyes are watery
brown and are crossed. His ears are
set close to his head. and with his black
slouch hat pulled far over his 1ace one
instinctively thinks of border ruffians,
Am l sorry for what I've done? he
said No. I'm not. The only thing
I'm sorry for is that I did not kill my
self before the officers got me-"
Garnett says he is 40 and In nara
luck. His home is in Omaha.
said he. 81 wasn't going out to slug a
poor man over the head in dark alley.
! made up my mind to go out TO some
mansion in broad daylight and make
my demands"
| MADE ANOTHER PLOT
maid at the Jones home corrobo-
rated Garnetts statement that he called
| there last Saturday. Garnett told an
interviewer that he planned to make the
late J. K. Burnham, also wealthy
| drvgoods man, his victim. At the
/ Burnham home he learned that Burn
| ham had been dead two years.
"On my way down town from Burn
! hams" he said, II saw the Jones
brothers sign and decided to go after
! Jones. l looked his address up in the
| telephone directory and you know the
rest"
Following Garnetts statement. the
nolice late this afternoon found the
house where Garnett proposed to i'm
! nrison Jones after getting the money.
! II is a small frame affair at 313 Linden
avenue. independence. Mo-, suburb.
A closet on the second floor of the
house was rugged up for the prison.
| A large screw ring was set into the
wall about four feet from the floor.
A chain with links a quarter of an
inch in thickness was attached so that
about three feet of the chain fell on
either side. At each end of the chain
was a new lock. These were to be
| for Jones arms. On the floor just
inside the door sill was the second
chain, each end of which bore lock.
| Czarnett had made a chair that just
6tted in the closet It was sufficiently
! high that when the victim sat down he
could be securely chained In place.
The house is in a secluded spot.
Garnett said he proposed to chain
| Jones up, notify Mrs. Jones of her hus-
bands whereabouts by mail and make
| his escape.
Jones was full of praise for his wife's
bravery when seen this afternoon.
TREAT WITH THEIR CAPTOR
"Two hours and half a prisoner"
said Jones, with a sigh of relief, "and
throughout the nerve racking expert
ence Mrs Jones was more calm by far
than /. My boy, too, deserves great
credit for his GOODNESS. 1 knew we
would get the man sooner or later,
hut l was helpless in the face of that
! dynamite / feel that we all have
come through dangerous experience
| with the greatest good fortune"
Mrs. Jones said she offered the man
some coffee shortly after entering the
library and seeing the situation.
"I have neither eaten nor slept for
four days." he told her.
| Poor man., she said, have you a
wife and babies?"
yes"
Tell me about them"
"Oh, you wouldn't be interested, be-
cause you have plenty of money" re-
sponded the intruder.
Lawrence M. Jones is well known
throughout the country because of his
| interest in national waterways. He
was delegate to the recent national
| waterways convention in Washington
He has been conspicuous in republican
| circles in Missouri. In 1908 Jones was
a delegate at large from Missouri to the
national republican convention. He is
a pioneer merchant whose fortune ha
grown in equal proportions with Kan
sas City.
lPRETTY VALLEJO GIRL
HAC AIIET XNEnnIArr