The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-09-02
STAYS ASSASSIN.
Chief Special Agent Kills
MurderOuS ASSaiIant.
WELSH HURlS NITROGLYCERIN
Discharged Great Northern Railroad
Employees, After Failing to Shoot
Former Superior, Makes Attempt
to Blow Up Building.

Minneapolis, Mimi, Aug &c. Z.
Welsh, discharged special agent of
the Great Northern railroad, was shot
and instantly killed by Al G.. Ray,
chief of the roads special agents, aft
er Welsh had hurled bottle contain
ing nitroglycerin and fired FIVE times
at Ray In an attempt to take his life.
The bottle contained enough nitro
glycerin to blow up the entire building
In which the tragedy was enacted.
The shooting occurred In Rays Of
fice In the Great Northern building,
st. Paul. Ray gave himself up imme-
diately after Welsh was killed and is
held by the st. Paul police. 1t Is be-
lieved no formal charge will be made
against him, since the authorities are
convinced that he acted entirely in
self defense.
Welsh had been special agent for the
Great Northern in Duluth, but had
been discharged by Ray because he
had shot and wounded George Miller
in an affray near Duluth not long ago.
Ray claimed Welsh had fired on Miller
without provocation.
Welsh left the Great Northern July
21. Since then he had been calling al
most daily at Rays office asking for
unemployment and demanding a rec
ommendation. When Ray refused he
threatened his life.
Welsh went to the Union station In
st. Paul, where he told John Lane, the
station detective, that he would get
Ray yet" Lane told him to keep still
and leave the premises, and Welsh
then threatened his life.
Before Ray reached his Office yester-
day Welsh appeared and asked Chief
Clerk Lewis Hess If there was any
mail for him. On being told that there
was not he left, saying, "Where is ALP"
HE will be in in few minutes"
Tell him I'll be back" said Welsh
as he went out.
A moment or two later Ray put in
an appearance, and, going into his pri-
vate office, began to open his mail
| While he was thus employed Welsh
appeared unannounced at the door and
began to fire at Ray. With the first
shot Ray dropped to the floor behind
his desk, and. using that as a screen,
kept out of harms way as Welsh fired
five shots. When Welsh ceased firing
Ray stood up from behind his desk
and fired, killing his assailant in
| stantly.
Welsh's shots struck the wall imme-
| diately behind Rays desk and within
a few inches of Rays head. He fired
with his right hand and seemed to be
feeling for something in his pocket
with his left. AS Ray brought his pis-
tol into action Welsh fired his last shot.
Then he threw the package which he
had taken from his pocket. The bull
let's from Rays revolver seemed to
confuse Welsh and he put little force
behind his attempt. Ray did not real
ize until afterward that the package
contained nitroglycerin, with fuse and
cap attached.
Rays shots We're deadly. At least
four of the six bullets took effect.
Walsh staggered into an anteroom and
fell dead.
Detective James Murnane picked VI
the flask of nitroglycerin that Welsh
had thrown at Ray. The explosive
filed a pint flask. 1t was wrapped in
heavy brown paper. Holes had been
cut carefully through the top of the
paper and the percussion cap which
was attached to a fuse, which should
have set off the fluid, was pushed
through the holes
There was enough to destroy the
whole building" said Murnane. "Tht
heavy paper prevented the explosion
but even at that it is remarkable it did
not go off"