Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-23
Men, Women, Children, Babies
in Path of Destruction at
Preparedness Pageant.
SAN FRANCISCO TRAGEDY
RENDS CHEERING THRONG
Warning Received by Newspapers
Fails to Prevent Explosion.
Several Dead, A Injured.

SAN FRANCISCO. July 22-At least
four persons were killed and forty-four
or more were injured by the explosion
! here today of time bomb in the midst
of a throng viewing a preparedness pa
rade.
The police arrested Frank Josephson
lodger in sailors boarding house, who
cried. 81 didn't do it; didn't do it.. and
trembled violently when he was being
searched at the station house. The police
. said he had not been accused of any
thing.
Charles NJ Fickert. district attorney,
issued statement attributing the deed
. to a mind unbalanced by arguments for
and against preparedness
Tne parade was not interrupted
The explosion occurred at SteuaFt and
Market streets. two blocks from the ferry
building, on San Francisco's main thor
4, oughfare. The bomb, concealed in
suit case packed with cartridges, bullets.
gas pipe, glass and scrap iron, blew
gap through the crowd. blasting men.
women. children and babies.
the one-story brick building against
which the suit case stood was wrecked.
Strewn With Torn Bodies.
The holiday throng, cheering con-
tingent of veterans of the LIST California
Infantry of the Spanish American war,
became shambles. The blare of fifty
bands and the roar of drums drowned
the cries of the injured. but the side
walk was strewn with torn bodies.
1.-TWO women standing beside me were
blown to bits" said Mrs. kinsley Van
Loom of Oakland. who, with her two
children. was injured. The police say
1t is possible that some bodies were blown
out of existence.
All of the newspaper offices in San
Francisco yesterday received a communi-
cation. written in Roman script with an
indelible pencil, many Of the words be-
ing heavily underscored.
The communication was signed: The
Determined Exiles from Militaristic
Germany - Italy. Germany. United
States. Italy. Russia"
Writer Repeats Himself.
In several instances the writer re-
peated himself. The communication
read: Editor: Our protests have been
in vain in regards to this prepared prop
Aganda. so we are going to use a little
direct action on the ed which will
echo around the earth and show that
Frisco really knows how and that mill
tarism cannot be forced on US and our
children without violent protest.
are gong TO happen TO snow
that we will go to any extreme. the
same as the controlling class, to -pur-
sue what little democracy still
have. Don't take this a joke or
you will be rudely awakened. Awaken
ed. tSicl- We have sworn to do our
duty TO the masses and only send
warnings to those who are wise but
who are forced to march to hold their
jobs, as we want to give only the pyo-
criptical tsic) patriots who shout for
kindly ask the chamber of COM
merce to march in a solid body If they.
want to prove they are towards.
A copy has been sent to all the papers
Our duty has been done SO far.
Every possible precaution. police Of
ficals said tonight. had been taken,
but the innocent looking suit case,
standing where a country visitor of
have set it down, attracted no attention.
Force of Bomb Astonishing.
The force of the bomb was astonish-
ing. A piece of lead pipe was blown
two blocks into the Northwestern
Pacific railroad waiting room. A wom-
ans gold watch. presumably belonging
to one of the victims was blown
through the air and landed in a fruit
stand a block and half away.
Through this violence the parade
continued without break The
veterans of the Grand Army of the Re
public, waiting in Steuart street to fall
into line, escaped death by a hair and
proceeded with the march An am
bulance, summoned to care for faint
Ing spectator. stood across Steuart
street when the explosion occurred
One of the patients legs was fractured
and a man aiding the attendants fell
with a fractured skull but the am
buiance steward was uninjured. He
md
Tins into the ambulance and rushed
them to hospital
The official count of the parade ,ndi-
! Gated that 5l,31s persons were in line