The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-12-18
BUILDING Is WRECKED M EN-
PLOsiON AT MIDNIGHT IN AT
TEMPT on GOVERNOR.
NO ONE IS INJURED
Chief Executive. His Family and All
Servants Were Sleeping - Blowup
Came While the Guards W. Being
Changed. q

Sacramento, Cal. Dec. ls,-Wh :
believed to have been an attemp, =
kin Governor William ID. Stephens
means of powerful explosive bomb
midnight last night resulted In the
wrecking of the executive mansion the
entire rear end of the building being
blown out The governor and Mrs
Stephens. as well as the household ser
wants. were asleep, but all escaped IN
jury.
Two men were seen fleeing from the
house Immediately after the explosion
The detonation of the explosion was
heard all over the city and windows were
broken by the force Of 1t two or three
blocks away II was believed that from
twenty t0 twenty-five sticks OF dyna-
ruite we're used.
Family Was Sleeping.
Governor and Mrs. Stephens were
asleep in the wing Of the house adjoin-
ing the spot where the explosion oc-
Cured. but beyond nervous shock,
they were unframed. -
The explosion took place just as the
guard at the mansion was being
changed.
A hole several feet in depth and five
feet in breadth was torn from the
ground beneath an overhanging bay
window at the rear of the structure and
the entire wall up to the second story
was blown away. Scarcely house In
the block but what was affected.
Preacher Reports Suspect.
The Rev. F'ranzer I.anRfnri, pastor
OF leading church, reported to the
police that four months ago man,
evidently German. was noticed lurk-
ing about the executive mansion. The
man continued about the locality until
a week ago. when ne disappeared. The
police are Of the opinion that the at.
tempt was made by a pro.German.
-. William d. Stephens became COVER.
nor of California last spring upon the
resignation Of Governor Hiram w. John.
son, who went to Washington to as
sumo his duties as United States sena-
tor Previously Stephens resigned as
representative in congress from the
Tenth California district. at the solici-
tation of Governor Johnson, who ap-
pointed him lieutenant-governor to sue
ceed the late John NJ. Esheman.
Waterman Saw Nothing.
Henry Claussen, night watchman.
said he made an inspection at the cor
ner of the building where the explosion
occurred just few minutes before the
blast was heard and found nothing. He
said a scheme he had devised for de-
tecting whether the gates had been
opened indicated plainly that no one
had passed through them. The last
person admitted was a Chinese servant,
who returned to the mansion at 11:30
p. m. Police say the explosion hap
pened between that hour and midnight
No motive has been conceived yet
for what is thought to have been an
attempt on the life of the governor. II
was pointed out by friends that the
governor. since he succeeded United
States Senator Johnson, has been the
object of no threatening letters, even
from persons who may have had fan
cied grievances.
Beneath Governors Window.
Police and spectators who rushed to
the scene of the explosion found hole
blown through the brick foundation into
the basement laundry. The bricks and
debris from this explosion fell inward.
A small hole was blown In the ground
outside. There was no fire. From these
indications and others, the police said
there was every reason to believe that
dynamite or like explosive had been
used. No fragments Of metal were
found, and this was thought to iadi-
cate that the explosive had simply been
banked against the foundation wall.
The hole was directly beneath the
governors bedroom on the second floor
and the windows of this room were
shattered.
Later examination of the mansion
showed that some windows remained in.
tact, and that the building was not
graatlx 1amapad