The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-03
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/ plosion occurred is one of the most
! fashionable in Washington. Resi-
dences in the entire block were dam
aged by the explosion. Parts of the
anarchist were blown, thru some of
1 the windows. Several occupants of
! the nearby houses were thrown from
their beds by the force of the explo-
sion.
Hat Contains Clue.
| Upon the swaziland of the dead
mans hat appeared the name peluca
Brothers, hatters, Philadelphia.
At some distance from his scorched
and blood stained clothing was found
an Italian-American dictionary. Hat
and book had been purchased re-
Gently.
These clues, coupled with the SINH
larity in the mode of attack between
the outrages last night and those per-
petrated in Philadelphia six months
ago, when homes of three prominent
citizens were shattered by bombs at
night led officials here to believe the
anarchist ring may be directed from
Philadelphia.
That it may be the same gang that
threatened a May day tragedy, avert
ed only by the finding April 20 of
score of undelivered bombs in the
New York postoffice. after one had
exploded following delivery at the
home of former Senator Hardwick.
Georgia, was the belief of officials
! here.
Guard Other Officials.
Working on this theory every pre-
caution was being taken to guard the
! homes of other government officials,
who with Attorney General Palmer,
were marked" for death by the May
day plotters. These included Secre-
tary of Labor Wilson, Commissioner
of Immigration Caminetti and POST
General RIIr1oSnn Pn1iNa and
soldiers have been thrown about the
homes of officials whose safety may
be threatened.
1t was shortly after II o'clock last
night when the northwestern part of
Washington was shaken by a violent
explosion at the front door of Attor-
ney General Palmer's home which
crumbled the facade of the house and
wrought destruction to doors. windows
and furniture for a distance of over a
hundred yards in every direction.
Palmer, in his pajamas had been
reading near q window of a second
story front room. Mrs. Palmer, the
only other occupant of the house be-
sides the servants. was in rear room.
None was injured.
Immediately there was bedlam in
the neighborhood. People rushed
from their homes in pajamas and
night dresses. servant girls wringing
their hands in excitement and fear. A
PNi6tAit5 1SAu oiIlSll, IllIlSllDS WIFI the
odor of burned foliage hung like a
vapor over the street. A few moments
later Attorney General Palmer ap-
peared at the front of his dwelling
and about the same time police Off
GERS began to arrive. A search for the
perpetrator of the outrage was begun.
Find Pieces of Body.
Fifty feet from the steps a portion
of mans leg was found. Further
search revealed other fragments of a
| human form, CHASTITY evidence that
whoever had aimed to kill Palmer had
| come to the terrible end he had de-
| signed for his victim.
| Remnants of the anarchists suit
case. in which he is believed to have
carried his death machine to the Pal
mer home were next found buried I'M
| der leaves and limbs blown from trees
| by the force of the explosion. This
| gave the first direct clue that the plot
ter was an anarchist 1t contained a
! Fighter" and concluded with the fol-
| lowing:
Just wait and resign to your fate
since privilege and riches have turned
, your heads. Long live social revolu-
ton. Down with tyranny"
The mans hat was next discovered
Bomb Outragcs Widespread.
Report of these findings to head
quarters here met with the news that
similar explosions had taken place
elsewhere in the country.
Police authorities here got into
| touch with the Philadelphia officials
| in an effort to trace down the iden-
| tity of the terrorist.
Reports of bomb outrages almost at
| the same hour as the one here, in
| Cleveland, New York, Newtonville,
Mass, Boston, Philadelphia. Paterson
| n. j., AMI Pittsburg left no doubt in
the minds of officials here that the
plot was widespread.
Following discove v of one leg of
| the plotter, remain of the torso were
| picked up 100 feet away. Another
/ leg was thought for a time to be the
same as the first found-a left-indi-
| eating two men had been kiIled-but
later it was decided that there had
been only one.
A Swarthy Man.
The remains indicated to the police
| that the victim was a swarthy skinned
| man, quite slender and with dark hair.
he Wore collar of known brand
with Chinese laundry marks which the
| police hope will aid them in their eff
forts to identify him.
Experts from the. bureau of mines
ana army and navy experts in high
! explosives were called upon in the eff
fort to determine the explosives used
| IN the bomb here. Some believed the
! machine had been packed with cordite
and that short commercial fuse had
been used as detonator Officials
fere believed that this fuse burned
so rapidly that the anarchist had in
sufficient time to escape.
Thousands at Scene
| thousands today visited the street
in which the attorney generals resi-
dence is located. The house itself and
the street in front were being carefully
guarded and scores of federal and DO
lice detectives huSU i7o foT
and finding bits of clothing and other
articles which belonged to the anar-
chist who was killed by the explosion
Fragments of papers which the man
apparently had been carrying in his
pockets as well as the parts of two
pistols also were found. These frag-
ments also may be of assistance to the
detectives in determining the identity
of the anarchist. Federal agents are
bending every effort to identify the
..E I.