The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1920-10-01
BOMB PLOT,
SAYS OFFICIALS
Secret Service Chief Flynn Be-
Iieves Internal Machine Caused
BloWup in Wall st. District.
REDS NOON HOUR THREAT.
Washington Fears Explosion Is An
other Attack on Prominent Men,
Bomb Made of TINT and Metal
Window Weights.

New York.-The explosion that rock
ed the Wall street financial district
and made a shambles of the historic
plaza in front of the Sub-Treasury was
the result of plot and no mere acci-
dental casualty.
That is the consensus reached by
official investigators who included vir-
tually all the forces Of law and order,
local, state and federal, that could be
mustered to the scene. From the mo-.
ment of the disaster searching inves-
legations have been under way, not
alone by the city police and detectives
under Commissioner Richard E. En-
right, including such experts as the
men Of the bomb squad, but also by
the experienced men Of the fire depart
ment, the bureau Of explosives, the
investigating forces Of the Federal
Treasury Department and the Depart
ment of Justice, whose chief, William
J. Flynn, was despatched from Wash
ington and took charge.
A detailed report on the explosion.
reached the Department of Justice by
long distance telephone from its New
York office. Officials jumped to the
conclusion that it had been plot and
last night they let it be known that
they had heard nothing which would
change this original opinion.
Secretary of the Treasury Houston
refused to accept reports that the ex-
plosion was accidental. He said every
precaution would be taken to guard
the Treasury in Washington. He said
also the secret service of the Treasury
Department was working on the case.
From the time Chief Flynn assumed
command of the federal inquiry on his
arrival here last night his discoveries
all tended to confirm the theory that
the explosion had been caused by
giant Internal machine.
The numerous iron slugs made from
pieces of window sash weights which
tore their way into the walls of al
nearby buildings with terrific force
and scattered like sharpnel through
the streets would certainly not be car
ried in any ordinary dynamite or ex-
Dlosives cart, federal agents remark
ed, an seemed to have come from
bomb of gigantic proportions.
1t was recalled that there have been
frequent menacing remarks made by
anarchist and communist agitators TO
the effect that some time a great
calamity would befall Wall street "at
the noon hour" and that illusions TO
this effect have appeared In Red"
radical handbills at intervals. The
central executive comittee Of the Com
munist party recently gave wide dis
tribution also to pamphlets calling
upon "the proletariat" to join in nm
"armed uprising against the capitals
tic classes" These pamphlets con-
'tained the declaration; 1.-THE Com
munist party Of America now sounds
the call Of revolution"
A theory accepted by many Of the
Department Of Justice agents was that
the cart OH which the explosives were
carried to the scene of the tragedy
had been stolen and possibly camou-
tagged to look like the truck of some
COllSSII, "ouio az
count for the statements Of several
persons that they saw a wagon bear
ing the name of a large explosives
plant in the vicinity shortly before The
accident.
Members of the Red" squad of the
Department Of Justice and Secret
Service operatives, who were on the
scene within a few minutes after the
roar and flash had died away, gather
ed innumerable scraps of evidence
which could not be accounted for in
any way If the explosion had not been
deliberately planned.
They discovered upon the bodies of
several of the victims who had been SD
close as to receive burns yellowish
acid substance such as Is hurled by
trinitrotoluol, or INT, the most pow
erful of all explosives, and one that
has been used on several occasions by
anarchists and communists plotters.