The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-09-16

Two minutes later, nearly all the
exchanges Lad closed. Men had turn
ed from barter to an errand of mercy
and there was need Of it.
Police Seek Dead and Injured.
While police toiled for hours. seek
ing the dead and injured, trained in
vestigators were trying in vain to de-
termine definitely whether the ex
plosion had occurred from a bomb,
or whether an automobile dashing into
wagon loaded with explosive, was
the cause.
Frank Francisco, one Of the most
able investigators of the department of
justice, declared after arriving on the
scene that it was his opinion that not
a bomb plot but a collision had been
responsible for the blast, which rocked
skyscrapers and tore the fronts from
office buildings for blocks around.
Morsan's Son is Hurt.
Junius Spencer Morgan. son of J. P.
Morgan, a member of the firm, was cut
by flying glass, and Elliott Bacon was
slightly hurt. Officials of the company
denied first reports that bomb had
exploded in the Morgan building.
Fire apparatus and ambulances
dashed through the narrow crooked
streets on which lay a covering of
shattered glass and the broken re-
mains OF men and horses.
A reporter of The Associated Press,
making his way down Wall street
from Broadway, suddenly saw go up
In front Of him a cone of flame and
smke. 1t came from the very center
Of Wall and Broad streets.
Awnings Are Burned Off
1t mounted so high that awnings on
the fifth floor of many skyscrapers
were burned to cinder.
Then there was a roar that was
heard far up Manhattan Island. and
hundreds of persons were hurled to
the pavement
Cries arose, and on Wall street
paved with broken glass, there gushed
forth streams of blood more fit for
battlefield than Americas financial
center.
Sits Up; Falls Over Dead
One man was seen to sit up, brush
his hand over his eyes and then
toppled over dead into the gutter Near
him were found the bodies of three
women. ard further on more bodies.
Hardly had the roar of the explo-
financial district was made from all
parts of the city.
Thousands came moved only by
curiosity. but there were others
physicians and nurses, bent on mis-
sions of mercy. and police. secret
service men, and soldiers, to protect
property.
Torn Truck and Auto
The first thing that occupied the at
tention of the investigators were
wrecks of a truck and auto found at
the spot from which the blast was be-
lieved to have come.
From the wreckage We're taken a
New Jersey automobile license whose
reported number corresponded with
that Issued to Durham Beedon, a New
ark pharmacist.
Say Car Was Parked.
Beedon, when found safe in an ac-
countant's office at 50 Wall street,
said he had parked his car, which
contained no explosives, in front OF
the building, and behind another ma
chine. He added that he knew no
more of the explosion.
Some investigators advanced the the
ory that an automile had collided with
a powder wagon, and the DUPONT COM
pany was asked Immediately whether
any of its wagons were in the vicinity.
Other investigators started to run
down reports that bomb had been
exploded in front of the Morgan build
ing.
Work on Conspiracy Theory.
Working on the conspiracy theory.
the police took up all remnants of the
wrecked automobile and wagon, even
going so far as to remove the shoes
from a dead horse. to establish the
identity of the vehicles owners.
Detectives picked up near the scene
pieces of cast iron window weights
smelling Of powder. The theory was
advanced that they might have found
part of an internal machine.
All pieces of clothing near the scene
were picked up by the police.
Wrecked Truck Upholds Theory.
They pointed to the fact that a
wrecked truck was found. The au-
thorities switched their theory from
dynamite to T. n. T. because of the
fact that there was no great hole in
the pavement, such as would have
been blasted by dynamite.
So far as could be learned. no