New-York tribune., 1920-09-23
Man WI no Cave
Girl W arning of
Blast Hunted
Stenographer Says Dinner
Companion Told Her TO
Stay Out Of Wall St. Two
Days Before the Outrage
All Other Clews Fail
Five Workmen Reported to
Have Talked With Death
Wagon Driver at Scene

The combined efforts of the eight
Federal and municipal agencies investi-
eating the explosion in Wall Street last
Thursday have so far failed to turn up
one fact that may lead to the arrest of
those responsible for the disaster. The
authorities admitted last night that
! they "were up against stone wall"
Fire Commissioner brennan said that
the experts Of his department had not
made up their minds as to the nature
OF the explosive used, while members
| of other investigating bodies were still
IN doubt as to whether it was an acci-
dent or deliberately planned outrage
Police officials and agents of the De-
was planned deliberately The District
Attorneys office, however, leans to the
idea that the affair may quite reason
ably have been an accident.
Plot Theory Strengthened
The latest witness in support Of the
plot theory is girl stenographer, for
merly employed in the office of the
Department of Justice and now working
in the Equitable Building. She is said
to have been warned to stay away from
the Wall Street district on the day of
the tragedy by young man who took
her to lunch two days previously. The
story runs that when the girl asked for
more details her escort gave evasive an
swers, but begged her to heed his ad-
vice. Department of Justice officials
yesterday began hunt for the man.
: The story previously told by Ray
nond Clark, a foreman employed by
a wrecking company at work on the
old stock Exchange Building, is being
s:ttcd again!s this time by the District
! Attorneys Office, which has issued a
subpoena for his appearance before
! III" grand jury. Clark is reported to
have had an interview a few minutes
before the explosion with man who
! SAID he was the driver Of the wagon
IN which the explosive was hauled to
! According 10 Clark's reported story,
about two minutes before 12 o'clock
last Thursday, man came up on the
plat torm over the cXcavating work and
told him he had some "stuf" for him,
which Clark took to mean dynamite.
Clark refused to accept the stuff"
saying he was not expecting any. The
man then asked to be permitted to use
tho phone "to call up his boss and
,'nd out who 1t was for" as he couldn t
l't his wagon stay down there indcfi-
| nitoly. With this, Clark said. the man
pointed in the direction of the ASSAY
Office. whore he thought he saw horse
nnG wagon.
Four Corroborate Story
Clark said he couldn't let the man
use his phone because he was being
troubled too much by other drivers.
The man left by ladder As he ar
rived at the street the blast occurred.
-Four other workmen corroborate d
C!ark'S story, except that they say the
man was in a nearby booth tclephoninr
when the explosion came
Tho man is described as five feet
seven, about 16O pounds salow com
plcNion. brown eyes. looking much like
an Italian or Pole. He wore a blue
serge suit, white collar, brown tie and
soft hat.
Ii was suggested that the driver may
have been the innocent victim Of plot
ters and did not know the nature Of
the load he had in the wagon George
Lamb. head of the local office Of the
Department. Of Justice, pointed out
that this theory was untcnablc in view
! of the fact that the plottcrs would
have had to set the fuse and that they
had no way Of gauging just when the
wagon would have reached its dcstina-
tion.
Fire Marshal Thomas T. Rrophy, to
whom Clark's story was reported to
have been told. denied that he had
heard the story or seen Clark He
branded the tale as fabrication. Mr.
Brophy is also one of those subppnaed