The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-09-18
TRACE OWNERSHIP
OF BOMB WAGON
Chocolate Vendor Gives De-
scription Of the Vehicle
Bearing Deadly Burden

a.ltaI IrrSs)-The enact cause OF the
rNploS:0n yesterday which in the twink
/. formed Wall street. near Broad. from a
scene NJ busting activity to one OF
dreadfui carnage. remains tonight u
mystery.
lam !. flynn. rh;"t az IN" bureau OF
tnlrStivat.nn Of thu department IF JUS
tI.s. and Ire commissioner Thomas
brennan. - that III" DISASTER was
caused "y II ;'n'c h"mh loaded with high
">2.o>.l"~ and reinforced with metal
S!usS.
Il, carly theory that tn" blast was
caused by collision between an CN-
, pioSiNc-,alcn wac"n Ir'i .'mn'""- N'hi"i"
he said. was d.Spe. led by Su"-eIH"nt m
, vcStigat!ur although IL has not yet been
entirely discarded by official Investigate
orS
,"n.f flynn who arrived her" from
Washington last night L. tan" personal
rItrS. Of the federal investigation. de-
,..,v.d. airHr having tn" j. T. Morgan
otto" to-day, that from "N.dcnH" OBJ
taru"l within the last few hours II has
henn definitely established that tie en-
pi"Siun was du" 10 a time bomb.
Timed to Go on at Noon
"'rh" bomb Was taken I" Wall street,
M added. in the wagon which was
blown TO pieces. The internal machine
was timed u 90 on a, noon and Hp-
parcntly WAS placed IN the wagon by /
person who Was within :"ur blocks OF
Walt and Eroah streets when IN" en-
plo~Iop "CcUrrCd.
SIX NOR. deaths since midnight.
hrough, the death total Tonight /" -.
The number OF injured. Inr!udiuG those
treated at the scene. IN hospitals ana
at their homes. WAS aprroNm"triy """'
Nearly 100 81 these are St;Il hong treat
I'd IN hospitals The property damage"
Is variouSly estimated from S!nOVpVO
To s2.I0n. 0nu.
, Eight separate inv"stigy ti"nS Of III"
NNplosion were under way tonight.
Thev were hing made by tn" depart
men; OF justice. under the supervision
Of Attorney General Palmer and VII.
liam !. Flynn. chief OF III" bureau OF
INVESTIGATION: the New York polio" de-
parfrurut under tho SUPERVISION OF com
missioner Enright and chief Inspector
lahy: tho tire depa rtm"nt, tn" building
drparj m"nt. tn" september grand jury
f, tn" medical examiners "hi'" and w."
private injuries by insurance ""inpan-
les and i. J.. Morgan and company.
Key to Mystery.
Thc hcy tu IN" mystery apparently
nr- IN the Identification az tn" rl'k"ty
old wagon drawn by an old horse.
which WAS IrN standing at tn" curb in
Walt street n"ar the United states
l,aSsay office and across IN" street from
tn" Morgan bank few minutes before
the explosion. TIL" horse was kll"d
and tho wagon blown to hits IN the
blast. TIL" driver IF the wagon is be
llrv"d to HAY" escaped. Federal ana
! police authorities tonight wrr" center
ing ;hcir activities on this phase OF the
case.
Every livery stahl" IN tn" city is be-
ing ranvassed to dctcrmin" whether a
horse and wagon arc missing. ENam-
lnatipn of the horses body disclosed
that il had he"u n"wly clipped and
shnG This and a mark on the hors" :
. shoes furnish the only clues 20 its
identity.
conflicting descriptions Of IN" wagon
itself hav" been received by tn" police.
All available bits Of the ycht"i"S have
been taken t" police headquarters.
where efforts are being mad" I" recon
Stru-t tho NchiCl" sufficiently to de-
trrrnino its exact type. \ curs"rH *,
animation indicates il WAS of unusual
breadth. which leads pctr"tIv" chief
Coughln 10 believe that It was Of the
type used IN transporting crates OF
eggs Official opinion - almost unani-
nous that Il was not III" regular typ"
rC wagon used in tho transport alton Of
powder or explosives through city
streets.
Description Of Bomb wagon.
Ono Of the best descriptions Of the
mysterious vehicle was furnished by
Lawrence Scrhn. who. with his part
ncr. WAS engaged IN selling chocolates
10 the noon day crowd from wagon
streets. less than 500 feet from the
scene Of the explosion.
lie declared the cart came from New
street and was driven by a man who
SPOKE with strong Scotch accent.
lust before - o'clock Thursday Ser
bin said that he and his partner were
DONG business on Broad street whore
tho now stock exchange addition ~ be-
ing built when they wer" ordered away
by u mau in ciYi'ian clothes whom thcE
took to b., an officer. II" added that
they turned their hnrS" around. passed
the Morgan bank and went 10 the cor
ncr Of Wall and Nassau streets where
they resumed business.
My wagon was on the ricnt side 81
Wall street. looking toward Broad" he
added and across the street from me
Was an automobile. We began 70 do
a good business with the noon crowds.
Then Some ono sang out 10 mc In r
Scotch accent: Pull your horse up.
buddy looked up at him ana his
wagon.
Knocked Down BY Shock.
/. He must have como from Now street
hc"auS" was watching Il" COP on
Broadway ali tho tins" Ny partner
was doing tho selling. II h" came
down Vail street I couldn't have missed
hrrl. Whom | pulled out ~ ia" way.
br wont straight down Wall street and
about a minute later | was knocked
down and didn't remember anything
unrl, cam" 10 in tn" Broad Street
hos pi'Il.
"Thr wagon WAS bum work waGl
with dark dirty rod pant something
like q dirt waEn and about twir" tn"
s'z, oG thos" used hy street cleaners.
II vas = rusty red color and VAS drawn
hy ~ Old brown horse.
Tho driver was :; dark complcNioncd.
Continued on Page Eight.)