The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-17
BOMB KILLS
5, HURTS 9
IN CHICAGO
Flames Follow Blast
Mother and Babe Burn
to Death.

worked on the theory that bomb
caused last nights explosion and
fire in q moonshine diStillery result
ing in the death Of three persons
and the injury of at least nine
others.
The explosion occurred in a
mixed foreign quarter Of the city,
a melting pot" for II different ma
tionalities. Two buildings were
wrecked.
In the ruins of one building,
which was swept by flames. police
and firemen found the wreckage or
two stills. The original report OF
the firemen was that one of the
stills had exploded. Later investl-
CATION developed the bomb theory.
1t was learned that former occu-
pants of the building had been
slain by bombs and that threats
had been made against the lives OF
families, who up to last night lived
in the structure. t-
The ground floor of the building
in which the distillery was located
was occupied by a grocery store
and the living quarters of the man
who owned it-Joseph u. Verdonl
and his family.
Boy Dies In Hospital
verdoni is in a hospital suffering
from severe burns. His wife, Pau
lima, IS, and her 15-months-old
baby were burned to death. Fire
mon foaad-thk bodies with the child
cfasped m u mothers arms rStsff
Bottino, II, one OF the six children
OF Joseph Bottino, who lived on the
second fioor, died in a hospital.
Immediately after the explosion
flames enveloped the building. trap
ping the occupants, whose scream;
were heard for blocks. ~
Fumes from the stills fed The
fury of the flames. The floor ol
the grocery fell in with the explo-
sion, permitting the fire to 1umI
! Immediately to the second floor.
tFiremen reached the scene III
! few minutes, but hesitated to throw
streams of water into the building
! which burned like furnace, fol
fear OF further endangerlng tn'
trapped occupants.
Chief Piunges Into Fire.
| Donning gas mask and ordering
none but his chauffeur, Charles
! Bratt. to follow, Frank Braband
battalion fire chief, plunge'
through the flames with Bratt a
his heels.
/ Firemen, fearful for their chic
when he failed to reappear in few
minutes, were on the point OF DIS
obeying his orders by attempting t
follow. Suddenly Braband burs
i through to the outside, a child un
/ der each arm. He turned back ant
soon brought out another injure'
child. Bratt rescued several oth
ers.
| No attempt was made to save tn
building while the rescue work wa
going on. Lives only were consid
cred, and an adjoining building wa
soon in flames.
| Although they believed all tn
occupants had been accounted 10
early today police and fireme
searched the ruins for other boo
les. -.
Verdoni Under Arrest.
Besides Verdoni, the injured AT
Constance verdoni. s; Joseph Bot
tino, IS; his wife Justina, AZ. an
their children, Louis, 4; Josephine
/; John, 10: Anthony. >. an
Mary, Z.
Mrs, Bottino saved her. baby j
sephine from serious injury whe
. she rushed to a window and droI
ped the child in the arms Of frt
|, man.
! Despite his burns, verdoni va
placed under arrest at the hosp
tal today. Police said they belie'
) ed the grocery he conducted va
> only q blind for the illegal dist
lery in the basement One OF u
: stills was . huge affair whte
I reached the ceiling.
Police kept close watch ovt
lVerdoni in the hospital in the hoI
( that some members Of the .mool
: shine ring to which it is believe
. he belongs would visit him.