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Show A BOOMERANG. A Dynamite Bomb Thrown at the Head cf the Venerable Financier, j EnEiell Sage By a Crank "WTio Inraded Hia Office and Demanded $1,200,000 at Sight. . SAGE SLIGHTLY INJURED. The Man Who "Wanted the Money "Was, However, Blown to Atoms. THE BUILDING WRECKED, A Number of Clerks Killed Outright The Crank Gave His Uame as H. D. Wilson. New York, Dec. 4. A big explosion has just occurred in the direction of Wall street. The explosion occurred at 71 Broadway. Russell Sage and many other prominent men have their offices in the building. Russell Sage and Washington E. Connor have both just been carried out of the build, ing. The first and second floors are completely com-pletely wrecked. Russell Sage's injuries are not believed to he fatal, but several of his clerks were killed. It is now known that the explosion was caused by a dynamite bomb. At 12:15 o'clock this afternoon a small shabbily dressed man, apparently about 35 years old, "carrying a brown leather hand bag, called at Russell Sage's office on the second floor of 71 Broadway, and asked to see Sage. W. R. Laidlaw, Sage's clerk, told him Sage was busy and could not he seen. The man persisted and continued totalk in a loud tone. Sage, who was in the inner office, came out to see what was the matter. He asked the man what he wanted. The man demanded .?1,000,000 from Sage, and upon being refused, he opened his hag and produced a dynamite bomb and threw it at the venerable, financier's head. A terrific explosion followed. The man who threw the bomb was blown to pieces. One of Sage's clerk's was instantly killed, and several dangerously wounded. Sage's injuries were only slight. Russell Sage was taken to a drug store opposite his offiee where it was found his ! injuries were not very serious. His face is ' badly burned and the hair on his head and face burned off. He was much excited, but said, I ro cnly "A mail who gave his name as H. D. Wil-. Wil-. 2a "am a-lQto mZrPfli5f! just n'-w. I ri.e'vt-r taw tiiuiTefore. He had a carpel-bag in his baud and said: 'If you will uoi give me a million two hundred thousand dollars I, will blow you all to pieces.' I know nothing further except hearing a great explosion.'' A later account says that when Sage came .Alt of his office he asked the mau what was wanted. The man said: "I damand a pvivatc interview with you." Sage replied that it would be impossible ; for him to see the man then; but he might j do so later in the day. The man continued to demand a private interview then and . there. Sage ordered him to leave the office. ! On this the man dropped the leather hag and j the explosion which shook the entire block instantly followed. Sage was thrown across ihe room aud stunned. Laidlow was also j thrown across the office and had one leg j bue'ly lacerated. The stranger was thrown again:-t the partition wall and was by far the most severely injured of the three. , There were three others whose names could n )t be ascertained at the moment also injured. in-jured. The injured men were taken toO'Conncll's drug store across the way where it was i found that Saae and Laidlow, though severe-1 severe-1 ly injured, had not received any fatal j wounds. It is known that one of the clerks I in Sage's office was blown out through the j window. Nearly all the windows on the ! cast end north side of the building are j ,-hattered and the interior of the building is , badly wrecked. It is said that two at least I of the occupants of the building were torn j to pieces by the force of the explosion, i Sage in conversation after the explosion ! said he considered it a deliberate attempt to : kill himself and destroy the building. The j man insisted upon presenting Sage with his ! card but he declined to accept it. ) t-age was completely covered with grime j and dust aud his clothing was blown into tatters, and his hands, face and clothing covered with blood. Sage's injuries mainly consist of a cut and bruise upon the forehead, fore-head, while his face aud hands are filled with small cuts. Both tire and ambulance calls were at once sent out, and in a few minutes after the explosion ex-plosion the building was surrounded by the lire engines, ambulances and policemen. I The news spread all over down town and every street in the neighborhood was soon thronged with thousands of excited men. The wildest rumors prevailed. One of the bystanders who was crossing Broadway just as the explosion occurred, said that the shock was so great that men near by fell senseless on the walk. One side of the building then for an instant resembled Niagara. It was a perfect sheet of minute atoms of glass and in the mass was the figure of the man who was hurled through the window. win-dow. Then a man so cut aud bleeding as to be. unrecognizable climbed from Sage's office to the window sill and seemed about to jump but was prevailed to wait. .. |