The Washington times. [volume], July 03, 1915, HOME EDITION, Image 1

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

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WEATHER FORECAST:
Cloudy tonight and Sunday.
(Full Report on Page Two.)
HOME
EDITION
NtT&IBEB 8584.
WASHINGTON, SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 3, 1915.
PRICE ONE CENT.
PEACE CRANKS COMMIT OUTRAGES,
J. P. MORGAN SHOT AT
HIS
HOME,
CAPITOL DAM AGED BY TIME BOMB
FINANCIER WOUNDED
IN GROIN IN STRUGGLE
WITH ARMED CRANK
Would-Be Assassin Declares Banker Was Re
sponsible for War and Could HaveSttipped
It Attack Witnessed by the British
Ambassador Sir Cecil Spring-Rice
NEW YORK, July 3. The British ambassador
to the United States, Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, was a guest
at the Morgan home and witnessed the shooting of J.
P. Morgan today.
GLEN COVE, N. Y., July 3. John Pierpont Mor
gan, the financier, who has been handling enormous
war contracts for the allies, was shot in the groin to
day by an unidentified man with a German accent,
who forced his way into the residence at East Island,
the great Morgan summer estate here. v t u
"Morgan started the war ifitji coffld-havctopped,
it any time he wished. Tarn willing to die -for the
service I have rendered humanity," said the prisoner
in a statement to Justice of the Peace Luyster, before
whom he was charged and held for felonious assault,
According to police, Morgan's would-be mur
derer has stated that his name is F. Holt, and that he
was formerly a professor of modern languages at
Cornell University.
An express tag was found in his possession,
showing that one of his grips had been sent from
Ithaca, N. Y., to Dallas, Tex.
The tag bore the name of "Schwatzmier," which
had been scratched out. This was considered also
as a possible clew to his identity.
Cornell, where he said he was a professor, is lo
cated at Ithaca, N. Y.
VISITOR CARRIED TWO REVOLVERS.
The man carried two revolvers, which he leveled
at the butler of the Morgan home when the door was
opened shortly after 9 o'clock in response to a ring
at the bell.
Later it was learned that he carried two sticks of
dynamite in his inside vest pocket and had a bottle
which the authorities said contained nitro-glycerin.
The would-be assassin was identified as a man
who visited Glen Cove on Thursday and inspected
the Morgan estates from a hired automobile.
GRAPPLES WITH ASSAILANT.
The man rushed immediately into Morgan's presence
and, after an exchange of words, opened fire with a .32
calibre revolver.
The first shot entered Morgan's groin and came out
at the hip. The second shot went wild and before a third
could be fired Morgan closed in on his assailant.
He grappled with him and with the butler's assistance
disarmed ihe would-be assassin.
The man struggled desperately to escape and suc
ceeded once in breaking away, but was recaptured before
he could get out of the house.
He was turned over to the Glen Cove police by at
taches of tHe Morgan household.
At the Morgan home it was said by some of the ser
vants that both shots had taken effect. Confirmation of
this by any member of the family was unobtainable, but it
was said That the report of the physicians would be given
out later.
A preliminary statement quoted the physicians as say
ing that the wounds were not serious.
(Continued on Page Three.)
WHAT THE FANATICS SAID:
"I am an old fashioned American with a conscience.
This is the exclamation point in my appeal for
peace." In letter from R. Pearce, who tried to blow up the
capitol.
"I am a christian gentleman Morgan could stop the
war. No one was in this but me and God Almighty."
Statement by man who attacked J. P. Morgan. '
LETTER SENT TO THE TIMES BY CRANK
WHO TRIED TO BLOW UP THE CAPITOL
fv":3 Jr-'KJ v;t' ; '' "' ' '.1-;,, i:-:
iikivJi.xXiCM(vv'w.-:..
Ua'is,l !" and cl-eur-ntabe! call orvwinl wm,
In connaotlou lun i-- Sci?tC r"i oul-i i t f'. r will
.fl o'vjp nd consider hnt w rre doihT
We Wm fpr PEACE AJiii GOOU KIL U lia, anfl ytr US
our Furotn' brt?ireti-r isadly ottlnjc out to blllsoneanother
.tc want .'rocpTi-:y. ' c. t KrO"p rm& notyh non-contraband
rnntprial to Rive ue prooporlty Let ue not soil her 5XFUirIVKS.
Let Tch nation -s.e hor own nnnt.llin. nachlnas!
Sori3r, I, too, had to use exploolvecZFr tfan last titeT trust)
It is tho exnort kind and oiif-jti to tnaKe .finoh noioe to be hearol
above the voioea tht cinnjour for ar ar.d tiood-Toney. n.io eiiploslon
ia the exclniar.tion polrt tc ny ftppeal for peace!
finnoiily lntcreotefl In explosives nave oone -all the tj-Dclnf, ao
far (that includeo sany a newopaporU ?qt oncb let tho rent of
uo have a chance! - Write at onco r:d ncrd potLtlona.
Dated June Ist.lOSff .Pero.
iUr.i. t.jaii.i k iuskx ,i,4ty ,. ' ;j..' v j
' t f r-'pir,
I 4 .)
Above The envelope in which letter was sent, showing time of hailing. Below Excerpts from the letter.
Full Text of Letter to The Times
Unusual times rind circumstances
call for unusual means.
In connection with the Senate af
fair would It not be well to stop and
consider what we Hre doing?
We stand for PEACE AND GOOD
WILL, to all men, and yet, while our
European brethren are madly set
ting out to kill one another we edge
them on and furnish them more ef
fective means of murder. Is It right?
Wo get rich by exportation of ex
plosives, but ought we to enrich
ourselves when It means the untold
suffering and death of millions of
our brethren and their widows and
orphans?
(By the way, don't put this on tho
Germans or on Bryan. I am an old
fashioned American with a con
science, if it is not a sin to have u
conscience).
Wo are within tho International
law when we make this blood-money,
but are we also within the hioral
law, the law of Peace, or of Love,
or of Christ, or whatever else a
Christlat, nation may call It?
Aro we within reason' Our chil
dren have to live after us, Europe
helped and en- ouraged tho Balkans
in their bestial war, and she reaped
the whirlwind. Can't wo learn wis
dom? Is It right to supply an Insane
asylum with explosives? or give them
to children? We even prevent our
pwn children to kill and malm them
selves at tho rate of 200 dead and
6,000 maimed on the glorious
Fourth. How much more should we
not hesitate to furnish stiangurs,
and they mad? Will our explosives
not become boomerangs?
If we are willing to disregard our
Ideals for a dollar, will they hesitate
some day when they get the chance?
A prostitudo sells out for a dollar.
Ki! Columbia too?
Wilson said In his Decoration-day
speech that the war developed na
tional spirit. Good ! Now let Peace
make for national spirit. Let all
real Americans say: "We will not
bo a party to this wholesale mur
der!" Would not that bo national
spirit? Better than one based on
the murder of our fellow-man.
We want prosperity. Yes. Hut Eu
rope needB enough noncontraband
materials to give us prosperity Let
us not sell her x.los ves Lot men
nation make her own mankllllng
FANATIC RUINS ROOM
IN SENATE, NOTE SENT
TO TIMES ABOUT DEED
Police Seeking Man Who .Indicates He Has
Been In City For Month Waiting Chance
To Air Views On Peace Not a German,
Writes "R. Pearce."
machines!
Sorry, I too. had to use explosives.
(For the last time I trust). It is tho
export kind and ought to make,
enough noise to bo heard above th
voices that clamor for war and
bloodmoney This explosion is tho
exclamation point to my appeal for
peace !
One editor said: There are times
when one government may bo ex
pected to speak on behalf of other
countries and of humanity in gen
eral. God bless you, Mr. Editor, that
was a timely word in this blood
money madhouse. Let us stop this
colossal American crime'
Let us have a vote on it by mall.
We can trust tho President. Let
every man and woman in favor of
not being party to further murder
write to Mr. Wilson at once. This is
necessary. The people financially In
terested In explosives havo done ull
tho talking so far (that Includes
many a newspaper). For once let
tho rest of us have a chance. Write
at once and sent petitions.
R. PEARCE.
Dated Juno 1. 1915.
We would, of course, not Bell to
the Germans If they could buy here,
a ihI since so far we cold only to the
M'Ips nrtMier sldo should object If
we stopped
Freu Dnclng,at Great Falls. Va. AdTL
In a letter mailed to The Time before 10 o'clock lat
night, fully an hour and a half before an explosion wrecked
the Senate reception room, a man for whom the police are
now searching, tells of having secreted a bomb in the Na
tional Capitol.
After confessing his responsibility for the act, the
writer, who signs himself "R. Pearce," adds:
'This is the exclamation point tQ my appeal for
peace.
From the construction of the letter, the writer makes
it appear that he has' been looking over public buildings for
several days, Undetermined as to the one in which he would
place his "exclamation point."
The letter, it is believed, was written long before he
made his choice, for" the word "Senate" has been inserted
in a blank space in pencil, while the remainder of the letter
is typewritten.
The letter is dated June 1. It is a long and sometimes
rambling argument against the shipment of arms abroad
from the United States.
"We get rich by the exportation of explosives. But
ought we enrich ourselves when it means the untold suf
fering and death of millions of our brethren?" the writer
asks, and adds: "A prostitute sells out for a dollar. Fi!
Columbia, too?"
. OLD-FASHIONED AMERICAN.
The letter which is signed by a name not in the least
suggestive of German nationality, contains this caution:
"By the way, don't put this on the Germans or on
Bryan. I am an old-fashioned American with a conscience."
No trace has yet been found of the man.
The communication itself and the envelope in which
it came furnish the only clues the police have as to the
identity of the writer.
And early in the day their task of locating the maq
was further complicated by the inability of the city post
office to find in the cancellation of the stamp any evidence
of the point of mailing.
According to the Postoffice authorities, the letter was
brought to the City Postoffice last night by a collector and
cancelled at 10 o'clock p. m. on No. 2 cancellation machine.
Beyond this they cannot tell whether it was dropped
in one of the chutes outside the main Postoffice door or
came from a box in some remote section of the city.
While the hunt is on to discover the whereabouts of
the man who in his voluntary communication, posted be
fore he could possibly have learned of the explosion except
at first hand, Prof. Charles Edward Munroe, Government
expert on high explosives is making his investigation this
afternoon. Whether by the end of the day he will be in
a position to indicate the nature of the explosion, he can
not foretell.
Expressing regret that the course he took seemed
necessary to him the letter sent to The Times continues:
"Sorry, too, I had to use explosives (for the last time,
I trust). It is the export kind and ought to make enough
noise to be heard above the voices that clamor for war and
blood money. This explosion is the exclamation point to
my appeal for peace."
Pending the result of ,the experts' probe, the building
officials today seem to be unanimously of the opinion that
the damage was caused by a time-fuse bomb. They do not
regard it likely that the damage was done either by spon
taneous combustion or by defective telephone wiring.
They base their conclusion as regards the telephones
upon the fact that no indication that an explosion had oc
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