Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 157, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 July 1915 — MORGAN SHOT AND CAPITOL DYNAMITED [ARTICLE]

MORGAN SHOT AND CAPITOL DYNAMITED

Crack-Brained Teacher Tries to Kill 3. P. Morgan as Means to Stop Shipment to Allies. * J. P. Morgan narrowly escaped death at the hands of a crack-brained teacher last Saturday morning when he was assailed in his home at East Island, near New York City. He was entertaining at breakfast Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the British ambassador to America. A man appeared at his home, forced the butler at tye point of a revolver into the house and when Morgan and his wife, who were attracted by the cries of the butler, appeared and tried to overpower the man, who nad a revolver in each hand, he shot each gun and both bullets entered the body of Mr. Morgan. One passed through the body below the abdomen and buried itself at the base of the spine. The other passed through one of Mr. Morgan’s legs. The man was overpowered and taken to jail. He made confession, giving the name of Frank Holt and assigning as his reason a desire to have Morgan cease to represent the English government in the purchase of munitions of war for the allies. Holt had been a teacher of German in Cornell University. He admitted later than he had made the infernal machine that was discharged Friday morning in the senate wing of the capital building at Washington and that was the “exclamation point” to his demand for peace. Holt has now been identified as Erich Muenter, who, as a student in Chicago University in 1906 murdered his wife. He escaped to Mexico and later shaved his beard, changed his style of dress and returned. to the United States and secured employment in colleges. He married the daughter of a prominent Methodist minister of Dalias, Tex., and was to have taught French in the Methodist college at Dallas the coming year. His wife was at the home of her father when the crimes of last week were committed. Holt says he will enlarge upon his confession Wednesday.