One of The Deadliest Acts of Terrorism on American Soil Remains Unsolved

One of The Deadliest Acts of Terrorism on American Soil Remains Unsolved

Patrick Lynch - June 7, 2017

The horrific attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001, is by far the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of the United States. Everyone knows where they were on that fateful day which will never be forgotten. However, another September terrorist attack in New York is less known and with 38 fatalities, it ranks as one of the 20 deadliest acts of terrorism on American soil. Unlike the majority of the other attacks, the identity of the perpetrator has never been definitively established.

The Explosion That Shook Wall Street to Its Core

On September 16, 1920, Manhattan’s Financial District was busy as usual with thousands of people going about their daily business. Within the district was J.P. Morgan and Co., arguably the most important banking institution in the world at the time and an obvious target for anarchists in hindsight.

One of The Deadliest Acts of Terrorism on American Soil Remains Unsolved
Carnage on Wall Street. FBI

However, no one paid any attention to the horse-drawn wagon that stopped directly across the street from J.P. Morgan at 23 Wall Street at noon. The Trinity Church bells chimed as usual to greet the hour, and they had only ceased when the street was devastated by a deadly explosion at 12:01 pm. The wagon had been loaded with dynamite weighing 100 pounds and 500 pounds of iron weights. According to Andrew Dunn, a man who worked at J.P. Morgan that day, the noise was so loud it was capable of knocking you out by itself.

The blast threw a trolley carrying passengers from the track; the vehicle was two blocks away. Debris flew as high as the 34th story of the Equitable building on Wall Street, and parts of the unfortunate horse were found several hundred yards away. One of the most famous people on Wall Street that day was Joseph Kennedy, a stockbroker, and father of future American President John F. Kennedy.

Total Carnage

The iron weights were a particularly vicious and evil touch. They flew from the wagon and sliced dozens of people in the vicinity. Other victims were lit on fire in the blast, and inside the Morgan building, a clerk named William Joyce died when a piece of metal crushed his skull. He was one of 38 people who died, and there was also $2 million worth of property damage.

One of The Deadliest Acts of Terrorism on American Soil Remains Unsolved
Remnants of the Iron. History.com

There were a number of survivors of World War I on Wall Street that day and the carnage they witnessed brought back horrendous memories. In the aftermath of the bombing, Wall Street was littered with limbs and mutilated bodies in a scene that wouldn’t have looked out of place in No Man’s Land.

The members of the Stock Exchange had no choice but to suspend trading as 2,000 police officers and nurses arrived on the scene. 30 of the victims died instantly while the other eight perished from their wounds later on. At least 143 people sustained injuries, and there wouldn’t be a deadlier bombing on American soil until the Oklahoma bombing in 1995.

Despite the carnage and the ensuing manhunt, investigators had a hard time figuring out the perpetrators or even the reason for the bombing. The J.P. Morgan building received the brunt of the explosion, so it was initially assumed the bank was the primary target. Critics of the bank said it profited from the bloodshed of World War I so it was clearly an organization at risk of an attack. However, almost all of the victims were low-level staff. J.P. Morgan Jr. was thousands of miles away at the time. Ultimately, it was determined that the bomb was a terrorist attack designed to cause panic, fear, and death with no special target in mind. It proved to be even more difficult to find the bomber.

Theories on the Identity of the Bomber

None of the investigators ever came close to finding the culprit. A huge mistake was made in the aftermath of the bombing; cleaning crews removed the debris and blood overnight so by the time an investigation was launched, most of the evidence had been destroyed. As a result, investigating teams almost resorted to guesswork as they pinned the blame on radical groups that had a record of openly criticizing the government. Here are a few of the theories floated at the time.

Bolsheviks

The day after the bombing, The Times reported that government officials and the police believed the ‘Reds’ were responsible for the attack. The Red Scare of 1917-1920 was still in people’s minds so blaming it on Communist groups was a logical move.

Even for those who didn’t believe it was a Russian attack, there was a sense that a ‘radical’ group was responsible and J. Edgar Hoover was in charge of the Central Intelligence Division that tracked the movements of foreign radical groups. The NYPD launched their own special investigative unit to observe the activities of radicals within New York.

One of The Deadliest Acts of Terrorism on American Soil Remains Unsolved
Luigi Galleani. Prisoners of Eternity

The Galleanists

This group of Italian anarchists fitted neatly into the radical category and became prime suspects after postal workers found flyers the day after the bombing. The flyers were placed in mailboxes in the Financial District just before the bombing and said: Remember, we will not tolerate any longer. Free the political prisoners, or it will be sure death for all of you.” The name ‘American Anarchist Fighters’ was on the bottom of the message.

The message on the flyers was very similar to messages that were circulated after a terror campaign in June 1919. It was a bombing spree in several cities across America and police believed the Galleanists were responsible. Given the similarity in messages and the fact, bombs were used, it didn’t take much of a leap to blame the anti-government Italian group. It took its name from the leader, Luigi Galleani. While he had already been deported by the time of the explosion, many aspects of the device matched his previous bombs.

Edwin Fischer

The former professional tennis player came under suspicion after he predicted the bombing with amazing accuracy. He had warned his friends about an impending attack and urged them to leave New York before September 16. Upon further investigation, it appears as if it was nothing more than an astonishing coincidence.

Fischer was mentally ill and had previously sent similar messages foretelling doom; on this occasion, he was right. Under questioning, he revealed that he received the message in the air from God. Fischer was released and committed to Amityville Asylum.

One of The Deadliest Acts of Terrorism on American Soil Remains Unsolved
Victims of the bombing. Mashable

The Case Goes Cold

After a three-year investigation revealed little or nothing in the way of useful leads, the police and Bureau of Investigation realized they had hit a dead end. The FBI re-opened the case in 1944 and came to the conclusion that Italian anarchists or Italian terrorists were responsible. Specifically, a Galleanist called Mario Buda was named as the number one suspect. He was an associate of the famous anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti who murdered two people during an armed robbery. Buda didn’t hang around for long after the bombing and went home to Italy where he remained until he died in 1963.

Those who relied on Wall Street to make a living were determined not to allow the terrorists to win. The Financial District was open for business the day after the explosion with debris, blood and bodies removed and bandaged clerks bravely taking their seats at work. On the afternoon of September 17, 1920, thousands of New Yorkers journeyed to Wall Street to take part in a moving rendition of ‘America the Beautiful.’ As they sang, the destruction of the Morgan building was visible, a reminder of the devastation just a day before.

While Buda fled, other Galleanists remained in the United States and continued launching bombing attacks. Although they never again caused the kind of devastation seen in 1920, they did terrorize cities for just over a decade. In 1932, they tried to kill the presiding judge in the famous Sacco and Vanzetti case, Webster Thayer, but he survived the explosion.

 

Sources For Further Reading:

American Heritage – The Fire Last Time

History Channel – The Mysterious Wall Street Bombing

CBS News – New York’s Worst Terror Attack Before 9/11 Was 100 Years Ago. No One Was Ever Convicted.

The Great Course Daily – Anarchists in Action: Assassinations and Bombings

Ravalli Republic – The Wall Street Bombing Of 1920 Remains Unsolved

Conton Rep – Remembering The Wall Street Bombing 100 Years Ago

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