Milwaukee Police Department bombing
Milwaukee Police Department bombing | |
---|---|
Location | Central police station at Oneida and Broadway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
Date | November 24, 1917 7:33PM (local time) |
Target | Evangelical church |
Attack type | Large black powder bomb |
Deaths | 10 (9 officers, 1 civilian) |
The Milwaukee Police Department bombing was a November 24, 1917, bomb attack that killed nine members of local law enforcement and a civilian in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. The perpetrators were never caught but are suspected to be an anarchist terrorist cell operating in the United States in the early 20th century. The target was initially an evangelical church in the Third Ward and only killed the police officers when the bomb was taken to the police station by a concerned civilian. The bombing remained the most fatal single event in national law enforcement history for over 80 years until the 9-11 attacks.[1]
The bomb[]
On November 24, 1917, a large black powder bomb,[2] wrapped as a package, was discovered by Maude L. Richter, a social worker, next to an evangelical church in the Third Ward.[3] She dragged the package into the church basement and notified the church janitor, Sam Mazzone.[3] Mazzone took the bomb to the central police station at Oneida and Broadway and turned it over to the Milwaukee Police Department.[2][4] The station keeper was showing it to the shift commander, Lieutenant Flood, right before a scheduled inspection, when it exploded.[3] Nine members of the department were killed in the blast, along with a female civilian.[2][4]
Officers killed[]
Nine members of the Milwaukee Police Department were killed as well as Catherine Walker, who was in the police station making a complaint against her boyfriend.[4]
Name | Appointed | Years on the force |
---|---|---|
Henry Deckert | October 21, 1913 | 4 |
Frank Caswin | February 1, 1915 | 2 |
Fred Kaiser | February 7, 1905 | 12 |
David O'Brien | November 4, 1897 | 20 |
Stephen Stecker | December 1, 1899 | 17 |
Charles Seehawer | December 1, 1899 | 17 |
Edward Spindler | July 1, 1903 | 14 |
Al Templin | October 17, 1904 | 13 |
Paul Weiler | December 13, 1906 | 10 |
Aftermath[]
It was suspected at the time that the bomb had been placed outside the church by anarchists, particularly the Galleanist faction led by adherents of Luigi Galleani. At the time, the bomber's identity was not uncovered. Many years later, interviews with surviving Galleanist members revealed that Croatian national Mario Buda, chief bombmaker for the Galleanists may have constructed the Milwaukee bomb.[4][5][6][7][8] At the time, the bombing was the most fatal single event in national law enforcement history,[1] only surpassed later by the September 11 attacks when 72 law enforcement officers representing eight different agencies were killed. Those responsible for the 1917 bombing never were apprehended, but days later, eleven alleged Italian anarchists went to trial on unrelated charges involving a fracas that had occurred two months before. The specter of the larger, uncharged crime of the bombing haunted the proceedings and assured convictions of all eleven. In 1918 Clarence Darrow led an appeal that gained freedom for most of the convicted.[9]
See also[]
- List of unsolved murders (20th century)
- 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
- Anarchism and violence
- Propaganda of the deed
- September 1920 Wall Street bombing
- Palmer Raids
- Espionage Act of 1917
- 1919 United States anarchist bombings
Bibliography[]
Notes
- ^ a b Miller 2016
- ^ a b c Balousek 1997, p. 113
- ^ a b c The Indianapolis Star 1917
- ^ a b c d Government of Milwaukee 2017
- ^ Watson 2007, p. 15
- ^ Avrich 1996
- ^ Avrich 1996b
- ^ Dell’Arti 2002
- ^ Strang 2013
References
- Avrich, Paul (1996). Sacco and Vanzetti: The Anarchist Background. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691026046. - Total pages: 265
- Avrich, Paul (1996b). Anarchist Voices: An Oral History of Anarchism in America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691044941. - Total pages: 323
- Balousek, Marv & Editor J. Allen Kirsch (1997). 50 Wisconsin Crimes of the Century. Badger Books Inc. ISBN 9781878569479.
{{cite book}}
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has generic name (help) - Total pages: 365 - Dell’Arti, Giorgio (January 26, 2002). "La Storia di Mario Buda" (PDF). memoteca.it. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 27, 2007. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- The Indianapolis Star (November 26, 1917). "Bomb Mystery Baffles Police". The Indianapolis Star. John Shaffer. OCLC 760301417.
- Miller, Ryan W. (July 17, 2016). "Deadliest attacks on police in the last 100 years". USA Today. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
- Government of Milwaukee (2017). "Milwaukee Police Department Officer Memorial Page". Government of Milwaukee. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007.
- Strang, Dean A. (2013). Worse Than the Devil: Anarchists, Clarence Darrow, and Justice in a Time of Terror. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 9780299293932. - Total pages: 268
- Watson, Bruce (2007). Sacco and Vanzetti: The Men, the Murders, and the Judgment of Mankind. Penguin Books. ISBN 9781101202623. - Total pages: 448
Coordinates: 43°02′27.0″N 87°54′30.5″W / 43.040833°N 87.908472°W
- 1917 murders in the United States
- 1917 in Wisconsin
- Explosions in 1917
- November 1917 events
- 20th century in Milwaukee
- Terrorist incidents in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Terrorist incidents in the United States in the 1910s
- Building bombings in the United States
- Political violence in the United States
- History of anarchism
- Unsolved mass murders in the United States
- Terrorist incidents by unknown perpetrators
- Attacks on bank buildings
- Attacks on churches in North America
- Attacks on religious buildings and structures in the United States
- History of Milwaukee
- Milwaukee Police Department