The Day Wall Street Exploded : A Story of America in Its First Age of Terror

In The Day Wall Street Exploded, Beverly Gage tells the story of a once infamous but now largely forgotten terrorist attack. Based on thousands of pages of Bureau of Investigation reports, this historical detective saga traces the four-year hunt for the perpetrators, a worldwide effort that spread as far as Italy and the new Soviet nation. It also takes readers back into the decades-long but little-known history of homegrown terrorism that shaped American society a century ago. The book delves into the lives of victims, suspects, and investigators: world banking power J.P. Morgan, Jr.; labor radical "Big Bill" Haywood; anarchist firebrands Emma Goldman and Luigi Galleani; "America's Sherlock Holmes," William J. Burns; even a young J. Edgar Hoover. It grapples as well with some of the most controversial events of its day, including the rise of the Bureau of Investigation, the federal campaign against immigrant "terrorists," the grassroots effort to define and protect civil liberties, and the establishment of anti-communism as the sine qua non of American politics. Many Americans saw the destruction of the World Trade Center as the first major terrorist attack on American soil, an act of evil without precedent. The Day Wall Street Exploded reminds us that terror, too, has a history. Just after noon on September 16, 1920, as hundreds of workers poured onto Wall Street for their lunchtime break, a horse-drawn cart packed with dynamite exploded in a spray of metal and fire, turning the busiest corner of the financial center into a war zone. Thirty-nine people died and hundreds more lay wounded, making the Wall Street explosion the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history until the Oklahoma City bombing. In The Day Wall Street Exploded, Beverly Gage tells the story of that once infamous but now largely forgotten event. Based on thousands of pages of Bureau of Investigation reports, this historical detective saga traces the four-year hunt for the perpetrators, a worldwide effort that spread as far as Italy and the new Soviet nation. It also gives readers the decades-long but little-known history of homegrown terrorism that helped to shape American society a century ago. The book delves into the lives of victims, suspects, and investigators: world banking power J.P. Morgan, Jr.; labor radical "Big Bill" Haywood; anarchist firebrands Emma Goldman and Luigi Galleani; "America's Sherlock Holmes," William J. Burns; even a young J. Edgar Hoover. It grapples as well with some of the most controversial events of its day, including the rise of the Bureau of Investigation, the federal campaign against immigrant "terrorists," the grassroots effort to define and protect civil liberties, and the establishment of anti-communism as the sine qua non of American politics. Many Americans saw the destruction of the World Trade Center as the first major terrorist attack on American soil, an act of evil without precedent. The Day Wall Street Exploded reminds us that terror, too, has a history. Praise for the hardcover: "Outstanding." —New York Times Book Review "Ms. Gage is a storyteller...she leaves it to her readers to draw their own connections as they digest her engaging narrative." —The New York Times "Brisk, suspenseful and richly documented" —The Chicago Tribune "An uncommonly intelligent, witty and vibrant account. She has performed a real service in presenting such a complicated case in such a fair and balanced way." —San Francisco Chronicle Contents......Page 8 Introduction......Page 12 PART I: SEPTEMBER 16, 1920......Page 20 1 The Middle of Things......Page 22 2 The End of the World......Page 42 PART II: THE STORY OF DYNAMITE......Page 50 3 The First Terrorist Act in America......Page 52 4 American Roughneck......Page 80 5 The War at Home......Page 107 PART III: A NATIONAL CRIME......Page 134 6 The Great Detectives......Page 136 7 Business as Usual......Page 161 8 Usual Suspects......Page 180 9 A Perfect Alibi......Page 198 PART IV: FACCIA A FACCIA......Page 216 10 The Anarchist Fighters......Page 218 11 Illegal Practices......Page 240 12 The Martyr Who Wasn’t......Page 253 PART V: THE RUSSIAN CONNECTION......Page 270 13 The “Great Detective” Returns......Page 272 14 Triple-Cross......Page 288 15 The Wall Street Curse......Page 302 16 The Roar of the Twenties......Page 320 Appendix: In Memoriam......Page 340 Acknowledgments......Page 342 Note on Sources......Page 344 Abbreviations Used in Notes......Page 346 Notes......Page 350 B......Page 398 D......Page 400 E......Page 401 G......Page 402 H......Page 403 J......Page 404 M......Page 405 P......Page 407 S......Page 408 V......Page 410 Z......Page 411 Just after noon on September 16, 1920, as hundreds of workers poured onto Wall Street for lunch, a horse-cart packed with dynamite exploded. Thirty-nine people died and hundreds more lay wounded in the worst terrorist attack to that point in U.S. history. Historian Beverly Gage recounts that now largely forgotten event: this historical detective saga traces the four-year hunt for the perpetrators, which spread as far as Italy and the new Soviet nation. It also presents the little-known history of homegrown terrorism, and delves into the lives of victims, suspects, and investigators: banking power J.P. Morgan, Jr.; labor radical "Big Bill" Haywood; anarchist firebrands Emma Goldman and Luigi Galleani; "America's Sherlock Holmes," William J. Burns; even a young J. Edgar Hoover. It grapples with some of the controversies of its day, including the rise of the Bureau of Investigation, the federal campaign against immigrant "terrorists," the grassroots effort to define and protect civil liberties, and the establishment of anti-communism at the heart of American politics.--From publisher description Just after noon on September 16, 1920, as hundreds of workers poured onto Wall Street for their lunchtime break, a horse-drawn cart packed with dynamite exploded in a spray of metal and fire, turning the busiest corner of the financial center into a war zone. Thirty-nine people died and hundreds more lay wounded, making the Wall Street explosion the worst terrorist attack to that point in U.S. history. In The Day Wall Street Exploded, Beverly Gage tells the story of that once infamous but now largely forgotten event. Based on thousands of pages of Bureau of Investigation reports, this historic The Middle Of Things -- The End Of The World -- The First Terrorist Act In America -- American Roughneck -- The War At Home -- The Great Detectives -- Business As Usual -- Usual Suspects -- A Perfect Alibi -- The Anarchist Fighters -- Illegal Practices -- The Martyr Who Wasn't -- The Great Detective Returns -- Triple-cross -- The Wall Street Curse -- The Roar Of The Twenties. Beverly Gage. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 339-385) And Index. The middle of things The end of the world The first terrorist act in America American roughneck The war at home The great detectives Business as usual Usual suspects A perfect alibi The anarchist fighters Illegal practices The martyr who wasn't The great detective returns Triple-cross Red scare The roar of the twenties.