HURL MURDER BOMB: SLAY 1

Wednesday March 3, 1931  the Chicago Daily Tribune

Throw Victim in with Blast; Fuse Goes Out.

One man was fatally shot and another was slightly wounded by five machine gunners in the attempted blasting last night of an alleged gambling house in Blue Island in which the gangsters tried to blow one of their victims to bits with a bomb 26 inches long and 41/2 inches in diameter loaded with pulverized dynamite and shrapnel. The unsuccessful bombing took place at 119th Street and Vincennes Road, across the street from the city limits.
The target of the bomb was a gambling place owned by James Hackett, reputed to be wealthy.
The murder bomb, constructed of steel pipe, contained approximately 15 pounds of dynamite and, had it exploded, could have lifted the one story brick building under which it was thrown and damaged houses a block away, according to Sergt. Joseph Corvin of the Chicago bomb squad.

An Assassination Plot.

The police described the hurling of the bomb as a desperate attempt at assassination, in contrast to the usual bombing, in which much lighter charges of explosives are set and which are used only for the purpose of damaging property and intimidating owners. 

Victims of the bombers were William (Biter) Mayer, 60 years old, caretaker and watchman of the place, and Hilario Rodriguez, 35, a Mexican. Both of Mayer's legs were riddled and torn by machine gun bullets. He died early this morning in St. Francis Hospital, Blue Island. Rodriguez's jaw was smashed. He was also taken to the hospital.

Rodriguez was the victim of a most harrowing experience and the only witness to the attempted bombing. He was standing at the southwest corner of Vincennes road and 119th street, waiting for his wife, when an automobile stopped on the Chicago side of the street, which is the Blue Island boundary. Five men emerged from the car, three of them lifting a heavy object, and walking to the side of Hackett's place on the southeast corner, which runs in the guise of a cigar store.

Hurl Victim after Bomb.

The other two strolled over to Rodriguez, drew revolvers, and ordered him to follow them. Believing them to be police, the Mexican obeyed and joined the first group. As they stood there one of his captors demanded money and, on Rodriguez's plea he had none, struck him in the face, shattering his jaw. During all this time the desperadoes gathered around a four-foot deep coal chute leading beneath 
Hackett's cigar store. Two of them had the bomb.

Suddenly one of the men applied a match to the fuse attached to the missile and tossed it into the hole. Two others seized Rodriguez's bodily and hurled him after the bomb.

There was a momentary sputtering and sizzling as the fuse burned, with Rodriguez looking on in terror. Realizing the danger, he climbed out of the chute in time to see the quintet boarding their car. Two of them alighted again and blazed away at him with a machine gun. One bullet inflicted a slight flesh wound.