1936 Bloomington Bomb Makers

During a Republican rally in Bloomington on September 27, 1936, two men were injured by a "bomb" they were lighting behind the Butler Building at 108 N. Madison Street. (The Butler Hotel owned by Preston Butler was the location where orphan Katie Stanton died.) The men were Edward C. Butler and

Latham Drew Hulva. Edward C. Butler, being 69 years old and an experienced army man, was old enough to know better. Latham Drew Hulva was a young man of about 28 years. The Young Republicans, who were responsible for the rally disclaimed all responsibility for Butler and Hulva. The bomb was not intended as a destructive device, but was part of a rather raucous celebration!

Edward Butler was the son of Preston Butler and had been a Captain in the Illinois National Guard. His troop was activated during the Spanish American War and trained in Chickamauga, Georgia during that conflict. The war ended before the Bloomington men could reach the battle, however. Latham Hulva was assumedly still living in the home of his grandparents, who had become his de facto parents after his mother died one day after his birth in 1908. Latham's father lived in Bloomington as well, but lived in the home of his parents after the death of his wife.

Latham was in danger of losing his eye after the explosion of the homemade incendiary, and two articles in the Pantagraph reported on his condition. After a week in the hospital Latham was released without any permanent loss of his eye. He married the next year and lived in different Central Illinois communities. (Of interest probably only to me is the fact that Latham Hulva once lived in my house!) He died in 1977 in Centralia where he was district manager for the American Family Life Assurance Company.

Butler remained in the hospital for longer than a week with unspecified injuries. Butler was made of stern stuff. He lived until 1952, dying at the age of 85. His life had been adventurous one. He served with the Illinois National Guard for 34 years and after retiring in 1918, he attended medical school at Northwestern and took a second degree in dentistry. He practiced the profession of dentistry in Bloomington for twenty years. After closing his dental practice, he became a special deputy with the Bloomington police force. He always carried the gun used by Kansas Marshall "Bat" Carr in shooting down six desperadoes in 1882. Butler apparently employed the same flair in his life as his father Preston had done.