On Christmas Day in 1916, Eugene Bell, a University of Nevada student home for the holidays with his parents in Auburn, lit a cigar just given to him by Grover Conroy while the two were in the bar area of the Freeman Hotel. Within seconds, the cigar exploded in his face. Copper from the explosive device tore through his mouth and tongue and he lost part of a tooth.
Grover Conroy, who didn’t smoke, received the cigar through the mail and thought it was a gift, though there was no return address. An investigation found that the addressee was really Grover’s father, former Placer County Sheriff, W. (William) Conroy. The “W” was heavily faded on the address label.
The investigation became statewide when it was learned that several cigar bombs were sent to various people and offices throughout California. Though there were no fatalities, there were injuries ranging from minor to serious.
Federal investigators learned that the cigars came from a manufacturer in Los Angeles and were mailed via the Sante Fe train after a conductor noticed a box of steel tube packages beneath an empty seat. Since they all had mailing addresses, he took them to the mail car. The explosive device used by the culprit was a blasting cap, similar to those used in mining. In fact, the theory was that it was possibly a miner from Arizona (the destination of the Sante Fe train that mailed the cigars).
However, no one was ever arrested or tried for the mayhem caused on Christmas Day in 1916. William Conroy died in 1923 without ever knowing who tried to harm him. He is buried in the Old Auburn Cemetery and has been featured in the Old Auburn Cemetery Tour.
Photo: William Conroy (on left) at the Conroy Hotel Bar, c. 1900
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