Aftermath of Sterling Hall Attack Sees Lives Shattered Amid Urgent Manhunt

In the chaotic aftermath of the bombing, the four figures hurriedly fled from the crime scene, aspiring to elude apprehension. Little did they know, but this frantic escape marked the commencement of a new narrative, one riddled with the immediate repercussions and unfolding consequences of the explosion.

As they disappeared into the shadows, a web of intrigue and suspense unfurled, weaving together the threads of their choices and the ripple effect that would shape the events to come.

The thunderous blast that shattered the quiet of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on Aug. 24, 1970, reverberated through countless lives. As Sterling Hall crumbled, so too did the worlds of those most intimately connected to the tragedy.

The FBI swiftly launched a nationwide search for four individuals implicated in the attack: Karleton Lewis Armstrong, Dwight Alan Armstrong, David Sylvan Fine and Leo Frederick Burt. These men faced charges of sabotage, destruction of government property and conspiracy. Immediately after the building was bombed, the four fled from the crime scene, and here another story begins for them.

In the immediate aftermath, the community grappled with shock and disbelief. The father of two of the accused bombers, Karleton Armstrong and his younger brother Dwight, expressed the profound impact on their world. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, accessed via newspapers.com on Sept. 3, 1970, the father lamented, “I just feel like the whole world has kind of crashed down around us,” encapsulating the collective sentiment of a community thrust into an unexpected and harrowing reality.

Amid the manhunt, the accused bombers faced not only legal consequences but also societal condemnation. The Armstrong brothers, Fine and Burt became symbols of a radical movement that had turned to violence. Their families grappled with the stigma and isolation brought on by the actions of their kin. The aftermath saw a complex interplay between the legal battles, public opinion and the personal struggles of those connected to the accused.

“I believe it was quite significant. Even today, there’s still a lingering idea that Madison is a bit of a radical enclave,” said David Driscoll, curator of economic history at Wisconsin Historical Society. “The criticism against Madison, dating from around that time, is that it’s 64 miles surrounded by reality. All the student activism, free speech, Mifflin St. parties—those were one thing, but now it was a matter of taking lives. It was a wake-up call, a radical shift, challenging the ideals of the time. Some minds might not have changed, considering one death versus hundreds of thousands, but for many, it was a stark contrast to what they were protesting against. It prompted a reevaluation.”

Federal officials swiftly charged Karleton Lewis Armstrong and his younger brother Dwight Alan Armstrong with sabotage, destruction of property, and conspiracy, along with David Sylvan Fine and Leo Frederick Burt. The accused quartet’s ties to campus radical groups highlighted the attack on Sterling Hall and its Army Mathematics Research Center as the violent culmination of simmering anti-war dissent centered on military-affiliated projects.

In the immediate hours following the bombing, a police encounter with the suspects raised eyebrows. According to The Capital Times newspaper, dated Sept. 3, 1970, and accessed via newspapers.com, the four men were stopped by law enforcement shortly after the attack on the Army Mathematics Research Center. The center, which during the Vietnam War occupied the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of the southern (east-west) wing of Sterling Hall, was directed by J. Barkley Rosser, Sr.

However, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, a car containing the four young men was stopped by a Sauk County police officer north of Madison shortly after the bombing. They told the officer they were university students going to an outing at Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin, the affidavit said. Later, it said the car was traced to the Armstrongs’ father, Donald.

To the puzzlement of authorities, they were allowed to pass. A subsequent letter, postmarked Aug. 28 and received by a friend of the suspects, added a mysterious twist, suggesting that the fugitives were in New York City and en route to Canada, according to The Capital Times dated Sept. 3, 1970.

Manhunt Intensifies Across U.S.-Canada Border Region

In the desperate days following the bombing, finding the culprits became priority one for law enforcement nationwide. But early missteps threatened the search.

As the manhunt intensified across the U.S.-Canada border region, early missteps threatened the search for the culprits. Significant developments reported by The Capital Times on Sept. 3, 1970, accessed via newspapers.com, indicated that a mysterious letter hinted at the suspects’ presence in New York City, en route to evading capture in Canada.

Another lead came from an opened letter discovered at the residence of Eliot Silberberg, a friend of one of the suspects, David Fine. The letter, postmarked in New York on August 28, contained instructions on how to notify the underground paper Kaleidoscope of the bombing. It revealed that Fine and Leo were in New York, ready to head for Canada. The letter explicitly directed Eliot not to leave fingerprints on the note inside, urging him to wear gloves and either mail the note to Kaleidoscope in an unfingerprinted envelope or hide it in an obscure place and inform them.

Authorities, faced with the bombers’ head start, combed a vast region near the U.S.-Canada border in coordination with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other agencies, issuing wanted bulletins for the radical foursome traveling together in Ontario towns.

Simultaneously, The Capital Times revealed another lead in the investigation, disclosing the FBI’s connection to New York by tracing wired funds to the Armstrong brothers. Around August 24, a nephew of the brothers sent $50 by telegram to New York, and four days later, a sister wired $25 to them. These financial transactions served as key links in the ongoing investigation into the Sterling Hall bombing.

“After the bombing, things pretty much disintegrated, changed comic strip revolution going on into a real revolution,” said an unnamed man in the “War at Home” documentary, according to the documentary itself.

In a twist of events, New York State Police intercepted Dwight Armstrong and Fine, but communication challenges led to their release. The duo was set free after a police check failed to confirm the vehicle as stolen, and authorities overlooked the identity of the brothers. A subsequent investigation attributed the confusion to a computer mix-up regarding the stolen auto report. It was only later, upon identifying the pair through a newspaper photograph, that the police were able to link them to the ongoing investigation.

Moving on, on Sept. 2, federal grand jury indictments formally accused all four men still at large of the Sterling Hall attack. U.S. Attorney John Olson acknowledged the very real possibility that they had already slipped into Canada undetected.

According to filed affidavits, a previous roadside encounter saw Karl Armstrong’s vehicle searched by police shortly after the bombing near a Sauk County lake. Allegations later surfaced regarding his acquisition of fuel oil and nitrogen fertilizer used in constructing the explosive. Most chilling were suggestions that the at-large suspects harbored visions of further bombings, assuring the investigating officer that such attacks would occur as late-night acts to minimize potential casualties.

As the hunt intensified, the accused bombers confronted condemnation. Now finding themselves vilified fugitives, the trauma extended to loved ones like Karleton and Dwight’s father. As search pressures mounted across multiple states and Canadian provinces, the accused increasingly resembled cornered radicals, their extreme convictions passing the point of no return.

Moving forward, in accordance with court files in Madison, Karl Armstrong stated, “I had in mind eventually we would give ourselves up, and we would have a political trial. There was no way we could give ourselves up for trial. I felt the bombing was very stupid at that time. I felt morally a sense of shame for taking someone’s life. I didn’t feel it was justified.”

On Nov. 8, 2001, as reported by The Capital Times and accessed via newspapers.com, the last verified sighting of Leo Frederick Burt occurred just two weeks after the bombing. He was hiding with David Fine in a rooming house north of Toronto. When the police entered through the front door, the two fugitives swiftly exited through the back, disappearing into the Canadian night. Burt has never been seen since. Authorities closely tied to the case believe he may be deceased, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining an underground existence for an extended period without contact with friends and family.

Following a year-and-a-half in hiding, authorities apprehended the ringleader, Karl Armstrong, in Toronto on February 16, 1972, alongside a cache of weapons and radical literature. His capture earned him a 23-year sentence, which was cut short after seven years when parole officials assessed the prospect of recidivism as low.

In 1976, when Fine was captured and granted bail, the FBI promptly removed the last Sterling Hall fugitive, Burt, from its “most wanted” list. Despite multiple unconfirmed sightings, including one at an anti-war rally in Oklahoma in the early ’70s, Burt remains elusive, leaving his fate uncertain.

Returning to Madison in 1980, Karl Armstrong emerged from prison as a free man. Initially sharing an apartment on Spaight Street with Naomi Wall, a political activist from Quebec he had married while incarcerated, Armstrong chose to return home. Their parting was amicable, and she eventually returned to Canada. Subsequently, Armstrong endeavored to lead a semblance of a normal life, working as a cab driver. Following the completion of his sentence, he opened his own sandwich shop. His State Street sandwich shop followed before its closure.

Reflecting on his return to Madison post-release, Armstrong noted, according to the court file, “It’s been over three years since I was sentenced. Much has happened to create a new perspective about my actions.” Throughout his post-prison life, he never remarried and did not have children.

Amidst the complexities of history, the narrative takes a poignant turn with the passing of Dwight Armstrong in Madison. Succumbing to lung cancer at the age of 58 on a Sunday, his departure marks the conclusion of a life that bore witness to the tumultuous events and consequences tied to the anti-war sentiments that once stirred the Armstrong brothers into action.

Shifting to the youngest bombing suspect, college writer David Fine, court records in Madison indicate that he encountered the hand of justice on January 7, 1976, when he was apprehended in San Rafael, California. He was subsequently sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his involvement in the bombing, serving a three-year term.

Preston Schmitt, a senior writer for On Wisconsin magazine, the alumni publication for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, “The Sterling Hall bombing had divided the campus, with some students justifying the action despite being devastated by the loss, others believing the action to be inexcusable, and still others being in the middle.” Schmitt attended UW-Madison and graduated in 2014. He interned with On Wisconsin as a senior and later returned to work at the alumni magazine. In 2020, Schmitt wrote a story about the Sterling Hall bombing for the 50-year anniversary.

The bombing underscored the deep-seated tensions on university campuses across the United States. Sterling Hall had been a focal point for protests against military involvement and research, and the attack highlighted the radical undercurrents within academic institutions. It prompted a reassessment of security measures on campuses nationwide, with universities grappling to balance academic freedom and dissent with the need for safety.

The media played a pivotal role in shaping public perception during the aftermath. Extensive coverage fueled public curiosity and concern, with newspapers and television channels dissecting every detail of the investigation. The narrative surrounding the accused bombers became a focal point, influencing public opinion and contributing to the broader discourse on anti-war sentiments and activism.

Despite confirmed sightings alongside Fine in Canada circa 1970, the final suspect Leo Burt succeeded in vanishing permanently. Not even recent digital-age appeals have unearthed the parade, or closed the books on the case of a man whose current age exceeds 75.

In the half-century since the act of violence that claimed a life and injured others, the Sterling Hall bombing has left a legacy of complex personal aftermaths alongside the lingering national notoriety as one of America’s most infamous missing person’s cases.