Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-01-17
THE ATTEMPT TO AssAssINArE JUDGE
FIELD

A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
The following is a correct version of the
attempt to assassinate Hon. Stephen e. Field,
Associate Justice of the United States Supreme
Court. Last Saturday morning, while the
Judge was at his table writing, his mail was
brought in, and contained a small package
about four inches square. and one and a half
inches thick. The package was enyeloped in
common white paper, and on one side had a
stamp of the Pioneer Gallery, San Francisco
attached The superscription was printed,
ard evidently cut from the title page of the
california Reports" with the exception of
of a newspaper. both of the slips being pasted
on the face of the package.
The Judge, upon first taking up the parcel,
remarked TO Judge Lake, who was present,
that II must be photograph, and expressed
surprise at its reception He stepped to the
window and providentiaIly discovered when
he had opened it about one eighth of an inch,
that 1t was not photograph, and called Judge
Lakes attention to the singular appearance of
the box. The latter, upon hooking at it, pro-
nounced 1t TO be a torpedo, and after putting it
the rooms of Judge Field, l/where he, with Mr.
Broom, one Of the Clerks Of the Supreme
Court, examined the package.
These gentlemen finally went into the car
riageway under the Senate steps, and shield
ing themselves behind one OF the columns,
threw the box against the wall, shatterng off
the lid and exposing the contents. About a
dozen copper cartridges had been placed In the
box. with the bullets radiating from the GEN.
ter, which formed space of about one inch in
diameter. The sides Of the cartridges had been
filed through, so as TO afford communication
with the powder In the little cavity sur
rounded by cartridges was fixed a peculiar
friction match, resembling a small roll of
paper, one end of which was attached to
the bottom Of the box and the other TO
the lid, and arranged SO as to be ignited
upon the least tension that might be caused
by opening the package Over the match
and cartridges there had been poured a paste,
composed of Illuminating powder and alcohol,
thus rendering the Internal machine certain To
explode. On the inside Of the lid was pasted
the following words, also cut from a newspa-
per-" October 3lst, 1854. Judge Field this
morning decided the Puebla case In tav or of the
city >" The box and its contents were sent to
the Secretary OF War, who directed an exami-
nation of the package by the Ordnance Depart
ment. The officers of this Department state
that 1t is the most remarkable torpedo ever
brought to their attention, and that had the
Judge pulled open the box, it would have ex.
ploded with terrible effect
Judge Field has no idea as to the source of
the Internal machine, but from the fact that il
was evidently made by scientific man, IA
miliar with such work, and that the package
was too large to be put in the letter-box in San
Francisco, but must have been passed through
the post ONCE window, il Is reasonable to be-
Heye that the sender of the torpedo will be
brou ght TO Justice. The Puebla case was one
involving the virtue of titles to property, given
by The city Of San Francisco, and which was
decided in favor OF the city by Judge Field, in
lc64, thereby dispossessing large number of
spectators and Adventures, who had occu-
pied land as ''squatters." The Judge is at
loss 10 determine whether the Internal ma
chine was sent by some of these disappointed
acyenturers, or by some culprit who has had
justice meted out to him by Judge Field, and
who now uses the reference to the Puebla case
10 throw suspicion on the wrong track.