Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-26
The Late ATTEMPTS 10 AssaasinatG
Judge Field.

From the Washington Star, Jan. III
The following is a correct version cf
the attempt to assassinate Hon. Stephen
G. Field, Associate Justice of the United
States Supreme Court
Last Saturday morning while the Judge
was at the 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 en-
4 veloped in common white paper, and on
one side had a stamp of the Pioneer Gall
lery, San Francisco, attached. The su
prescription was printed, and evidently
cut from the title page of the California
Reports" with the exception Of " Wash
ington, D. c." which had been cut out Of
o newspaper, both Of the slips being
pasted on the face Of the package.
The Judge upon first taking up the par
eel remarked to Judge Lake, who was
present, that it must be a photograph, and
expressed surprise at its reception. He
stepped to the window and providentially
discoveredwhen he had opened it about
an eighth of an inch that it was not a
photograph, and called Judge Lakes at
tention to the singular appearance of the
box. The latter, upon looking at it, pro-
nounced it to be a torpedo, and after put
ting it in water took it out to the Capitol
Opposite the rooms of Judge Field,
where he, with Mr.. Broom, one Of the
Clerks of the Supreme Court, examined
the package.
These gentlemen finally went into the
earriage-way under the Senate steps, and
| shielding themselves behind one of the
columns, threw the box against the wall,
shattering off the lid and exposing the
contents. About a dozen copper cart
ridges had been placed in the box, with
the bullets radiating from the centre,
which formed a space of about n inch
in diameter. The sides Of the cartridges
had been filed through, so as to afford
communication with the powder. In the
little cavity surrounded 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 fulmi-
mating powder and alcohol, thus render
ing the internal machine certain to ex-
plOde. On the inside of the lid was pasted
the following words, also cut from a news
paper: October 81, 1864 Judge Field
this morning decided the Puebla case in
favor of the city" The box and its con-
tents were sent to the Secretary Of War,
who directed an examination of the
package by the Ordnance Departments
The officers Of the department state that
it is the most remarkable torpedo ever
brought TO their attention, and that had
the Judge pulled open the box, it would
havo exploded with terrible effect.
Judge Field has no idea us to the source
of the internal machine, but from the fact
that it was evidently made by a scientific
man, familiar with such work, and that
the package was to large to be put in the
letterbox IN San Francisco, but must have
been passed through the Post Office win
dow, it is reasonable to believe that the
sender Of the torpedo will be brought to
justice. The Puebla case was one involy-
ing the virtue Of titles to property, given
by the city of San Francisco, and which
was decided in favor ofthe city by Judge
Field, in 1864, thereby dispossessing a
large number of spectators and adven-
turers who had occupied land as psquat-
ters." The Judge is at a loss to determine
whether the internal machine was sent by
some of these disappointed adventures
or by some culprit who has had Justice
melted out to him by Judge Field, and
who now uses the reference to the Puebla
ease to throw suspicion on the wrong
track,