The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-18
A SHOCKING DEED.
Its Object Wrapped in Mystery.

The rumor alluded to in last evening
ARGUS proves to be true, in relation to a
shell thrown into house in Davenport on
Thursday night. 1t was the house Of Mr..
VIM. H. Price, at Brady street on the hill.
No. Sl9, son of Hon. Hiram Price, who
has just been elected to congress. It is a
large double brick house, two stories high;
the north side occupied by Mr.. Price, the
south side by Mr. L. S. Davies. The north
window of the back parlor of Mr.. Prices
home is of wide bay form, four sashes in
width. two sashes high, each sash having
single pane of plate glass. In this parlor
the previous evening, Mr.. and Mrs. Price.
and Miss Louise DuBoss, young lady
from New Orleans who is visiting Mrs. F..
sat conversing till after IL o'clock, The
curtains of the bay window were raised all
this time, and any person could have had
full view of the parlor and its occupants
from the house yard.
At about l o'clock at night the she'll was
thrown in the bay window, falling on the
parlor floor and rolling under heavy sofa.
The family had all returned, but the crash
of glass and the falling of the she'll on the
floor awakened them-as it did also their
neighbors. Mr.. Price hurried down stairs
to ascertain what was fthe matter, and
when descending the stairs the shell ex-
ploded. The noise was heard half mile
away. No one was hurt The sofa was
pretty efectually demoralized and set on
fire. It was thrown out of the house, and
the fire in the carpet extinguished. The
sofa probably prevented the peices Of shell
from penetrating the ceiling. An exami-
nation showed that every pane of glass but
one in the bay window had disappeared,
and large pane CT the front window in the
parlor was also out Plaster was on the
carpet, chars knocked about, walls and
ceiling darkened with smoke and broken
in places. One piece went through the
lath ard plaster of the north wall of the
front parlor, another spiece through a
partition, another piece glanced along the
ceiling taking off plaster, and another
peeled the plaster over door
at one end of the sofa. 1t was
a Al inch shell, 133 inches in cir
conference. Eight pieces were found in
the house, and two outside-and two or
three more are wanting. They are dia-
mond shape-l4 inches long, and over an
inch wide, and { to ! of an inch thick. The
outside was rusty and showed good age,
while the threads of the screw opening
betokened tie same antiquity 1t was
what army men call six pound shell. 1t
was no hand grenade, as was reported "a
hand grenade is almost plaything beside
it; hand grenade explodes by conclusion,
and this engine exploded by fuse. 1t was
round and smooth outside, but inside, the
hollow, large enough to contain a half
pound of powder, was polygonal, having
angles in twelve diamond shaped sides.
Evidently it was made to burst into exact
ly twelve pieces. for the lines of the pieces
were thinner than the pieces themselves.
The pieces were taken to Rock Island
Arsenal and submitted 20 the officers there
for examination. They say that no such
shell are manufactured in U. S. arsenals;
and one remarked that he had read an
advertisement in New York paper Of
just such shell, not long since. 1t was
capable of more fearful work than an ordi.
nary shell. The officers were quite sure
it was not obtained at the arsenal.
What was the object is profound mys,
terry. The room directly over the parlol
had been occupied by Hon. Hiram Price
and wife since September, when they va
Gated their former residence fol
its new owner Now fortunately they
were in st. Louis-though whether the
villains who attempted the destruction o.
the household knew it or not is a question
If Hon. Hiram Price was the object of tht
scoundrePs vengeance, the villain had no
learned Of his absence, ard threw the shell
exactly under Mr.. Prices room. IF Vii
liam Price was the object, then the mys
terry deepeEs, for he knows of no man whC
is personal enemy. Whether they o.
the young lady from New Orleans, or an,
person was the object is mystery. Hon
Hiram Price is most bitter, vindictiv,
politician and crusader, and his violent ant
proscriptive course for years has mad,
him an object of bitter hatred. 1t is no
unlikely that some half-crazed idiot hat
sworn vengeance on him. Some peopl
think that it was plot to blow up tn
house and when the neighbors had sud
denly left their own dwellings unprotecte,
there would be glorious chance for rob
berry.
1t certainly shows dreadful state of so
ciety when such things can be done wit
impunity. If it had happened in tn
south-but we forbear to make comparison
now.
The city has offered 81 200 reward 70
the perpetrator, and Harvey Leonard, tn
Democratic sheriff. has offered 5000 add
tional from his own pocket We earnestl
hope the perpetrator will be found an
punished to the extreme limit of the Law
/.
New stock of novelties in ties, linen sets
hosiery, handkerchiefs, &C., at Mltcbe
& Parsons. l7d6wlt.
. Buy the Victoria self feeding base burn
er, acknowledged by all to be the best, a
David Don's, No. 1917 Ills. st. l3dt