The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-07
AMBUSHED DEATH.
MYSTERY AS TO THE MOTIVE or ITS PREpARA-

DELpnIA-AN OFFICE BOY TERRIBLY INJURED
MYSTERY AS THE MOTIVE OF ITS PREpARA-
TIoN.
PHILADELPHIA. Pa, Oct. 6. 1879.
Major Robert A. Parrish, Jr.. a member of the
Philadelphia Bar. came causing the death of
office boy this morning by the explosion of a death
dealing machine fixed in his desk in his Office. Be-
tween nine and ten O'Clock the people in the neigh
borhood of No. 80 South Sixth street lin Lawyers
row. startled by three distinct and loud explo
sons coming from the house. Rushing into it.
and into Office at the end of the
first floor they met by volume of gunpowder
smoke and heard cries of agony coming from a
corner of the room. Proceeding further they found
the Office boy. Willie McDo WELL aged seventeen on
the floor moaning. On picking him up it found
that one of the poor little fellows hands lit
terally torn oil and his face and body disfgured.
Mr.. Parish's desk in the greatest confusion.
showing that explosion of some kind had taken
place in it. Upon examining ii they found the most
diabolical Of internal machines.
A TERRIBLE AMBUSH.
An examination of the machine shows it to have
been constructed with the sole purpose In view of
doing all the damage possible and of killing the per-
son who dared to open the drawer in which it
concealed. AS il to tempt some to receive the
full contents in the most vital part the body.
|
from the desk. directly in front of the drawer.
that the person who opened the drawer might
conveniently sit down and leisurey pull out
the fatal drawer. This drawer was of the
ordinary size that belongs to a large four foot
by two desk, and the window huge
block of wood had been placed within it, On this.
facing toward the front and in the centre were three
pistol barrels. probably nine inches in length and
with correspondingly large bore. They held
fast by means of screws. To the right the top
of an ordinary biotting pad, which piece of
chemically prepared emery paper such is used for
striking patent matches. around which scattered
a quantity, OF gunpowder. and the supposi
ton is that train Of powder was laid
Attached to the small block the match heads
several wires, arranged that the pull
ing open OF the drawer would the emery
paper to scrape quickly over the match heads and
explosion follow as a matter Of course. How
they were fixed so us to prevent an explosion when
opened by the protector Of the machine could not
be ascertaincd, us the wire and the wood surround
ing the barrels wero terribly torn. while one OF them
must have been loaded to the muzzle With three
long pistol barrels loaded with sluas suitable to the
bore, the terrible effects Of the machine can
well be imagined. That one of the barrels was
split about the same al over ripe balsam apple
and that 1t went of, is supposed. merely by the
boy jumping or OFT the desk shows how delicatey
constructed must have been the Mechanism. When
the explosion occurred the concusson was dull and
heavy like the falling of metallic object upon
carpeted floor Tho smoke was dense and thick.
while the smell of sulphur strong. The slugs
used were about an inch long. heavy and solid. AS
has been stated, large haircloth chair stood in
slugs penetrated tearing the thick padding of the
chair open clean and easily passing into front
room and striking the lower door Of bookcase ten
| feet distant. Two shots went through the inch
| thick door. and buried themselves in bundle of
papers. cutting hole in it an inch long. In
| chair. over which the slugs passed. Had
| any one been sitting in the chair he would
| have been instantly killed. The lock OF the
drawer was buried in the chair the front of
| the drawer torn to pieces. the drawer alongside
| tered. 1t impossible to tell how many slugs
there were in each barrel, but three were found,
and in the chair back three holes through
which these passed. while i'll the front part were
| three other holes leading to the impression that
there were two slugs in each barrel. Later. upon
| closer examination another old horse pistol barrel
found secured to the bottom of the desk.
arranged that the movement OF the drawer dis
charged it, 1t was also pointed toward the chair and
| contained a minnie bail, which went through the
chair and lodged in the desk standing in the ante
room.
| could not learn how the accident happened He
at once conveyed to the Pennsyvania Hospital. and
neccsstate the amputation of his arm. his hand
having been already ainputated His condition is
| such that no one has been permitted to see him
cept the attending physicians.
THE pLorTER.
The Office in which the desk containing the ma
chine is occupied conformity by lawyers Parrish
Il Shalcross, Duncan l.. Buggy and Robert l.. Pyle,
| all prominent members of the Bar. Mr. Parrish is
| unfortunately out OF town-somcwhere in Jersey,
probably at his home. He has not been here
since Thursday. but 1t is nothing unusual for him
to 90 away for several days.
The motive of the machine is mystery to all.
Some persons think that Parrish purposed commit
ting suicide with it, and say that he has become de-
ranged because or reverses in business. At one
time he was u man of means. somewhat of
epcure. and good fellow generally For
time past he has appeared more than usually melan-
choly. Mr.. Parrish is about fifty years of age,
man peculiar in his disposition taciturn and eccen
know but little of his affairs. Parrish lived at
Masonville. NJ He served during the war in a
| California regiment Major. He has belief that
he is entitled to u largo fortune in payment for
| gold mine; that he is relentessly pursued by peo-
pie who seek to wrest from him the proofs of his
rights. and he once published queer book on this
subject.
is thought that it through his fear of being
robbed of these proofs OF his hereditary rights that
| he constructed the machine to protect his papers
| from the thieves, but nothing found in the
drawer besides the machine and the knuckles of the
poor boy. There is another drawer beside this one.
but what is in it has not been ascertained it is
locked and no one can be induced to break it open
through fear of there being another machine in it.
Parrish recently lost an important deed from his
DESK so it is possible that he constructed the
| chine for the reception OF thieves.
| As to how the boy set off the machine Mr.. Shall
cross judges that he got upon the desk to fix the
window, near which 1t Stood and getting down with
| his head on the edge of the drawer, he shot.
for il he had been in front he would have been rid
| died aud could not have survived. This afternoon
Chief of Police Given made affidavit before mags-
tratc. charging Parrish with attempting to take life,
and upon the strength of this affidavit warrant
was issued for his arrest. and il placed in the
hands of Detective Jackson who has started look
| him up.
| The machine was removed to the Central station
and locked up.
This the second machine brought to light here in
the last few years. Some years ago old couple
ccived letter. which stated that valuable box
would be sent them on tho following day. the box
camo. It was foot square and nicely covered with
paper. The old lady suspected something was wrong
aud pulled the lid out slowly until an aperture of
quarter OF an inch showed the contents to be nails
and glass. and bullets and gunpowder intermixed.
1t afterward found out that a son-in-law had
sent the machine. in the hope of getting rid of the
old couple The lid proper of the box lined with
sandpaper. and below 1t was placed board studded
with matches and rising up from a bed of powder.
RUM, JEALOUSY AND MURDER.
YOUNG MAN SHOT DEAD by ANOTHER IN THE
STREETS OF YoNKERs.