The National tribune., 1882-09-02
AN INTERNAL MACHINE.
Bold and Infamous Outrage-An Explosive Weapon
Placed in the Hands of an Unsuspectiny Woman
by Three Strangers-NarrOw Escape Of the En-
tire Family from a Horrible Fate.

Bold and Infamous Outrage-An Explosive Weapon
Placed in the Hands of an Unsuspectins Woman
by Three Strangers-NarrOw Escape of the En-
tire Family from a Horrible Fate.
In its issue of August %, the Columbus Dis
patch gives an account of one of the most in
famous attempts to assassinate an entire family
that has ever been recorded The victims Sc
lected for the diabOlical outrage were Mrs.
Annie Stomp, wife of Norman Stomp, re-
spected mechanic, and her three children.
About 10 o'clock on the night in question,
when Mr.. Stomp was absent some one raped
on the kitchen window, and the hand of q man
was thrust in. Mrs. Stomp attempted to close
the sash, but the man pulled it open and thrust
box toward her, saying: Here's a present
for you and the children" As soon as he had
placed the box in her hand, he ran or walked
rapidly away. Mrs. Stomp then saw that there
were three men, but her view of them in the
darkness was so indistinct that she can give no
accurate description of them. Several neigh
bors came in and were shown the mysterious
box. 1t was about nine inches long by five
wide and about eight inches deep. Around it,
lengthwise, was pasted strip of wall paper,
and on the top was the following note:
Mrs STOMP: The contents of this box is
nice present for you and your little boys. Draw
the nail and pull the lid, and behold nice
present.
The neighbors advised Mrs. Stomp not to
open it, saying it might contain a snake or
some dangerous thing. Mr.. Stomp returned
about 1890 and was shown the mysterious box,
but concluded not to open it last night. The
next morning he procured knife and pried
the lid up from the side, and there was revealed
one of the most ingenious and at the same time
internal devices ever constructed. On the
under side of the lid was pasted piece Of
emery paper. Around the edge of the box was
a layer of cotton while the interior was filed
up to the top with gunpowder. Peeping up
through the powder here and there were per-
cussion match heads, eleven in number, so
arranged that upon drawing out the lid they
would have ignited by contact with the rough
emery paper. To make explosion more GER
tain, small piece of pine wood, an inch and
a half long perhaps, was placed upon wire
spring, and match heads inserted in such a way
that the spring would keep them pressed up
against the emery paper.
Upon pouring off the powder false bottom,
of wood. was discovered about three-fourths of
an inch from the top. Holes had been bored
in this for the insertion of the matches other
than those placed in the spring. In the centre
of this false bottom was hole, in circumier-
ence about the size of a silver five cent piece.
Through this hole cotton was visible beneath,
leading to the suppOsition that the space be-
meath was filled with powder or other explosive
material.
officer Bracken took the box TO police head
quarters. Superintendent Thompson interro-
gated Mrs Stomp as to the circumstances under
which the box came into her hands, which
were substantially as described above. She
stated that there are three children in the
family, two boys and girl, aged respectively
eight, five, and one years The family had no
enemies that they were aware Of, and had
never had any trouble with neighbOrs or others
that could have resulted in such malevolent
feeling toward them.