The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-05-02

NEW YORK, April 29.-An attempt was
made to-day by some persons on the lives
of William II. Vanderbilt and Cyrus w.
Field by sending them explosives through
the mails. Fortunately the dangerous
character of the packages was discovered
en- route to the post-oflice station, whence
they were 10 be delivered at the resi-
denccs OF these gentlemen, and so q
probable loss OF life was prevented.
The circumstances OF the case as re-
lated by Postmaster Pearson this evening
are as follows: Two missiyes came INTO
the post-ofice about $3.50 O'Clock In the
afternoon. One was posted in the Once
and the other was brought in by collector
n few minutes afterwards. The last one
was addressed TO William ii. Vanderbilt,
4,0 Fifth avenue. The first one was adj
dressed 10 CYRUS w. Field, Lexington
avenue and Thirty-third street. The
packets were placed in mailbag along
with other mail matter for The uptown
district, put in a mai-wagon and taken to
the Third-Avenue Elevated Railroad Sta
ton, at the head OF Chatham street,
and then deposited on the front
platform Of one OF the cars. The
train started uptown, and before
reaching the station at Ninth street
and Third avenue an explosion was
heard from the mailbag, and fire and smoke
was observed 10 issue from IL. When the
train stopped at the station the burning bag
was hastily transferred to the platform, as
the railroad people were afraid to transport
II any further on the train. IL was taken
down stairs, placed on wagon. and taken
to the post-officc station az Twenty-ninth
street and Third avenue. Superintendent
Mosher, who is in charge there, dispatched
messenger in haste for. Postmaster
Pearson, and when that official az
rived the half-burned mailbag and
its contents were examined. The pack
age addressed to Cyrus w. Field was
plunged into bucket of water for fear
that il might also explode. and when tho
roughly soaked was examined carefully. IL
was found TO consist Of pasteboard box
covered with gaudy flowers and pictures,
and had small drawer in il, from which
depended a string, as is supposed for the
purpose OF drawing it open aud causing
the explosion. Inside OF the box was
found o tin canister containing about hall
pound Of powder, and a glass jar con-
tanning white powder and a liquid, be-
lieved to be some Kind OF explosive, but
what il was none OF the pOst-otlice Off
cials could say. II will be sent TO a
chemist for analysis. On the packages
were ten fye-cent stamps. 1t was Mr..
Vanderbilt's package that exploded, proba-
bly, caueed by the jolt OF the cars when
rounding the curve out OF the BOwery into
Third avenue, and but for which occur
renee the packages might have reached
their destinations and exploded in the
hands OF the parties to whom they were
sent. The contents Of the mailbag were
pretty well scorchcd by the explosion. The
post-office officials are making a vigorous
effort to trace the packages TO the parties
who sent them, and no stone will be left
unturned. Postmaster Pearson says, to
hunt them down.
POSSIBLE CLEw.
The lateness of the hour at which the
discovery OF this attempted mischief was
made Of course prevented Postmaster
Pearson from making very thorough liz
vestigation OF the matter last evening. He,
however. was able to tell from the post
Office marks upon the boxes that one Of
them had been brought in by collector,
and the other dropped into the proper re-
ceptacle OH the Park-Row side Of the post
office. Both, therefore, had been mailed
stamps upon them showed that they
were mailed between 3 and $3.50
O'Clock. The pouch containing the
two boxes was loaded, together with six
others, into q wagon and taken TO the
City-Iiall Elevated railway station a little
before o'clock. IL is a curious fact that
in the box addressed to Mr.. Vanderbilt"
was small piece torn from the bottom Of
49,. A.. Ia
PLAYED in the pOstmaster's Office last night
one of the reporters OF a German paper
promptly exclaimed, "Why, that is a
piece OF the VolkSzeitUng, the Social
lists paper" This discovery led to a
closer scrutiny OF the boxes and their
contents, and picking up that piece of
the wrapper taken from Mr.. Fields in
tercepted package which contained the adj
dress, reporter pulled its pasted folds
apart and saw the address, ''No. 81 east
Nineteenth street." written in pencil. Mr..
Pearson thcrcup0n wet the paper, and
after awhile was able TO pull the pieces SUI
ficiently apart to reveal the full address OF
the superintendent OF police, &c. W.
Waling, No. 81 east Nineteenth street,
city," OF course all OF the gentlemen
present Immediately jumped to the conclu-
sion that the miscreant who addressed the
box 10 Mr.. Field had at first thought Of
sending ii to Superintendent Walling.
When asked ii he had informed Messrs.
| Vanderbilt and Field OF their threatened
danger the postmaster said that he had.
/ lie considered it no more than right TO let
those gentlemen know what had been At
tempted. Neither OF them, he said, mani
/ tested any nervousness in consequence OF
the information thus impaired TO them.
( This is not the first occasion that internal
machines have been sent through the post
Office in this city. One was sent 10 Andrew
/ II. Green when he was controller, and one
was sent TO the Spanish consul here a few
years ago.
More About the Internal Machines.
New YORK, April 30.-The police are al
work trying 10 discover who sent the in
felnal machines to William IL. Vanderbilt
and Cyrus w. Field. As already related
two packages were sent through the post.
Office yesterday addressed TO Vanderbilt
and Field. They were placed in bag and
sent to the uptown district. On the way
one Of them exploded, badly burning the
letters in the bag. The other package was
taken in charge by Postmaster Pearson, 10
| whom the facts were rcnOrfpd