Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-12-30
A Dynamite Sensation.

CHICAGO, December 26.-A little after /
o'clock this morning quart can of peculiar |
was found on the front porch |
Of Judge Lambert Trees palatial residence,
No. "a Cass street, by his coachman, who
tenderly picked it up and carried it into
vacant lot in the rear, and then started on
a run tor the Chicago Avenue poliee-station.
He was pale with fright when he reached
there, and, telling Lieutenant Shepard that
he had found can of dynamite and where
he had found it, asked that an officer be
sent down to investigate. Officer Gallagher
was sent back with him, and together they
took the mysterious can to the lake shore at
the foot of Chicago avenue and touched a
match to the foot of the dynamite fuse
which was wound about the can. The ex-
plosion made terrific noise, which was
heard distinctly at the station, and the earth
was torn up for several feet. When the can
was first found it was standing under the
doorway. The fuse was charred at the end.
showing that it had been lighted and gone
out. The deadly continuance looked like a
common lamp, and, thinking it was put
there by some practical joker, the coach
man removed it to the yard. In laying it
down he was Mortified to notice that fuse
was attached to the machine. A hurried
inspection showed that it was not the limo
cent thing it first seemed to be, and it was
left untouched until Officer Gallagher's ar
rival. The latter carried it to the Central
station. His appearance created the Wild
est excitement, and the officers lost no time
in getting outside. Many of them, mindful
of Otto Funk's experiment with infefaal
machines, ran pell-mell out of the station,
and Gallagher was forced to dispose of the
machine himself. He carried it to pow
der-dealer on Lake street, but this man re-
fused to touch it. The clerk in the store,
however, examined it and at first sight pro-
nounced it finely constructed dynamite
bomb. ''Take it out of here! Explode 1T
at once" shouted the frightened clerk, ''or
| it will blow up the whole street," Gala
CHER and the clerk fastened with the ma
chine to the lake front, where preparations
were made to explode the bomb. A fuse
five feet long was attached to the machine
and fired; both men ran with all speed to
safe distance, but none too soon, for they
had not gore 200 feet when the machine ex.
ploded with tremendous noise. The re-
port was heard as far as west Fifth avenue,
and an idea of the force of the explosion
may be had by the way the ground was
torn up for depth of six feet. The hard
frozen ground was scooped as if it were sc
much water. Officer Gallagher's compan-
ion, an expert, was Of opinion that the ex
plosive was nitro-glycerine, and declared
that enough of it was in the machine tt
blow up the City Hall. Thus far the police
have no idea of the parties who are respon
sble for the contemplated outrage. 1t Il
not known that any motive existed for the
commission of such barbarous act There
have been no arrests made. The Tree res
idence is one of the most elaborate
houses in the city, occupying one-qusrte
of an entire block in the fashionable-resi
dence district, in the north division Of thu
city. The building probably represent
5000, 900 with its valuable contents. 1t is
three-story structure of brown-stone. rock
faced, and covering wide area 1t ha'
been occupied for some time by General A
G. McClung, of the large publishing house
of Jansen. McClung & Co.