The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1885-01-29
a SENSATION in CHICAGO.


Twelve Boxes of Dynamite In the City Hall
and an Infer n Il Machide Amongst Them
sudden Evacuation of the Premises by
ohicials and CIerls--A Cool Detective
How It Came There.
CHICAGO LII, January a.
A sensation was created in the De-
tectiye Department of the new City Hall
yesterday when it was discovered
that among the books that were stolen
from the Chicago Public Library there
was enough dynamite 10 blow up the
whole Of the immense building The
widest confusion prevailed among the
officers when il was first discovered, and
Lieutenants Shea and Ripley, and their
subordnates vacated their quarters,
Twelve boxes, each foot long, eight
inches wide and six inches deep were
found TO DC filled with dynamite. Among
them was one with a thirty-two caliber
revolver placed inside with crank to
make it explode.
The report that d large quantity Of dy
Mantle was in the City Hall spread like
wildare through the building and neigh
borhood, and as fast as the occupants
could they left the structure tn a panic.
They could not be prevailed upon to en-
ter again, until Detective james Bontield
yentured TO take the box with the crank
attached from the building. The box was
placed between the County Building and
the City Hall, and all parties retired to
consult what should next be done. A
crowd collected In the hall, a safe dis
tance from the remaining eleven boxes,
which were in Shea's office. Bonllcld
again volunteered to open the box con-
tanning the revolver. This was received
with much agitation, and the crowd re-
tired three blocks distance and watched.
Slowly he went to work, and in half an
hour the box was opened and the revolver
and apparatus removed 1t was found to
contain glycerine and sawdust, which, If
ignlted by turning the crank, would have
caused the dynamite TO explode.
The prisoner, who stole the books
from the public library, and whose name
is Otto Funk, said he was merely expert
mcnting with the stuff, and had it for no
evil purpose. lie being student had
prepared 1t himself. He admitted that
the preparation In tho boxes was genuine
dynamite Dub IL was learned That he has
father living on the West Side, who is
shoemaker, aud also three married sisters
In the city. He is about twenty-scyen
years of age, five feet five inches tall,
with full beard and is OF German de-
scents
The books consisted mostly of works
on science and chemicals, and number 81
600. Funk has been fifteen months re-
moving them from the library one by one,
concealed under his coat, aud had them
stored in barn.
Several theories are advanced as to
what use Funk intended making of the
explosives. Ono is that he was in leagne
with the Socialists, and another that he
Intended to blow himself up if it was
discovered that he had stolen the books.
lie admits that If anybody had turned
the crank in the internal machine con
tanning the revolver while it was near the
other boxes, the whole City Hall and
many other buildings would now be in
ruins and hundreds of lives lost. That Il
catastrophe was averted is considered
miraculous. The dynamite, with the
books, were removed yesterday from the
barn TO the City Hall in hoodlum
wagon, which drove through the crowd
ed streets at the usual headlong pace.