Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-11


1t is generally accepted fact that no one
man In public life receives greater number OF
letters and kilograms than does Senator In
gals. and that gentleman can open and dispose
OF more communications in q given time than
any other business man in the country. The
narrow steel blade slides rapidly beneath en-
velope flaps and aids in lightninglike eject
ment of the envelopes contents.
On Saturday the Senator, assisted by his pri-
vase secretary, was engaged in attending to his
enormous mail Each had a heap Of letters
before him and among those in front Of the
Senator was pink-wrapped package. ''Snap!'
and the string was broken. "Rip!" and the
wrapper was torn, disclosing a box. There
was nothing strange i'll the appearance of the
box. 1t was about four inches long, less than
two inches wide and not more than an inch
thick. The cover, which was about half the
length of the box, was speedily removed and
then the Senator exclaimed:
''HELLo! WHATS rHIs?"
This was cylinder of glazed brown material,
one end capped with brass; the other crimped
and partially closed. 1t was cartridge of
some sort and was to all appearances in thor
ough working order. The Senator's inquiry
was at once responded to by Mr.. Haig, and to-
gether they examined the unexpected arrival
Written on the oiled-paper shell, in very black
ink, was the following inscription:
ELECTION Pills for Old Cuff, or For ingalls,
From Jackson, Miss. Come to see US Old Nut
CALLS"
The Senator is not given to nervousness; in
fact he laughed at the attempt to scare him,
but 1t would hardly be correct to say that he
was pleased at the foolish attention shown him
by one or more of the men whom he went for
In his last speech. So far as appearances went
cvllndRr nothing fhan ord
nary sporting cartridge, but then it must be
remembered that appearances are frequently
deceptive and that they are by no means safe
to bet upon. Around the primer, on the cart
ridge base, we're the initials and symbols which
indicated that the article in question was one
Of the Union metallic cartridge company's No.
IL Star" cartridges, but there could easily be
found reasons for supposing that the compare
tive harmlessness Of the original affair had
been removed to make room for some more
powerful explosive.
MOMENT OF ANXIETY.
After carefully examining the exterior Of the
memento the Senator put it upon the upper
story OF his desk and proceeded to reply to
some Of his letters. By-and-by State Senator
Martin OF Kansas strolled in and the cartridge
was shown to him. If Senator Ingalls, and Mr..
Haig had been affected with heart disease they
would both have died ere the sun said good
night to the Potomac while en- route to the
always elusive western goal. He was warned
to be careful but without avail. for no sooner
had he got the explosive in his hands than he
dropped it to the floor
Instantly and instinctively the two watchers
put up their hands, prayed with great fervor
Tor an inflnitessimal space Of time, and waited
the coming of the end. There was no damage
done, however. A hwy rug and thick car
pet received the missile and it fell wrong end
down anyway. Very tenderly was it picked up,
although the trio were somewhat disappointed
at the failure of the machine to go off when it
had such a splendid opportunity. Embroidered
by the evident absence of dynamite in the
make up OF the cartridge MIR. Haig shook it
several times and the rattle that followed his
moderately cautiuos efforts was regarded as
corroboratlve of Senator Ingalls, diagnosis,
that it was plain, ordinary, everyday and
ELECTION DAY BUCKsHoT CARTRIDGE
Yesterday afternoon a STAR reporter got hold
Of the contribution from Jackson-box and
all-and, in order that his brother scribes
should not be deprived of anything in the ex-
piosl' line that might be developed took it
up to the lobby of the Senate press gallery.
Senator Blair was making a speech, and the
scrlbes had either wandered over to the House
or gone home, so there was nothing to hinder
Investigation. In the seclusion OF a window
recess the reporter labored with a pen knife
and tooth pick until the interior of the bomb
was revealed. 1t was a buck-shot cartridge
anu StudIOf Bldr 3 speech was not INTERRUPTED
by any NOISE In the press gallery. Nine inter-
estingly large and solid buckshot were turned
out, and behind them was developed an extra
heavy charge of powder. 1t was a very pleasant
little thing to send Senator of the United
States, or any one else for that matter.
VIOLATION OF THE POSTAL LAWS
The probabilities are that the sender did not
stop to think that he was committing a serious
violation of the postal laws in putting in post
office for delivery an explosive cartridge That
phase of the case may strike him when a post
office inspector steps the tail of his coat and
hauls him around to the nearest United States
commissioner for examination. There ought to
be but little trouble in locating the person who
has endangered the lives of the post office en-
ployes through whose hands the package passed.
The writing on the cartridge is evidently un-
disguised The box in which the cartridge
came Is of card board covered with an en-
bossed paper, and it has about il the odors COM
mon to drug stores. On one side is the par
italy erased imprint of rubber stamp. Its
worn appearance, stains of purple writing ink
and large assortment of fly specks would in
dictate that 1t had been knocking around for
some time on top of desk The pink paper
IN which the box was wrapped is precisely the
KIND used in drug stores to wrap up bottles and
powders and the string also was of the
chemists variety.
The combination Of fly tracks on the box and
the confession on the cartridge as to the place
from whence the missile was dispatched can be
regarded as eloquent and individually accurate
aSfNr m in ITO.