The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-09-18
ATTEMPT ON A GOVERNORS LIFE.
Internal Machine. with Enough Giant Powder
to Hill. Mailed to Roswell P. Flower.

NEW YORK, Sept. 1.-THE lite Of Gov.
Roswell p. Flower was threatened by an
internal machine, sent to him at the Wind.
sor Hotel. this city, q couple of days ago.
The box which contained the machine il
now in the possession of INSPECTOR Steers, at
police headquarters. together with the IN
fernal machine and it's mechanical ran ge-
ments. Alarge number of detectives have
been put on the case. Every effort is be-
ing made to suppress the fact that the box
left at the Windsor contained q deadly
machine and enough giant powder to have
blown the Governor into eternity. The
police officials are very r~eticeut over tho
affair. but Notwithstanding this it came
out at police headquarters that the Gov.
ernors life had been threatened. and that
the : .fernal machine was in Chief In
speclo: Steers's possession. The affair was
sent to Governor Flower by mai. 1t
was received at the hotel office
and sent to the Governors room
by q clerk. Governor Flower
had gone away in the morning TO inspect
the State oyster beds along the sound.
When the package was received it was
carelessly laid aside. as every one at the
time was busy attending to other matters.
When the package was finally opened it
was found TO contain q box 90 curiously
constructed that no one wOuld open il. A
consultation was hold. and 1t was decided
to send word to police headquar.
ters. which was done. Two of
Inspector Steers's detectives were cent
ND to the hotel and took possession of the
box. Later the inspector and two OF his
trusted men examined the continuance. bnt
did not open it until 1t had been soaked in
water for q few hours. After it had boon
opened the startling discovery was made
that the box contained an internal ma
chine. The machine was inclosed in q
cigar-boX and filled with giant powder and
matches. 1t was SO arranged that If the
box had been opened under ordinary cir
cumstances it would have exploded.
After Inspector Steers had satisfied him.
self that the Governors life had been
threatened he held q consultation with
Police superintendent Byrnes. and imme-
diate steps were taken to run down the
sender of the affair. There was great
activity in the detective bureau at head
quarters this morning. When Inspector
Steers was seen and asked whether the box
sent to the Governor contained an internal
machine he would not admit that such was
I the case. He said there was not much.
mystery about the box The box, he said
contained nothing but seed oysters.
| Late this afternoon, however, Inspector
| tiers, and told them that the box sent Gov.
Flower was Enthusiastically an Internal ma
chine, lngeniously cOntrivedt to kill the Gov
ernor or whoever might open it. The In
spectOr said the box was received Wednes-
day night. and before it was opened there
was received an anonymous letter, warn
ing the Governor of its character. In the
| box was found -three-Quarters of . pound
of giant powder. A lever was connected
with the cover of the box. and when
the latter would be raised three parlor
matches fastened to the lever would be
rubbed against q piece of emery paper on
the side of the box and ignited. thus cans
| ing the ex plosion of the powder. The in
spect0r said if the box had been opened az
was Intended an OK plosion would certainly
have occurred. The box. Enclosed in COM
mon brown wrapping paper, was addressed.
Hon. Roswell Z. Flower, Windsor Hotel"
and on it werefive ten. cent stamps. 1t was
not mailed in the p0stofice, but was left on
q lamp-pnst letter-boX in the territory COW
cred by Station G. The anonymous note
of warning was mailed at Station y.