Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-03-30
ATTEMPTED MURDER
A Young Lady Receives an Internal
Machine Through the POstofice.
Every Effort to be Made to Locate the
Would-be Murderer

Somewhere in the vicinity of Pullman
there is a thing in human form for whom
hanging would be too good, and who IS
fit subj ct for such torture as the times
of the inuuisition would have visited up
on him. He is fend incarnate, and
every effort should be put forth by the
proper authorities to put him where his
develish proclivities could be held IN
check.
That Miss Gertie Spicer, the young
lady daughter of w. A. Spicer, OF Guy,
is to-day alive, she has only kind prov
idence to thank, as this tiend, whose
name is only known in suspicion, made
a most desperate attempt at the destruc-
zion of her life, using as an agent to that
end that invention of the devil, the IN
fernal machine"
Thursday morning Miss Spicer, accom-
panied bv her sister, drove to Pullman
from her country home near Guy, and
on calling at the postoffiCe for mail was
handed package bearing her
address. The package she unwrapped
when on the street, and found within
cigar box, which, from its outward ap-
pearance, caused her to suspect that 1t
was not exactly right, her first thought
beino that someone had enclosed therein
q toad or other animal to frighten her.
The providence that put this suspicion
10,
her life. At the suggestion OF her sister,
Miss Spicer sat the box upon the pave
ment near the First National Bank, ana
with stick held in the hand proceeded
to raise the lid, half expecting something
alive to Jump there-from, but when the
lid had been raised but short way the
buildings were shaken by terrible ex-
plosion, but the only damage done was
that the young lady's face was consider
ably powder-burned. The innocent
locking package had been an ''internal
machine" ingenuously contrlved, but Its
nurpose had fortunately been thwarted'
The history OF the machine, as far as
If can be traced, is that about two weeks
ago package, containing Miss Splcer
address. and bearing cancelled stamps,
having to all appearances come through
the postofiice, was found in Blackman
store. 1t was supposed that Miss Splcer,
who had been in town that day, had un"
Intentionally left the package IN the
store while trading, but as after several
days. she did not call for it, it was re-
turned to the Pullman postOtiice, through
which it was supposed to have come.
Thursday the package was handed to
Miss Spicer with the result as above
recorded. The plausible theory now is
that the maker OF the machine had lett
+ in the store while unnoticed, that 1t
might come to Miss Spicer in just the
manner in which it did, and that 1t had
never been in q postofiice till carried
there from the store, the stamps having
been cancelled when placed thereon.
The construction of the machine was
most clever, the cigar box containing a
block of wood bored full OF holes, IN
which six tin tubes, in appearance not
unlike shot gun shells, had been placed,
the tubes being connected by groove
in the bottom of the box, and tubes and
grooves being filled with gun-powder, the
other spaces of the box being filled with
cotton saturated with nitric acid. To
explode this cap was placed Oh the end
of nail, the trigger being arranged to
spring on raising the lid, it first having
been set through a small hole in the end
of the box. The box also contained two
3S-calibre pistol cartridges, but these
failed to explode. The six tubes were
placed in the box in slanting position
so that had Miss Spicer held the machine
in her hand, as the sender probably ex-
pected she would, when she opened it
the full force of the explosion would have
been received in the face, and had she
not been killed outright her eyesight and
features would certainly have been
ruined. AS it was, the powder that was
blown in her face was at once removed,
and will probably leave no scar.
Mr.. Spicer will put forth every effort
to discover the would-be murderer of his
fair daughter, suspicion pointing to a
Young man who Vas disappointed
suitor of the young i2dy.
The remains OF the machine are now
In the vault Of the First National Bank.