The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-17
Suspicious Postal Clerks Detained
the Contrivances in
the Mails.
THE MILLIONAIREs WARNED.
But the Man Who Notified Them Is
Suspected and May Be
Arrested.

CHICAGO, ILL, Dec. 16.-Somebody
sent George NJ. Pullman and P. D. Armour
premature Christmas present, or, rather,
two of them, which, if they were not in
fernal machines, are deadly enough TO
have seriously disfgured the counten-
ances of these two gentlemen had they
received and opened the packages which
came through this mornings mails ad-
dressed to them.
Anything of unusual appearance ad-
dressed 70 millionaires is generally closely
scrutinized by the postal authorities for
the reason that more than any other class
of people they are the targets of the cranks.
So it happened that when the mail was
being made up this morning two oblong
boxes, addressed to the two magnates at
their Prairie and Michigan avenue resi-
dences respectively, we're held and tele-
phone message sent to each to hold all
mail before opening it. They did not need
this warning, but that is another story.
Last night at II o'clock man called at
the Armour residence and asked for Mr..
Armour. The butler who answered the
door told him that gentleman could not
be seen. The same man also called at Mr..
Pullman's house, made a similar request
and was also refused access. This morn
ing the visits were repeated.
This man. whose name is s. A. Owen,
and who is now under police surveillance,
suspected of knowing more about the
matter than he cares to tell, told queer
tale. He says that last night about 8
o.clock, while he was standing in an
alley at the back of a State-street
theater, he overheard two men engaged
in low conversation, the burden of which
was that they intended to blow Messrs.
Armour and Pullman into the next world
through the agency of two internal ma
chimes, which they wonld receive with
their mail to-day.
One of the fellows had black bottle, out
of which he took frequent draughts, each
time saying to his companion: well,
here's to old Pullman and Armour" The
eavesdropper, he said, lost no time in going
to the millionaires and giving them warn
ing of the threatened danger.
If the fellow expected a reward for his
revelations he was disappointed. A tele-
phone message to Inspector Stuart of the
Postal Department brought that official
on the scene and Owen was taken to his
office in the Government building and put
He stuck to his story that the only role
he played in the affair was that of bene-
factor. He made written statement for
the inspector, which was substantially the
same that he made to Armour and Pull
man early in the day.
There is now no doubt that the con-
trivances were deadly internal machines.
The theory of the officials is that the
machines were deadly beyond doubt, but
that the sender, who they believe is Owen,
did not intend death for the recipients, but
merely for the purpose ofreaping a reward
for warning them.
On this theory Owen is being detained,
and as there are no postal laws which
cover such a case the police have been
asked to step in and have detailed two
detectives on the case. Owen may be
arrested before morning.
He is an employe of Deeds Metallic
Packing Company, 1885 Marquette build
ing, and an expert worker in metal and
machlnist. There is another theory that
Owen intended at first to kill both Mr..
Pullman and Mr.. Armour, but weakened
at the last moment. There is but little
evidence, however, to connect him with
fho case