The sun., 1901-07-19
CUT BY INTERNAL MACHINE
sgyr TO y. y. KLETCHKA. BLEW BD0A1
SCHROEDER'S HAND OF.

sCHR0EDSRs HAND OF.
s.th Clerks IN Breekiyn beard u Puhus In.
nsnts -Bsnj. Ressahlssn. . Clark.
Arrested Address in wsAanS uaaA -Ex-
piesive Acted Like One sf Fslniaatss.
Some one sent an Internal machine to
John J. Kletchka. clerk In the Brooklyn
Board Of Public improvements. yesterday
morning. and when 1t was opened by Edgar
Schroeder, a fellow clerk. II exploded and
blew ofr Schroeders left hand. What
WAS left Of the member had to be ampu-
tated. Kletchks. whose manning or death
was intended, was standing by at the time.
but be escaped with only knockdown and
q few cuts from flying glass. Schroeder's
fingers were scattered all over the room.
A short time after the explosion the police
arrested Benjamin Rosenbloom. another
clerk In the office. on suspicion Of having
been the sender. The only evidence
AGAINST him Is really nothing but the him-
siest suspicion. and It came from the fact
that Rosenbloom left the room when
Schroeder began to open the package
containing the machine. There s evil
dsnce to show that Rosenbloom and
Kletchka had q slight quarrel week before
last, but was 30 slight az scarcely to afford
a motive to a man Of ordinary mind TO
attempt murder. In some quarters sus-
pcion IL also directed to various women
with whom Kletchka has been more or lees
intimate. but so far there 10 nothing tangible
for the police to base a case on. Kletohka
himself says that he can think Of no one
unless it Is Rosenbloom who would want
to njure him In such way.
Ketchka is a draughtsman. He works
In a room on the eighth floor Of the Jeffer-
son Building on Court Square. near Fulton
street. The other draughtsmen. In ad-
dition to Schroeder. who work In these
offices are Rosenbloom and James ]. Jacobs.
Yesterday morning the postman brought
to the building on his first trip small pack
age, addressed as follows:
Of Public improvements, Jefferson Build
ing, Brooklyn. New York.
The package was Of wood. cylindrical
In shape. about four inches long and pos
sibly an inch and half in circumference.
II was evidently one Of those wooden tubes
which are used by lead pencil concerns
In which TO ship leads for artists and
draughtsmens pencils. Across the top
or stopper was pasted a label Of the Dixon
Crucible Company. Jersey City. The ad-
dress was written In a very firm. small and
clear hand resembling that Of a woman.
and was on a slip Of paper which had been
pasted around the tube so that one end
Of the paper covered the juncture Of the
stopper and the rest OF the tube. There
was two-cent stamp on the package and
It was postmarked, but what that postmark
is no one except the man who sent the
package knows.
The postman delivered the package
10 the elevator boy. Gus Olsen. because
1t was too large to go into the slit in the
door Of the office where Kletchka worked.
He told Olsen to be sure and give 1t to
Kletchka. and the boy said he would. He
stuck it in his pocket. and went on running
the elevator.
Schroeder was the first OF the clerks
to arrive. He got to the building about
Q o'clock. Rosenbloom was next and then
Kletchka came. Olsen handed him the
package as he was going up in the ele-
vator and Kletchka went on into his Office
He had no idea what the package con-
tanned. but he saw the Dixon label on the
top of it and naturally supposed some
one was sending him a present OF leads
for his pencils As he looked at IL more
closely he made up his mind that he was
the victim Of practical joke. He recalled
a joke he had played on Jacobs by sending
him a telephone message to go to the
Coroner's Office the other night and he sus-
pected that Jacobs was trying to get even.
Look at this jumping jack that Jacobs
has sent me- he said to Rosenbloom. as
he showed him the package. He is trying
to get back at me for having to go to the
Coroner's office on that fake message"
1T looks like 1t had lead pencils in it."
replied Rosenbloon. who then left the office.
saying that he had to go downstairs to get
some atlas sheets to use in his work.
Well, / guess III have a look at It," said
Kletchka. Lend me your knife Schroe-
der"
Give it to me- responded Schroeder
III open it for you while you get ready
for work. It's hot, so take Off your coat"
Kletchka gave him the package and
Schroeder took out his knife and began
cutting the paper away from the rim, show
ing where the stopper was Joined to the rest
of the tube. When he had done this he
began turning the stopper backward and
forward. 1t seemed swollen. and stuck.
Schroeder shifted IL from his right to his
left hand in order that he might get a better
grip on it, and again began to tug at it.
With his renewed effort the top began to
turn, and az the same time there was a click
ing sound, such as might be made when
winding clock or scratching match on
sandpaper.
Look out" jokingly remarked Kletchka,
1t way have dynamite in it
No sooner mad he finished speaking than
there was terrific explosion. Kletchka
fell to the floor stunned Schroeder was
Knocked up against one Of tho drawing
tables. blinded and half unconscious for
the moment.
kletchka got back onto his feet in mo-
ment and saw poor Schroeder standing
by the table, swinging his left arm wildly
about him. Blood was all over the room.
I've been shot" exclaimed Schroeder.
tun for "A doctor"
kletchka dashed into the hall. lie saw