The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-05
BOMB SENT TO
WOMAN KILLS
Boy in Uniform Said to Have
Handed in Package
EXPLOSION NEXT MINUTE
She Was Grace Walker, and Charles
M. Dickinson Was Visiting Her
He Is Held by the
Coroner.
EXPLOSION NEXT MINUTE

New York, Feb. ga package re-
ceived by Mrs Grace Willis Walker in
an uptown apartment house Saturday
night exploded and caused her death al
most instantly. The mystery of the af-
fair baffled detectives.
Mrs. Walker, who was 80 years old,
was called to the vestibule of the apart
ment early in the evening by man,
who presented her good-sized package
and then hurried away. She carried the
package to her apartment, and as she
placed it on table it exploded with a
loud report A physician, DR.. Charles i.
Perkins, who was passing the house, ran
in and found Mrs. Walker lying in pool
of blood on the floor. She died a minute
later.
The physician said that in his opinion
the package was an Internal machine.
1t contained number of small dry cell
batteries, one of which was driven into
the woman's breast near her heart.
Some of the other batteries buried them
selves in the walls and ceiling. Several
holes were broken through the windows
so clearly that the glass was not
splintered.
After several hours of secret work in
vestigating the case, the detectives ar.
rested Charles NJ. Dickinson, who said
he was an employee of motor company
and held him on a technical charge Of
homicide for examination this morning.
Edna Laiiarre, a show girl, % years
old. who lived in the house, but was out
at the time the fatality occurred, wac
held as a material witness. Dickinson
is said to have been in the room when
Mrs Walker met her death.
Mrs. Walker, a widow, who was also
known as Helen Taylor, the police say,
lived in six-room apartment on the
first floor of house at lo3 West Sew
enty-seventh street. When Coroner
Feinberg was summoned to view the
body, he found the face terribly distort
ed, with the left eye driven back into the
head, a deep cash over the heart and
scores of abrasions and cuts about the
body. The coroner and the police at
once regarded the case as one Of the
greatest mysteries they had ever faced,
and the best sleuths in the police de-
partment were summoned. Deputy Po
lice Commissioner Dougherty thought
the case so serious that he took personal
charge.
DR.. Feinberg's version Of the explosion
after several hours investigation was
that the woman was sitting in her parlor
talking to Dickinson when the mysteri-
Gus package was delivered. 1t was about
41axl0 inches, neatly wrapped in paper
1t bore the typewriter address:
"Helen Walker" 1t was tied with red
string.
Minute inspection of what was left
of the Internal machine showed that il
had been ingeniously constructed. There
appeared to haze been but two dry bat
teries, one of which was destroyed by
the explosion, while the other was in
tact What also appeared to have been
an iron cylinder which contained the
explosive was found imbedded in the
ceiling directly above the body of the
victim. The police found that the lid
was so arranged that the movement of
it would set off the explosive.
According to Dickinson's story, he did
not see who brought the package and
the first he knew of its contents was
when the woman tried TO oren the lid.
The ianitor Of the building, who was
one of the first to rush into the apart
ment. said that Dickinson exclaimed:
81 don't know what she did to herself. I
She did something, | don't know what !
it was" The ianitor said he had seen
a messenger boy in blue uniform leave
the house a few minutes before the ex.
plosion occurred.
To delve into the past of the dead |
woman was one of the first efforts OF
the police Saturday night, but neighbors /
seemed to know little of her history.
She had rented the apartment only a
few weeks ago, with the Lamarre wom-
an.