Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-23
FIFTY YEARS Ago
In THE STAR

The strange visit of an armed man to
Senator Wade somewhat startled the
people of Wash
Justice Field Gets inston nifty years
Internal Machine. tenn, unon the
life of Associate Justice stephen G.
Field of the United States Supreme
Court soon afterward somewhat put
that episode in the shade. This is de-
scribed in The Star of January II.
1866. as follows:
Last Saturday morning, while the
Judge was at his table writing. his mail
was brought in. and contained small
package about four inches square and
one and a half inches thick. The pack
age was enveloped in common white
paper. and on one side had stamp of
the Pioneer Gallery, San Francisco. at
tached. The superscription was print
ed. and evidently cut from the title
page of the California Reports with
the exception of Washington, d. c.,
which had been cut out of a newspaper,
both of the slips being pasted on the
face of the package. The judge. upon
first taking up the parcel. remarked to
Judge Lake. who was present. that IT
must be photograph. and expressed
surprise at it's reception. He stepped
to the window, and providentially dis
covered, when he had opened 1t about
one-eighth of an inch. that it was not
a photograph. and called Judge Lake S
attention to the singular appearance
of the box. The latter. upon looking
at it, pronounced 1t to be a torpedo, and
after putting il in water took it out
to the Capitol. opposite the rooms OF
Judge Field. where he. with Mr.. Broom.
one of the clerks of the Supreme Court.
examined the package.
These gentlemen finally went into
the carriageway under the Senate
steps, and. screening themselves be-
hind one of the columns. threw the box
against the wall. shattering off the lid
dozen copper cartridges had been
placed in the box, with the bullets
radiating from the center, which
formed space of about one inch in
diameter. The sides of the cartridges
had been filed through. so as to afford
communication with the powder. In
the little cavity surrounded by the
cartridges was placed a peculiar fric-
ton match. resembling small roll or
paper. one end of which was attached
to the bottom Of the box and the other
to the lid, and arranged so as to be
ignited upon the least tension that
might be caused by opening the pack
age. Over the match and cartridges
there had been poured paste. COM
posed of Illuminating powder and alco-
hol, thus rendering the Internal ma
chine certain to explode. On the inside
of the lid was pasted the following
words. also cut from newspaper:
october 81. 1854. Judge Field this
morning decided the Puebla case in
favor of the city The box and it's
contents were sent to the Secretary of
War; who directed an examination by
the ordnance department. The officers
of the department state that 1t is the
most remarkable torpedo ever brought
to their attention, and that had the
Judge pulled open the box it would
have exploded with terrible effect.
Judge Field has no idea as to the
source of the Internal machine. but
from the fact that it was evidently
made by a scientific man. familiar with
such work. and that the package was
too large to be put in the letter box
in San Francisco. but must have been
passed through the post Office window
it was reasonab BILE to believe that the
sender of the torpedo would be brought
to Justice"