The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-01

While steps were taken immediately to deal with the situation already devel- oped, postoffice department officials frankly admitted that there was abso- lutely no means of telling exactly how many bombs might have been deposited in the mails. The sixteen picked up in New York were regarded as a catch find, having been held for lack of post age. Coming on the heels of the damage caused by an internal machine mailed to former Senator Hardwick, of Georgia, and in the same sort of package, With the same department store label, led to prompt eonfscation by the government and quick search for similar weapons of destruction moving through the malls.
 Because of the character of the men to whom the packages were addressed, the one thought of the authorities cen tered in the motive In a general way the attempt on the lives of cabinet mem bers, 9 Justice of the sitpreuies aoaft of the United States. governor, mayor and others, was linked up with recent agitation and discussion of the question of after-the-war immigration. But the authorities could not altogether agree on this as the reason behind the wholesale attempts at destruction of life.
 TAGS FORCED
 Word reached investigators today that Gimbel Brothers New York department store owners, whose mailing tags were o1. each package, including that sent to former Senator Hardwick, had de- clared the tag a forgery.
 No effort was made to disguise the fact that this information was disquiet- ing, for it meant, officials said, in the event of a wholesale mailing of bombs that many would reach their destina- ticns bearing the mark of other firmN, which would make the work of prevent ing delivery all the more difficult. AL though the public was cautioned as to the opening of strange packages, the de- partment's detective force realized that if all of the internal machines put in the mails have not been recovered, it is the departments job to get them before delivery.
 Every branch of the bureau of conn municatonS was set to work to this end starting with the men who take mail from street boxes and ending with the carriers who deliver it at office and home. Not content with these precau- tions, steps were taken in asnington Ito safeguard government officials tc whom other dangerous bombs might be sent Personal orders went to all de- partments, including the courts, so tls by no possible chance will strange bum dies pass the net spread out to seize them.
 So far the only damage reported was that in the home of former Senator Hard wick at Atlanta, where the package mailed at New York. was opened by his wife's maid in his absence. It was saio here that the machine received there was similar in every way to the others but officials could not account for the different day and hour of mailing.
 A DANGEROUS GROUP
 Not a great deal of detailed informal ton, sent to the department by inspec- tors in New York, was given out here The first move here, it was said, was to get in touch with other cities to find if internal machines had been mailed tlere. But all agreed that the deliberate manner in which the plotters went about their work, the use of forged mailing tags, and the high standing of the 'n' tended victims showed that dangt$9'us group is at large and one that weao rot stop to consider the possible killing of women and children in the effort tt destroy men in public life.
 Groups of men of known anarchistit sympathies in New York, Philadelphia Boston, Chicago and other large citie: have been under close surveillance by SC cret agents of the department of justice and of the trasury secret service fol several months, particularly since the at ten pted assassination, of Premier Clem enceau in Paris. It was said today tha these agencies know whN-e they can finf anarchist leaders at this time and arr ir position to arrest them if there Il evidence that they were responsible fol manufacturing the internal machines ant nlacinp them in the mails. These agen cies will cooperate with the postal in