Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-10-20
HOUSE OCCUPIED
BY HERR|CK IS
BADLY DAMAGED
BY BOMB BLAST
Explosion Follows the Re-
ceipt Of Threatening Let
terS By the American Am
baSSador in Paris,
ENJOYS VALET is
SERIOUSLY INJURED
Entire Detective Service Is
at Work in An Attempt to
Locate the PerpetratOr of
the Crime,
tRy The Associnted Press. !

tBy The Associated Press.)
Paris, Oct. 19 (by the Associat-
ed Press. "A bomb exploded to-
day in the house of Myron T. Her.
rick, the American ambassador, Sc
riously injuring the valet who
opened the package containing it.
The room in which the explosion
occurred, was wrecked.
Ambassador Herrics arrived at
the house two minutes after the
bomb blew up.
The bomb explosion followed re-
ceipt of threatening letters which
have been coming to the ambassa-
dor in the last few days In connect
tion with the cases of two Italians
recently convicted Of murder in
Seemed TO BE Gift.
The bomb was contained in a
carefully made package, delivered
this morning and addressed per-
sonally to the ambassador, who, 1t
appears, might well have opened IT
himself, as it seemed to be a gift
designed for him. The ambassa-
doris valet, however. happened TO
open it.
Immediately after the explosion
the ambassador went to the Hotel
CriIlon, where General Pershing is
stopping. The prefect of police
joined the general and. ambassador
there, and this evening they were
comforting on the case, while the
entire detective ervice of Paris
was at work in an attempt to trace
the origin of the bomb.
Considerable damage was done
the ambassadors residence.
Hear the Explosion.
The bomb was brought from the
of the embassy by a
secretary who thought it a present
for the ambassador.
The ambassador and his daugh-
Mrs. +. w. Herrlck, and
her son, aged z, were mounting
the stairway and heard the explo-
sion. Immediately the valet came
down crying:
"a bomb has exploded. I am
HIT"
In the room, and demolished
with IT. We're presents Ambassador
Herrick had received on his birth
day, october 3.
The belief is expressed, by the
prefect of police, that the bomb
was a time contrivance.
Act of a Coward.
"The act was that of an ir-
responsible coward, who was
without courage to come out
in the open," the ambassador
said.
The package, about eight inches
long, four inches wide and five
inches deep, came by registered
mail, and was labeled perfume"
The valet, Walter Blanchard, q
S2-year- Englishman, opened the
package. Upon opening the lid, n
spring was released, and Blanch-
ard, Immediately suspecting its
significance. threw the package
away. rushed from the room but
was hit in the back by fragment
A Communist Plot?
Mr.. Herrick expressed the be-
ief that the explosion was sequel
o threatening letters he had been
'eceiving from French communists
because of the conviction of two
in the United states
or murder.
These outrages should cease"
lie said. "Any reasonable man
,nows neither the embassy nor the
american government has any,
hing to do with Sacco and Van
etti: they committed a crime Tor
which they must suffer"
The Ambassador said he would
,eep an engagement for dinner,
,ut remarked that he would De
Inable to put on evening clothes
s most of his wardrobe had been
orn by fragments of the bomb.
Mr.. Herrick was anxious that all
ther American embassies be in
ormed as soon as possible of the
so as to prevent any pos
ibility Of similar outrages in case
he explosion was part OF a plot.
The embassies in London, Brus-
els, Madrid and Rome were i'm
lediately informed by telegraph.
Today's incident in the home OF
ambassador Herrick follows ex-
'ressions of protest which have
ccurred intermittently in Italy
ince Immediately after the convic'
ion of Sacco and Venzetti by a
Massachusetts, court last summer,
ut have only recently manifested
themselves in France.
At first the protests in Italy were
poradic and apparently insignifi-
ant, but the spirit of antipathy
oward the conviction found larger
xpression at a meeting called In
iilan on October 3 by committee
f the chamber OF labor, when
communist orators denounced
bourgeois capitalism" in connec-
on with their conviction.
A few days later, the Italian So
ialst congress, meeting in Milan,
DICED dissatisfaction over the ver-
let OF the Massachusetts, court,
nd this was followed last week by |
hostile demonstration in front Of |
ne American embassy in Rome,
hen the police made more than |
90 arrests before the crowds |
ere dispersed. Despite these |
rastic measures by the police,
owever, other demonstrations fol-
wed.
ACKAGE TIED WITH A