The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-20
BOMB EXPLODED IN HERRICK HOME
American Ambassador to France Has Marrow Escape
 From Death
By Associated Press

T fNA Aot NNAbDtA ANs@fA bbAhR ts BANA ed today In the house of Myron IT.. Herrick the American ambassador, seriously injuring the valet who opened the package containing it. ! The room in which the explosion occurred was wrecked. Ambassador Elerrick arrived at the house two minutos after the bomb blew up.
 The bomb was contained in a care 1 fully made package, addressed per sonany to the American ambassa- dor who it appears might well have opened k himself. as 1t seemed 10 be gift dea,gned for him, The ambassador's valet, however, happened to sec the package and opened it to save Mi Herrick the trouble
 Immediately after the explosion, Ambassador Herrick went to the Ho- tel Crillon. where General Pershins l is staying. The prefect of police | jcined the general and the ambassa dor there, and this evening they Wero ! conterring on the case while lhe entire detective service of Paris was at work in an effort to trace the | origin of the bomb.
 The residence was considerably | 01 NakEu OOlSiut VI AthS aAOHAN | the explosion occurred.
 Believed Birthday Present
 The bomb was brought from the chanceIiory of the embassy by sec retary. who thought 1t personai nt esent for the ambassador
 MT. Herrick and his daughter-in- law. Mrs. Parmley w. Herrick, and her son. aged [, were mounting the | stairs to the suite and heard Ine explosion. Immediately the Valel came rushing down crying .,.
 "A bomb has exploded. l am mt In the room and demolished with 1t, | were q number of presents Ambas- sador Herrick had received on the occaslon of his birthday, october 9.
 The belief is expressed by the per ! feet of police among others, that tho bomb was a time contriYance. Tho ambassador described the outrage without the slightest sign of excite | ment.
 ",rhe act was that of an irrespon sible coward who was without cour- age to come out into the open" he said
 The package. about eight inches long, four inches wide and five inches deep. came by French registered mail and was labelled perfume" The ambassadors valet, Walter Elan chard. a 32-year-old Englishfnan, opened the package as he is wont to do in tne absence of the ambassador. Upon opening the lid. spring was released and Blanchard. who had l been 8 bomber during the war. i'm . mediately suspected It's significance, threw the package away, rushed ! from the room and was hit In the back by a fragment before he could make his exit.
 |, "I am only glad that 1t did not hap pen in the chancellory where many persons might have been killed,' said MT. Herrick.
 Sequel To Letters
 MT. Herrick tonight expressed the i belief that the explosion was sequel to numerous threatening letters he had received from French commun- ists because of the conviction of the two communists in the United States for murder
 This Is the work of towards, who are afraid to come out in the open" he declared, "and I hope ot may mark the end of such outrages against people who are ahsolutey innocent of things of which they are accused. These outrages should cease. Any reasonable man knows that neither the mbassy nor the American gov ernment has anything to do with Sacco and Vanzettl; they committed a crime for which they must suffer-" ! The ambassador said he would keep an engagement for dinner with friends in Parts, but smilingly re- marked that he would be unable to put on evening clothes, as most of his wardrobe had been torn by frag ments of the bomb
 The thing which immediately con cerned the ambassador most was the fact that the bomb had smashed sew eral gifts which his daughter-in-law and grandchildren had presented to l him on his birthday, october 9. These gifts were in a drawer of a table of ] the bathroom and they were the first things which the ap bassador sought when he entered the wrecked room
 MT. Herrick was anxious that all