The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1885-01-02 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

COMICAL DYNAMITE SCARE.  -- A correspondent Benda to the Daily Telegraph the following, which he duly authenticates t—" A young man, whose name, at his own modest request, is suppressed, a few evenings since made • discovery of so appalling a character that never before, perhaps, has the disputed possibeity of a person's hair taming from elack or tire sn to white in a fox minutes through littera* fright been pat to a Severer test. It apoives from his own statement that at the time indicated he was riding in a ttlild.o Ms carriage on the H tropoli can Railway. 'fliers were other passengers in the sane compartment when fir entered it, but they alighted, leaving bins alone. Scarcely, however, had the train male another start, when he observed beneath a seat at the furiher end, and. on the side opposite, a something on the item that he at first thought was an article of luggage inadvertently left behind by a passenger. Causer exemina ion, how ever, ceased him to shrink from it in alarm. Tee object was apparently made of eine its liiZA being about 20 inches long, eight inches or nine times wee-, fel t about five inches deep. It wee flat-bottomed, and rounded on the top, and at one end there WAS a projecting brass cap. The conclusion at once arrived at by the young fellow was that it was an "infernal machine," of formidable dimensions, and no doubt, of terrific destructive power, and hat been deposited there by coins villain, and " timed" probably t 3 explode at a point on the line— perhaps beneath a tunnel—ashore it might do most damage. ilia first impulse, naturally, was to put as much space as possible between hitnoeff and the horrible engine of death and destruction as speedily as he could. Indeed, he was on the point of opening tae carriage door and making a leap that might have resulted in the breaking of his loge or his neck, maybe, but that alternative seemed preferable to remaining there to be present'? blown to unrecognisable atoms. It was • desperate predicament ; but a nobler seutiment speedily eclipsed tears for his own personal safety. It would be a worthy deed to frustrate as far as lay in his power, tee design of the Fenian miecreanta, whose purpose, no doubt, it was to effect wholesale destruction ot human life and public property—brit how I It would mitigate the mischief, at all events. if he cast the metal box out of the window. Nerving himself for the critical exploit, he approached the diabolical contrivance and laid hands on at, but immediat sly started back. Toe z'exc outer casing was quite warm I To his more heated imagination the clockwork within had nearly fulfilled its function, which WilA to ignite the thundering charge, and any moment might now be the fatal one. Daunted for along space he fell back from the dread thing; but again his bietsr mature prevailed, and, with sensations he will never forget, he caught it up in both his hands and launched it out of the carriage window at the very instant when a station was reached. With a thud it lauded actually on the platform, and in a twinkling &acme peitsra came rushing up, and the young man, who leapt out of the carriage, iound himself surrounded sue peremptorily questioned as to what he eacanc by such conduct. Waite _and iucneerent, he Cud °ley ejadelece el.,an by it Don't you see what it is " Why, ot course. Anyb ely can SOU what it Id. It el a toot warmer." Under deferent circumstances such a flagrant ff n,:e would very pr .peril nave been seriously dean, with, but it was unmistakeable :roue the youth's bewildered aunt &Attie sd gutty) that what he had clone was in perfect good faith. He pretested he had never before seen a railway carriage feet warmer, and whet he had recently heard and read of Fenian outrages on railways and elsewhere, together with the shape and make of their murderous contrivances, had led him into the mistake. His explanation was regarded as satisfactory, and he was let off with no other punishment than that of being laughed at, which oat tainly would not have been the case bat the metal box proved what in his simplicity he honestly supposed it to be. It is through no shortcoming of his that a grateful railway•travelling public are not at the present time discussing what would be a proper reward for such a hero.