Year: 1870

san FrauciscO Dinner Purity.


The San Francisco Chronicle of March 20, just
received gives particulars of the startling affair
at the Belgian Consuls residence. The Chronicle
says


one of those mysterious occurrences which
seem to transpire periodically in this city took
place last evening at No. 1917 Powell street, the
residence of Mons. Grisar, the Belgian Consul
at this port, in the form of a tremendous explo-
sion. party OF gentlemen consisting OF
Messrs. Lazard of the firm of Lazard Freves,
Eugene Dewey Theodore Leroy, and three
brothers-Raphael Henry and Sylvan Well
had Just arisen from the table in the dining
room, and passed to house in the rear of
the one in which they had dined, when they
heard very loud report, which apparently pro-
ceeded from somewhere near them. The house
in which they stood shook violently, and they
ran into the open air. Smoke was seen issuing
from the building they had just left, and as soon
rs it was thought prudent several ventured to
enter the place. The table in the dining-room,
which they had just left, was moved from its
place, and the dishes it had held nearly all
broken. Passing through into the parlor,
everything it had contained was in mass of
ruins. A large marbletop centre-table was
destroyed, the top being broken into pieces
and scattered about the room. Chairs, lounges
ETC., lay in promiscuous heap near the front of
the apartment, and all the glass in the windows
of this and adj joining houses was totally demol-
ished. In one corner of the parlor was large
opening; the floor having been blown away and
the carpet torn from its place. This was, of
course, the subject of immediate Investigation,
and the first OBJ ect noticed explained the whole
occurrence. This was the remains of n
gated iron powder canister which would hold at
least ten pounds of the explosive material. This
article was firmly wedged in one corner and
was with difficulty removed. II is of the kind
used to store powder in, and was about twelve
inches in length by four inches in BREADTH The
force of the explosion had split it in two; the
corner was torn Oft and blown several feet
away. The floor of the room very much
damaged and almost unsafe to tread upon-all the
boards being forced from their position or broken
or split. The portico fronting the house was
wholly destroyed by the force of the conclusion,
the planks composing the floor of it being, each
and every one blown into the street or an adjoin-
ing garden. AS soon as the news of the affair
spread, large concourse OF spectators thronged
the street, eager to obtain q glance at the
damaged premises. Chief Crowley and party
of officers were promptly on hand, and prevented
any encroachments or undue demonstrations by
the crowd. An investigation of the space under
the floor of the parlor led to the discovery of
certain facts which show most conclusively that
the whole affair was q premeditated deed. On
the wet clay were noticed the imprints OF hands
and feet. Near the spot where the canister
was found was a quantity of paper, partly
burned, portions of fuse, and several bits
of strong cord. The spot in which the can
lister had been placed was the nearest to
the centre of the dning-room table that could
be reached and shows clearly that the attention
was to murder the inmates whilst they sat at the
meal. A fact that goes to support this theory is
that, by good fortune, they happened to leave
the table earlier than usual that evening, and no
one was in the house at the time of the eXplo-
sion but Chinese domestic. Chief Crowley has
been unable so far to find any clue to the perpe-
traitors, and it will probably pass away without
the true cause or animus being brought to light,
although it is suspected that French politics had
something to do with it,