BOMB BY POST.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 565, 21 July 1909, Page 4

BOMB BY POST.

SENSATION IN SYDNEY

;■ Not a little excitement was caused at tho. Bathurst Street Ernit Excliango on Saturday,July .10, when it became known that Archibald! Chalimor, employed as a clerk in tho i office the Australian Fruit and Produco r Company; had been- the intended victim of a dastardly attempt to do him injury by means qf infernal machine sent , through the medium of tho post office. . . ' .. .-. /; Chalimor was rather surprised at receiving the peculiar shaped box ; ■ and the more SO' lismcOrlro could not identify the handwriting, i asithat of any porson from whom ho 1 would, I, be; likely : to receive anything : of the nature' of.correspondence. It was merely a chance— h.possibly; the. • only chance in ' a hundred—that : an explosion did not tako place. v - '. : Tho box ,was about fivo unches long by three inches.broad,'.and an inch and a halt dhep. Itjhad'.been, divided. into.two'compartmenis,, ono of which contained high-gradb powdor, i and;'thej other- the', firing mechanism. . The i connecting link betwoen the two was tiio end • . of 'a' shotgun "cartridge,'with tho cap unused. The mechanism was ingenious.: A hammer , was .held back by a strong spring—almost too strong to be pulled-back with the fingers— and another spring was so arranged: as''to cause tho lid to fly. open on the .cuttinjj'of the binding string, .and at the. same tinie to: release tho trigger. l ' Everything happened as i had been planned, ! except that tho cap did not tako effects, t.This was duo to ono of two things. Ertliep 1 , jJioifhammor. aid not strike it fairly, or else the. powder-chamber was indifferently filled, and the explosivedid not com-' pletoly conneot: withi tho percussion cap. Tho hammer;str.uck;t'he-'cap forcibly,-but in a. slid-. ing way, pinching it' on ..t-hd -edge. It c.-uinot be .'said .that the .'"intention' ;wm : te. shatter or kill, for the upper sido of tho box was covorcd in witii;thiiii paper,!so ]that had ignition taken .'plae9r.th^rMipi®ft! , df'.|tli6vtok--'.would.' : probT'i ably .-have been •blinded or badly burnt by the upward blast.''' 1 • ~ , -■Mr.. Lopez;-a; fruiterer of Market Street, was one of 'tbo- first mcn to handle tho ma-, chine after it hail-oft tho-hands of tho letter-, carrier. Ho shook.,the. box. and something rattled. "Here, Archio, is something for yon,", ho called .to tho addressee. "What is it?" asked:Chalimor.' "lill bet it's a joke . Who could havo sent it?','. 'A bystander playfully advised the :young: fellow to bo careful lest he might be handling an infernal ma;ch]no,';.;:',Chalknor :proceetle<l .to.. w;hen ,there was a, click as, ft had'been set in motion. Chalimor remarked then that there •,was : some:thing furiiiy ; about-it, and when the. box was .finally opened and thoso. near saw what was -raally' in ''it, the'recipient appeared as if Ho were going to faint, so upset did he '.become. - - - -. ■■ : An opinioii' was, expressed' that there ■ had; beenian attempt at a clumsy joke, and that tho cap had probably been exploded before. When tho detective arrived, however, he rc.'mo.yed tho gunpowder and tested the trigger. when; the'hammer hit the cap squarely it was followed by an ominoiis little flash that told how oloso Challinor must liavo been to serious injury when lio was > joying'with the parcel at the outset. . ; : i : The/detectives have the case in-hand.