INFERNAL MACHINES.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2830, 20 April 1882, Page 2

INFERNAL MACHINES.

We do not know much about infernal machines in New Zealand and a little information on the subject may bo of interest. A number were sent to various houses in Edinburgh on the same day in February last.

The following is the account given by an English paper :—“ On Wednesday evening, about seven o’clock two explosions occurred almost simultaneously in different parts of Edinburgh, which show that a deliberate outrage has been carried out. A parcel about 14 inches long by seven in breadth, and two in depth, and wrapped in brown paper, was delivered at the residence of Mr Alexander Macdonald, police-court agent, Hill-place. On taking off the wrapper, a box covered with pictures was found inside. The box contained three drawers, and an effort was made to open these at the ends, but as they were stiff, the centre drawer was next tried, when, as it came away, a frightful explosion occurred. Mr Macdonald was severely burned, and one of his eyes is, it is feared, permanently injured. His mother, a girl about four years of age, and a Mrs Smith, residing in Dock street, Leith, who was on a visit to the family, were also severely burned, and Mr Macdonald’s father, who was in the act of coming into the room at the time was knocked down in the lobby and rendered insensible. The interior of the dwelling-house which is on the street flat, was considerably damaged and the window completely shattered. A window at the back of the Royal Princess theatre, which is close upon the house, was also blown in. In the other case, the explosion occurred at 19 South St, James street, in a house occupied by Mrs John Barron. She received a box of a similar description, and on its being opened Mrs Barron, and a son and daughter-in-law were all injured. Two windows of the house, which is on the third flat, were blown out, and the clothes of the three persons caught fire. They all rushed out of the house while in flames, which were extinguished by the neighbors. Their injuries were attended to at a neighboring apothecary’s, and thence they were removed to the Royal Infirmary. The police have a clue to the perpetrator of the outrage, and are busily engaged making the investigations. Trace has been obtained of the delivery of the boxes from the Waverley station, at which they arrived by train from Glasgow, and they are believed to have been sent from there by a person belonging to Edinburgh in revenge. The boxes, which have been taken possession of by the police, are each divided into two compartments. The back compartment seems to have been filled with powder and pieces of gas tubing and conducted to the front, where matches were so fixed, that on the drawer being pulled out they were set fire to by the friction. A mason named Charles Costello, alias Andrew Wilson, residing at 11, Melbourne-place, has already been apprehended. It seems that, in course of some proceedings which had been taken against Costello on a complaint by Miss Barron, who felt aggrieved at his following her, he had transactions with Mr Macdonald of a financial character, and both he and Mrs Barron had received threatening letters from the prisoner.”