ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION WITH AN INFERNAL MACHINE.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1762, 28 March 1874, Page 3

ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION WITH AN INFERNAL MACHINE.

[Fb6m THE NEW YORK TKIBUNE, JAN. 5.] Late on New Year's Eve last two boys rang the door-bell of the residence of exDistrict Attorney Morris, of Brooklyn, and left with the servant who answered a box wrapped in brown paper, and addressed to l { S. D. Morris, Lawyer, 73 Fort (Jreen-plape. n The gervant asked the boys who had sent the package, and was told that they did not know, as a strange man in the street had paid them to deliver ft. The servant took the package to Mrs Morris, who remarked that the address was partially in printed characters and the rest in a handwriting unfamiliar .to her. On opening the paper wraping the contents appeared to be a box of cigars. The revenue stamps surrounding it were clean, as well aa the paper which is ordinarily used as a border around the edges of cigar-boxes. It was not heavier than cigar-boxes usually are, and naturally concluding that it was a present of cigars for her husband, Mrs Morris laid the box aside to await her husband's return on the next day. He was. absent at the time in Albany, being engaged in the argument before the Governor on the charges against District-Attorney Britton, and summing up the evidence elicited relative to the ballot-box stuffers. It had been previously, arranged that Mr Morris. Colonel A. 0. Davis, his associated counsel, and the sub-committee of the Committee of Fifty, consisting of E. T. Backhouse, Julian Allen, and W. A. Coit, - who presented the case to the Governor, should on their return from Albany, meet other members of the Committee of of] Fifty at Judge Morris's house on New's Day, and hear a report of jiheir efforts at Albany. Judge Morris was, however, detained at Albany. His associate Colonel Davis, returned before the argument had concluded, and did not learn that Judge Morris had remained behind. He therefore kept the appointment on New Year's Day at Judge Morris's house ? accompanied by a member of the Fifty. Here they learned *hat the judge was absent. Mias Morris

was receiving visitors at the time, and offered the gentlemen cigars, but fortunately they declined, for it proved that • the only box in the house was the one which Mrs Morris had laid aside. The judge did not return until midnight on Saturday. Yesterday morning about 10 o'clock he told his wife that he was going out for a cigar, and she was reminded of the box which had been received several nights before. She immediately went to the closet for it, and handed it to him, remarking laughingly as she did so that she expected that it was "an infernal machine." The judge remarked, "I guess not," and without the slightest suspicion, being engaged at the toomeiit in smoking the stump of his last cigar, opened it by prizing off the top. As he did so his attention was attracted by the snap of a spring, and, looking down, he saw at a glance the character of the "infernal machine." The box vas of the ordinary size, made to hold 100 cigars. About an inch below the top was inserted another or " false " top, and below this was a torpedo, shaped like a banana and about Gin long. This torpedo is made of gun cotton, and is apparently filled with small bullets or slugs, and doubtless contains powder or nitro-glycerine. The rest of the box below the false top was filled with loose gunpowder. The neck of the torpedo, designed as a fuse, extended through the false top, and a piece of sandpaper lay thereon. Above the false top was the machinery for exploding the torpedo, and a most ingenious diabolism it proved to be. Fastened to the end of the box was a heavy wire spring, set to fly up the instant the real top was lifted. One end of the spring was a hook, which, when the machine was set, ran through a loop in a wire rod about 2in long. This rod was attatched to a small apparatus of wood, in which were firmly set seven large friction matches, the ends for igniting resting on the false top, or rather the sandpaper which covered the end nearest the fuse of the torpedo. Running from the other side of the apparatus containing the matches to the end of the box opposite that to which tl-e spring was attatched, was a strong indiarubber band. When set this band was at full tension ; it was designed, when the top was lifted and the spring released the rod which held the matches in place, that the band suddenly drawing the matches across the face of the sandpaper would ignite the gun-cotton fuse and powder, and thus explode the whole. In order to make the friction of the matches on the sandpaper greater and surer, the latter had been increased to a double thickness behind the matches. This too great precaution on the part of the ingenious villain frustrated his diabolic design. The matches as set rested on a single thickness of sandpaper, and against the edge of the piece of double thickness. Fortunately, it happened that this edge was Btiff enough to prevent the matches from slipping ; the indiarubber band had lost something of its elasticity ; possibly the wires were rusty; and no explosion followed when the spring released what was intended to be a death missile. Judge Morris instantly comprehended the design, and saw the danger. His wife and two youngest children stood at Ms side, and had the matches moved a single half inch the four would have been inevitably blown to fragments. With a coolness almost incredible the judge directed his family to leav9 the room, and' with the lighted cigar still in his mouth he stooped over the box, carefully raised it in both hands, and as carefully deposited it in the bathing tub in the adjoining room. Here he pressed it down, turned on the water, and left it to soak, while he returned to his room and threw himself into a chair, utterly i" inerved, now that all danger was past, at the terrible peril through which he and his family had passed, all thanking heaven for their miraculous salvation. After the boxes had remained in the bathing tub for two hours the judge went into the room, and with a broom-handle knocked upon the false top and broke one part of it. Instantly the water in the tub became black with the loose gunpowder which escaped, and supposing all danger was now past, Judge Morris lifted the machine from the water and examined it. The matches had by this time become bo saturated as to be non-explosive, and without hesitation the judge lifted them from the false top and inverted them. It wa3 then he discovered for the first time the torpedo, and understood fully the macliinery which was to have exploded. He conveyed it about noon to his office, and subsequently deposited it in the room of the chief of police, who, after examining it. pronounced as his opinion that if it had exploded it would have destroyed not only the persons present, but probably demolished the house itself. Detectives were immediately set to work by the Chief to discover, if possible, the perpetrators of this diabolical act ; and to stimulate them in their efforts, Judge Morris and Colonel A. C. Davis each offered l,oOOdol. reward for the arrest of the would be assassin. It is the opinion of Judge Morris and his friends that this villainous work is not that of any mere personal or political enemy. The surmise which is generally accepted as nearest the truth is that the attempt was made or suggested by some of the numerous persons whose crimes were lately exposed, chiefly by Judge Morris, during the recent Britton investigation. It will be remembered that Mr Britton was charged with failure to prosecute numerous men whom Morris as District Attorney had indicted two years ago. These cases came up during the trial of Britton, and were virtually tried, and the proof • or guilt of about eight of these men was made so manifest that they had to seciete or absent themselves. It is clear to these men that if Britton is removed they can save themselves from the state prison only by flight, and that in the event of a new DistrictAt'o ney be : ng appointed in the in'erest of reform. Judge Morris would in all probability prosecute them. It ia not unreasonable to suppose that men who can be hired to stuff ballot-boxes with illegal ballots, could be as readily hired to do more deadly work to save themselves from the peril of the states prigpn. At any rate the belief was general yesterday that some of this class instigated or com: mitted the outrage, and the attention of the detectives is already directed to them. The facts of the case was not generally known until a late hour last night, when a stream of visitors set in at Judge Morris's house, all eager to- learn the truth, and fujl of congratulations over his narrow escape from a horrible death.