The Cigar-Box Bomb That Came in the Mail for Gertie Spicer

An infernal machine was recently sent to Miss Gertie Spicer, of Guy, Wash., which came near ending that young lady's life. The machine was cleverly constructed of a cigar box. Inside, a block of wood bored with holes had been placed, with six tin tubes in appearance not unlike shotgun shells. The tubes were connected by a groove in the block of wood, and the tubes and groove were filled with gunpowder; the other space in the box was filled with cotton and nitric acid. To explode this, a cap was placed on the end of a nail, the trigger being arranged to spring on rubbing the lid. The box also contained two 32-caliber pistol cartridges, but these failed to explode.

The package was sent through the mails, and when Miss Spicer got it from the postoffice at Pullman she was somewhat suspicious of its appearance. She thought perhaps some would-be joker had included in the box a toad with the intention of frightening her. Her suspicion of this saved her life, for she put the box down on the sidewalk and raised the cover with a stick. As soon as the cover was raised an inch or two an explosion occurred which shook the buildings, but Miss Spicer was not seriously hurt. A disappointed lover is thought to be responsible for the villainous attempt at murder.