Lancaster Daily Intelligencer

The Infernal Machine That Came Flying Into the Window of August Goekel's Residence—A Devilish Deed!

August Goekel, a tailor, together with his wife, two children and mother-in-law, reside at 1005 Nectarine street, Philadelphia. On Friday night he was sitting on a table in the second story, near the front windows, working at his trade. Shortly before 10 o'clock he was startled by a crash of the window in front of him, and still another crash of the swinging coal oil lamp hanging near his head. Bewildered and in darkness, the flame of the lamp having been extinguished by the last crash which he heard, he made his way to the door. Here he was met by his wife and children, who, hearing the noise, had run up stairs from the lower floor. While thus grouped at the head of the landing, a loud report was heard almost at their feet, but, beyond the shock caused by the report, no injury resulted to them. Upon examination a piece of lead pipe, about six inches long and covered with oilcloth, was found on the floor, which had been corked at one end and the other had contained a fuse. This was the missile which had been hurled through the window. As the fuse burned short the missile was discharged, fortunately in a direction at right angles with the family standing in the doorway, and doing them no harm. On the east wall of the room were found marks of the deadly force of the contents of the missile, and on the floor lay leaden bullets, pieces of iron and fragments of black glass with which it had been charged. Mr. Goekel, with these evidences before him, was satisfied that an attempt had been made to destroy himself and family, and he reported the matter to Lieutenant Smith, of the Eighth police district, who detailed Special Officer Hoffman to investigate the case. The officer at once recollected that, several years ago, a German had offered $25 to ascertain the whereabouts of his wife, who he said, had deserted him, and gone to live with his daughter, Emma Goekel. After consulting with the latter, Hoffman concluded that the outrage had been committed by Goekel's father-in-law, Casper Younger, and on Saturday afternoon the latter was arrested at the house of Mr. Moesback, a milk dealer, at Twenty-seventh street and West College avenue, where he had been employed since last July. Younger was taken up to the police station and locked up. Upon a search of the stable, where Younger slept, some lead pipe similar to that of which the missile was made, a number of bullets similar to those found in the room, a piece of fuse a yard long, a lot of black glass and a revolver were found in a box belonging to Younger. The officers then began a search for witnesses of the throwing of the deadly missile or of the presence of Younger in the neighborhood at the time it was thrown through Goekel's window. A man living next door, it is stated, saw a person resembling the prisoner standing on the opposite side of the street a few minutes before he heard the explosion, and two women say that they saw a man "resembling Younger's build" run up Nectarine street toward Eleventh. Other evidence was also procured strongly implicating the arrested man. Younger denies that he threw the missile in the window, but admits that the articles found in the box belong to him. Goekel and his family, including his mother-in-law, came to Philadelphia from Baltimore in March of last year to escape, it is said, Younger's persecutions and the ill treatment of his wife. At the time they left Baltimore Younger was serving a term of six months in prison in that city for attempting to kill his wife. He had also been under arrest for robbery previously, but had escaped from prison by leaping from a second story window. Upon the expiration of his last term of imprisonment he followed the family to Philadelphia, and, having found their residence, the attempt on their lives on Friday night last followed.