Envelope with white powder delivered to Chris Bell's home

ABC 13 - Eyewitness News Houston ^ | 10/31/01

[Texas Yellow Rose]

Envelope with white powder delivered to Chris Bell's home

By ABC13 Eyewitness News
(10/31/01) — Anthrax scares touch the mayors race. Someone apparently sent a letter with a suspicious white powder to City Councilman Chris Bell's wife.

The powder in the letter sent to Chris Bell's wife is not anthrax, but police are preforming DNA and fingerprint tests on the letter to try to find out who sent it.

Police tested the white powder and took everything the envelope came into contact with to the health department's lab just to be sure it is safe. Authorities think the substance may be just talcum powder.

The letter was addressed to Alison Bell who thought it was a party invitation until she read the message.

Alison Bell/Chris Bell's wife: "'Four on a truck may help your family' and then the bottom line said 'take action' and it was done with a stencil, not hand writing, not typed, hand-written with a stencil on white paper. As soon as I noticed the message was strange, then I noticed the white powder."

The Bells think the note was just a sick prank, but police are treating this as a terroristic threat.

Sgt. James Ramsey/HPD: "Without the powder, it probably would not be viewed as a threat at all, but in conjunction with the powder, it could be construed as a threat of some sort and we will be working on it from that angle."

The Bell letter comes just days after Otis Jordan recieved two threatening letters. Jordan is the president of the Black Firefighters Union. The union endorsed Mayor Lee Brown last weekend. None of those letters contained white powder.

Chris Bell/Mayoral candidate: "This crosses way over the line in my way of thinking to direct something like this toward my wife and especially knowing that my two kids are going to be present in the house."

Last Updated: Nov 1, 2001

[Texas Yellow Rose]

This one is a mystery.  It is my understanding that Mrs. Bell did not call the police right away.  Hmmmm..  I wonder why?  VOTE SANCHEZ!!