The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-03-08 00:00:00

SUICIDE OF A VESTRYMAN.

In London on Tuesday, Dr. Danford Thomas,
Coroner for Central Middlesex, held an inquiry at the
Buffalo's Head, Marylebone-road, upon the body of
Mr. James Wellstead, aged 51, of No. 90, Camden-
road, bootmaker. The deceased, who had been a
vestryman of St. Pancras for some fourteen or fifteen
years, was not only himself a total abstainer, but a
prominent member of the teetotal party of the dis-
trict, and was remarkable as the most silent member
of the St. Pancras Vestry, never having been known
to make an observation upon any subject during
the many years he had held a seat in that
assembly. Mr. Thomas Wellstead, of Ryde, Isle
of Wight, identified the body as that of his
brother. On Thursday last be received a letter
from him in which he complained of being in a
low and nervous condition on account of being unable
to obtain any sleep at night. On Sunday he received
information of what had occurred. Mrs. Mary
Welstead, widow of ileceased, said he had been
much depressed in spirits for some time past. On
Saturday about ten minutes to one he left home,
saying he was only going into High-street, and asked
her to get a chop cooked for him by the time be
returned. She did so, expecting him back in about
half an hour, but had not seen him again alive.
Walter Loveridge, bargeman, deposed that on Satur-
day afternoon, at a quarter-past two, whilst on the
towing-path of the Regent's Canal, his boatman
called to him and pointed to deceased in the water,
and they succeeded in getting him out. A constable
and docter were procured, but the latter on arrival
pronounced him to be dead. His hat and coat were
against the fence as if his getting into the water was
intentional. The Jury returned a verdict of "Suicide
whilst in an iensound state of mind."

The schooner Christine; of Brake, for Drontheim,
with a cargo of wood for nigh, Germany, arrived at
Longhope, Orkney, on Tuesday, and reported that the
master was washed overboard and drowned at ten
o'clock on Monday morning, when off Portland
Skerries. Two of tlx) crew were injured, having
been dashed to the deck by the sea which swept over
the ship.
The Marquis of Bute has offered to award a special
prize of £lOO for the best translation of one of the
Greeks plays into the Welsh language, the competition
to take place at the forthcoming-National Eisteddfod at
Liverpool.
It is estimated that the number of vessels at present
lying idle in the Tyne is sixty-three; in the Wear,
twenty-five; at Hartlepool, thirty-four; and in the
Tees, two—in all, 124, representing a groge tonnage of
130,136, or a capital of £910,052 and 1,500 men out of
employment.

4 -At-- Tamnaniore, near Dungannon, on Monday night,
when some little boys were going through the planta-
tion of Mr. Averell Lloyd they found the dead body of
a plan in an advanced state of decomposition. The
clothes were worn off the remains. There has been no
one missing in the
_locality,

A New York bulletin estimates the fire losses in the
United States and Canada in February at seven mil-
lions, making nineteen millions for two months, against
seventeen millions last year.
A despatch from Hong-Kong states that some Chinese
soldiers at Shanghai have assaulted several Europeans,
two of whom were slightly wounded by bayonet
thrusts-

FURTHER DISCOVERY OF DYNAMITE
IN LONDON.

In London on Saturday morning a black bag of
American cloth was found in the cloak-room at the
Ludgate-hill Station of the London, Chatham, and
Dover Railway. It was of similar make to that found
at Charing-cross Station. When opened it was found
to contain forty-two small packages of dynamite
wrapped in tinted unprinted paper, the whole
enveloped in a very old and dirty white shirt. There was
also a common American metal clock, one side of
which had been torn off to lay bare the alarum attach-
ment. Bound firmly to the clock was an ordinary
breech-loading pistol in such a position that when
the hammer of the alarum was set in motion it
would fall upon the detonator of a cartridge, and
discharge the contents into the packages of dyna-
mite. The infernal apparatus was apparently timed
to explode shortly after midnight, and as it has been
ascertained by the cloak-room records that the port-
manteau was deposited between seven and nine on the
previous Monday evening, there is no question as to
this attempt being a portion of the plot, earlier details
of which have already received publicity. The dis-
covery was made in consequence of an extraordinary
inspection made at the instance of the police. The
cloak-room at Ludgate-hill Station is situated under
one of the arches over which the trains run. Had
the infernal machine exploded—a catastrophe which
was only averted by a defect in the machinery used—
not only would great damage have been inflicted on
the premises level with the cloak-room, but the arches
supporting the platforms being blown away, the station
itself would have been a complete wreck. The cloak-
room porter does not remember any circumstances con-
nected with the deposit of the portmanteau, which
is not remarkable, considering that at that period of
the evening the tide of business is at its height. A
handkerchief wrapped round the tin box bore the
inscription "Greene and Sons, Washington." The
tinted paper found inside is precisely similar to that
which was discovered in the other infernal machines.
Immediately the startling intelligence became known
the chairman, directors, and all the chief officials of
the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway arrived on
the scene, and subsequently held a meeting to decide
upon what steps should be taken. Orders were at
once given that all luggage and depositors should be
carefully noted, and in cases of suspicion a satisfac-
tory explanation should be given of the contents of
any parcel called in question. The most stringent
orders have also been issued to the chief officials on
the line for the utmost caution to be used as to the
transit of luggage along the Flushing route, which is
patronised frequently by Royalty.
In consequence of a further communication from
the police the precautions which have been adopted
with reference to the luggage left at the various
metropolitan railway termini were supplemented on
Sunday night by an exhaustive examination of the
several cloak-rooms and left luggage offices. At the
Euston terminus of the London and North-Western
Railway, where the cloak-room business is very large,
and consequently where the conditions under which
the packages are deposited are not easily remembered,
the extreme step was taken of opening every portman-
teau or receptacle possible to contain an infernal
machine. This task was the more easily accomplished
inasmuch as the amount of luggage in the cloak-room
is at its minimum on Sundays. At the St. Pancras
terminus of the Midland, and the King's Cross terminus
of the Great Northern Railway, the cloak-rooms were
also thoroughly overhauled under the supervision of the
stationmasters. It appears that in many eases the luggage
deposited at these stations is owned by gentlemen
well known to the officials, and, of course, where the
bona fides of the packages have been thus established
they have not been opened. But any portmanteaus
or bags not coming under this category were subjected
to a searching inspection similar to that instituted at
Euston. The Liverpool-street and Fenchurch-street
termini of the Great Eastern Railway, the Broad.
street terminus of the North London Railway, and
the Cannon-street and London Bridge termini of the
South Eastern Railway have also been the scene of
unwonted activity so far as the cloak-rooms are con-
cerned. The result of this sudden and extraordinary
inspection has been entirely satisfactory, and it is
hoped that the full measure of the conspiracy has
been ascertained.

The railway companies having their termini in
Glasgow have, at the suggestion of the police,
adopted the precaution of placing conspicuously in
all their parcel-offices a placard to the effect that the
company will exercise the right of opening in the
the presence of the owner any parcel that may be
presented to them, for the purpose of ascertaining its
contents.

In consequence of the recent discoveries and the
threats that have been received, the postal authori-
ties have deemed it necessary to take extra precau-
tions in receiving parcels from the public, and have
accordingly instructed their officers to take particular
notice of all parcels so handed in for transmission
through the Parcels Post.

The following bill was issued on Monday from the
Criminal Investigation Department, offering a reward
for the discovery of cabmen who conveyed men sus-
spected to have been concerned in the dynamite
outrages:
"Metropolitan Police.—Notice to Cabmpn.—.Cl
Reward.—Wanted, the driver of cab who, about
seven p.m. Wednesday, 20th February, took up
at the main line exit at Waterloo Station two
men of the following description who arrived
from Southampton: Ist, age 29, height Mt.
10in., large round face, light brown hair and
slight moustache, dress light tweed suit and soft felt
hat, military appearance. Second, age 30, height sft.
sin., hair and full beard brown, small features, :loft
thick neck, dress light brown mixture suit, black fur
cap, white muffler, hid with them a large browr
American trunk covered with stamped leather, bound
with iron, oval top, and a bundle of clothing tied ui
in a 1 ck cotton cloth with leather strap. Informs
tion to Chief Superintendent Williamson; Gres'
Scotland-yard, who will pay the above reward."

On Monday the Home Office authorities decided to
offer £lOOO reward for the apprehension, or for such
information as shall lead to the apprehension, of the
persons who caused the explosion at Victoria Station,
and attempted the outrages at the Charing-cross,
Paddington, and Ludgate-hill Railway stations. The
four railway companies interested— the Great
Western, the South- Eastern, the London and
Brighton, and the London, Chatham, and Dover—
have joined in doubling-it.
The announcement of the reward is accompanied
by the description of four men whose movements
have been to some extent traced. It has been proved
that the actual perpetrators of the outrages were from
America. Even the routes by which they came are
known. Four persons, who are believed to be
the dynamitards, arrived in London on the night of
the 20th ult. Two of these men came up from
Southampton on the 20th ult. by the train timed
to arrive at Waterloo at 7.4 They had evidently
come direct from America, and the fact that the
New York Sum fovrid in the portmanteau at Pad-
dington bears date February 6 may indicate the
time when they started on their journey. The first
of these men was aged about 20, and was sft. 10in.
or llin. in height. He is described as having a
large round face, light brown hair, and slight mous-
tache. He is of square build, turns out his toes
in walking, .and possesses altogether a soldierly
manner. He wore a light tweed suit, lace boots,
and a soft felt hat. His companion is about 30
years of age, somewhat shorter in height, with
brown hair and a full beard. He has small features
and a short neck, and is what is called "stiff built."
He wore a light brown mixture suit, a black fur cap,
a muffler about his neck, and lace boots. The two
had with them a large brown " American " travelling
trunk in stamped leather, bound with iron, and a
bundle of clothing tied up in a black cotton cloth,
fa.stened with a leather strap. The men took a cab
at Waterloo, and the pollee hope to trace the cabman
who carried them to some destination.

On the same night, the 20th ult., two other men, of
a somewhat higher social stamp, arrived in London,
evidently by different routes. The first reached the
Waverley Hotel, Great Portland-street, at about
seven o'clock in the evening. He appeared to be
about 28 years of age, and was sft. sin. or 6in. in
height. He was thin-faced, with dark complexion,
hair, eyes, and moustache. Ile wore a rough
dark overcoat and felt hat. He was the owner
of the small brown leather portmanteau
found at Paddington Station. Ile had also a
"black shiny" bag of good size. The second
man, who is described as an American, arrived at
the same hotel an hour afterwards. He is suspected
to be the chief in the affair. Aged about 40, he was
of medium height, had a long fair moustache and light
brown hair, and wore a black "cutaway" coat and
dark trousers, black ribbed overcoat, and hard felt
hat. He had as luggage a "portmanteau-shaped
trunk," 31 t. by lift., of dull, black-leather-like cover-
ing, sueh as American cloth, with a single bright
handle on top, and a bright piece of circular steel for
name or initial, but without either, on the side. He
had also a shiny hand bag, 18in. by 12in., and heavy.
These two men left the Waverley Hotel on Monday
the 25th ult.—the night when the four explosions
were to have occurred. The police have good reasons
to think that the criminals, whose hands imported
the dynamite and placed the infernal machines in the
stations made their way out of the country before the
explosions were to have occurred. It is believed that
the bag at Paddington was left at half-past five on the
25th. If this was the case, the men who left it would
have had time to leave London by the 5.45 express
for Weymouth, whence the Great Western Company
runs a steamer to Cherbourg. The other bags were
all left in time to admit of the conspirators leaving
London for the Continent by one of the many train;
which start after eight o'clock at night.

THE MERCHANT SHIPPING BILL—A crowded meet-
ing of merchant shipowners, underwriters, &c., was
held at the Baltic Sale-rooms, in London, oxl Satur-
day, to consider Mr. Chamberlain's Shipping Bill.
After discussing the provisions of the Bill as relating
to insurance, a resolution was carried declaring that
the bill would produce loss and inconvenience to the
shipping interest, and that it was desirable that it
should be referred to a Select Committee of the
House of Commons.

4: -1,7

EPITOME OF NEWS.