The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-02-14 00:00:00

THE DYNAMITE OUTRAGES IN
LONDON,

THE PRISONERS AT BOW STREET.
On Monday james Gilbert Cunningham 'mild Hare
Burton were again placed in the dock at Bow-street
Police-court, to answer the charge of causing an explo-
sion at the Tower of London on the 24th ult. Eleven ,
o'clock was the hour fixed for their examination, and
shortly before a special van dispatched from the
House of Detention entered the courtyard. • It con-
tained the two prisoners under the guard of several ,
constables, armed with loaded revolvers. On alighting
the prisoners were at once taken to the cells. Burton
was shortly afterwards removed to a room and placed
in co4stny with several men, with the object of being
identified by some of the witnesses for the Crown.
Several witnesses who attended failed, however, to pick
him out, and a like failure attended a similar expari-
meat with regard to Cunningham. This took some
time, and was productive of considerable delay in 1
commencing proceedings.
Meanwhile the large lower court, which had been
reserved for the examination, was rapidly filled. Mr.
Poland, Mr. Pollard, and Superintendent William-
son were amongst the first corners, being speedily
joined by Mr. Stephenson and Mr. Cuffe. This for- ,
iiiidable
_legal phalanx representing the Treasury was
opposed on behalf of the prisoner Cunningham by
Mr. Quilliam, of Liverpool, who took his place at the
6olicitors' table with a "Digest of Criminal Law" as
Ins weapon. At twenty minutes past eleven Sir
James Ingham took his seat, and many notabilities
and personal friends of the magistrate were accom-
modated with seats on the Bench. Mr. Quilliam
at once applied for permission to see his client prior to
his appearance in court, and this being granted ,
under certain conditions specified by the Home Sec- ,
retary, he withdrew for that purpose in company with
Superintendent Arnold, of the H Division. The in-
terview lasted some time, and meanwhile a quantity
of luggage was brought in. Conspicuous amongst it
as the trunk, rather vaguely described as a brown
box. It is a somewhat conspicuous article, being of a
bright yellowish drab picked out with lines of red,
and crossed by bands of hoop iron painted black. It
is about three feet six inches in length and nearly a
yard in height, the top being rounded and protected by
Longitudinal slats painted black, and having white
uietal tips. A box covered with black American cloth,
a large new black Gladstone bag, and a smaller
brown one made up the rest of the luggage.
At a quarter to twelve the prisoners were brought
into court. The appearance of Cunningham has
already been described. Burton is a young man of
medium height and spare build. His features are
rather haggard, and he logoks deeidedly consumptive. '
His cheek-bones are exceedingly prominent, almost
piercing the skin, whilst the cheeks themselves are
painfully hollow and in-drawn; his forehead is some-
e hat low, his eyebrows dark and very arched, his
nose short and straight, with wide nostrils, his
under lip prominent, and his chin slightly
receding; his ears stand out from the side of his
bead, his hair is brown, and he wears a
long, fair, drooping moustache, stiffened at the ends.
Ws bearing when he stands is very upright. He
was dressed in a long tight-fitting blue overcoat and
dark trousers, and had a red and yellow bandanna
kerchief about his neck, and a stiff felt fiat in his
hand. Not the slightest sign of recognition or sym-
pathy passed between the two prisoners whilst in the
dock. Cunningham sat down in the further corner
in a somewhatdefiant attitude, withone arm stretched
out along the top of the back railing. This attitude
be maintained during the greaier part of the day,
sometimes varying it by leaning forward and watch-
ing with great apparent interest the witnesses de-
posing to facts concerning himself, and at others
nursing one leg. When from time to time he had a
whispered consultation with his solicitor he evinced
great animation, and usually accompanied his coin-
Launications with a smile. Burton sat with a stiff,
constrained air, and almost melancholy, and at times
did not seem to take any interest whatever in the pro-
ceedings. Whenever he had occasion to make any
re:narks he rose and spoke in a very slow, deliberate,
and hesitating fashion, though apparently pausing
rather from lack of breath than for want of
words. His American accent was very marked, and
his sentences were tinged with Transatlantic
iaioms. A gaoler and Inspector Nayland occu-
pled seats in the dock with the prisoners, and
more policemen stood close by. This, however,
was far from representing the amount of restraining
force available. In addition to the detectives en-
gaged in the case who were in court, there was a
thick sprinkling of men in plain clothes among the
spectators. The whole of the precincts of the court
were garrisoned by a strong body of police in uniform,
and the building was further surrounded by men
potted as sentries. Every possible precaution had
been taken to prevent any chance of a rescue. As for
the spectators, they included several well-known
members of the theatrical profession, conspicuous
amongst them being Miss Florence St. John, who was
accommodated with a seat in the inspector's box
beside Superintendent, Williamson.
Barton having, in reply to Mr. Quillam's offer to
defend him, stated that he would prefer to defend
himself, Mr. Poland briefly opened with his story of
"curious coincidences." He said the prisoners were
jointly charged with the crime of high treason, and
jointly with the capital felony of setting fire to the
Tower, where military stores were contained, and
were also jointly charged with the offence mentioned
at the last bearing under the Explosives Act. The
nature of the case as it now shaped itself was this :
Cunningham came to this country, according to his
own story, in the Adriatic, and had been staying for
two or three months in Liverpool, working at the
docks. That statement turned out to be a falsehood.
There was conclusive evidence to show that this man
left New York on the 10th of Dec., and arrived in
Liverpool on the 20th. Cunningham brought a brown
American trunk with him, which he removed to
London, but that disappeared for a time. If it could
be shown that the trunk contained Atlas dynamite, it
was obvious that the prisoner would desire to mislead
the police, and make it appear that he had come over
some months ago. The case was in its infancy, but
they had material evidence, part of which would be ,
placed before the court. According to the statement
of Cunningham, the trunk was not his property, but ,
belonged to a friend. Evidence would be given to
show that the trunk was secretly taken away from
Great Prescott-street to 90, Turner's-road, Bow,
where it was found, and that the prisoner. Harry
Burton was the friend referred to. Burton arrived at
Liverpool on Christmas Eve in the Oregon, and
having remained there for one night he came up to
London. It was a remarkable fact that these two
men were known to each other, and that they both
teak lodgings in the neighbourhood of the Tower.
Burton arrived at No. 5, Mitre-square, close to the
Aldgate-station, on the 26th of December, and Cun-
ningham established himself at 30, Great Prescott.
street. From this address the brown American trunk
was removed secretly on the 13th of January.
Burton said he bought the trunk from a man whom
he did not know for Bs., but that would be shown to
be a falsehood. At Mitre-square, where Burton was
living, a City police-constable and his wife resided.
This constable, Wilson by name, saw the prisoner
from time to time, and as he was doing no work he
created suspicion. A report was made to the head-
quarters of the City police, and a man in plain clothes
was set to watch Burton. On the 18th of January
the prisoner Burton was seen in the company of
Cunningham, and there was no doubt that the two pri-
soners were acquainted with each other. On Jan. 12
Burton removed to Bow. There was no question that
this treasonable conspiracy had its headquarters in
America. From time to time men came over to this
country with Atlas dynamite, and by means of that
from time to time made attacks on the public build-
ings of this City. It was a somewhat curious fact
that the dock labourer, Cunningham, and the car-
penter or cabinet-maker, Burton, were both over in
the spring of last year. Cunningham came over here
in May, and remained here for some time. He
started from New York on the 9th of May, and was
here probably when the explosion took place at Scot
land-yard and the Junior Carlton Club on the 30th
of May. He went back to America, and how he could
afford to make these trips, being a dock labourer,
they could form their own opinion. It was a curious
coincidence that Burton was in this country in the
spring of last year. He came over in March, and being
ill was prescribed for at St. Bartholomew's Hospital
in July and August, and he returned to America in
September. It as another curious coincidence that
shortly after these two men arrived—namely on the
2nd of January—an explosion should take place on
the Metropolitan Railway between King'secross and
Gowerestreet. The train started from Aldgate within
!ew hundred yards of the place where Burton was
living, and a few minutes' walk from the place where
Cunningham was living. Evidence would be given
showing that the prisoners were travelling in the brake
of the train, and that they escaped in the confusion.
When Burton was taken into custody a guide to the
Tower was found among his effects, and also a guide
to Westminster.
Dr. Dupre was then recalled and cross-examined
by Mr. Quilliam, as was Miss Winifred Cannon, who
appeared to grow somewhat confused, if not recal-
citrant, under the pressure put upon her. Mrs.
Sarah Moore had her evidence read over to her; and
two cabmen, Bacon and Crosley, were also recalled foe
that purpose and cross-examined. A new witness
then appeared in the person of Sergeant Stephen
White, of the H division, who described the examina-
tion of Cunningham's box at Scarborough-street.
At the close of his evidence the Court adjourned
for a quarter of an hour, and on re-assembling;
Superintendent Arnold gave evidence as to the state-
ments made in his presence by both Cunningham and
Burton. He was followed by Police-constable Jenkin
Jones, who had taken down in shorthand statements
made by the prisoner. On Sir James Ingham putting
to Burton the usual query as to whether he tad any
questions to ask of the witness, the prisoner rose
and made a rambling and inconsequent state-
ment of some length touching the acquaintances he
had made on shipboard. Emma Carohne Wil-
son, Robert Harradine Wilson, her husbf.isid, who. is
in the City Police, and Mrs. Mary Witteridge having
proved that Burton had been staying at Mitreesquare,
Aldgate, before he went to Turner's-road, the most
important witness of the day came forward. This
was Thomas Roper, a City detective, who swore posi-
tively to seeing Cunningham in Burton's company in
Aldgate when employed in watching the latter some
days before the explosion at the Tower. Burton on


being asked if he had any questions, denied having
been with Cunningham, though he created some mirth
by his assertion that gentlemen who were perfect
strangers to him often came up and entered into
conversation with him in the streets, when, as he
put it, "we talk about the weather.* Roper was
smartly cross-examined by Mr. Quilliam as to the
manner in whieh he identified Cunningham at the
House of Detention, but Mr. Poland incidentally
remarked that the method described was that
usually followed in her Majesty's prisors. Mrs.
Frances Anna Harvey spoke of the residence
of Burton at her house in Turner's-road, Bow,
the most important fact deposed to by her
being that he told her he was going to bring home a
trunk beforehand, in contradistinction to the state-
ment made by him to the police that he ran across a
man with one to sell, and bought it of him. Mr.
Richard Harvey, the husband of the last witness,
gave some brief evidence, and then the examination
was adjourned till Monday next. Mr. Poland stated
that he then intended to break fresh ground, and
eeek to connect the prisoners with the explosion at
Ceawer-street Station.