The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-04-04 00:00:00

A HEAVY PRICE FOR A SCOUNDREL.

Another shooting case in France, somewhat re-
sembling that of Madame Clovis Hugues, has been
disposed of at the Auxerre Assizes, when a married
woman in good position, named Henriette Francey,
aged twenty-six, living at Tonnerre, has been
acquitted of the charge of murdering Alfred Brise-
bard, an architect, on December 21. Brisebard was
unmarried, and was, it is stated, the terror of all the
honest women in the town. It was alleged that
Brisebard has long persecuted the accused, forcing
himself into her house during her husband's absence,
and ' following her to the theatre and elsewhere.
On Sunday, the 21st, the accused's husband being out,
Brisebard repeated his attempts, and Madame Francey
seized a revolver and fired at him. He rushed
out, exclaiming "Jo suis mort ! " She pursued him
into the street, and fired the other barrels until he
dropped, and in a few minutes died. She then wept
into a house close by, asked for a glass of water, said
she has just killed Brisebard for having grossly in-
sulted her, drank the water, went home, and finding
her husband there went with him to give herself up
to the police. It was sought to show that Mdme.
Francey had been in the habit of receiving the visits
of a young priest of dissolute reputation, but this was
denied. Tho jury returned a verdict of not guilty,
but sentenced Mdme Francey to pay 8000 fr. as
damages to Brisebard's mother.

THE DYNAYUTE OUTRAGES.
COIIIIITTAL OF THE PRISONERS.

The hearing of the charges against James Gilbert
Cunningham and Harry Burton in connection with
the dynamite expbsions in London was resumed at
Bow-street Police-court last Friday before Sir James
Ingham.
Mr. Poland prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury;
the prisoners were again represented by Mr. Quilliam,
of Liverpool.
Thomas Henry Adamson, of 32, Essex-street, New-
castle-on-Tyne, said: lam a brass finisher. In
February last year I was a passenger on board the
Donau, which sailed from New York to Southampton.
We arrived there on the 20th of February. I recog-
nised the prisoner Burton as a steerage passenger on
board that vessel. He had a man with him, a friend
of his, I suppose. They were always together. I
identified him this morning at this court from among
a number of other men.

Cross-examined: I could not say how many steer-
age passengers there were. I gave a description of
both men to Inspector Swanson in March last
year.
Elizabeth Becket Herrod, the wife of William
Herrod, of Farndon, near Newark, a passenger by
the Don-Au, also identified Burton as coming to
Southampton by that vessel. Prisoner landed and
boarded at the same house with witness and her' hus-
band, viz., Day's Hotel.
Cross-examined: There was a man with him. He
was a full-faced young man, not with high cheek
bones like Burton. I should know him again if I saw

William Herrod, the husband of the last witness,
gave similar evidence.
Mr. Quilliam did not cross-examine the witness,
but took objection that he had been present in court
during the examination of his wife.

The Rev. William Henry Winn, incumbent of
Baron's-court, Tyrone, Ireland, said: At the end of
May last year I was in London. I remember the
explosion at Scotland-yard and St. James's-square.
On the morning of the day of the explosion I went
from Charing-cross Station to Dover, and returned by
the afternoon boat train at about half-past three. I
travelled in a second-class carriage. As the train was
leaving Dover a man got into the carriage.
Do you recognise him here ?—Yes. I believe that
the prisoner Cunningham is the man.
The prisoner Cunningham (in an excited manner) :
You are a liar. You never saw me in your life
before.

Mr. Poland (to witness) : Have you any doubt in
your own mind ?—I have no doubt in my own mind,
but 1 prefer swearing that I believe him to be the
man, so as to moderate my evidence, He got into
the train in a hurry and in an excited way, He las.d
a small black valise, and put it on the netting over
his head. A gentleman came in after him who had
travelled down in the same carriage with me in the
morning. He had no luggage. There were also in
the same compartment a lady and her two daughters,
I think. At Cannon-street all the passengers got
out. The man I believe to be Cunningham had
not spoken all the way up, but at Cannon-street
the lady asked me if that was Cannon-street.
I said I did not know, and Cunningham said,
"Oh, yes ; this is Cannon-street." I heard
the explosions the same night. The following
day I went to Scotland-yard and gave information
with reference to the man who had travelled up from
Dover with me. On the 2nd of this month I attended
at this court and identified Cunningham from among
a number of other persons. I picked him out then,
but was not as certain as I was afterwards when I saw
him in court, and that is the reason why I wish to say
that I merely believe he is the man. When I saw
him in the room he was rather pale, but in court he
had resumed that sallow, yellow colour that I had
noticed when coming up from Dover.
Cross-examined: I gave a description at Scotland-
yard, which was taken down.
Mr. Quillism asked for the written description.
Mr. Poland: I do not produce it.
Witness repeated his description, saying that he
had described the man as a low-sized, broad-shoul-
dered man. He thought he used the word stumpy.
He also said he was of swarthy complexion, and had
coarse hands. I have seen woodcuts of both priso-
ners in the illustrated papers.
Re-examined: When Cunningham entered the car-
riage, I thought he was a fore:gner, but when I heard
him speak at Cannon-street my theory was upset.
He spoke in an ordinary English tone.
Sergeant Cole of the A division was then called.
He appeared very weak, alid was accommodated with
a chair near the clerk's table. He was also very deaf.
He said: On Saturday, the 24th of January last, I i
was on duty in the crypt of Westminster Hall, a few I
yards from the bottom of the steps. Some lady
called my attention to something on the steps. It
appeared to be like a lady's quilted petticoat. I saw
smoke issuing from it. I turned it over, and then I
saw that it contained a quantity of cakes, the colour
of light-brown paper, glazed. There were four rows,
with four packets in a row. I picked it up, and as I
did so I found that the fire extended more. I
noticed that each packet was about half an inch
above the dther packet. On the top of the parcel
there was a strap, and from the top corners at
each end there was a piece of something like boot
webbing. It appeared to form a band such as could
have been tied round the waist. I noticed at one ena
there was either a button or a hook. It could have
been concealed under a great coat or cloak. I should
think the weight was about 10 to 121 b. I carried
it up the steps, and as I was doing so I found it burn-
ing my hand, and I threw it away from me. About
a second after it left my hand I saw the flash of the
explosion. I don't remember anything after that. I
was afterwards taken to the Westminster Hospital,
and remained there till last Thursday evening. My
ribs had been broken, and I was very much injured.
My brother constable Cox had also been injured.
Cross-examined: The parcel could have been
carried by a female under a cloak. I think it would
have escaped observation if carried by a man under a
coat that was sufficiently large.
Ca Vivian Dering Majendie, RE., examined by
Mr. Poland said :—I am her Majesty's Chief Inspector
of Explosives, and have been so since the passing of
the Act of 1875. On the morning of the 28th of
February last year I went to Woolwich and saw at
the Arsenal the black portmanteau produced. It con-
tained about 201 b. in weight of Atlas powder A, in
about 43 cakes. Atlas powder A is a description of
lignum dynamite, wood pulp being used as an absorbent
for the nitro-glycerine, instead of the kiesselguhr used
in the ordinary dynamite. Atlas powder A is a wholly
unlicensed preparation of dynamite in this country. It
is an explosive of American manufacture, made I
believe at the Repauno chemical works, Philadelphia,
The mode of exploding it is by detonation in the same
way as ordinary dynamite. I also fonnd a small pistol
attached to an American clock. (Witness here pro-
duced the clock of the pattern known as the "Peep
o'Day." The barrel and lock of the pistol, which was
a very small one of bright metal, and from which the
woadon stock had been removed, were fixed with wire
to the interior of the clock, and a connection was made
with wire from the alarum spring of the clock to the
trigger.) Witness continued: The pistol was loaded
with a blank cartridge, that is a cartridge with powder
only and without a bullet. In the case of the one pro-
duced (that found at Charing-cross), the clock was
timed to run down at twelve o'clock. The trigger of the
pistol had been pulled and the hammer had fallen, but
the cartridge had missed fire. The muzzle of the pistol
was directed towards the mouths of some detonators
which had been stuck into a cake of dynamite. If the
pistol had gone off it would have exploded the dyne,-
mite. The pistol was either a Remington, of New
York, or an imitation of a Renlington. The cartridge
was one manufactured by the Union Metallic Cart-
ridge Company, of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Witness
proceeded to give similar evidence with regard to the
portmanteau found at the Paddington Station. Colonel
Majendie next detailed his examination of the Victoria
Station after the explosion on the 26th February,
1884. The debris was sifted and several pieces of
metal were found, giving indications of an axploded
metal case. There was also found the spring of a clock.
The explosion was of a character that had un-
doubtedly been caused by an explosive of the
nitro compound class, and Atlas powder A belonged
to that class. Witness also examined the contents
of the bag found on May the 30th at the foot
of the Nelson Column, and found them to contain
dynamite of a kind identical with that found in the
portmanteaus at Paddington and Charing-cross. In
the bag found at the base of the Nelson Column there
was no clockwork, but an ordinary safety blasting
fuse—a time fuse, attached to which were two de-
tonators. That was the common way of exploding
dynamite. He was of opinion that the explosions in
the area of the Junior Carlton Club and at Sir Watkin
Williams Wynn's house were caused by an explosive
of the nitro-compound class. The explosion at
Scotland-yard might have been caused by 51b of Atlas
powder, or even less, and those in St. James's
square by considerably less—perhaps 21b. There was
no trace of any clockwork found at any of those
places. Colonel Majendie, in continuing his evidence,
referred to the other explosions which had taken
place, and expressed a decided opinion that they had
been caused by an explosive of nitro-compound class.
The detonator which had been given to him—(which
was found in Cunningham's box at Great Prescott-
street)—was one of those which could be attached to
a time fuse.
Cross-examined: The detonator bore the mark of
an eagle on the end, which he took to be a trade
mark.
Colonel Ford, one of her Majesty's Inspectors of
Explosives, gave evidence of a similar character re-
garding the bag discovered at Ludgate-hill Station.
This concluded the case for the Crown, and
_ _

Mr. Poland, addressing the magistrate, said: After
careful consideration it has been decided that I
should ask you to commit the prisoners for trial for
the offence of treason felony, under the statute 11th
and 12th Victoria, chap. 12, sec. 3; "If any person
whatsoever after the passing of this Act shall within
the 'United Kingdom or without, compass, imagine,
invent, devise, or intend to deprive, or depose our
Most Gracious Lady the Queen, her heirs or succes-
sors from the style, honour, or Royal name of the
Imperial Crown of the United Kingdom or of her
Majesty's dominions and countries, or to levy war
against her Majesty, her heirs, or successors within
any part of the United Kingdom, in order to force
or constrain or compel her or them to change her or
eir measures or counsels, or in order to put any

force or constraint upon or in order to intimidate or
overawe both Houses or either House of Parliament,
and such compassings, imaginations, inventions, de-
vices, and intentions being expressed, published and
declared by divers overt acts and deeds, every person
so offending shall be guilty of felony, and being
guilty thereof shall be liable at the discretion of the
Court to penal servitude for life."
After a brief conversation, Mr. Quilliam said that
he would not address the magistrate.
The two prisoners were then formally called upon,
and in answer to the magistrate severally said, "I
reserve my defence,' They were then removed, and
the inquiry, so far as the police-court is concerned,
came to an end.