The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-03-07 00:00:00

THE YELLOW FLAX.

Everyone knows the grand old Linum triflynnm(
but everyone does not know how to grow it, or this
note would never have been written. It is considered
a very accommodating plant; awl so it is in some
respects, but it can be very troublesome, and that is
when grown in almost a cold house. In a greenhouse,
the temperature of which never rises above 40 deg.,
its proper character can never be developed, and in
such a position it generally has a forlorn appearance,
instead of being sprightly and beautiful, a gold mine
in itself. During the summer months it can be grown
out of doors, and last season I planted a few on the
rookery, and they were smothered with flowers until
the frost came. But we want a winter display, and to
ensure this careful cultivation is essential. Suppose
that there are some examples
.in pots. Now, towards
the end of February or the beginning of the following
month, place them in a warm temperature, say between
50 deg. and 60 deg., and cut back if necessary.
When they begin to grow repot, removing as much
of the old soil as possible without seriously interfer-
ing with the roots, and repot again in a compost con-
sisting of silver sand, loam, and peat, using two parts
of the former to one of the latter. After repotting
water carefully, and never allow the soil to become
sodden, or the roots will speedily rot, and the plants
will fail to make a satisfactory growth. Beware of
red spider, which will in all probability attack the
plants. To keep this dread pest away ply the syringe
vigorously and mainittin the atmosphere of the house
in a moist condition. At the beginning of June I
remove them to cooler quarters, keeping the atmo-
sphere moist, and never neglecting them. In October
take them back to the house in which they were
started into growth, that is, where a warm tempera-
ture is maintained, and I keep them there all through
the winter months, never failing to have a bright dis-
play of-flowers for my trouble. Linum trigynum is
a plant that- requires careful cultivation, but given
that, nothing repays so well for time and trouble
expenied.—"S. R.," in The Gardeners' Magazine.

A mendicant approached a Westchester man on the
cars the other day, and said: " Dear sir, I have lost
my leg." To which the Westchester man replied, as
he hurried away: "My dear friend, I have not seen'
anything of it."

THE DYNAMITE OUTRAGES.

NEW AND EXTRIORDINA.RY DISCLOSURES

On Monday, at Bow-street Police-court, James G.
Cunningham and Harry Burton were again brought
up before Sir J. Ingham and charged with being con-
cerned in causing the explosion at the Tower on
January 24.
Mr. Poland prosecuted the prisoners on behalf of
the Treasury; and Mr. Quilliam, of Liverpool, de-
fended.

Mr. Poland, on opening] the proceedings, said he
was in a condition to present a considerable body of
evidence. They had ascertained that the two pri-
soners were in New York in December last, Burton
remaining there until the 7th of that month, and the
other prisoner till the 10th, arriving here on the 20th.
Having so arrived Cunningham had stayed for three
days at Liverpool, the Oregon arriving on the next
day with Burton. Afterwards he had ieft for London
with the brown American trunk. Evidence would
be called from Liverpool on the subject, be-
cause Cunningham had falsely stated that he had
been working in the docks there for two or three
months. That evidence connected the two prisoners
together, and it would be proved that Cunningham
brought the trunk from Liverpool to Broad-street.
The possession of the trunk connected Burton and
Cunningham together. He proposed to go into other
important evidence relating to other explosions. On
tha 20th of February last year the prisoner Burton
arrived from New York at Southampton in a German
vessel called the Donau. There was a number of
Germans on the vesSel and some Irish-Americans,
among whom wasßurton. Whilestayingat Southamp-
ton he had purchased a portmanteau. He left South-
ampton for London, and on the 25th of February
a plan had been prepared to blow up four of the
principal railway stations in London the Vic-
toria Station, the Ludgate hill Station, the Padding-
ton Station, and the Chariug-cross Station of the
South-Eastern Railway. The plan was to pack port-
manteaus or boxes with Atlas dynamite cakes, labelled
"Atlas Powder A," which was of a powerful character,
and manu:actured at Philadelphia. No licence
existed for the importation into this country for the
"Atlas Powder." The plan was to pack about 211 b.
in each of the portmanteaus, and to delay the eso-
plosion for a time by means of clockwork. The
American alarum clock was used and so arranged
that after it was set at a particular hour it would act on
the trigger of a pistol and fire it. The flame from
the mouth of the pistol would act on the detonators,
and the detonators going off would explode the
211 b. of dynamite. That plan was proved conclu-
sively, for three of the portmanteaus deposited in the
left luggage offices had been found unexploded. At
Victoria Staticn an explosion had taken place at
about one o'clock in the morning. As soon as that
explosion had taken place search was made amongst
the left luggage, and at Paddington had been found a
box packed in the way described. Further, it was
found that in that case the explosion had not occurred
thiough the trigger not having fallen. At Ludgate-
hill the trigger had fallen, but the cartridge had not
ignited. At Charing-cross a portmanteau was found
which would be clearly identified as having been
bought by Burton at Southampton after his arrival
in the Donau. Among the passengers was a person
giving the name of Edward Bolton, and Bolton, he
believed, was the prisoner. In the portmanteau
there were several newspapers dated February 21,
and it was believed that about seven o'clock on
the 25th the portmanteau was deposited at Charinz-
cross. Burton, while at Southampton, was wear-
ing a coat which had been noticed at the time, and
half of a coat similar to it had been found in the
portmanteau discovered at Charing-cross. He b(.
lieved that further discoveries would be made for the
purpose of bringing to justice those who Lad perpe-
trated these abominable crimes. There was farther
evidence that Burton, after returning to the United
States, rid Havie, came back to this country on May
16• There was the curious coincidence that the three
machines Laving failed a new scheme was adopted.
On May 30 there was the explosion at Scotland-yard.
Another on the same night at Sir Watkin Williams
Wynn's house in St. James's-square, and another at
the Junior Carlton Club. They were not done ssith
machinery, and it appeared that the stuff was carried
to the different places and exploded by a time fuse. A
bag, already packed for the purpose of a fourth explosion,
had been found on the night of the explosion at the
base of Nelson's Column. In the bag was Atlas
powder A to the amount of 81b., and the fuse and de-
tonators ready to be exploded. After the explosions
of May 30 there was a lull. On December 13 what
was called the "winter campaign" was commenced
by the attempted blowing up of London-bridge, which
was followed by the explosions at Gower-street, the
Tower, and Westminster. The Gower-street explo-
sion seemed to have been caused in a manner similar
to the other explosions at Charing-cross and Praed-
street, but it would appear that only about 21b. was
used, as the persons who threw it out of the window
desired to keep their skins whole. The explosions
at the Tower, the House of Commons, aud West-
minster Hall had been one and the same
scheme. At Westminster Hall the thing used
was seen by a number of witnesses. Cole, the
injured policeman, and others would depose that Uri
machine consisted of an American cloth quilt, in
which slabs of dynamite were sown up in divisions.
It was so arranged that it might be tied round a
person undor a large overcoat, and the fuse having
been fired by a match or chemical means, could be
left to explode. That evidence was direct as to the
nature of the scheme, and the inference was that the
person who played his part at the Tower was a
member of the gang who carried out the plan. Evi-
dence would be given that about seven or eight pounds
of dynamite was used at the Tower. In conclusion,
Mr. Poland said the-evidence pointed directly to the
complicity of the two prisoners in the outrages. •
Thomas Heston, of 105, Marylebone, Liverpool, a
licensed porter, deposed that he remembered the
arrival of the Adriatic on the 20th of December. He
believed he saw the American trunk produced exa-
mined in the Customs-office at either B or C, the
initials of the passengers' names. He recDgnised
Cunningham as being a man he saw there. He had
asked him where he was going to send his baggage to,
and Cunningham replied, " I will take it wherever I
am going to stop." He added that ha did not know
where he was going to stop. Afterwards he had de-
livered the trunk at Stocks s, the Liverpool Arms, 31,
Robert-street, Liverpool. Cunningham also carried a
handbag.
Cross-examined: Everything was opened by the
Customs-house officials, who had made a thorough
search. The handbag would be examined by the
Customs-house officials.
Frank Carroll, another porter, gave confirmatory
evidence.
Charles Stock, of 31, Robert-street, Liverpool, de-
posed that on December 20 he was on the landing
stage when the tender of the Adriatio arrived with
passengers. Cunningham was among them. He gave
Cunningham his card, and the prisoner afterwards
stayed with him. The trunk produced he believed
was one which was brought to his house, but he could
not say that it was Cunningham's. Prisoner remained
for two or three nights. To the best of his belief the
trunk was on the top of the cab when prisoner left for
Lime-street Station. He stated that he was going to
London to see his mother, and that he would probably
be returning to America about February.
William Brooks, a porter at the North London
Railway-station at Broad-street, deposed to taking on
the 24th of December an American trunk, like the
one produced, from the cloak-room to the top of a
cab. To the best of his belief, Cunningham was the
man who came for the trunk.
Mr. Bowles, the proprietor of a temperance hotel
at Liverpool, recognised Bunton as one of the three
men who stayed at his house on the night of the 24th
of December.

Mr. Frederick Braden, platform inspector at
Charing-cross Station, described the finding on Feb.
27, 1884, in a portmanteau left in the cloak-room, of
several cakes of Atlas powder. There was a tin in
the centre, and the cakes were packed all round. The
portmanteau was sent to Woolwich and the powder
was taken out.

Sergeant Middleton stated that at Woolwich
Colonel Majendie found in the portmanteau an
American clock connected with a pistol, the hammer
of which had gone down but had not exploded the
cartridge.
It was also stated that a pair of trousers was
found in the portmanteau, and Mr. Poland said it
would be proved that these had been worn by
Burton.

On Tuesday the case was resumed. Several fresh
witnesses were examined, after which the priEoners
were again remanded.