The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-08-11 00:00:00

THE CORRUPT PRACTICES BILL -

In Committee of the whole House a formal resolution was
agreed to authorising the payment of any expenses that may
be incurred under the Corrupt Practices Bill should it

_
come law.

On the report of the Bill, Mr. Warton moved that the Bill
be recommitted in respect of schedules ; but after some con-
versation the amendment was negatived.
Several amendments were proposed to various clauses of
the Bill, the discussion lasting until the time for adjourn-
ment.
The House adjourned at six o'clock.

ANOTHER BALLGON ADVENTURE.—A telegram from
Boulogne says that on Monday evening M,
_Lhoste,
the young aeronaut Whose ballbUiCadventures in the
North Sea attracted conelier aiiie attention a month or
two ago, made his fourth attempt to cross the Englith
Channel, At the time of the ascent the
.weather
seemed to be very favourable, but contrary winds
drove the balloon inland, and'cn Tuesday intelligence
was received at Boulognefrom Diamude, a small
town in West Flanders, untouncing that M. Lhoste
safely descended at that place ou Monday night.

THE LIVERPOOL DYNAMITE CASE.

On Tuesday, before Mr. JuPtice Stephen, presiding
at the Liverpool Assizes' the five prisonege, Timothy
Featherstone, Daniel O'Herlihy, Denis Deapey,
Patrick Flanagan, and Henry Dalton, alias John H.
O'Connor, were eharged with illegal possession of ex-
plosives and with conspiracy to blow up public build-
ings and to murder subjects of her Majesty. Tne pri-
soners pleaded not guilty, and were all defended.
The Solicitor-General, in opening the case for the
Crown, said that, generally fepeakiug, the charge was
that of conspiracy to disturb the authority of the
Queen in Ireland by violeece, the form being the,lnee
of explosives of a very dangerous and fearful kind.'
Detective-superintendent Williams, of the Liverpool
police force, deposed to examining Deasey's box the
night be WWI arrested, and to finding two tin moistens
containieg lignine dynamite, a parcel labelled chlorate
of potash, one labelled powdersd sugar, aud another
containing reaigar or red, orpiment. Three brass taps
were also found, the inner cylinder of which was
wrapped round in paper and cord. A bottle with sul-
phuric acid in it was found in the box. The whole of
the contents was handed over to Dr. Campbell Brown,
the City analyst, for examination. On July 6he was
informed that the prisoner F'anagan wished to see him,
and Captain Nott Bower, the head constable, accom-
panied him to the gaol. Flanagan asked him if he
had found a letter which Featherstone had written to
him (Flanagan), and went on to ask the question
whether witness was aware that Featherstone only
ceme back from America a little before last Christmas,
and stayed and slept with him at St. Helens on Dec.
30 and 31. The prisoner then said, "When you took
Deasey, how is it you come to make the Mistake of
s oing to 34 ineread of 43, Regent-etreet, because
that is how you missed the other man." The prisoner
did not say who the other man was. • He then
made some allusion to Dr. Dampbell Brown's examinas
tion, and endeavoured to explain that Dr. Brown
was wrong as to the mixture of the materials to
form dstamite. The prisoner also said that he be-
longed he Fenian organisation, and that he joined
it in St. 1 Helens some two years ago. Flanagan
furthes Weida the remark, "You know I don't wish to
turn informer. Of course they can't give us what
they gave those people in London; because they dealt
with them ander the new Act." He did not say any-
thing about Norman or the other London prisoners to
Flapagan, but a question might have been asked by
the prisoner concerning them.

Other witnesses were examined to show that the
prisoners had been in cornmunication with each other,
and the trial was then adjourned.

On Tuesday at the Liverpool Police-court, James
Nl'Dermott, 40, was charged with conspiracy to
murder public officials in Ireland and in Liverpool
f'het risoner was fashionably dressed and wore eye-
glasses.
Mr, Murphy, a head-constable in the Royal Irish
Constabulary, said that in pursuance of a telegram
received from the Government, he arrested the pri-
'.oner on Monday on board the steamer City cf Montreal,
in the Mersey, he having just arrived from America,
trayellir g under the name of Peter Quickley. The
accused protested against his detention. He said, he
was an American citizen, and had a right to be dis-
charged if there was no evidence against him.
The deputy stipendiary having read the telegram
received from the Government officials in Ireland, re-
manded the prisoner for a week to enable the Irish
authorities to be communicated with.