The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-01-26 00:00:00

ALLEGED ATTACK ON A SENTRY.

On Monday an investigation was made at Wool-
wicb, by both the military authorities and the pol.ce,
relative to an extraordinary occurrence which took
place late on the previous night at the Government
powder magazine known as "No. 2," situated in a
remote part of tho Plumstead Marshes below the
Royal Arsenal. During the last few years, in
consequence of threats and rumours, sentries
have been posted about the magazines, the
"Fenian guard," as it has been called, being fur-
nished every day by the garrison at Woolwich.
The special character of the duty intrusted to these
men invests with peculiar interest the event which was
the subject of a recent inquiry. Private O'Neale,
Wiltshire Regiment, who was placed on sentry at No.
2 magazine, a large building of brick, standing just
behind the river bank, was to have been relieved at
eleven, but at ten minutes before that hour be was
heard to shout twice the challenge, "Who goes there ?"
following which came the sound of firearms, and when
his comrades ran to his assistance he was found greatly
excited and bleeding from a gunshot wound in the
right hand, from which the forefinger was blown away.
He stated that while walking round the magazine
he saw three men on the Government ground, one
of them carrying a double-barrelled gun. Fancying
that they had merely strayed from the public fcotpath
on the river bank, he challenged them, but they made
no reply, when he challenged them a second time and
threatened to fire, at the same time putting a ball
cartridge into the chamber of his breechloader, which
had till then been unloaded. Thereupon two of the
men sprang upon him and seized his rifle, while
the third followed up the attack, and in the couree
of the struggle he was wounded, but whether by
his own piece or by the gun which his assailants
had, he cannot tell, neither can he give any de-
scription of the men who perpetrated the outrage,
the spot where it was committed being between
the bank and the magazine, and very dark.
He says that all three made off across the marshes
on the alarm being raised, and no one elee appears to
have seen anything of them. Another eettry was
posted about 100 yards in rear of the rengaz'ne,
aad this man, Private Hall, of the Wiltshire Regi-
men ~ heard the two challenges, and the report of a
rifle but nothing else, A watchman named
Fuanel, who was about eighty yards away on
the bank, first had his attention called by the
report of a gun, and another watchman named
Hand was further away and heard no more, Sergeant
Lynch, who was in charge of the guardhouse adj ecent
to the magazine, states his belief that O'Neale, who is
a young soldier, got nervous and was frightened by the
shadow of some passing ship; but if the injury to h's
hand was caused by his own rifle the circomstance
can hardly be explained satisfacterily. His hand
having been bound up, he was sent to his brxracks at
Woolwich, a dietance of three miles, accompanied by
a comrade, and on the way reported to the police what
had happened. Nothing hat', however, been wear-
Lain.; d to explain the mystery, unless a statement made
by the owners of the land that poachers were about the
marshes after the hares during the night can be ac-
cepted as a possible explanation. Colonel Talbot, Royal
Artillery, being field officer of the day, has made in-
quiries on the spot, and the police of the It Division
and Royal Arsenal, were on Monday engaged in a
fruit'eee endeavour to throw some light upon the caste,
in which they were assisted by the Thames pollee, in
charge of Inspectors Robson and Fletcher. O'Ncale,
who is in hospital, adheres most positively to his
original statement.