The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-18 00:00:00

SINGULAR DISCOVERY OF GREEK
FIRE AT CORK.

A very strange occurrence, which has given rise to
the most alarming surmises, happened in Cork on
Friday night in last week. About eleven o'clock two
men, of whose appearance no one is able to give a re-
liable description, were noticed passing hurriedly
through Patrick-street. Opposite Cork-street a by-
stander observed that the overcoat worn by one of the
lair was on tire at the side pocket; and, going over,
he tapped the wearer on the shoulder and pointed his
attention to the danger. Without uttering a word
the stranger hurriedly pulled off the coat, threw it
upon the ground, and decamped with the utmost
haste, followed by his companion, leaving the person
who had given the warnieg considerably amazed at
this sq-iiiige demeanour. The coat upon the ground
burneff fiercely, euiitting a thick smoke with a strong
smell of .-phosphorus. It appeared to be saturated
with some combustible liquid. A crowd gathered
mould, and several persons began cautiously to ex-
amine the burning garment. Then it was ascertained
that in the pocket at the aide which WWI blazing there
was a broken bottle, the contents of which had appa-
rently spilled or exploded. In the opposite pocket
another bottle similar in shape to the broken one, but
securely corked, was f und. This was drawn out by
ore of the bystar -, who either by accident or de,
'offered it to 1, 1 upon the ground, and it was
o:yn. The liquid contained in it instantly ignited
or Ir a vivid blaze, and spread with a sheet of
fierce fire extending over the flags for some yards.
It was also noticed that the pockets of the coat
contained a number of papers. After the igni-
tion of the contents of the second bottle the
people around became convinced that the liquid
was the formidable Greek fire, and were not this.
posed to make too minute an examination of the
coat. Two or three amongst them, however, seemed
very anxious for the destruction of the garments and
its contents, the papers. A pocket-book which had
fallen from one of the pockets, and which the liquid
had not touched, was pounced on by a young lad and
torn up into small fragments; the remaining papers
were allowed to be consumed, and by the time the
police came up, the greater part, though not all, most
have been destroyed. The astute detectives, on their
arrival, made a few hasty inquiries of persons in the
crowd, and the man who had suffered the second bottle
to be broken having been pointed out to them, they
immediately took him into custody. They a.so arrested
an old beggar woman who had been on the spot from
the beginning, and had seen the owner of the coat
take it off. With these captives they returned to their
barracks at Tuckey-street, leaving, it is said, the
burning coat, papers itnd all, unexamined, in the mud.
The man arrested turned out to be a shoemaker named
James Aspern, living in Half-Moon-street. Nothing
wars previously known in respect to him, and his
arrest seems to have been made entirely in the hope of
obtaining information. The coat continued to burn
or smoulder for about ten minutes, until it was almost
entirely destroyed. By the time that it had been
reduced to a few tattered and smoking rags a large
number of constables, under the command of Sub:
Inspector Gunn, returned to the spot, and commenced
a minute examination of the remnants of the garment
and the mud for a considerable distance around. Their
industry was not, however, rewarded by the slightest
discovery, and after looking about the spot for a
while, hoping, probably, like Mr. Micawlier, that
"something would turn up," they went their way
again. There is no doubt, that the liquid was Greek
fire, and the public are busily engaged in speculating
as to the mission of the two mysterious strangers who
had this dangerous fluid in their possession.