The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-06-18 00:00:00

'lO
-11 -

THE ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP THE

LIVERPOOL TOWN HALL.
On Friday evening in last week, Liverpool was the scene of
another supposed Fenian outrage, very similar to that perpe-
trated at the police barracks in that city. This time the
Town-hall was selected for damage or destruction.—We
extract the following particulars from The Times :

At a few minntes past four o'clock in the morning,
John Ross, cabdriver, was coming up Water-street
with his 'vehicle, when he saw two men on the door-
step of the west door of .the Town-hall. They
appeafed to be sailors, and had a canvas bag beside
them. Ross turned his horse along Exchange-street
West and asked them if they wanted a cab. They
replied in the negative, and Ross drove to the cab-
stand in Castle-street, opposite the Town-hall. He
had only been there a minute or two when he heard a
loud explosion. While the cabman was driving to the
stand in Castle-street, Police-constable Reade, 712,
was on duty in front of the Town-hall. This officer,
consequent on something Ross said to him walked
round to the north-west corner of the building, and
there observed tte two men standing close to the door
where they were left by the cabman. Reade perceived
smoke issuing from a bag lying on the top step, On
seeing the constable the prisoners darted off across the
Exchange area, followed by Reade, who blew his
whistle continuously. The men had got through the
arches, with Reade still in pursuit, when in Chapel-
street Constable 884 (Creighton), attracted by the
whistling, came up to him. Reade called out,
"Go back to the Town-hall, it is being set on
fire. I saw them strike the match and heard the
fuze." Creighton then ran towards the Town-hall, and
Reade continued his pursuit of the two men along
Old Hall-street, whistling all the time. His alarm
attracted Police-constable 553 (Casey), who was in
Queen-street at the time, and this officer, on running
up into Old Hall-street, found himself ahead of the
fugitives, who seeing themselves intercepted, ran up
through Edmund-street, under the railway arches,
and into Plumbe-street. Casey was fresh in the chase
and close upon the heels of the runaway culprits. He
chased them into Singlepeg-lane, a narrow passage
leading towards the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and
there, after a brief search, he found a man, who gave
the name of M'Kevitt, hiding under a wagon. Casey
at once dragged him out, and then found that he was
armed with a large ten-chambered revolver, fully
loaded. The officer tried to seize the weapon, but
M'Kevitt threw it over a wall into an adjoining coal-
yard. Casey secured his prisoner and took him back
towards Leeds-street, where he again met Police-
constable 884, who took M'Kevitt into custody and
brought him to the central police station. Having
delivered himself of this portion of his duty, Casey
resumed the pursuit of the other man. After securing
the revolver M'Kevitt threw away, he looked over the
farther wall of a coal-yard and found the second culprit
hiding in an empty coal barge. This man, who gives the
name of Barton, in the haste and terror of hisflight had
jumped into the canal, and then crept into the barge.
In getting over the wall, he tore open one leg of his
trousers, and otherwise damaged his clothing. He
was lying down when the constable approached.
Casey presented at Barton the revolver he had re-
covered from M'Kevitt, saying at the time, "Have
you got a revolver ? " Barton, who made no attempt
at resistance, replied, "I have got one; take it out of
my pocket." The constable found the weapon to be a
small six-chambered one, fully loaded. He then
took Barton into custody, and brought him to the
police-station.
Police-constable Creighton when first alarmed, ran
across the Exchange flags, and whistled for assistance.
The noise of his whistle immediately brought to the
spot Police-constable 898 (George M'Burney) and 924
(Donald Sinclair). Reade's first movement on seeing
smoke issuing from the mouth of the bag was to lay
hold of the package and draw it off the steps down to
the footwallc. He tried to lift the bag, but found
it was too heavy. M'Burney then further dragged
the package into the middle of the street, and was
about to take his knife and cut the string, which tied
the mouth, when his brother officer, alarmed by
the fizzing of the fuse, told him to come away as it
might be dangerous. All three men retreated from
the bag, and had not gone beyond four or five yards,
when an explosion occurred. The result was a great
destruction of glass in the Town-hall and neighbouring
windows, while stonework at a considgrable height
was damaged by fragments of the "infernal machine,"
which had been concealed in the bag. If the bag had
been left against the Town-hall door the damage would
most likely have been very much greater.

With regard to the antecedents ef the two men
taken into custody, it seems that James M'Kevitt is
32 years of age, and a native of Warrenpoint, county
Down. He has been employed as a dock labourer in
Liverpool since the winter of 1870. Robert William
Barton., the other prisoner, is about 27 years of age.
He stated that he was born in Glasgow, of Irish
parents. He lived for some time in Dundee, and has
been employed as steward on board vessels piing
between Scotland and London. This was some time
ago. After leaving that occupation he lived for a
considerable time in New Orleans and some few
months ago he came over from New York
to Liverpool. Although he has had no employ-
ment in Liverpool the sum of £2 was found
upon him when he was arrested. The other man does
not appear to have bad any money in his possession.
They have lived together in the same house in a street
in Kensington for the last Zen days. Neither of the
prisoners appears to be educated to any considerable
degree, nor is either of them well dressed. Extra
revolver cartridges were found upon them, and also
a number of other articles, including a Roman
Catholic Prayer-book. There were found upon Barton
two bronze medals linked together. On the obverse
of the larger medal are the words "Ireland and
America," with the date 1866, and a hand-in-hand
emblem; on the reverse is the emblem of a ship, above
which is the word " Irish " and below the word "Re-
public," on the left side being :he letter "F.", and
the right the letter "B." The smaller medal is the
O'Connell medal, amd bears the words, "Ireland for
the "Irish," and "The Irish for Ireland," and "Re-
peal year, 1843."
The tremendous violence of the explosion, which,
taking place as it did, in a wide, open street, caused a
severe concussion, and shattered the cast-iron tube,
five-eighths of an inch in thickness, into fragments.
Some of these were blown to great distances.
One fell through the skylight of the Exchange
Newsroom, and was regarded as a great curiosity
by the gentlemen frequenting the room. The
shock was felt by the keeper of the North-
Western Bank, about 200 yards from the scene of the
explosion. Ho says he felt the whole of the build-
ing quake, and thought it was going to fall to pieces.
Page, the Town-hall watchman, who resides near the
wall where the shell exploded, says that he first heard
a slight report like a gunshot, and then came a terrific
report. As soon as he recovered from the alarm, he
sent for Mr. Benyon, the keeper of the building, who
arrived shortly after, and proceeded to have the win-
dows repaired, and what portions of the debris were
left on the steps cleared away.

The two men arrested were taken before the
stipendary magistrate on Saturday morning. They
were charged by Police-constable 553 (Casey) with
damaging a building by explosive substances with
intent to murder; also with placing an explosive
substance near a building with intent to destroy or
damage.
Mr. Marks, who conducted the prosecution, said
that the men were entered on the sheet as William
Barton and James M'Kevitt, but the former had
since statad his hame to be James M'Grath. They
were charged under two sections of different Acts of
Parliament. The first was the 12th section of the
24th and 25th Vict. chap.loo, under which they were
charged with damaging a building by means of an
explosive substance, with ixtent to murder. They
were also charged under the 10th section of the 24th
and 25th Viet. chap. 97. This section was chosen in
preference to the 9th because there was no need to
prove damage.
The Magistrate remarked that the material point in
the 9th section was that life was endangered, any
person being in the building. There was no such clause
in the 10th section.

Mr. Marks said that was so, but it was intended
eventually to charge the prisoners under the three
sections. What they were now charged with was
simply what they were booked for, because at that
time it was not known what damage was done. He
would simply call constables to prove what was neces-
sary, and then ask for a general remand.
Police-constable 712 (Reade) said : At tell:minutes
past four on Friday morning I was passing the
corner of Exchange-street west and Water-street
when I noticed the two prisoners standing in front o
the side door of the Town-hall. I saw what ap-
peared to be a sailor's bag with them. I saw the bag
on the top step next to the door, and one of them,
M'Kevitt, stooped to lift it up. I then noticed some-
thing issuing m from it. I rushed at the then, and they
ran away. The small one, M'Grath, hesitated a few
seconds before he ran. They ran across the Exchange. I
followed them, blowing my whistle to give the alarm. At
the top of Chapel-street I met 881 (Creighton). I told
him to run to the Town-hall, as there had been a fuze
put to a bag there. I pursued them up Oldhall-street
into Edmund-street, and Police-constable 553 (Casey)
joined in the chase. I lost sight of them. I after-
wards saw M'Kevitt in the custody of Police-constable
881, in Dale-street: M'Grath I say in Hatton-garden,
intharge of Police-constable 553. lam perfectly cer-
tain that these are the two men I saw at the Town-
hall. It was broad daylight at the time.
Police-constable 553 (Casey) said: At ten minutes
past four o'clock on Friday morning I heard a great
whistling in Oldhall-street. I immediately went
there, and saw the two prisoners running along
Oldhall-street, pursued by 712. I started off after
them, and they turned up Edmund-street and ran
into Key-street. I kept sight of them as long as I
could, but lost them for a moment in Leeds-street.
They turned up a small court called Tinglepeg,-lane.
I followed them. M'Grath escaped. I captured
M'Kevitt as he was hiding under a lorry. I
brought him down, and handed him over to
Police-constable 884. When I apprehended him he
drew a revolver from his belt and threw it over a
wall, and I went and got it. It was a ten-
yard
chambered revolver, anchambers
walls,w ereandloaded. a
t
1 then went over a couple n
f l e coal-yard
last I found M'Grath concealed in the bottom of an
empty coal flat. He was very wet, and it seems he
fell into the canal. I had in any hand the revolver
which I recovered from the yard, and I presented it
at M'Grath, asking him at the same time whether he
had anything like that. He replied, "Yes, you can
take it out of my packet." j topic it from bins. It
lwas a six-chamber revolver, loaded, and on full cock.
charged them jointly with damaging a building with
an explosive substance with intent to murder, and
also with placing an explosive substance near the
building with intent to destroy or damage. In ansTer
to the charge both prisoners said "It was not with

intent to murder," and afterwards M'Grath said,
"You have sufficient proof to know that I had no
intent to murder."

The Magistrate (to Mr. Marks): You need not go
any further to-day. (To the prisoners.) Do you wish
to say anything now, as I intend to remand you for a
few days?
M'Grath : I do not wish to say anything.

M'Kevitt (who stammers badly) : I have something
to say. That gentleman (712) has made a mistake in
saying that I was the party that came walking from
the corner and set fire to the fuze. I did not set fire
to that fuze. That is all I have got to say.
The prisoners were remanded for seven days.

The landlady of the prisoner Barton has made a
statement to the effect that the prisoner took up his
abode with her five weeks ago. He was a quiet young
man, who gave little trouble and paid his rent in
advance. He seemed to have little to do, and spent
his evenings and his Sundays in the city. In fact, he
made his lodgings more a place for sleeping accom-
modation than for anything else. He represented
himself to be in the cattle trade which he said was
very dull. He was joined two or three nights previous
to the occurrence by the man Al`Kevitt, whom he
a sked his landlady to take in as a lodger. He was
introduced to her by the name of James. Both men
were out all Thursday afternoon, and she was much
astonished when she heard of what had occurred. In
answer to an inquiry, she said that Barton had re-
ceived no letters from Ireland or elsewhere since he
came to her house. Inquiries made in the neighbour-
hood show that neither he nor his comrade was known
to any one in the locality, in which few Irish people
reside.

The story of an intended attempt to rescue the
prisoners ArKeyitt and M'Grath, which was spread
abroad on Sunday, is, it appears, unfounded.

On Tuesday the Mayor of Liverpool received an
official intimation that the Government would under-
take the prosecution of the two men charged with the
attempt to blow up the Town Hall, This course was
not unexpected, and appears to have given general
satisfaction to the inhabitants of Liverpool. In order
that the case for the Crown may be fully and properly
prepared, all the documents found on the prisoners
have been forwarded to the solicitor to the Home
Office, together with full information respecting the
matter.