The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-11 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY ROBBERY OF GUN-
POWDER AT CORK.

The daily papers have given particulars of an extraordinary
robbery of gunpowth rat Cork. Respecting the occurrence,
a local corresp a lent, writing a Saturday night, says:—

_
The robbery it gunpowder in Cork to-day has con-
tinued the excitement which the rubbery of arms at
Allport's created. There are two distinct theories
prevalent in the city about all these transactions ; one
it which it would lie hardly safe to put into words,
hut which may be easily guessed ; the other, that
these attacks are committed by an organized band of,
it is presumed, Fenian marauders prowling about the
country. The facts of to-days occurrence are these,—
Some time in the course of last night a gunpowder
magazine near the Lough, a short distance from the
city, belonging to Mr. Murray, gunsmith, Patrick-
street, and agent to Messrs. Curtis and Harvey, gun-
powder manufacturers, Hounslow, was broken into,
and fifteen half barrels and ten quarter barrels of
blasting powder stolen. The magazine had been
visited by Mr. Murray's man late last evening, for the
purpose of sending out half a ton of powder, for which
orders had been received, and it was then secured as
usual for the night. This niorning the door of the
magazine was seen open by a woman passing by, with
a large tone in the entrance. On the magazine being
entered the above-mentioned quantity of powder was
found missing. The magazine is a small stone build-
ing, standing a few yards behind a range of cottages,
and access to it was only to be had through three
doors, one outside another. The outer door is of iron.
The lock of this door appears to have been forced.
The second door is of wood and had no fastening. The
third or inner door is lined with copper, and was
fastened by a strong bolt with hasps and a strong pad-
lock of the best construction. The hasps holding the
bolt and padlock appear to have been prized off. The
doors were discovered open at eleven o'clock to-day,
and the entire stock of powder—about ten cut in all
—was gone. Had the thieves visited the magazine
the day before there was then double the ouantity
of powder stared there that they removed last night.
No clue has yet been obtained to the perpetrators of
the robbery. .

The Lough is an extensive pond, half ornament,
half nuisance—lying just beyond the outskirts of the
city in a south-westerly direction. It belongs to the
Corporation, and it and the fields adjoining it are
deserted at all seasons, save when the Corporation
men gather ice off it in winter, for sale to the provision
merchants of the city, or when the ice is thick enough
to bear skaters. The fazthoury of the city adjoining
it is about .the most disreputable quarter of Cork.
Mr. Murray's store is in a lane called Lough.lane,
joining this outskirt and the Lough, and which only
contains a few straggling houses. Late this evening,
I learn, the police found two barrels of the stoles
powder in a plea called Pouladuff, about half a mile

from the scene of the robbery, and also a deserted out-
skirt. They were found in a field, as if deserted by
the men carrying them off, on account of their too
great weight. There has been no arrest up to the
time I write.
A matter which was known to many persons yes-
terday, but which only gains a show of importance
from the event of to-day, gives a eraiseniblanee to the
story of an organized Fenian raiding party which it
had not before. Yesterday, it is a matter of fact, the
debris of some kind of feast for a considerable party
was found on the banks of the Lough, atiout a quarter
of a mile from the scene of to-day's robbery. It in-
cluded such edibles as four or five "pigs head's"—a
dainty dish in popular estimation in this city—some
bread, nearly a dozen plates and knives and forks, and
other trifling hoped bonito of the assumed marauding
party. The poor people of the neighbourhood who
found the things took them to their homes, and have
the knives and forks now. It is tolerably certain that
there was no recent picnic there at this season, and the
Fenian raider theory is the only one to account for
the appearance of these articles. The police maintain
the greatest precautions here, but, I have reason to
know, are quite as much perplexed by recent events as
the general public.

Concerning the Cork robberies, the Irish Times
gives the following advice
We would suggest, however, that there are other Mani-
tiOlia ot war besides guns and gunpowder, and that those
who consider killing no murder, and the robbery of guns and
gunpowder no breach of honesty, will be likely enough to
extend their operations to articles which have heretofore
escaped attack. Gold and silver are the very sinews of war,
and there are goldsmiths' and silversmiths' shops in Cork
which might prove an irresistible temptation to Fenians,
with an exhausted treasury. The banks no doubt are well
secured, but after the repeated proofs we have had of the
insecurity of Cork establishments, we think a word to the
vendors of precious metals will not be superfluous or out of
BOUM.

A correspondent writes The robbery at Allport's
continues to be the theme of much speculation in the city.
The Ind.try of the police, the wit of the magistrates, have
not been rewarded yet by the slightest trace of Mr. Allport's
mysterious visitants. Doubts are beginning to be cast upon
the original account of the robbery, hut apparently upon
very insufficient grounds. People consider it improbable
that the burglars could have escaped unobserved with the
booty as they are alleged to have done, it is urged that as
there is a cab rank opposite Allport's shop some of the
jarveys should have noticed a large number of men palming
the street. heavily laden as they were ; but at nine o'clock
that part of the cab rank—being the unpopular end with
jarveys—is never a quarter filled—occasionally there is not a
ear upon it. The people then in the streets are, moreover,
men and women hurrying to business, who are not as ob-
servant as the ordinary idle lounger. And besides, It is very
doubtful whether if persons of the jarvey or operative class
saw !dr. Allport's visitants they would say anything about
it, once that the Fenian element was mentioned in connexion
with the affair. Mr. Allport bears a very high character in
Cork, and was consulted by the police in reference to the
affair at Richardson'..