The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-25 00:00:00

IMPORTANT FENIAN ARRESTS.

The public will be glad to hear that not the slightest
doubt exists in the minds of the police that they have
!succeeded in capturing 'MICHAEL BAIIRATT, the man so
long and so earnestly looked for as the person a ho actu-
ally fired the powder which destroyed the wall of the
tlerlienwell House of Detention and spread death and
suffering among so many innocent people. The
capture was made on Tuesday night, at Glasgow,
where none of the local police who made it seem to
have thought at first of the importance of their prize.
In fact, the circumstances which led to the arrest may
be regarded as almost accidentaL It is necessary, in
the present stage of the search after the Fenian
criminals, to be very guarded in what is published.
What follows, however, may now be stated without
fear of injury to the public service :

• ,
Before the Clerkenwell outrage the police had a certain
'vrt of indefinite information as to something afoot among
hose siispected in Glasgow to be Fenian& After that catas-
trophe all the energy and astuteness of the detectives were
employed in endeavouring to trace its perpetrators, and it
was made pretty clear that the whole plot was laid and
matured at Glasgow, and that a man named Berratt was,
with one or two others, intrusted to" do the job." Private
inquiries pointed to Barrett, anti only to Berrett, as the man
who fired the fuse. He was seen by many. witnesses, and all
who have spoken of him have given a clear description, and
declare that they are able to identify him instantly if they
see him again. The description given of him to the police
was sent especially to Glasgow, where he hod left the work
he had been engaged upon, arid disappeared also from the
city itself.
On Tuesday night the lath inst.' the Clafigow police were
alarmed at hearing the sound of firearms in one of the
principal streets, and on hastening thither they found two
men, one or both of whom had been discharging pistols.
They were taken into custody, when they gave the names of
Alichael Barrett anti James O'Neil. The return of Barrett,
anti his answering the description of the Barrett said to have
fired the fuse in the barrel of powder at Clerkenwell, led
upon consideration to the gravest suspicions against the
prisoners, and a special warrant was given tor their deten-
tion while the authorities at Scotland-yard were ommuni.
cated with by telegraph. This message brought down
Inspector Williamson, the chief of the detectives, with for
of his subordinates, and these at once recognized the prisoner
from his minute description, and, perhaps, not lessee from
the clue they hail as to his history, as to why he had left
Glasgow to come to London, anti why he hail left London.
At any rate they were convinced he was the man they were
so earnestly in search of, anti on Saturday night they brought
him and his companion, O'Neil, safely to London. To O'Neil's
capture little importance 18 attached. He is only believed
to he a Fenian, and known to have been a companion of
Barrett.

THE FENIAN PROSECUTIONS IN LONDON.
The various rumours in circulation relative to the
apprehension of two men who have been for some
time past most in request by the police tended to re-
vive the public interest in the proceedings at B 4
street, and by the time Sir Thomas Henry, the chief
magistrate, had taken his seat upon the bench, every
corner of the court was occupied by privileged visitors,
while considerable excitement prevailed throughout
the day in the street outside.
'The court was guarded by armed police in the usual
manner, and the prosecution was again conducted by
Mr. Giffard, and Mr. Poland on behalf of the
Crown.

After some delay, it was decided that the case of
John Clancy, charged with attempting to murder Ser-
geant Chown and Police-constable Chamberlain, on
Saturday night last, should take precedence of the re.
manded cases, and shortly after twelve the prisoner
was.acco7lingly. placed at the bar.

Clancy looked a young man, alNiut the middle height,
very slender, with long, black hair and no beard, his
thin features being part ailv concealed by a baorlsge,
occasioned by a wound in the head inflicted at the time
of his capture.
Mr. Poland said Sir, I have the honour to appear here to
day, instructed by the Solicitors to the Treasury, to pn
cute the the prisoner, who is charged with shooting at two
police-officers, with intent to murder them. It appears that