The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-08-06 00:00:00

members returned at the General Election of 1826, not
one remains. Speaker, Ministers, Opposition—all I!.re
gone ; and the component parts of the electorate
of that tioe have likewise been gathered to their
rest.

. THE ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP THE
LIVERPOOL TOWN-HALL.
At Liverpool, on Tuesday, before Mr. Justice
Lopes, James M'Grath and James M'Kevitt were
charged with having on the 10th of June last by the
explosion of dynamite damaged the Town-hall,
whereby the life of Samuel Page was endangered.
Mr. Aspinall, Q.C., and Mr. R. S. Wright appeared
for the prosecution on behalf of the Treasury; Mr.
O'Feeley defended the prisoners.—We take the fol-
lowing report of the case from The Times of Wednes-
day :
•"

Mr. Aspinall, in opening the case for the prosecution, said
that alter a great deal of consideration he had formed the
opinion that technically the prosecution had not sufficient
evidence of an intent to commit murder on the part of those
who had committed the outrage to justify him in proceeding
upon that charge, inasmuch as the buildings in question were
not apparently the habitations of human beings. On the 10th
of June, about four a.m., a cabdriver named Ross was driving
up Water-street passing the Town-hall. On looking along
Exchange-street West he saw some persons at the stgps of
the west door of the Town-hall, and noticed that theyliad a
bag, to which they apparently were doing something. He
stopped for a moment, and then drove on suspecting
nothing. A constable named Reed, No. 712, was on
duty in the neighbourhood. While proceeding along the
front of the Town:hall, on reaching the corner of Exchange-
street West, without being himself discovered, he saw two
men on the steps whom he identified as the two prisoners.
One of the prisoners he had known by sight before. One of the
men was stooping over the bag in a manner to lead him to
apprehend danger. Reed made a rush at the men, and
then saw that the bag was smokihg. The men instantly
ran away across the Exchange flags, Reed pursuing them,
blowing his whistle. At the exit from the Exchange into
Old Hall-street Reed found another constable, Creighton,
Ne. 884, to whom he told hurriedly in passing what had
taken place at the Town-hall, and directed him to proceed
there. Reed continued running after the men up Old Hall-
street, blowing his whistle. He then perceived Constable
Casey, No. 563, at the corner of Queen-street, coming towards
the men. Seeing Casey the men doubled and rushed up
Edmund-street. Casey took up the pursuit, Reed at this
time being out of breath, and taking a line by which
he thought he would cut off the line taken by the
men. Casey followed up Edmund-street. The men turned
along Quay-street and Plumbe-street. Casey himself
turned up a narrow passage which took him into Wray.
street, where he saw the men in Leeds-street. He then
turned up Maiden's-green, when he saw the men standing
in Leeds-street, at the corner of High-street. Immediately
they saw Casey they set off again, and made a dash down
Tinglepeg-lane, which proved a cul-de-sac. At the end of
the lane there Was a very high wall, at each end of which
were gates 9,1 feet high, with spikes at the top. Casey
there found M'Kevitt hiding under a cart. Casey imme-
diately seized him, when M'Kevitt put his hand into his
pocket and pulled a revolver out, nine chambers of which
were loaded. Casey caught hold of his arm, which prevented
M'Kevitt using it, but did not prevent him throwing the
revolver over the wall into the yard beyond. A carter
going to his work was near, and Casey asked him to get the
revolver. Casey then took M'Kevitt into custody, and handed
him over to another constable. It was supposed that
M'Grath had managed to get over the gate, as when subse-
quently caught his hand was injured, also his clothes torn
as if by spikes. Casey, after handing over M'Kevitt, re-
turned to tke yard, where the bystanders had recovered
the revolver. The yard gates were opened, by which means
Casey got down to the canal bank. The—only means of
exit front the yard was by getting round the end of a high
wall by the canal, a road only a few inches in breadth.
It was supposed that M'Grath, injured by getting over the
spikes and out of breath with running, in getting round
this place fell back into the canal, as near this spot a man
_got on board a canal boat, where he saw something
smoking. This proved to be M'Grath, wet through, as
from having fallen into the canal. The man drew back
from the boat, and Casey went to M'Grath and placed the
loaded revolver he had recovered from 31'Kevitt a* his
head, asking him if he had a revolver on him. This he
confessed to having. Casey then led him along the street
to where another constable was, when the revolver, loaded
and cocked, was taken from him. What had taken place at
the Town-hall itself in the meantime was this :—Constable
Creighton at first did not quite understand the directions
given him by Reed, and so ran all round the Town-hall
before he came to the west side, where he found the bag
on the steps of the door in Exchange-street West. He
instantly perceived a fuse lighted. Another policeman,
named Si'llarney, then assieted him to drag the bag into
the middle of the street, when Constable Sinclair called
their attention to the noise in the bag and warned them to
move away. When they had moved off a few yards they
first heard a detonating sound like a pistol shot, then an
immense explosion, which was heard all over the town.
Happily, neither of the three policemen were injured, but
the effects were apparent upon the surrounding buildings.
A great quantity of glass was broken in the Town-hall, one
of the heavy rails surrounding the lawn had a spike broken
off, and the walls of the Town-hall higher up were injured
by some heavy substance having struck them. On the
opposite building was a large mark on the wall. Besides
the marks on the walls pieces of iron were blown
over the Town-hall into Exchange-street East. Another
piece was blown over Brown's-buildings and lodged in the
ground at the back. In the street where the explosion had
taken place were found a number of pieces of iron piping:
also some plugs, and a dirty piece of carpet; also a piece of
old dress. The theozy of the prosecution was that the
bomb consisted of a 011ie plugged at both ends, which con-
tained some explosive substance of modern invention akin
to dymauite. On the 13th of April last M'Grath had taken
lodgings at the house of a Mrs. Rose Kearney in Ashton-
street, where M'Kevitt also came. M'Grath had at this
place pieces of piping similar to that found at the Town-
hall, and other similar pieces were afterwards found- in the
midden of Mrs. Kearney's house. The piece of carpet and
also the old piece of green stuff found on the ground in the
neighbourhood of the Town-hall would be identified by
Mrs. Kearney. This showed that M'Grath and M'Kevitt
were the manufacturers of the bomb. M'Grath, in ad-
dition to having lodgings at Mrs. Kearney's, also had others
at a Mrs Donkin's, in Cottingham-street. He did not sleep
there, but used the bed-room for working in, where he and
M'Kevitt constantly shut themselves up. Here also was
found similar piping. M'Grath had said enough about
America to satisfy the jury that his proceedings emanated
from persons pursuing a conspiracy in that country.
M'Kevitt was the agent for the sale of an incendiary paper
emanating from O'Donovan Rossa. Large packets containing
that publication had for weeks been coming to his lodgings
bearing his address upon them in printed letters, and num-
bers of the newspaper and extracts from it wen) found
upon the premises. Mr. Aspinall then praised the conduct
of the police, and said that it was impossible to conceive a
more dastardly outrage than had been committed.
John Ross, the cabman, was then called -in support of
counsel's opening statement. In cross-examination he said
that the men on the steps of the Town-hall did not attempt
to conceal themselves.

George Reed, police-constable 712, and Peter Casey,
police-constable 553, were the next witnesses. The sub-
stance of their evidence is given in Mr. Aspinall's opening
address. Both identified the two men. Casey stated that
It was broad daylight at the time. Both constables were
cross-examined.

Thomas Pye and Anthony Nelson, both in the employment
of Messrs. Rawcliffe,• gave evidence identifying the pri-
sonertrwith the men escaping from the police.

- -
Edward Creighton, constable 884, was the next witness,
and he ghve evidence as to the finding and explosion of the
bag. He also said,—l took M'Kevitt to the detective office.
Going down Leeds-street, 3l'Kevitt said, "Is it all over?"
I asked him what. He said, "The explosion." I said 'Yes.'
He asked whether it had done any harm and whether any
one was huit. I said "No," and he said he was glad. At
the detective office he asked me if there was any one in
that building. I told him the watchman. He said, "H I
knew that I would not have left the bag on the steps." I
then said, "There was no powder in it." M'Kevitt said,
"No, but dynamite." I asked him what quantity. He
said he did not Know. He said he could have shot the.
young constable, but he did not want to have murder on
his head, and so threw'the revolver over the wall.

George Dl'Burney, police-constable 88; Donald Sinclair,
police-constable 924, and James Jackson, inspector in the
Liverpool police, were called. The latter heard Dillevitt
say in the detective office, " I have been a fool to be per-
suaded to do this by other people."

Edward Sperrin said: I searched the prisoners. On
M'Grath I found in the outside coat pocket a detonating
cap wrapped in his handkerchief, a quantity of cartridges
similar to the ones found in the revolver, about £3 in money,
but nothing else material. On M. Kevitt a detonating cap,
two Liberation or Catholic Emancipation medals, some cart-
rides, and lucifer matches. He warned me not to squeeze
the detonator.

Samuel Page and Alatthew Swarbrick, night watchmen
at the Town-hall, were the next witnesses, and then
Fletcher Turtou, the deputy-surveyor of the Corporation,
who examined the Town-hall and other buildings on the
morning of June 10, gave evidence as to the damage done.
James Campbell Brown, the eounty and city analyst,
gave evidence that the explosive was of the nitro-glycerine
class.

Rose Kearney, Wievitt's landlady, and her daughters;
Mary Jane Bonfield and Margaret Ann Bonfield, were
called, and gave evidence as to M`Kevitt's movements on
the night of the outrage, and as to the things found in his
room. Mary Donkin, M`Grath's landlady, was also called.

Williams, chief of the Detective Department, said bi'Grath
gave the name of William Robert Barton, living at 15,
Cottingham-street, and said he was a carpenter by trade,
and had worked his way across from America in the
Arizona. He said, "I feel very poorly; this is a very bad
job; and as we were caught in the fact at the Town-hall, I
suppose we shall have to suffer for it. It was my contriv-
ance to do it." M'Kevitt gave his own name, saying-he
lived at 11, Naylor•street, Vauxhall-road. He said, " I
have only known Barton a few months, and, as we were
caught in the fact at the Town-hall, it's a pity that ever I
knew him."
Mr. Aspinall briefly summed up the case for the
prosecution.

Mr. O'Feely, in addressing the jury on behalf of
the prisoners, did not contest the case of the Crown so
far as the identity of the prisoners was concerned, but
maintained that the evidence showed they had no
intention of taking life. He contended that the lives
of the persons in the Town-hall were not actually put
in peril.

After the learned Judge had summed up, the Jury
retired to consider the verdict at five o'clock, and after
being absent from court twelve minutes, returned
against both prisoners a verdict of Guilty of damaging
the Town-hall, and thereby endangering the lives of
persons being therein.
James Nl'Grath was then charged with unlawfully
and maliciously, by the explosion of gunpowder,
damaging the Police Office Section-house, in Liver-
pool, being a dwelling-house, whereby the life of
William Woodward was endangered. The same
counsel appeared.

-
Mr. Aspinall, in opening the case, said that the 1,
Section-house was a dwelling-house, where 39 police- '
men permanently live. The explosion took place on
May 16.
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on the top step something which had recently exploded. No
one was caught. Two wooden plugs were found, evidently
part of the instrument which had exploded A carpenter
zuv.ed that M'Grath had obtained these very plugs from
Edward Wilkinson said: I live at Middlesborough, and
am a refreshment-house keeper. I first saw M'Grath on the
4th or sth of April. He came again twice three weeks after.
On the ISth of May he came a fourth time. He seemed
depressed, and said he had been riding all night, and had
come from Liverpool. I said, " How are things looking
there?" He said, "They are dead set against me. I have
had two failures." Ile sat quiet for a bit and then said he
would have to be going away, as he must be back in Liver-
pool thstlfternoon. On the Srd of May he had asked me what
I thought of the Mansion-house affair and remarked that
the reward might easily have been earned/but it had not
been earned, as it might stop future plans. Referring to a
small box I had seen in his possession 9n a previous occasion,
he said, "Why, man, there was in that package what would
blow up the largest ship that ever swam.
Cross-examined.—He told me that probably I had not
learnt yet that Gladstone, Forster, and Harcourt were the
first to be ti.ught t) 113 in the air without wings.
Mr. 0' on behalf of the prisoner, endeavoured
to set up an alibi; but
After his Lordship had summed up,
The jury, without leaving the box, found the pri-
soner Guilty of being an accessory before the fact.
M'Grath, on being wired if he had anything to say
why sentence should not be passed, said it was a case
of mistaken identity, and that he stood under a dis-
advantage. M'Kevitt said he had nothing to say.
His Lordship, in passing sentence, said the outrage
WM tht malt of &sign and 000 l purpost Fit hoPtd