The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-11-26 00:00:00

ALLEGED DYNAMITE CONSPIRACY IN

LONDON.
STARTLING REVELATIONS.

By means of the arrest of Thomas Callan, and the
discovery of dynamite at his lodgings, the police au-
thorities (the Press Association states) have obtained
the one piece of evidence which was wanted in order
to enable them to institute a prosecution. Harkins,
who. it will be remembered, was called as a witness at
the inquest held on the body of Cohen, alias Brown
—who, it has been ascertained, was the pay master of
the Clan-na-Gael gang in London—has since Oct. 2(3
been under close police surveillance, and letters
addressed to him have been seized by the de-
tectives who have kept observation upon him;
and Harkins, who by the death of Cohen was
left without any source from whence he could
obtain funds in this country, all the cash being
secreted in Cohen's bed, admitted at the inquest that
he had written to a Mr. Burchall, in Philadelphia,
asking for money. Strange to say, a reply to this
letter was received signed by J. Melville, the man
who succeeded General Millen as the director of the
gang, and who is now in America, enclosing £2O in
bank-notes. This was annexed by the police, and
then, "from information received," Callan was appre-
hended. This person has been identified as Cohen's
last visitor at 42, Lambeth-road, the, man who, upon
Oct. 19, ran downstairs and asked Mrs. Keys, the
landlady, whether she would mind sitting with Mr.
Cohen for two minutes while he went out. He did
not, of course, return.
Callan, it is understood, has been in this country
about three months, and it is now well known that he
was in the habit of visiting Cohen. A letter found
upon him at the time of his arrest connects him with
Millen, Melville, and Cohen. In his possession was
discovered 141 b. of dynamite, which had evidently
been divided into cakes, but which, through the
action of time and the influence of the temperature,
had run together into one solid mass. This dynamite,
the police believe, it was intended to use on Jubilee
Day, and they contend thatit was only in consequence
of their extreme watchfulness that the gang were pre-
vented from carrying out their intention. In addi-
tion, therefore, to the two men who appeared
at Bow - street on Monday, there is another
individual for whom anxious inquiries are
being made. About him very little information
appears to be in the possession of the authorities.
He was a comparatively recent arrival, and it is
believed was to fill the position which had been occu-
pied in succession by Millen and Melville. The police,
therefore, have succeeded in tracing the following
men: General Millen, Joseph Melville, Dennehey
(who met Melville in Paris some time in August),
Michael Harkins (now under arrest), Callan (also in
custody), and Cohen (who is dead). Whether the
man wanted will be found is now somewhat doubtful,
as the arrest of Harkins and Callan was deferred as
long as possible in order that a clue might be
obtained as to this individual's whereabouts.
With respect to the death of Cohen a curious coin-
cidence has been noted by the police. This man, it
will be remembered, died at 42, Lambeth-road,
London. The day after the report of the inquest on
his body appeared in the newspapers, two Irish-
Americans, who had landed at Glasgow in September
and subsequently proceeded to Liverpool, were in-
quired after by a local detective officer at the house
where they lodged, and they appear to have im-
mediately taken fright and to have departed without
loss of time, leaving behind them property to the
value of about £4O, including clothing, &c., and two
of the best quality Smith-Wesson revolvers, of the
same calibre and in every respect identical with those
found in the luggage of Cohen and in the possession
of Michael Harkins when he was searched before
being escorted to the coroner's court to give evi-
dence. Harkins persists in stating that he knows
nothing of the matter, but some little time ago he
was, without being aware of the fact, photographed,
and his portrait has been largely distributed and
identified. With respect to the paragraph referred
to in the sworn information, it was cut from a copy
of a London morning paper, the main portion of which
was found in Harkins' room, and was in the follow-
ing terms: "Mr. A. J. Balfour, the Chief Secretary
for Ireland, will address a public meeting at the
Town Hall, Birmingham, in connection with the
Midland Union of Conservative Associations, on
Nov. 4." This paragraph, it will be contended, was
cut out by Harkins with a view to the assassination
of the Chief Secretary for Ireland, but whether the
police have any direct evidence in support of the
allegation will not be divulged until the next stage of
the proceedings.
During the course of inquiries made in connection
with this gang of suspected members of the Clan-na-
Gael, the police have ascertained the fact that Mr.
John J. Breslin, whose death has just been an-
nounced from America, is the person who sent to
Daly, the Birmingham dynamitard, the collection of
bombs found in the latter's possession, and which
were referred to in letters from Breslin as "love
apples."