The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-09-15 00:00:00

ATTEMPTED DESTRUCTION

OF Tlll3
ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE, ON FRIDAY.

COMMITTAL OF THE OFFENDER.

On Saturday, William Ball, a man in the employ of Mr
Copeland, as carpenter and joiner in the establishment, was
brought before Mr. Mansfield, at the police court, on a
charge of having been found in the Royal Amphi-
theatre at a late hour on Friday night, under the
following circumstances :—lt appeared, in evidence, that
about twenty minutes to nine o'clock, during the
performance of the first piece, "Like and' Unlike,'
in which Madame Celeste and Mr. Webster take
the leading characters, the prompter discovered that
there was some deficiency is the lighting of the house,
when the son of the man, who has the care of this
important department, immediately went to ascertain the
cause of the deficiency. Finding the metre all right, he,
with others, went below the stage, where they found the
prisoner standing on a heap of rubbish. Ho was in a
state of intoxication, and, upon seeing the men with the
lights, he said, " here it is." At that time he had
hold' of the pipe leading from the main to the theatre.
Ile directly fell from off the heap of rubbish on which
he was standing, and a large piece of lead gas] pipe fell
from his hands as he rolled over. It was then discovered
that a portion of the pipe had been cut off, which portion
was in the prisoner's hands, and that the saw with which
the pipe had been cut was standing by the wall. The
lights went out, but the damage being soon made right, all
went on as usual. The flickering of the lights was observed
by the audience, but happily they did not know the danger
in which they were placed, and, therefore, they made uo
attempt to escape. The prisoner—who, as we have stated,
was an employee in the theatre, had been told on the
preceding day that his services were no longer required,
and, therefore, had no right on the premises—was told
immediately to leave the theatre, but instead of doing so he
went on the stage, and the assistance of the police was
required before he would quit the building ; and on his
to the Police Station he had several violent
les with the policeman who had him in
Mr. Edward M'Cann, the officer from the gas
works, whose duty is to watch over the gas department of
the theatre, was then called. Mr. Mansfield : 'What would
have been the effect if this cutting of the pipe had not been
immediately discovered ? M'Cann : If the gas had caught
fire, the whole of the building must have been burned down,
as the escape occasioned was not more than eighteen inches
below the stage, and it would have put forth a flame six
feet in length at least. Mr. Mansfield : Well ; if it had
not caught fire ? : Then the gas would have con-
centrated underneath the pit and would have blown the
whole premises up. Mr. Mansfield : Then it is your
opinion that if the gas had not caught fire, sooner
or later the entire building must have been destroyed
either by fire or have been blown up, with all
persons in the house. M'Cann : Certainly, that must have
been the effect. Mr. Mansfield, addressing the prisoner :
It is from this diabolical act of yours, that the result
might have been the deaths of hundreds of persons. You
must have known that such would have been the case.

custody