The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-07
THE DYNAMITE FIEND.
New Facts About tue Murderer Kcith-The
ALLEGED Yellow Fever Plot.


wAsnINGroN, April 4.-Thc story OF
Thomas" the dynamite ncnd. has been pub
lished, but II has been clouded by nlsstate-
mente, some OF which seem TO call for correc-
ton. To set the mind OF brooklyn AZ rest, 50
FIR ~ Alex. Keith. Jr., alias Thomas Is concern
cd, II may hc stated that he never WIS tesid' nj
Of that CITY. and was not born at the time dSD
he was Id " have been known there. Nor did
ne have any thing whatever to do with the exrlo-
sion ~ a powder magazine at II III prior to
the late war. An NJ eWpt tss hceD made 10
connect Keith win wilkes lsooui. wn"m he
never saw. Booth while IN CtnadI mad. mis-
betdauauers at Dovs chop house, Montreal,
am did not visit Halifax nor was Keith IN Mon
treal during llDOth's sotourn there.
III y nfV II Keitn's connection with one =.
G. r in Is also Inaccurate NJ rtn was ff',it
dealer In lialt,nip e, ana W y run out during The
war Tor the EXPRESSION uf southern sentiments.
II he dahbied IN blockade running, 1t was IL a
small wav hy shipping on steamers owned nv
Others, or hv running schooners In on the Nir-
Rinta coast. Nor wss keith eDgag. Il IN blockade
running on any larger - lie. He merely acted 1T
u lifax ~ an grcnt Tor othe .. aud possibly
made SUI II venture now and iuen on his own
account. | he statements of Col. Kane OF BATH
more with regard to tue operations Of keith
and Martin are not only Incorrect but iucon-
sistent. keith nnI Martin are said to have pur-
cnasrd and fitted ont JOINTLY al ii lifhx two ves-
seis. in one Of which Martin. through ths per
suastnDs Of Keith, WAS induced To sets II. ana
neither vessel was heard Of more. Keith ~ de-
clired 10 have collected $IOOyOO insurance; and
r. i on these YES, els. Nov, Goi Kane makes the
destruction Of NJ, rim by Keith occur At the
time he (kane) was Ia Halifax ON III. wav south,
wuich must h We been STOUT March. 1853. Yet
NJ rim writes ne in December. 1884
Now. the fact Is no vessels which allied from
nalifsx during tue war were lost IN the manner
described. The late OF every one was well
known aud due either to the elements or the
fortunes Of war. IA II were necessary | could
give record Of ench and all of them. The
steamer Caledonia, Can dian craft which put
into Half 4 for "A market. VS. Durcn seh nv
l. IA nat M ~ at al
ed for a Southern port, but was wreckcd on the
Nova Scotlan coast near La Have. No lives
were lost, and NV recollection Is th,t the total
insurance on the vessel ani cargo, "A portion of
tue Later being saved was S3J,uOJ. As for Mar
tiu's alleged cUnnecttOn with the Confederate
& Ncrpntnt, am shlsnen thtre Us
nothing In 1t, though he ~ thought nv
some to have hsd the conadsne9 OF
bermuda In October, 1853, or | ter, some months
after he Is said To nave cen destroyed by keith,
de scttDes him IA II ,vial Old fellow Of lit 10
weight, ana not caicul ted to have OF ined tue
confidence of nigh Cunte craze authorities he
sane gentlemen thinks Martin may have been
iuipresic ed IN an OLD tuD Of ctaft brought out
fr ~ the Stats winch ran the block de from
Bermudi. al which uiace Keith never was.
As to the Civ Point txplosion aud the attempt
to connect Kern With IT. that explosion was
cdus, Il by watch arrangement. tn sLs OF a
watrh, set to run some fifteen OF twenty seconds
ana 10 fire a wsx match, ane This APPARATUS WIS
dropped INTO a pOwuef boat. lho dynamite ma
chine used "A Illuminating compound; the one
employed AT CITY Point iHnited a match or fuse
/ e man VINO used the machine ut CITY Point -
said TO have been In the employ ~ The Cnnfed-
crate states secret service, ut Richmond, aud
Sandy Keith WAS private citizen uf Halifax,
Nova Scotia. holding no onciai relations with
the Cnnicderacy or its agents., aud there are the
reasons for asserting tnst not untll after he
aOsconded from IA lfax. late in 1874 did he nave
aught - do with tXpIO i've machines.
Ia regard to the alleged yellow-fever plot Of
DIR. l.. l.. blackburn of Kentucky, ia which Keith
Is SAID to have been an arcOmplice, the proof
consists simply OF the testimony of one Hyaine.
who sent to Canada as a Federal spv, and u
known TO hive been man Of III r,pute and no
responsibility. Dr Blackburn was living In exile
IN & NADIA In 1854, and naturally met there
jacob Thompson, stuart RObinspn, and other
~outneru men. Blackburn was wild ana b ter
in talk. but kindly In action aud the testimony
uf Hyams Was bought and paid Tor. That IL was
false Is shown by the fact that prior TO August,
1854, there mad been no yellow lever IN Bermuda
foo thirteen years. and therefore DIR. Black burn
could not have gathered clothing there IA June
or j uly. 1884 When tne fever did break out at
Iicrmuda, Dr. Blackburn. having b9d much ex-
perence In treating that disease, volunteered
mis- services free of charge TO the British
authorities, ana they were accepted. He I'M
dertOok this mission at hIs own expense,
and taxing with hun horse and buggy. he
sailed from Halifax. arriving IN bermuda IN
.utcmher, lS+ lie found ne had to encounter
a good deal Of professional jealousy ON the part
OF the local prarti toner- and he army and navy
SURGEONS, but got them 'oeether Tor consuitl-
ton. during which he gave his mode ~ treat
mcnt and such sugsestions as he could oner'
and on oct /. lS4. took the steamer Tor Half
authoiiies IS sS%s ta fsdt 10y t ~ s sse
| quently they presented him with $500 sterling
| a a ties imonial. DIR. Blackburn remained a fe "
udNr IN HALIFAX nj Miss lONctt DOdruiug house,
and his ggsGe consisted OF one trunk aud a
| ydse, which went with HIM by way of the 81
Lawrence river to Montreal. which place he
| reached about the middle OF Octocer 1854. This
statement II made on tle authority of gentle
man who 'urneN ed from BeImudt to hiuntrea al
| In DR.. BlackDurn's company, as a yellow fever
conv.lescent. Tue same gentleman s,lNs:
There was no yellow FEVER, snail or oth-r con-
tagiuus disease al Bermuda 20 August lSof aui
No smallpox then. hltcknuru there Ia Sept@n
Der lSd4, A. know IRON his waiting me. he nad no
ttNti OF cgli irnnkn OF t'oiAhS - aAy kiud 20 NV
knuNltdec, durng lourne, OF 2,hOp uilcs. He N
not stop at ket.s house AMI 81 holhlug special ON
hunI cave reporting TO tr British Government with
reg nd To- yellow ftNrr. lie vent direct 10 Montreal
wre Dee Joined las vile, and remained untl tne close
81 he war
II may be added further, that Keith had
no house. but oc,up M one room at
the Halifax Hotel, his fatner brother and sis
teI~ occupying part II a house on Hollis street.
keith never was ~ Bermuda or the Confcderacy
DUNG tue war; mad 10 known interest in any
blocAade runner, and no connection with the
Confederate states Government except through
contr ct with MAJOR Walker. Confederate
Agent at bermuda ami Halifax. to buy mess
pork IN the ntcd states deliverable at IL lfax,
III toe course OF when Kern, by means forged
Lils Of ladlng. deirduded Walker out OF 10000,
gold, and then aDScOnded. h wing at the same
time yicti'nized too many other COnfederates TO
make the South desirable place Of residence
for HIM. HIS later c reer Is now well known.
Keith, In brief, was "a 1Ollv good fellow, -
keeping open rooms ut the Halifax Hotel ST ind-
ing treat To everybody, and ready To pick Nv a
soft tuing II he saw IL, but dependent upon his
uncle, IN whose brewery he was employed. lie
was without ca ital and influence and had
nothing to o with ia oh Ihomuson Bennett
II. Young, or the ST. Adams raid he never kurw
Wilkes Booth, Mccullough, Gen. Rames. nor
any of the host Of Others VINO have Dsen men
daciOusly linked with him.