The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-03-02
THE BREMERHAvEN MASSACRE.
w. X. Thomas Confession to the German
Authorities--Other Parties Concerned.

w. X. Thomas Confession to the German
Authorities--Other Parties Concerned.
Thomas died on the afternoon Of the |
sixteenth of December, having since
the calamity nearly always behaved aa IL
stunned, although sometimes he showed
himself clearly conscious. During the
examination by the police he was very
reserved and evasive, and his confess
sions were only obtained with great
difficulty. What he said one day he
would deny the next, asseverating that
he had not rightly understood the ques-
tion. The admissions which he made
are as follows He called himself w.
X. Thomas, though his name was really
William King Thomson. He was born
in 1880, in Brooklyn, N. Y, and was the
son Of German parents who immigrated
from Hamburg, and afterward lived in
Virginia. He had number of brothers,
was Protestant, married, the father of
five children, of whom one was dead.
He had in earlier life been captain OF n
ship, and had in such capacity com
manded the Old Dominion, which at
one time belonged to him. He had run
the blockade during the American civil
war, was taken a prisoner and fled to the
South, where he went by the name OF
| Thomas. He was married in st. Louis,
and left America eleven years ago for
Europe. He attempted to shoot him.
self, because, as he said, he had lost
his fortune 10y bad speculation. He had
received barrel from America by the
steamer Rhein, the contents of which he
had put into newer barrel. This
change of barrels was made in the sta
BILE of DIR. Floerke in Bremen, and dur.
ing the transfer the doors were closed.
He said the barrel contained polishing
paste, packed in tin cases, which he had
bought in New York from George Moor,
72 Broadway, and that tho barrel was
sent to him by Skidmore, the broker,
whose person he described very minute
ly. He (Thomsoh) had returned tc
Germany by the steamer Frisia. In the
barrel which lie had packed Mt Bremen
he had placed a partition, in the mid
die of which was a hole. In one of the
spaces he had deposited a kind of clock,
which he had purchased from Koch, 9
clockmaker of Bernburg, and for which
he paid one hundred thalers. He ha6
himself placed powder around the hole
, and spring within the box.
, Later Thomson contrsdicted the above
, statements, saying that he was no me
, chanic that there was no clock in the
barrel; that he had placed the parti
tion there because he had not enough
material to fill the space. On being
asked afterward the reason for his send
| ing the barrel he would not give an,
| clear information, but frequently in
timated that he intended it for purposes
, of swindling, and that some goods wer
to be shipped at southampton. I'll
? knew that the contents of the barrel wer
7 dangerous that was all he knew. Th
= "Kerls in New York had packed il
: and they were to share the proceed
f with Skidmore. He once admitted tha
: he intended it to explode after ten days
| This he also afterward denied, assertin
l that he knew nothing of the contents G
the barrel that he was not SO bad q
people thought that his conscience di
z not prick him, although he knew b
It must die. He said on one occasion tha
o Skidmore expected to see him in Londo1
4 at the Charing Cross Hotel, where b
: (Thomas) was to take the goods. Agai
+ he contradicted himself and said thu
Skidmore was in New York that he e.
pected letter from him with instru
tons relating to the goods and boxe
coming from New York. Skidmore W.
the only accomplice he named, and /
Is frequently denounced him. He spok
y frequently of his business connection
with Barring Brothers ; said that la
d summer he had drawn upon them fl
n 9100, and was still in connection vii
j. them. He also mentioned his fami
N very often, especially his children, fl
3, whom he seemed to have tender +
j. gard. He displayed no remorse
l. penitenee, although a number Of pc
a. sons injured by the explosion lay arour
al him. His last distinguishable wor
N were 81 have been thick hea
g The fellows in New York are guilty. /"
s. "