The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1879-04-19
WILLIAM BROADS FAD.
a Sheffield Rattenger Whose Crfmei
Gave Reade the Idea of Novel.

| a Sheffield Rattenger Whose Cr1mes
Gave Reade the Idea of Novel.
The English mails bring particulars of
the death of the notorious William
Broadhead, whose crimes inspired
Charles Reade with the idea of his
novel, "Put Yourself in His Place"
Broadhead died of softening of the brain
at the age of sixty-three, leaving wife
and ten children. He bad served his
apprenticeship as sawgrinder, and IN
184S was appointed secretary OF the Saw
grinders Union, very powerful and
sternly-constituted society. Broadhead
also kept a small tavern, the George, in
Holly street, frequented by the oper-
atives employed in his trade. He was
man of considerable natural ablhties,
although of scant scholastic acquire
ments, astute, clear minded, endowed
with an iron will and much strategic
resources, but wholly without scruple.
Under his management the system OF
terrorizing masters and recalcitrant
unionists was carried to its utmost
lengths. Tie vengeance Committee"
were accustomed to blow their victims
up with gunpowder. Wherever the
Sheffield "Mary Anne" went she
carried canisters full of that explosive,
and down chimneys and through doors
and windows death and destruction were
dealt to those who had offended against
the regulations of the trade, or those
who were in arrears with their natty'
money. 1t was always shrewdly suspect
ed that Broadhead was concerned in these
crimes, but it was not until October,
| 1866, that matters came to crisis. A
can of gunpowder was exploded under
the house of a man named Fearny-
hough, and, although no harm was done
to human life, much damage was caused
TO property. A thousand pounds reward
offered by the Sheffield manufacturers
and an additional reward Of Gl00 promis-
ed by the government failed to bring to
| light the perpetrators OF the outrage, all
completely in which was Indignantly
repudiated by the trades unions. In
proof of their sincerity they offered q
supplemental 200 for the detection of
the perpetrator. In an article published
shortly afterwards by Sheffield news
paper it was strongly insinuated that
Observation-Disclosures he was not men
toned by name-knew something about
the outrage. The secretary called on
the editor to complain of the structures
passed by implication on his conduct,
consulted his solicitor, and a meeting of
the union representatives declared that
if he had to sell his shirt to meet the
costs he would take proceedings against
the paper in which he had been so cruelty
illuminated. At last, mainly at the
instance of the editor in question, a
commission was appointed to investigate
the whole system of trade outrages at
| Sheffield, and absolute indemnity
promised to all witnesses who would tell
| the truth, however deeply they might
have been compromised in the crimes
| com mitted. Two of the men examined
who had been Broadhead's hired braves
began to make appallipgly damaging
| revelations concerning him, and he,
finding the tolls tightening around him,
at length fully confessed his guilt. The
narrative Of Broadhead began in 1853,
when he procured the hamstringing of
horse whose owner, one Parker, had been
guilty of working with non-unionists.
This warning being disregarded, Broad
| head hired two men to shoot Parker, and
! Parker was shot on Whit-Monday, 1854,
In August, 1859, he caused his braves to
murder him. The victim was found at
last sitting in the room of public house,
and he WAS shot from yard and through
a window by means CT an air-gun. He
died some weeks afterwards from the
effects of his wound. Previously Linley
had been blown up once and shot once,
always by Broadhead's direction. 1t
was declared by Broadhead that he
intended the man to be shot and not
slain outright, and he added that it was
with every great PAIN that he had con-
sented to the proposal for shooting him.
" 1t came upon him." he remarked, Z" as
an unpleasant subject" For the shoot
ing of Linley he had paid Els and he
took some G200 out of the funds of the
union for the purpose of bribing the
rufians who executed his murderous
behests Before having Linley killed
Broadhead secured the blowing up of
Samuel Baxtor, of Loxley, another i'm
penitent and self-willed sawgrinder. A
couple of months after the shooting of
Linley, one Helliwell, who had not been
brought up as sawgrinder, was for the
otfense of working at that trade blown
up with gunpowder, which was ignited
from the sparks of his "glazer" as he
began to work. Broadhead then deliver
ed three cans of gunpowder to a man
named Clark for the destruction of the
interloping sawgrinder, and half can
full had been placed by Clark in He'll
mans trough. The poor man was not
killed but only blinded. Broadhead
drew up plan for shooting him, but
relinsuished, and blew up part of the
factory of Messrs. Wheatman & Smith
who had sinned greatly by introducing
a new mode of grinding saws. At the
close of the sittings of the commission
Broadhead received, according to the
pledge given to the guilty witnesses, a
certificate of indemnity, though by his
own admission murderer and suborn-
er Of murderers. The Sheffield mag
istrates declined to reFew his license as a
publican, and subscription having been
raised for him he emigrated to America
but received so cold a reception here
that soon he returned to England and to
Sheffield to vegetate in obscurity as the
keeper of a chambers shop, and to die
at last paralyzed and imbecile. He was
contrite, it was reported, in his latter
days.
An Enra ced EeYoala