National Republican., 1883-04-07
The pynamite sensatIon.

by cable from London TO the newspapers
of yesterday morning, on the subject of dyna-
mite discoveries, yields only tho following
facts as tho basis for the wild and sensational
conclusions attempted to be drawn from them
by the trainers of the dispatches and their
police informants:
l. An anonymous letter was received by n
semi.weekly London newspaper in which the
writer threatened to blow up the government
offices. There is no clue whatever to its au-
thorghip. Writing anonymous letters is much
less dangerous amusement than blowing up
buildings. We see nothing to create alarm
in the anonymous letter.
g A person was arrested in London for
having in his possession quantity of explo-
sives. No evidence was shown of any inten-
tion to make any unlawful use of them.
3. A dynamite mandatory has been found
in Birmingham. Quito number can be
found in this country. 1t was remarked by
Sir William Harcourt, the h9ne secretary, in
the house of commons on Wednesday, that
"the present state of the law in regard to the
possession of explosives is unsatisfactory"
This would seem to indicate that the govern
ment may have made arrests for violating
what the police authorities think ought to be
the law rather than what the law really is.
A. A man was discovered scaling wall
near powder magazine at Nenery, Ireland.
Object of scaling unknown. lie got away.
Upon these facts (which may mean much mis-
chief and may mean mono at all, the sem
sation mongcrs have based mass of the most
absurd differences, and have poured into the
daily papers string of stuff which, though
having an awful appearance of being
horrible exposures, proves upon exami-
nation to be most hatulent bosh,
The depth of ignorance and credulity to
which the London Bohemians appear to think
the reading public has descended is evidenced
by the following specimens of the bushel of
chaff in which the four grains of fact above
recited were buried, The fact that man had
explosives in his possession had set "keen-
eyed policemen and detectives to watching
every corner" for dynamite iends and incen-
diaries. ut is even hinted that the whole con-
spiracy here and in America will be exposed"
The arrested mans nitro-glycerine was made
"by persons who had little experience" "aud
was therefore peculiarly liable TO explode"
An experienced person would probably have
made it non-explosvc The queen at Wind
sor CASTLE guarded by ga large force of scnti-
nels," "sent thither in private and unosten-
tatious manner" and confdentially reported
to the public in the newspapers" "Conspira-
tors were already on their way to Windsor
from Birmingham" at is stated with some
confidence in official circles that there is rea-
dynamite conspiracy both hore and in Amer
lea will now be laid bare" This should not
be repeated outside of the newspapers
until the thing is uncarthed. The man
who carried box to house had a raIish
| appearance and looked like a tramp or
street loafer rather than porter" Porters
usually appear in evening dress while deliv-
ering boxes. One man had money, "a por-
| tion of which was reported rs being in Amer
can coins" at is significant feature of the
arrests that street rumor made free use of the
American name" "Thc police believe" that
Norman is carrying out O'Donovan Rossa's
doctrines" ut is believed by many that
Dalton is an emissary of the dynamite faction
in America "The police believe tho Ber-
mingham factory to be one of a series. White
head has "a marked American accent And
so on and so on.
laborcd as to encourage the belief
that the writer Of it feared that
tho naked truth would not even
be interesting In all our experience We have
never seen anything so far-fetched, nor any
thing in which the substance fell so far short
of the show, as in this long-winded statement
of what "the police believe" what is "hinted,"
what many believe" what was "reportcd,'
and what was "the' street rumor." The
panic stricken LondonoIs may not be able to
discriminate between the teaspooniul of news
and the bucket full of rubbish, but for our
own part We think tho London purycyor oil
news for tho American press was mercllessly
imposed upon by whoever gathered for him
this iarrago of inconsequental surmisos,
We do not for d moment bolittle tho hide.
ousncss of nihilism. We deprocato tho bare
suggestion Of il rs fiaught with danger.
O'Donoyan Rossa aud Patrick Grove are
enemies of our own peace, as all arc who dare
to preach the right of assassination as O
remedy for any wrong Such utterancos aa
they make ought to be made u crime because
tending to inculcate mmdcrous disposition
No man ought to be allowed TO teach assassin
alton in the abstract any more than b