The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-08-08


made, it appears, in regular gradations
of size, the three largest being known
as the Lord Mayor the Alderman"
and the Common Councilman" The
Lord Mayor is four feet three inches in
length, and is only used on great oeca-
sons, say, the breaking open of strong
room or very heavy safe. The specimen
here shown was used in what is known
as the Hatton Garden burglary in 1880.
by Smith and others. The Alderman
is three feet three inches in length; the
Common Councilman about two inches
shorter, and, as BELTS its lower dignity,
not quite so stout. Whatever may be
said as to the projected reform of the
city of London, our readers will agree
with us that the sooner this corporation
is abolished the better Passing down
ward from the Common Councilman.
we come ultimately to the pocket
iemmy-Jamcs the less, in more re-
spectful language-which is about
| twelve inches in length. The Black
Museum specimen is OF finely tempered
steel, and hinged so as to fold in half,
in which condition a curate might carry
it in his breast-pocket without exciting
suspicion. The larger sizes divide int
two or three lengths, which are screwed
together when required for actual use
Some are solid, some of tubular steel
the latter construction giving inereaseh
! lightness without any sacrifice of
| strength. Each end terminates in a
chisel point, the one straight the other
slightly bent. In close contiguity. to
| the crowbars we are shown specimens
of the "knuckle-duster. a small but
| formidable weapon, for which we are
indebted to our American cousins. The
ordinary knuckle-duster is a fiat piece
| of iron or brass about half an inch thick,
with four oval openings of such size as
to allow the passage Of the four fingers.
! The fingers being passed through these
holes the hand closes with Il firm grip
on the butt Of the weapon, while the
remainder of the metal stands out in
the shape of an iron ring or guard over
each knuckle, blow from the hand
thus armed coming with terrific force
Still more formidable is the spiked"
knuckle-duster Here each loop of the
projecting guard over the knuckles,
instead of being rounded as in the
former case, is fashioned into an angle
of about ninety degrees. giving
4 cutting effect in addition to
the natural force of the blow.
Passing on from the knuckle-dusters,
we give 4 cursory glance at a varied
collection of life-preseryers, pistols,
/ daggers and other lethal weapons, all
of which have seen service at some time
or other. The butchers knife, we note.
is Il decidedly popular weapon. There
are also some half-dozen razors, all of
/ which have been used in the commission
of murders or attempted murders. 1t
is a curious fact that they are without
exception black-handled, the innocent
/ whiteneSS Of bone or ivory being appar-
! emily uncongenial to the murderous in
/ stinct.
/ Our attention is next directed to sun
/ dry tin canisters, which prove to be in
/ fernal machines. As rule, they look
/ harmless enough, one even assuming
| the innocent semblance of an ordinary
/ lump of coal. The imitation is so good
| that it is only on taking it in the hand
that we discover that the supposed coal
/ is in reality metal. hollow. but of great
weight and substance. This singular
article was brought to the police by one
Fraser Palmer otherwise Farrell, other
wise ''Warhawk," a man who had a
mania for warning our own and foreign
governments of plots which in reality
had no existence save in his own mag
nation. He asserted that this supposed
piece Of coal, with others of the same
/ kind, was intended to be charged with
explosives, and mixed with the genuine
coal in the bunkers of some doomed
steamship, 1t is said that, in conse-
/ quence Of his revelations, an eXamina-
/ ton was made of the whole of the coal
in the bunkers of the late Cars steam
yacht Livadia, then lying at Glasgow,
but without result Side by side with
this last item is far more formidable
| looking affair. 1t is of small size but
the solidity OF its construction and the
peculiarly of its shape-a tlattened
oval, tapering down at the extremity,
where the fuse is inserted indicate
that special thought and ingenuity have
been expended on its design. Even the
most accomplished of criminals, how
ever, can nOtsalways be on his guard,
and this deadly contrvance was mad
vertently left in tramcar. The CON
ductOr was persuaded that his find
was an Internal machine of more than
ordinarily dabolical character, and he
conveyed it with infinite precaution to
the police, who at first were of the same
opinion. Further investigation, how
ever, satisfied them that the supposed
explosive was merely model artistic
ally cast in lead, of a new design for
an infants feeding bottle.
A more serious interest attaches to
the truncheOn-case-pierced with bull
let-Of the unfortunate policeman Cole,
shot at DalstOn in 1882 by the cowardly
rul1ian Orrock in an attempted burg
larry at Baptist chapel. Orrock' S soft
| felt hat, found on the scene of the muir
der, is also here preserved, as also the
| chisel with the letters rock scratched
upon it, which led to his Identification.
a photograph of the chisel is also
shown; and it is a curious illustration
of the detective powers of science that
the mark, which on the chisel itself is
imperceptible to ordinary eye-sight, is
plainly legible in the photograph.
Among the cartes-de-visite which
adorn the Museum Catalogue is that of
! O'Donnnll tho man who abot tho l.,