Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-01-10
ATTEMPT AT. ASSASSINATION,

Chambers street, New York, yesterday at.
ternoon, al effort was made to kill Captain
Thomas Phelau, who has been identified
with the Irish movement. The cause is
said to be the suspicion that Phelan was
traitor to Irish principles. He was brought
to New York by y letter written by John
7. kearuey.
The enmty against him arose from an in
terview with him published in the Kansas
CITY Journal, wherein Phelan apparently
divulged secrets Of the dynam;ers.
The Captain arrived only three hours be-
fore he was attacked He went at once to
Kearney's house, and the two went from
there to Rossa's office.
A few minutes later he staggered out to
the sidewalk, bleeding from several wounds
and fell to the pavement A man VINO lol-
lowed him rushed across the street ana INTO
CITY Hall Square. Policeman Levy darted
after the runaway man and caught him.
The man denied the attack, but the police
man, seeing spot OF blood on his clothes
and that his hands were bloody, look him
back 10 where Phelan lay. When asked to
identify his assailant, Phelan raised himself
to sitting posture and drew pistol ana
fired at the prisoner. The policeman grab
bed ut the pistol, and the prisoner escaped,
but was soon recaptured aud taken to The
STALLION house. He gave his name as Rich
ard Shcrt, u butcher, aud denied all knowl
edge of the stabbing. He was found to be
slis billy wounded by the shot fired by Phe-
Ian.
The prisoner when asked how the blood
caue to bs Oh his hands. replied insolencly :
"Srre, diar'L tell you l was butcher
That's bloody work, yer know, guess"
Pnelau'S clothing was cut in several
places where there was no wound. Four
stains in the back were slight two just be-.
low either shoulder were Two inches deep ;
a seventh was IN the right side of the neck;
another penetrated the chest, and each arm
had received thrust. The right arm was
almost severed at the shoulder. The sur
peons say the assaiiant must have been a
very powerful mar.
| Coroner Martin took me wounded maG 8
ante. mortem statement. Phean said ne
would give true story, and proceeded :
| ''Ou last Sunday week al interview between
| myself aud the local editor Of the Kansas
City Journal was published. | afterWard
received letter from John F. Kearney,
asking me to come to this city. / tele-
graphed him that would be here Oh Jan
uarv s When arrived to-day called on
Kearpey, and together we Went TO O'Dono-
van Rossa's uuice. Rosa was not in. A
man named Rocky Mountain O'Brien came
| in while we were there. He shook hands
with me in friendly way, and asked how
I was. He then left, and man, whose
name | think is Baker, came in with a
knife in his hand. He Immediately APP
preached and struck at me about the chest.
I was s. a!ed in chair at the time and
| warded of the blow. He made more
| thr,l5ts and stabbed me several times. |
sprapg TO my feet and ran down stairs.
Baker followed me and cut me again and
| again. On the street Baker was brought
before me. | recognized him as the man
who stabbed me, and supposing he would
stab ne again, shot him. Kearney and
two other men l don't know were present
when / was assaulted"
O'Donovan Rossa's offices ere on the third
floor Of the building 10, IL and IA Chambers
street. It Is an old structure, and occupied
By people of various occupations. The
police found the knife with which the crime
was committed on the top step of the sec
ond flight. Its blade was five inches
long, and sharpened on both edges. The
handle was twisted with Irvine to give a
Grmer grasp.
In the interview published in the Kansas
City Journal, Captain Phelan said: BE
fore leaving New York became acquainted
with number of leading Irish agitators,
among them John F. Kearney, who arrang-
ed the explosion in the Caledonian railway
station at glasgow. kearney blew up the
station and a part of the gas works in that
city kearney was forced to fly to this
country BY the large rewards offered for his
apprehension. Kearney had been formerly
an employee Of the gas company.
II sailed in the steamer Belgravia and
kearney was to follow me three days later,
in the steamer Queen. knew that an at
tempt would be made to blow up the Queen
two hours after she Landed at her dock in
Liverpool. kearney and myself arranged
to meet each other at the Buchanan Hotel,
in Edinburgh. If he arrived first he was to
leave letter for me, signed James Wal
lace If arrived first was to leave note
sigued De La Power
ARRIVING at Edinburgh went to the
Buchanan Hotel and scanned the register.
but no such name as James Wallace could
find. Iu Edinburgh, however, met man
who came over with me In the Belgravia.
By strange chance he gave his name as
VIM. Powers, the very name by which |
had intended to be known. This man said
he had come over to superintend the erec-
ton of some American machinery in Edin-
burgh. He pretended to BIZ an Irish-Amer-
lean, and no man could have been more
bitter against the oppressors of Ireland. He
managed TO partially ingratiate himself into
my confidence. l afterward found that he
was detective In the service of the British
government.
II returned to Glasgow, where, almost the
first man met, WAS Kearney. He looked
woebegone enough, aud knew that some.
thing wrong had happened. Where is the
Queen l asked. In her dock at Liver
pool was the answer. He then showed
where the acid from the machine which
was 10 explode the dynamite had eaten
through the lining Of his coat, and told ms
the story Of his failure.
THE plsn was to arrange the explosion
so that it would take place after all the
passengers had left the boat and about two
hours after she had landed at her dock. He
bad taken with him fifteen pounds of dyn-
amita enouph IN hlow nm the pyramjdS