Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-02-03
THE LONDON EXPLOSIONS.
Examsuasisn Of Csnaisssam IN the Charge
Of Csmslisiu In the crsme.
;Iay cable 10 the Dispatch.l

/ the prosecution. In opening the case
| for the Crown Mr.. Poland said that the
Government intended to prove that the
| prisoner was an active agent in the con-
spiracy which eliminated in the horri-
bic outrage at the Tower of Lon.
don. The Solicitor then related
| the facts in regard TO the prison.
cr's movements at Liverpool and al
London from the time Of his arrival al
Liverpool from America up to the date
Of his arrest at the Tower few MIN
utes after the explosion occurred; his
travelling under the assumed names oil
| Gilbert and Dalton, and many suspi-
cious circumstances connected with ms
STAY in both of the above cities. Mr..
Poland dwelt particularly on the mys-
ferrous disappearance Of peculiar box
from the prisoners lodgings. IN Scar
boro' street, White Chapel, Immediately
after Cunningham's arrest, and which
was taken away by two men. Mr.. Po-
land laid stress upon these facts in order
to show that Cunningham was IN league
with others. who must have been IN
structed in the line of action to be taken
in case of arrest. Mr.. Poland further
said that witnesses would be produced
to prove that Cunningham had for seve-
raj days previous to the explosion been
seen lettering in and around the Tower
Of London. lie then produced plan
of the Tower and pointed out the spot
where the explosion took place; at the
same time going into details OF
the damages done to the build
ing and injuries sustained by the
persons wounded by the explosion.
He also produced a small detonator
which was found in the prisoners bag
gage. and said that it was similar to
those which had been used in previous
dynamite outrages in London and else
where in England, indicating that the
prisoner might have been connected
with those crimes. In conclusion, Mr..
Poland asked that Cunningham be ar
raigned under the explosive act on the
charge of conspiracy, and said he might
possibly, at later day, request that
the charge be changed to one of high
treason. that the penalty of the latter
crime could be melted out to him, "a
dynamite outrages could be construed
acts of war Of rebellious people.
Mr.. Poland's notification to the Court
that he would reserve the privilege OF
changing the charge against Cunning
ham from the present one of conspiracy
to high treason, that the result OF con-
conviction might be execution instead
of the Imprisonment provided for under
the explosives act, caused a commotion
among the spectators. The declaration
was at once construed into an admission
that the Crown had ascertained that III
Cunningham they had the most import
ant prisoner yet arrested for dyna-
mite crimes. This impression was
confirmed by the extraordinary
precautions taken to prevent Cunning
hams escape or rescue. He was con-
yeyed from his cell in the Clerkcnwell
prison to the Bow-Street court in a
strong van. Cunningham was the only
prisoner in the van, but there were
locked in with him several armed con-
stables. On each side Of the driver
was an armed policeman, and officers
with exposed reyolvers stood guard
upon the steps leading to the van-door.
The conveyance was driven slowly in
order to allow its armed police escort to
keep alongside and to enable the de-
tectives, who followed on the sidewalks.
to be near in the case of emergency.
Continuing his opening address, the
Solicitor said that Cunningham was but
twenty-five years Of age not twenty
eight, as he claimed at first. BY occu-
patton he was a dock laborer. He was
not alone in the work of causing the
explosion at the Tower. but in league
with others whom the Government
hoped soon to have in custody. The
prisoner had lived in the United States
several years. He arrived in England
last November; he came aboard the
steamship Adriatic. and landed at Liv-
erpool; he took up quarters in that
city in small hotel, No. 81
Robert street; when he left that
place he came direct to London.
The Government. Mr.. Poland said,
was not yet prepared to say
Just how Cunningham had employed
himself during the interval between his
arrival in London and the date of the
Tower explosion. That was a. yet UNI
necessary, but it could be proven that
the prisoner, on the ODD or oath OF
December last. was at the Broad-Street
railway station with a large brown
trunk. This trunk was OF American
manufacture. as would be shown later.
Besides the trunk the prisoner had q bag.
He left both at the station over night.
The next day he called and took them
away. In the mean time he had secured
lodgings at No. so Prescott street, White
Chapel. For these lodgings he engage
to pay five shillings a week. 1t was
thithcr that the prisoner had the brown
trunk and bag removed. While residing
in Prescott street the trunk mystic.
riously disappeared. Some time after
its disappearance Cunningham changed
his lodgings and took rooms in Scar.
boro' street. 1t would be shown that
the prisoner began lettering about the
Tower after his removal from Prescott
street, and that he passed in and visited
the Tower buildings few days before
the explosion at least once.
The prisoners counsel are Messrs
Quillan & Nordon. both of Liverpool
At the request of the prosecution Gun
ningham was remanded for week, anC
was removed from the Bow-Stree
Court back to his cell in Clerkenwel
prison, surrounded by the same armed
escort which had accompanied him t.
the court.
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