The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-02-03

SUSPECTED DYNAMITRRs.

LONDON, Feb. 2.-The examination of James
u: cunningham, arrested on suspicion of COM
pllclty in causing the recent explosion insthe
Tower OF London, was begun in the Bow
street Police Court this morning. sMr. Poland,
the solicitor of the treasury, appeared Tor the
prosecution: In opening the, case for the
intended to prove that the prisoner was an ac-
tive agent in the conspiracy which eliminated
IN the horrible outrage at the Tower of Lon
don. The solicitor then related the facts in re-
gard to the prisoners movements at Liverpool
and at London from the time of his arrival at
Liverpool from America, up to the date of his
arrest at the Tower, few minutes after the
explosion occurred; his travelling under the as
sumed names of Gilbert and Dalton, and many
suspicious circumstances connected with his
stay at both of the above cities Mr.. Poland
dWelt particularly on the mysterious disap-
pearance of the peculiar box from the prison.
er's lodgings in Scarboro street, Whitechapel,
Immediately after Cunningham's arrest, and
which was taken away by two men. Mr.. Po-
land lad stress upon these facts in order to
snow that Cunningham was in leapue with
others who must have been instructed in the
line OF action to be taken in case of arrest. Mr..
roland further said that witnesses would be
produced to prove that Cunningham had for
several days previous to the explosion been
seen lettering in and around the Tower OF
London. He then produced a plan of the
Tower, and pointed out the spot where the ex-
plosion took place, at the same time going into
the details OF the damages done to the build
ings ana the injuries sustained by the persons
wounded by the explosion. He also produced
small detonator, which was found in the
prisoners baggage, and said that it was SINH
lar to those which had been used in the previ-
GUS 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 Cun-
ningham be arraigned under the explosive act,
on the charge OF conspiracy, and said that he
might possibly, at a later day, request that the
charge be changed to one Of high treason, so
that the penalty of the latter crime could be
meted out to him as the dynamite outrages
could be construed as acts of war of a rebel
lious people.
Mr.. Poland'5 notification to the court that the
government would reserve the privilege of
changing the charge against Cunningham for
the present as one OF conspiracy to high treas
on, so that the result of conviction might be
executed, instead of imprisonment, provided
Tor under the explosive act, caused a commo-
lon among the spectators. The declaration
was at onde construed into an admission that
the crown had ascertsined that in Cunning
nam they had the most important prisoner yet
arrested for dynamite crimes. This impress
sion was confirmed by the extraordinary pre-
cautions taken by the government to prevent
Cunn1ngham's escape or rescue He was con-
yeyed from his cell in Clerkenwell prison to
III.
ningham was the only prisoner within the van,
Dut there were locked in with him several
armed constables and on each side of the driy-
or was an armed policeman and officers with
exposed revolvers stood guard upon the steps
leading to the vans barred door, The conway
ance was then driven slowly, in order to allow
1ts armed police escort to keep alongside, and
to enable detectives who followed on the side
walks to be near in case of emergency.
Oonunulng his opening address the solicitor
Tor the treasury said that Cunningham was
put ~ years OF age, and not % as he had
claimed at first. By occupation he was dock
laborer. He was not alone in the work of
causing the explosion at the Tower, but was IN
sgaa Lea yyd 9th In OhRsgA aRs TEeqsm9 Thqm A
years. He arrived in England last November.
He came on board t he steamship Adriatic, and
landed at Liverpool 1t would be shown that
the prisoner began lettering about the tower
after his removal from Prescott street, aud
that he passed in and visited the Tower build
ings few days before the explosion, at least
once.
Concluding his address, Mr.. Poland called
attention to the conduct of Cunningham on
the day Of the explosion in the Tower. He
was the only one of the visitors examined who
was nervous and unable to give satisfactory
account of himself. He had been seen acting
suspiciously in the armory of the Tower,
where it would be proven by evidence that
Cunningham deposited his dynamite and
lighted the fuse. Almost every step Of Cuu-
ningham's career in London as traced by de-
tectives, led to the conviction that the prisoner
was one of the principal criminals in that
days outrages Mr.. Poland exhibited deto-
nator, an instrument used in exploding dyna-
mite, which was found in the prisoners lug
gage, and which was similar to athose found
near the scenes of the other explosions Mr..
Poland concluded by saying that one of the
worst features of the panic caused by these ex-
plosions was found in the fact that EMPLOYERS
in England were discharging all employees OF
Irish birth, and gave several recent instances
of this. Cunningham was remanded, and
even his counsel was refused permission to
converse with him without the written permis-
sion of the Home Secretary