The Irish standard., 1886-10-09
CAPTAIN WILLIAM hnACKEY.
A Reporter Relates Dynamite Story in
Which al Irish-American of Cincin-
natl is Said to Have
PLAYED A PROMINENT PART,
Startling Account Of the Recent
Explosion at London Bridge
Is it True?

Explosion at London Bridge
Is it I'rue2
The Star is enabled to give its readers
q detailed account of the tragic term1-
nation Of the career Of Captain Will
lam Mackey, All Irish American, Of
Cincinnati. With the aims and objects
Of certain sections Of Irish ericans
against the British government, all are
familiar. For the last sever. years
since O'Donova Rossa and his band ot
inviucibies first seriously agitated the
English mind, we have grown accus-
toned to the stories Of the work Of the
torch, knife and dynamite III the chief
cities of Great Britain. The amount OF
destruction to property III London,
Manchester, liverpool, Glasgow, Edin-
burgh and other Industrial centres OF
Great Britain. no matter how the Eng
lish newspapers may haya suppressed
Cbe facts, have been considerable. That
an organized and desperate effort is Oh
foot to sever the connecting link of the
crown between Ireland and England,
notwithstanding its.e success Of the
pllaIanx of moral suasion at the racent
convention at Chicago. it would be inn
becility to deny. Practical newspaper
men, who have followed up the events
Of the last seven years, cannot close
their eyes to facts. And that the con
tinuance Of this method Of warfare will
he pursued TO the bitter end is fore
shadowed in the recent utterancas IN
the House Of Commons and the Wal
like attitude of the government.
III connection with these efforts to
give Ireland her total and uncondiyion-
al freedom from Eng]isl, doalnatjon.
through tle information Of trustW orthy
individuals, q reporter OF the Star is
enabled to give its readers the painful
details OF the last attack OF the dyna-
mite party upon the blind, coeIcive pol
icy Of English atesmansalp in the
very heart OF London. The echo Of the
recent explosion at London Bridge has
not passed entil ely from memory. we
all remember the panic it created in the
English official mind, as advised by the
cable. Il tempting reward from the
cabinet failed tp put the agents in
scotland Yard 1pull the track OF its
perpetrators. The actors i'll and details
of the occurrence were never entirely
revealed. The mystery With which 1t
was surrounded soon buried the matter
in silence, in SO far us the outer world
was concerned. But not so with its
projectors. who were secretly eXnlting
over its success, and bol,nteous in their
applause of those who made it such, at
great personal risk.
After a sufficient time had expired
when those daring men should have
been heard from, inquiries Were imme-
diately set on foot, with the result that
while the mammoth rlicture itself
still stood erect, although badly shaken
the active participants i'll the event
never lived to tell the story of their
desperate exploit.
Who they were! This was the raost
difficult scruple Of the scriha's infor-
mant. After considerable pledges of
secrecy AS to the names, places and cir
cumstancas. the names Were given, but
were not to be given unless they got be-
fore the public in some other way. II
has since transpired that the leader Of
the adventure has been made known.
He WAS Captain William Mackev, more
familiarly known to Irish revoluticnists
as Lomasny.
London Bridge is as closely allied with
the history Of England-indeed.a .as some
one remarked, it is nearly as Old as the
monarchy Itself. Not far from it, on
the banks OF the Thames, stands the
lords and commons hall, and immeai-
ateiy opposite Westminster Abbey, a
crumbling monument Of Eng|and>s s
ancient alliance with Rome, within
whose historic walls moulder the bones
Of kings, statesmen and poets. Fit
place of assault for men imbued with a
hatred Of everything English. a close
inspection Ut the bridge satisfied Cap
tain Mack" that il would require 10
ordinary charge Of dynamite to take it
down. He had made up his mind. how
ever, and down it must come. AS self
possessed as a man going to partake OF
a sumptuous meal he went to put his
scheme into operation. He assumed no
disguise whatever. carried on a legiti-
mate ayocation, thereby throwing off
every particle Of suspicion. Having all
his plans laid he procured, through one
of his unfortunate associates, q boat:
and having acquaintedh himself with the
habits Of the water police, aJ an ad
vanced hour Of the evening, ere the tell
tale moon peeped from behind he1
cloud curtain, three men drifted in the