The record-union., 1896-10-17
Vigorously Dsny That They Were
Engaged in Any Plot.
According to an Expert Of the 0eolog-
ical Survey OF This Government,
There is rl0re Gold Ready to be
Africa Than is Now in Jse Through.
out the World.

NEW YORK, Oct. 16.-John F..
I-earney and Thomas Haines, the two
alleged Irish dynamiters, who were ar
rested in Rotterdam on September 18th,
arrived at Hoboken this morning on
the steamship Workendam.
Besides few personal friends there
was no one on the pier to receive them.
Kearneys wife did not receive tele-
graphic notice of the arrival of the ves-
sci until 10 o'clock, and she was not
present. Kearney, however, waited for
her, and at 10 o'clock he greeted his
wife and daughter. The meeting was
an affecting one. Ten minutes later
Kearney his wife and child and
Thomas Haines were on their way to
Kearney's home at 927 Washington av-
enue.
Both men tell remarkable stories, and
both vigorously deny that they had
ever been engaged in any dynamite
plot. They insist that their arrest was
due to a plot on the part Of English
detectives.
kearney, as we'll as Haines, seemed
amazed when informed OF the stories
published concerning him, particularly
that which said that $4,000 Of English
money had been found in his possession
in Rotterdam when arrested. The
fact of the matter is" he said, that 1
left New York with less than $3.50, and
at the time Of my arrest I had only
500 40. 1 have brought back with me
exactly 81 20. AS to the story that l
was engaged in the manufacture of
bombs or destructive affairs, l want to
say right here that there is not a word
of truth in the story. l started for
Europe on August 1st, my brother-in-
lsw purchasing the passage tickets with
| money which l gave him, and 1t was
Lot until was many days out that my
| name had been changed. My wife is
a German and had a little property
coming to her over there. My brother
in-law suggested that it would be a
| good thing to take trip over there and
settle up the estate. AS my business
was in such shape that l could go, 1
readily consented to go. l had a pretty
good time in both Antwerp and Rotter-
dam, living in the most economical
manner, until two days before my ar
| rest.
| While in a saloon one day 1 met Mr..
Haines. / recognized him as an Amer
iCan, as he did me. l learned from
him that he was in Europe on a vaca-
ton. He asked me if l could tell him
a good hotel to stop at and I invited
| him to mine. When we got to the ho-
tel we found that there was not a va
cant room, SO l offered him, as l would
any other American, a share of my
bed. Well, Haines and myself looked
about for the first day, then he became
very i'll and l had to nurse him. He
was lying in bed on the morning of
lSeptember 18th. 1t was about . o'clock,
if | remember rightly, when there was
| a knock at the door. l opened It and
| found six policemen and an English
man whose name l do not know stand
1 ing outside. Each carried a small ar
| senal, and then l was told that 1 was
under arrest. My room was never
searched in my presence. Indeed, we
| were bundled outside and taken to the
| station house. In our absence they
claimed to have searched the room and
| found a number of Internal machines
under the bed upon which 1 was lying.
Then l was taken to a cell.
| Every day for twelve solid hours
| two policemen sat in the cell with me
and was not allowed to lie down. They
kept telling me all the time that 1 had
better save myself, as one of my pals
had confessed. They spoke to me of
lyman and Bell. / met lyman once or
twice in New York, but never knew
him. / did not know Bell at all Yet
they kept harping about confessions
and informers until l grew sick Of lis
tening and refused to talk at all except
to state my needs. The Police Com
missioners told me that my only hope
was to save myself by confessing.
| THE food got was vile. Once I was
weak from lack of food and sleep 1
never want another such an experience.
| shall never forget it. Only the Port
land Prison convicts could be treated
worse. Finally the detectives got tired.
They would not let me see any news
papars except those published i'm for
eign languages. / was not allowed to
communicate with any of my friends.
! Then the time came when we had
| to be released. The Chief of Police
tried to make us sail home by way of
England, but I resolutely refused, for
I knew what that would mean"