Omaha daily bee., 1896-10-17
DYNAMITE SUSPECTS LAND
John F. Kearney and Thomas Haines Reach
New York from Holland.
MAINTAIN THEIR ENTIRE INNOCENCE
INcnrney Says He Never owned n
Bomb md ~ Any Were Found
Under the He'd the Police
Put Them There.

NEW YORK, Oct. 16.-Among the second
cabin passengers who arrived on the steam
ship Werkendam today from Rotterdam were
two men whose names were not on the pub
1ished list OF passengers. Their tickets
bore the names OF John Williams and Henry
Smith but the men themselves were John
J.. Kearney and Thomas Haines. respectively.
Kearney and Haines we're arrested Septem-
Der 10 In Rotterdam, for having dynamite
bombs in their possession and as being
concerned In a conspiracy against the lives
of the car OF Russia and the queen of Eng
land. When a representative OF the AS
ISOLATED press boarded the Werkendam from
revenue cutter in the upper bay and
asked the purser and stewards whether Kear-
noy or lanes we're aboard, no one seemed
to know them by those names. The re-
porter however, met two men on the upper
deck who were conversing in a quiet way,
and his attention was drawn to them by
their pronounced Irish accent. When asked
n their names we're not Kearney and Haines
both gazed at the reporter with looks OF
mixed amazement and amusement. They
denied positively that they were the men
whom the reporter wished to see, and main
put to them until the Werkendam had been
put in dock in Hoboken, when they adj
mitted their Identity. The Associated press
representative succeeded in getting the fol-
lowing statement from the recently released
suspects:
John f. Kearney said that he had gone
some weeks ago to Antwerp and later to
Rotterdam to see his wife's friends on
family and business matters. While there
he said, he met Haines, and both recognized
81 Nl..tV L. tEf
English Kearney speaks and reads German
fairly well, while Haines. who was on tour
OF pleasure, only speaks English. They
stopped at the same hotel in Rotterdam
where they arrived September IL. Haines
was then Ill, and was confined to his room
on the following day.
ARRESTED WHILE IN BED.
ION Sunday morning, the 18Th about
o'clock. while occupying the same room at
the Queens hotel, Rotterdam, they were
awakened by a rapping at the door OF the
room Kearncy jumped from his bed and
opened the door. AS he did So he was CON
fronted by six Dutch police officers and an
inspector, who spoke English fairly well.
He told the two men to consider themselves
under arrest. They were surprised at this
and asked what was the charge against
them. The inspector informed them That
he had orders to arrest them, and a iked
n they would come peaceably to the police
barracks They dressed themselves lmme-
diately and consented to be handcunoG.
They were then taken to the barracks, or
police station, and held there without being
given any further Information until
o'clock in the afternoon They then were
served with some sandwiches and coffee at
their own expense. On the following
Wednesday. after being separated in the
meantime Kearney was brought before the
commissioner OF police. In his own words, he
described the interview this way:
From Sunday afternoon until Wednesday,
and in fact foi the remainder OF the time,
was confined In the prison was kept aloot
from all the other prisoners. was CON
tinually under the watch OF two guards, who
wore armed. and after | got out OF my cot
in the morning until | retired at night, I
was compelled to sit In chair, which had
a rope, instead of cane bottom. When
brought before the commissioner OF police
and the inspector was informed that was
charged with manufacturing and having in
my possession dynamite bombs This
knew to be false, as l had never had pos
session OF these things, and when told that
sew eral of them were found underneath the
he'd in which Haines and slept, l almost
had Mt, when thought OF the danger was
in. Sure. man, they might have gone on
at any time. | am positive however that
these explosives II such they were, were not
placed there either by myself or my friend
Haines.
PLOT OF SCOTLAND YARD
at is simply another of those deep-laid
plots OF the Scotland Yard men, who won't
stop at anything In order to make a case
against Irishmen, whenever they find II
necessary, matter how inconvenient.
Those explosives were put there after We
were taken out Of the room.
II lived on prison fare during the time I
was in prison. but nearly all the time
was troubled with nausea, as / could not
eat the bread, piece of which | will show
You. Here Kearney handed the reporter a
thin slice of very dark bread, about
quarter of an inch thick and about two
inches by three inches In size). | got a
few slices of this for a meal three times n
day with an allowance OF one quart Of
milk and three quarts of water per diem.
When entered the prison they took away
my handkerchief and glasses as well as my
money, and presented me with reading mat
ter in the shape Of novels printed in Eng
lish. The tyne however, was so small that
could not make 1t out without my glasses.
They then handed me some old German
newspapers which were printed in large
sized type and out Of them l contrived TO
obtain some information"
at was said, Mr. Kearney. that you had
considerable amount OF money on oyou
when you were arrested" observed the re-
porter.
''Well, | don't know what they might re-
gard as a considerable amount. But l had
$50 bill. American money. and forty gull
den, which made, In all. $50 The charges
al the hotel for my three days there. on one
of which had not had chance of eating
any hing, places the Queens hotel In Rot
terdam away ahead of the Waldorf for
high rates. knew nothing of what was
being done In my case until week ago last
Saturday, when two officers came to my cell.
and told me to come out. ] met Haines
at the entrance OF the prison and we were
both hustled into a carriage which was In
waiting. Accompanied by the officers. we
were driven 10 the Nedcrland pier and put
aboard the vessel We were handed second
class tickets to New York at our own ex-
pense, $4S each. | was then handed the
balance of my money, which was very small.
My arrest has deprived me of the oppor-
tunity Of making money during this cam
palgn, as issue a paper every fall known
as the Irish Nationalist, the revenue from
which is generally profit to me OF 50 500
Ny being detained on the other side has
made the publication OF this paper before
election an almost impossible task"
LYMAN WOULD IsE DYNAMITE