News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-05-21

A Sneeze Under London bridge That |
Cost Two and Saved Many Lives. |
A Sneeze That Averted Assassina- |
tion-One That Caused a Panic.
Exactly at 6 p. m. on the evening of |
Dec. 10, 1884, a sneeze was sneeZed I'M |
der London bridge which consigned
two men to an instant and horrible
death.
Their names were Lomasney and
Fleming, and they were conspirators.
Their mission was to blow up the
bridge with dynamite, because it was
considered that at that time there
would be more people crossing it
workmen, workgirls and others on
their way home from businessman at
any other and that the loss in human
life would be therefore correspondingly
more appalling.
All went well at first. The pair of
desperadoes dropped noiselessly down
the river in a boat, with forty pounds
of dynamite in their possession, to-
gether with the necessary fuses and de-
tonators. Arrived at their destination,
however, they found that the gully hole
underneath the southern arch of the
structure, wherein it had been their in
tention to insert the explosive, had
been stopped up. Lomasney undertook
to remove the obstruction, but it occu-
pied him some little time. The night
was bitterly cold, and his comrade got
chilled and was seized with a sudden
fit of sneeZing. In his agitation he
dropped one or more of the decorators
he was holding, and these, falling on
the dynamite which was laying in the
bottom of the boat, exploded it, with
disastrous results. Doubtless, however,
that inopportune sneeze, although IL
ended the career of pair of despera'
does. saved London bridge from de-
struction
That the Right Hon. w. e. Forster
died peacefully in his bed instead or
being assassinated in 1882 was due to
a sneeze. Three times the conspirators
laid in wait for him, but the last at
tempt was the most determined of
them all. Four men armed with heavy
caliber navy revolvers were to Waylay
him as he drove from the viceregal
lodge to the castle. Two of the assas
sins were to fire at him from the first
| floor window of house in certain
| street. and the other two were station
| ed at the window of another house
| few wards down on the opposite side OF
the way.
These latter were the reserves DIES
| tined to try their skill should their col
leagues miss Neither of the two hrlnG
parties were to show themselves unit
the near approach of their proposed
victim was signaled from the stree
below. The signal in question was II
be the waving Of a pocket handker
chief by James Carey, the same mai
who was afterward killed by ODon
nell.
The plot was excellently planned
from the point of view of the particl
pants therein. in fact, so far as human
foresight could provide against EVENT.
alities the chief secretary seemed a
good as dead. Yet it all came to naugh
and for so simple a reason that tn
plotters themselves, meeting togethe
afterward at their secret rendezvou
in North King street, were fain
laugh at their own discontinue.
The morning was cold and gust!
d. Mr.. Forster was somewhat late, an
Carey, chilled with waiting about, b'
gan. to sneeze. Instinctively he dre'
out his handkerchief, the handkerchie
that was to give the fatal signal, an
in an instant the clustering north win
had ticked it from his benumbed I'll
gers and sent it sailing down the stree
' as twenty mile an hour gait
At that very instant the chief seer
\ | tary's carriage turned the corner ar
came swiftly toward him. Carey ra
to the spot which had been previous
/ agreed upon and tried to make his fe
( low conspirators understand that the
victim was in sight by signaling Wi
y his arm and pointing.
The result, however, though exact
- what might have been foreseen, hard
came up to his expectations. The TO
men at the windows were waiting for
: man with a handkerchief. Instead, thu
u saw one without any such signalil
If apparatus, evidently excited and poll
y ing wildly up the street. Instantly tn
5e conjured up visions of traitors in the
z ranks and of detectives on their trac
e. and, dropping their weapons, incon
N nently and hastily fed.
Re On the evening of Oct. IL, 1878,
e liceman on duty near the Coliseu
is Music hall, Liverpool, noticed an vi
q sual commotion at the entrance.
IS sheveled boys and girls, their CLOTH
d in many instances torn from thu
Re backs and some of them covered wi
o blood were pouring from the gale
exits, while from within the buildi
= came the sound of shrieking and 10
cries for help. Realizing something
what was happening, the consta'
y seized an ak and smashed in two of
d extra" doors.
His prompt action undoubtedly say
= scores if not hundreds of lives, for
It. this time the auditorium had become
g. veritable pandemonium, wherein sew
al thousand people, mad with teri