The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-19
The aMieta ailu Eas Saturday orno 4eeemur ~ 1919

structed pupils in the mysteries of various
explosives gave them lessons about time
fuses, with the intention of sending them
forth ALMOST OF men to destroy the royal
palaces of Europe These call studies
We're rudely stopped by Superintendent
Melville and his fearless men. and four
conspirators were sent to penal servitude
for ten years and one for five years.
Superintendent Melville discovered that
This plot was arranged at the most for
midable of all the anarchist rendezvous
in London, the Antonomie Club, in Wind
mill street. Tottenham Court Read. The
smashing of this gang by Mr.. Melville
was the heaviest blow ever dealt at
Anarchism in England.
When. Bourdain was literally hoist
with his own petard," being killed by the
bomb which he had prepared for the de-
struction of the Royal Observatory. there
was found on him a card of membership
of the Autonomie Club. This sent Mr..
Melville down to Windmill street He sat
at the receipt of custom, placed his men
at various points, and arrested each man
as he sauntered into the club, keeping
this going for four hours. until he had
secured celiarful Of anarchists.
The chloroform scheme was one of the
most important of the anarchist systems
discovered by Mr.. Melville The detective
met one member of the Walsall gang as
the latter, on his arrival in London from
Walsall, was on his way TO the Autonomie
Club
What have you in that bottle?" asked
Superintendent Melville; and on the man
refusing to tell he ran him into the near
est police station, searched him, and dis
covered that the bottle contained chlor-
oform. Following this new clue, Super
intendent Melville found that the anarch-
lists of the Autonomie Club had devised
a terrible scheme for the sole purpose
of obtaining money for their murderoHs
propaganda ana spreading far and wide
the gentle doctrines of anarchism.
Their scheme was TO keep observation
upon members of the aristocratic clubs.
to shadow them as they left late at
night, and at the first opportunity to
chloroferm and rob them. Pima and Du-
val had carried out a long series of chlor-
oform robberies on the Continent, the
proceeds of which had been conscientious
ly devoted to the same purpose. Pena Is
now in prison in New Caledonia The
man arrested in the street by Mr. Mel
vile was sentenced TO five years impris-
onment by Mr. Justice Hawkins at Stat
ford Assizes
This was but a part of an international
scheme by which the leaders hoped to xiii
all the crowned heads of Europe
The frustrating of the chloform
scheme and the smashing of the Autono
mie Club made Mr.. Melville the most
hated man in England in anarchist eyes.
Threats poured in wholesale. Letters ar
rived in Scotland Yard promising the
most terrible vengeance upon Mr.. Mel
vile if he did not cease to watch the
anarchists. One anarchist with a loaded
revolver in his breast-pocket succeeded
in penetrating the strait corridors of Scot
land. Yard and getting into Superintend
ent MelvilIe's own room.
lie began to talk to Mr.. Melville quite
plausibly. but the trained eye of the de-
tective caught the CLINT of a shining pis-
tol-barrel behind the edge Of the anarch-
lists coat. Quick as lightning he suatched
the weapon. coolly Informed The visitor
that he had nothing more to say to him,
and then flung him out into the passage
ITO handcuf and imprison him. re-
marked Mr. Melville would have been to
have made him martyr, to have given
him just what he lived for: chance
to shine as the man who for the cause
had bearded Melville in his den. Publicity
and the martyrs halo are the breath of
the anarchists nostrils. BY treating him
with contempt and ignominiousy throw
ing him out l deprived him of the halo"
Mr.. Melville had a narrow escape of
death at Poplar in 1893, when Francois
tried to shoot MIN to avoid arrest. But
the powerful, athletic detective was too
quick for the criminal and pinned him
down and took away his weapon.
A sharp struggle at Victoria station oc-
Cured when Mr.. Melville left his wifes
side. went up To the French bomb-throw-
er. Meunier. and started to put him under
arrest. Meunier drew his fully loaded re-
volver. but the detective showed that ne
had muscle as well as brains, and gripped
the anarchists arm in time. There was
an up and down struggle, Meunier was Sc
cured. and in addition to the cartridges in
the revolver Mr.. Melville found a large
stock of ball cartridges In his captives
pockets
Mr.. Melville knows his "seamy'' London
as well as any man, but he knows his
"seamy' Paris well, too. One of the mar
rowest escapes he ever had occurred
there. In company with a French detec-
tive Mr.. Melville walked down the mar
row streets of the Montmartre and en-
tered an anarchist den. The moment he
entered some of the anarchists recog-
nized him There was a yell of anger.
n flash. and bullet took the ash off Mr..
Melville's cigar.
oh" he observed. calmly, Il was not
aware that you objected to smokin.
and thereupon arrested man who had
baffled the officers for months.-london
Mail.
BRIGHT SIDE OF PROBLEM.