The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-02-03
EUROPES CHIEF SLEUTH.
THOMAS MELVILLE'S REMARK.
ABLE CAREER AT SCOTLAND
YARDS.

listers.
The most famous living detective,
Superintendent William Melville, of
Scotland Yard, who has recently been
charged with the personal care of the
king on his foreign Journeys, retired
the other day.
Destroyer of anarchist clubs, pro-
tector of kings, he has worked hard
for 81 years in the detection of crime,
and has lived to complete his service
and earn his leisure in spite Of the
explosive bomb, the chloroformed bag,
the dagger. and the revolver, all of
which at one time or another have
been carefully prepared for his own
personal destruction.
The vile Melville" was the NUT
tered phrase of hatred often heard in
the anarchistic haunts of Soho in the
| days when Superintendent Melville
was breaking them down-and he was
often there to hear 1t said.
Although at the head of a staff of
| detectives, he did not merely remain
at his Office in Scotland Yard and
give orders. Taking his life in his
hand, he prowled Soho by night; he
| made friends of Italians and French
men, members of the plotting clubs;
| disguised as an anarchist" himself
he obtained invitations to their meet
| ings; he went to their feasts and
| dances, and their masked balls were
regarded by Mr.. Melville as so many
delightful bits of luck.
At these picturesque night revels
| every one present was supposed to be
either an active anarchist or a friend
| and supporter of the great cause"
| and Superintendent Melville was able
while masked himself to see the
anarchist leaders unmasked and sur
rounded by their supporters.
He chatted volubly with them in
French or Italian, he studied their
features, learned their aspirations, dis
covered their programs of murder, and
in some cases was able to quietly ar
rest red-handed and in the possession
of deadly bombs the very men with
whose wives and friends he had been
dancing.
| The way in which he imprisoned an
anarchist in wine cellar is typical
of his methods The man was Ger
man, and he had made arrangements
| to assassinate the then Kaiser on his
visit to'one of the exhibitions in Lon
| don. Having got his man to the wine
cellar steps by ruse, and having no
specific charge or warrant upon which
| to arrest him, Mr.. Melville took the
law into his own hands, pushed the
man into the cellar, locked the door,
and kept him safe bottled up" until
the Kaiser had departed.
One of his Soho vigils unearthed the
Walsall scheme.
Following up shadowy clues inch by
inch, and maintaining his fine system
of surveillance by corps of detectives,
he traced the Italian bomb expert Bat
tola to Walsall. There the anarchist
leaders not only preached the doc
trincs of anarchism, but taught their
disciples how to carry them out. In
secret cellar Ballota held bomb
class, and had all the paraphernalia
for making bombs. He instructed
pupils in the mysteries of various ex-
plosives gave them lessons about time
fuses, with the intention of sending
them forth a host of men to destroy
the royal palaces of Europe. These
calm studies were rudely stopped by
Superintendent Melville and his fear
less men, and four conspirators were
sent to penal servitude for 10 years
and one for five years.
| Sunariptaplept Mplyilia 1icopvarad
that this plot was arranged at the
most formidable of anarchist rendez-
vous in London, the Autonomie club,
In Windmill street, Tottenham court
road. The smashing of this gang by
Mr.. Melville was the heaviest blow
ever dealt at aGarchism in England.
When Bourdain was literally hoist
with his own petard," being killed by
the bomb which he had prepared for
the destruction of the Royal Observa-
tory, there was found on him a card of
MEMBERSHIP of the Autonomie club.
This sent Mr.. Melville down to Wind
mill 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 Sc
cured cellarful of anarchists.
The chloroform scheme was one of
the most important Of the anarchist
systems discovered by Mr.. Melville.
Tho detective met one member of the
Walsall gang as the latter, on his ar
rival 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 nearest police station, search
ed him, and discovered that the bottle
contained chloroform. Following this
new clue, Superintendent Melville
found that the anarchists Of the Au-
tonomie club had devised a terrible
scheme for the sole purpose of obtain
ing money for their murderous propa-
ganda and spreading far and wide the
| pantIa doctripaa Of aparcbicp,