Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-01-05
Two Burglars Lose Lives in
Self Set ConfIagaration.
PREFERRED DEATH TO CAPTURE
1900 Police and Scots Guards Fail
to DisIodge Desperate Men
in Barricaded House.

of the Mansion house and even nearer
the Tower Of London. There are now
lying in the mortuary of the London
hospital, only a couple of hundred
yards from the scene of the astonish-
ing battle, the charred, unacceptable
remains of two men who for more
than ten hours held at bay a 100 pick
ed guardsmen and 1900 London police
and then persisted uncaptured.
The trouble that eliminated In the
battle began Dec. 16, when five police
men were shot while trying to arrest
burglars. One of the BURGERS was also
and killed by an accidental bullet from
the weapon of one Of his comrades.
The other three men and a woman, all
Russians, escaped. The London police
at once stared a search or those who
escaped. When they took possession
of the house where the shooting oc-
CURED, they made a startling dtscov-
cry. The rooms contained a store of
weapons, ammunition and all mater
ials for making bombs. There were
500 cartridges, $50 Mauser bullets,
quantities of nitroglycerine, illuminate
of mercury and other explosives, scien-
tiflce books dealing with explosives
and anarchists leaflets. It was re-
ported that letters found revealed SEN
sational anarchist plots and immedi-
ately the city teemed with all sorts of
rumOrs, chief of which was the theory
that the plot was intended to develop
at the coronation of King George in
June. A Russian convict, brought to
London, from an outside prison, is al
legged to have told CT plot in which
thirty desperate men were involved.
Police finally tracked the two men
and woman to fOur-story tenement
house in Sydney street, Stepney, and
the woman was arrested by a ruse.
Armed detectives then took posses
sion of adjoining houses, while armed
police surrounded the house. Then in
the dark of the early morning a party
Of armed police, carrying eIectric
torches, approached the house. The
suspected men were on the watch, for
on the instant a fusilade of bullets
poured through a window at the In
yading party. The police retired, and
more officers were summoned. The
besieged men kept up a desultory fire
which was returned ineffectively, and
Sergt. Lesson headed an attempt to
rush the house from the rear. He fell
at once, severely wounded in the chest.
The besieged men kept Of contInu-
Gus fire and squad after squad of
police arrived. Every .coign of want
age was occupied at corners, in arch
ways and on roofs. First from one
window and then another of the two
upper stories, the beseiged fired from
time to time, inflicting wounds on po-
licemen or civilians. Bullet after bull
let crashed through the windows, but
none found it's mark.
Finally the police communicated
with the Home Secretary and in less
than half an hour, 100 SCOTS guards,
quartered in the Tower OF London,
gray coated with rifles on their should
ers, a 100 rounds of ball cartridges
in each pouch, and with a Maxim gun,
swung into the field of action 70 aid
the 1900 men in their attack on the
fortress held by two men.
The soldiers rapidly took up their
positions. Some opened fire from win
dows on an opposite fortress Others
lay at full length in the street, while
sharpshooters occupied a loft In a
neighboring brewery, keeping up
steady, fire, but the defenders did not
lack courage. Now at one window
then at another, smoke blackened
hand holding Mauser pistol was seen
and half a dozen shots would be pour
ed at the assaulters. In a short time
the bullets of the guardsmen and po-
lice shattered the woodwork and pit
ted the sill and brickwork with hun
dreds of bullets. But the end came
Smoke began to creep out of win
dows of the tenement The besieged
had preferred death to surrender.
Showers of charred paper blew out Of
window, suggesting the destruction
of documents The smoke grew dens-
er and flames appeared. Fire engines
in plenty were ready, but the fire the
D0S1eOeu udu CI6dl6u WAS 16lL 10 DC
complish what the soldiers ana police
had failed to do. The soldiers con-
tinued to pour a rapid fire into the
blazing house, but now there was no
reply. For about so minutes this con-
tinued, then two shots were heard
within. This was the last s1gn from
the two desperate defenders. A few
minutes later the roof and copings
were falling and the ground floor and
windows were belching flames The
interior of the house and every one
within it were completely destroyed.
The casualties were numerous The
most seriously injured are Sergt. Lee
son and Fire Brigade officer Pearson
He and other firemen were struck by
falling masonry when part of the
house collapsed after the fight was
over. Three policemen were wounded,
a soldier was hurt, sergeant of the
Scots Guards received a flesh wound
in the leg and three spectators were
struck by bullets.