The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-06-27
Stories Of
Stories
THE RED COW" GROUP
BY Arthur. Morrison.

| @SNOoE tney khtneFe0 nl4ntty
* at tho bar Of the Red Cow
liz public house in London'i
slums to spend their days pa,
on cheap booze. they called Themselves
! Tho Red Cow Group" They were
Anarchists. Their leader was one
| Sotcher. a Breasily. unwashed orator
who had recently come thitehr to tell
tho'n they were the salt Of the earth
and that they were ground down and
rlundered and bullied by a wicked gov.
ment. down with everybody who
wasn't down aIreadyD
The Red Cow Group no longer exists.
This 10 the tale OF it's downfall:
IVY are we pore7" sotcher once
Numbered. "Becos Of the magist. ates an
the p'lice! Make a clean sweep Of EN-!
Blow EN- up! Then you'll ave yer
rights"
The Red Cow Group was keenly in
terested. Some one asked how the OBJ
noxious authorities could be blown up.
sotcher siibly explained the process
whereby q blend Of nitric and sulphuric
acid, mixed with glycerine. made one
OF the deadliest and simplest explosives
The group eagerly listened to the for
mula. sotcher explained that the ex-
plosivc was Of a yellowish and oily
appearance. and should DO filtered
aTSnsh sfna ' oae Kept ,he srS ssn sn
thusia sticaIiy volunteered ID get the
materials and make the mixture.
Tho next night, when Sotcner arrived
spirits. For. in his pockets jinFied a
fairly large sum Of money supplied to
him by certain Anarchistic chiefs. IN re-
ward for his success in interesting the
hitherto mnrcsporsive slum-dwellers In
To his surprise. he found the rest Of
the Group already there. They explained
that they had been holding a meeting
and. acting on an earlier suggestion Of
s sso ssy nsS By 70 up the
neighoorhood gas house lnis. they had
decided. would throw the whole district
Into dsrkness and would brighten the
Gunno Poison then produced a canister
Of yellowish, oily fluid. mixed with sand.
This, he said. was to be hidden under
an edge Of the gas house and isnited
by means Of a fuse. At sight of the ex-
dirty face pale to II. lips. ' apont shake
II! You'll blow us all up n you don't
keep It still. Its-it's sioh awful stunt"
Poison reduced him to helpless panic
vote had elected sotcher himself to the
honor OF placing the explosive and light
ing the fuse. It would probably mean
death to the leader. Poison added, but
It would be a glorious death, a death
such as sotcher had alwaye told them a
true Anarchist should be glad to die.
The terrified Sotcher tried to bolt
They caught and tied him. His coward
ice. they said. seemed to indicate he
was police spy. And, now, he must
meet the death he had told them should
always be dealt out merciclessly to
traitors to the holy cause.
They carried him to the gas works.
tied him to the ground there, put the
canister beside him and lighted the fuse.
But. before lighting II. one OF them
said:
you won't ave no use for money
where you're going. Besides, it'd be
body"
So. they turned his pockets inside out.
and Joyously divided the contents among
themselves. After which they touched
of the fuse and left their victim to be-
come an involuntary martyr.
AT dawn a passing policeman found
Sotcher lying bound beside the gas
house wall. He was unhurt, but could
give no clear account OF his presence
there. So, as he smelled OF gin. he was
arrested on a charge Of "frunk and
On the ground beside him was found
large canister-full Of sand and cas-
tor oil.
(Copyrtsht Io1sN