The Pontypridd District Herald and Rhondda Valley, Llantrisant, Caerphilly, and Mountain Ash News. — 1894-04-21 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

ANARCHISTS IN EUROPE.  TRIAL IN LONDON.  Coneiderable precautions were taken ab Bow. itreet Police-court, London, in view of the appear. •  anoe before Sir Joha Bridge of the two Anarchists. Meunier and Rioken. The prisonei are Constant Meunier, cabinet maker, aged 33, whose extradi. . .  tion is demanded by the French Government on a charge of wilful murder arising out sof the fatal explosion at the Cafe Very, in 1592; and John Frank Riokom instrument maker, of 108, Cleveland•street, who is charged with attempting to rescue Meunier from lawful custody. —blender was placed in the dock, and a remand was asked for on behalf of the French authorities by M. Astole, as the papers had not yet arrived—Mounter was remanded for a week, and removed...-7Rioken was . . .  then placed in the dock.—George illookman an inspector of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, said that he saw Inspector Melville arrest Meunier, who struggled. The prisoner rushed at Melville and the two others who were assisting him to hold Meunier. Melville called out, "Hold ' tight that man, he is a dangerous fellow, and I hold a warrant for his apprehension for murder." Witness helped to secure Meunier. Melville was then struggling with the prisoner' who fell on the las latforni. When he was secured he said, "Why o you apprehend me, you follow us like bets? know nothing of this man, he is nothing to do with me."— Mr. Bamford pleaded that his client had met Meunier in Bruseels some months back, when he went by the name of Henri. - He met him , again on the afternoon in question, and was asked by him to act as interpreter. At the station he saw a man in plain clothes catching hold of Meunier, and naturally went to his assistance. He waa then seized, but did not know that they were police till he was on the ground. e did not know Meunier except as Henri, and suggested that Meunier should be called to corroborate this. He had no desire to resist the law.—The prisoner added that he was seized by the leg and thrown to the ground by five men, and told them that they were beasts to be so many to one.—Sir John Bridge asked what was known of the prism:len—lnspector Melville said that the prisoner was a native of Dusseldorf. In 1865 he was expelled from Belgium as a violent Anarchist. He went back there, and got married to an Italian. In 1890, 1891, and 1892 he was in Geneva, where be was also a violent Anarchist, and was arrested in May, 1892, but released on promising to leave the country. He did so, and arrived in London the same month with another Anarchist. In April, 1893, he married an English woman, who was chiefly supporting him, as he had not done more than three months' work since he had been over here. He had taken a very violent part as an Anarchist.—Sir John Bridge: Active? —lnspector Melville: No; he had only been talking. Meunier had been living with one of his intimate friende.—Sir John Bridge said that he was charged with attempting to rescue a person in lawful custody. That he attempted to do so there was no doubt. Last week he had boasted at that court without any reason for his doing so that he was an Anarchist. He (Sir John Bridge) could not understand how anyone could boast of it. Anarchy meant living without government and without law. Law meant the protection of the weak against the strong, and the innocent against the violent, and a man with e wife ought surely to realise this. A man had, however, a right to any opinions and if he did not take an active part in carrying them out he was not to be prosecuted for them. If he tried to get other people to carry them out he might come within the law, but simply holding them was not an offence. lie would not, therefore, punish him because he had been vain enough to say that he was an Anarchist. The sentence on him was that he would have to pay a fine of £5, or go to prison for a month. •