Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1886-10-16 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

PLOT TO BURN VIENNA. ANARCHIST CONSPIRACY. -A vast Anarchist plot, almost unprecedented in revolutionary annals, has just been frustrated by the vigilance of the Vienna police. The facts revealed in the official report testify that part of the city has narrowly escaped destruction. It is uncertain whether the whole of the diabolical conspiraiiy has been disclosed, but the particulars that have been allowed to see the light prove that the skill and discretion of the police have saved Vienna from a terrible catastrophe, exceeding everything of the kind hitherto attempted in view of terrorising civilised society. Since the trial of Stellmacher and Kammerer iittle had been heard of the Anarchists. Many of them had left Vienna for the United States, but a certain number had latterly returned, and, according to the official account, it is they who organised the plot recently detected. So far as the authorities have thought proper to make known the designs of the conspirators, it was intended simultaneously to set fire to the western quarter of Vienna, where the working classes reside. They had divided themselves into four groups. One of them was to begin operations in the suburb of Penzing, in the neighbourhoodof the Imperial residence of SchOinbrunn another was entrusted with the district of Roseau, and had actually placed incendiary apparatus in a large timber-yard, where they were fortunately discovered in time; a third group was airs ady at work at Meidling and Ilettendorf in a timber , store, but there, too, the incendiary stuff was removed before it had taken effect; and the fourth group was engaged in carrying out its sinister purpose in the suburb of Favorites, when warning appears to hate been given that caused the conspirators to decamp. The incendiary materials used consisted principally of an ingeniously-contrived square bottle contlining about two litres of ineammable liquid connected through a glees tube with a fuse which burns several minutes before setting fire to the liquid itself. The latter on igniting produces a large flame that keeps alifht some little time. If properly manipulated this eontrivance, which has been the object of ritinierous experiments, cannot possibly fail, The conspirators were initiated in the preparation of the necessary ingredients at a small wine-shop in Peezing, where a private room was set apart for them. About twenty of them used to meet there on the Visa of studying chemistry, but the police ascertained that the real qbject was to learn how to make explosives The authorities obtained timel3 information of what was on foot, but were bent on securing full evidence and a complete list of those implicated. They therefore allowed things to go on until the conspirators, having terminated their preparations, the plot was on the very eve of execution. Seventeen arrests have been effected. The investigations and domiciliary searches made have led to some startling discoveries. Two hand. shells filled with dynamite were found at the lodgings of a weaver's apprentice. They were the size of a large orange, and were provided with sixteen nipples, any one of which, on receiving the slightest shock, would cause the shell to explode. They were concealed in the wall, and it required the utmost caution to remove them without accident. A quantity of loose dynamite and chloroform was found in the same room. Four incendiary bottles, sub as described above, were seized in the apartment of a mechanic. In another instance the police laid hands en a number of forged permits" authorising the bearer to proceed with a domiciliary search. The signature of the Prefect of Police and the stamp of the Prefecture were imitated to perfection. These papers were used for extorting money. Thus last August a party of Anarchists, disguised as police officials, called on a lady residing at SchoiMbrunn, and, exhibiting one of these permits," searched the apartment on the pretext of looking for forged bank notes. The lady handed them 470 florins, but her daughter, suspecting something wrong, gave the alarm, whereupon the intruders hastily withdrew. The money was to have been employed for a dynamite laboratory; but this was not the only illicit means resorted to by the conspirators for raising funds. Four of the men in custody had made complete preparations for fabricating false coin. They intended to issue Austrian silver florMs. 2500 grammes of silver had been Bold to a local bank in order to raise money for the purchase of some material that was still wanting the coining could begin.  Tim passengers and officials on the platform at the Bishop's Stortford Railway Station were the other Morning. says a local correspondent, startled by the extraordinary proceedings of a women who was on the towing-path of the canal within a hundred yards of the station. In full view of them all she divested herself of her clothing and jumped into the water. Thinking it to bean attempt at suicide several persona were about proceeding to the river, when they saw her emerge again, and, without stopping to dry herself, put on her clothes and cross the intervening field to the railway atation. Without heeding the curious eyes that. followed her she passed through the station into the town.. She was welt dressed, and wore in ulster, and was about 35 years of age. She was not known.