The Potteries Examiner : — 1878-12-14 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

THE POTTERIES EXAMINER, DEC. 14, 187$  WATERLOO- ROAD, BURSLEM.  THREATRITING THE QUBEN. EXTRAORDINARY CASE. Considerable excitement was caused in London, 012 Thursday, by the announcement that a man was in custody on a charge of threatening the life of the Queen. The statement proved to be tree but there is this redeeming feature in connection with the matter, that persons who are best ' acquainted with the accused allege that he is of unsound mind, and consider his letter ate nothing more than irresponsible threats. The prisoner is named Edward Byrne Malden, aged 56, and gives his address as 19, Duke-street, Aldgate, London. It seems that he is the son of Irish parents, but that he was born in France. That the accused was well educated is shown by the fact that he speaks English without any broken accent, whilst his knowledge of French and Germania complete. His first advent in London to the knowledge of anyone dates from last autumn, and at that time he stayed at the house in Aklgate above mentioned. For a long time it was considered that he was not responsible for his actions, and at length the relieving officer of the district came to the house and removed him to the infirmary of the workhouse, with a view of his being confined in the workhouse lunatic ward. This seems to have been done, but after some time the prisoner went to France, and it was in that country that he seems to hove made up his mind to threaten to do an injury to Her Majesty, as his first letter is directed to the British Ambassador in Paris, Lord Lyons, and is dated in Mty last. Nothing more seems to have come of this save a communication to the Foreign Office by Lord Lyons until a few Lys since, when the prisoner, who had arrived in England, took upon himself to write to the Hon. A. F. 0. Liddell, permanent under secretary to the Home Department. In this letter, which was duly signed by himself and dated from his lodgings in Dukestreet, be declared his intention to shoot her Majesty. Mr. Liddell exhibited this letter to the Home Secretary (Mr. Cross), and as a result the police at Scotland Yard were communicated with. The ease was put into the hands of Chief Superintendent Williamson, who at once issued ordem for a thorough investigation of the antecedents of Madden, while precautions were taken, in fear that the charge should be more than idle gossip, for protecting the person of Her Majesty by doubling the police-force at Windsor Castle. At first the authorities were of opinion that no reliance c-,uld be placed upon the statements of Madden, who, it was discovered, for the past 20 years had been in an unsound state of mind, had threatened to commit suicide, and more than once had been placed under restraint. But considerable colouring was given to the threats in the possession of the police from the fact that when Her Majesty was passing through an intermediate station, on her way from Scotland to Windsor, the repo.it of a pistol was heard. Whether there was any intention to fire at the royal ['ferriage or not of course does not appear, but the fact of a discharge bee g heard lends considerable iniportance to the &urge now laid against the prisoner. Those who have seen the letters, some of which are in French and the others in English, state that in them there was a direct threat of violence against the person of Her Majesty. The prisoner, when apprehended and charged with the offence, said in reply to the accusation that the letter he first wrote on the subject was in the French language, but be would not vouchsafe any further information to the officers. All day on Thurs. day inspector Butcher and the staff from the Criminal Investigation Department were endeavouring to ascertain whether the accused had any accomplices, but nothing was elicited crime noting other persons, and it is believed that the prisoner was acting on his own responsibility. Yesterday morning Madden was brought up by warrant before Sir James Ingham at Bow. street, charged with having addressed a letter to the Hon. Adolphus Frederick Octaviva Liddell, containing a threat to kill Her Most Omelette Majesty the Queen. Mr. Gabriel Robinson Moran, superintendent of the Registry at the Home Office, produced two letters which had been received at the Home Office, dated the 26th of May last and the 10th of December instant. Both were addressed to the Right Hon. R. A. Cross. There was also one addressed to the Hon. Adolphus Liddell, dated December 9. Inspector Butcher said that on the evening of the 10th of December he saw the prisoner at 19, Duke-street, Aldgate, and showed him the three letters produced by the last witness. He said it was true that lee had written them and sent them to the gentlemen to whom they were addressed. The witness showed him the copy of a letter which had been sent to Lord Lyons. He said he remembered writing that letter, but he believed he wrote it in Fiench. On Wednesday he (witness) received a warrant for the arrest of the prisoner, and he read it to the prisoner, desiring him to accompany witness to the police station. He readily consented to do so. The letters were handed up to Sir James, but not read in court. They were written in French; and the prisoner, on being asked if he had any questions to put to the witnesses, answered that , he had nothing whatever to say. Sir James Ingham said it would be desirable Ito have the letters read by a professional interpreter. in accordance with the usual practice of the Court, and he should remand the prisoner for a week for that purpose. The ' threat' was understood to be a demand for money, or a visit to Balmoral to 'change the form of Government.' The prisoner was removed duringthe afternoon to the Clerkenwell House of Detention, and during the period which will elapse prior to his further examination every effort will be made to discover whether he has accomplices, or whether, as those he has associated with declare, he is of weak intellect, and is not responsible for his tuitions.