"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

(Specially Written for the -Witness Ladies' Page.) , PEACEFUL ENGLAND , !

LONDON, January 29. Tendon was roused • last week to a state "of excitement when two Russian Terrorists in broad daylight made a fivemile flight ,through the streets, shooting 29 persons and killing a policeman who jpureued and a harmless boy whe was passing by. Both the imfnans were shot ia turn, one attempting suicide. . One of the Anarchists is dead ; 'the other may survive to receive his deserts at thj hands of the 'lav/. The outrage of a kind familiar in Russia, £>ut unparalleled in. peaceful England, began in robbery. Two_ Russian Poles named Jacob and Hefeld, of that class which Russia banishes from its shores, and who find a convenient refuge in England, had made themselves acquainted with- the movements of the indiarubber-eovering works" of Messrs Schnurniann's works, Tottenham, and. hung; about on Saturday morning to waylay the clerk who returned in a motor * car oearins a bag from the bank containing over £100, which was i o - pay the workmen their wages. At 9.30 on the Saturday morning" two roughlooting men in caps, with their coat-collare turned up about their ears, were observed looking into a photographic case opposite the gates of the works. Presently a motor car turned the corner and stopped at the prates and the young clerk jumped out with the bag of money. Immediately the robbers sprang upon him and snatched the bag, but the plucky young employee, who was only aged -17, clung to it, although on-Q of the ruffians wa^ firing " at him and the chauffeur who dashed to gtive assistance, regardless of the consequences. The shots fortunately did not "take effect, and by this time the gates of the' works wereflung open, and men came to assist, also jjplicemen from an adjacent police station wero quickly on the scene. - The Terror--ist* got away with the money, firing indiscrrmLnat&Ly at their pursuers a? they ran, -29 of whom were wounded in the chase — p, chasa which reads' more like the chapters of a sensational novel than i scene in a well-ordered, modern city. The car was „ boarded by several constables > and members of the firm, the chaffeur sprank to his driving wheel, and -the oar ■was off after the fugitives. The t>wo men suddenly halted an 3 faced the car The taller of the two, resting his gun ci his left arm, took deliberate aim at the chaffeur, who had a narrow escape. Cha bultet -grazing his neck. The third shot disabled the car, and stopped the engine," and the first constable who alighted was shot in the legs, and fell. The .foreigners turned again, and resumed their flight, followed bj a growing crowd of men and boys, the policemen Skading. They broke from the main thoroughfare across tome marshland, which led to a railway station, and here a fine young member -of the force, •unarmed, gained' upon them by making short cuts. They waited until he was within a few yards of them ; then both fired at once, and Constable Tyler threw up his arms and fell dead. The pockets of both ruffians were full of cartridges, and they loaded as they ran, one loading and the other firing. The next victim ■was a harmless boy of 10' running to a cricket patch. • " Meanwhile by telegraph aud telephone ati the police "statiore for miles around ■were summoned for help, and the roads dosed. AH the officers were supplied with arms, and motor cars and motor o'-nnibuses wero commandeered for .the pnrpose of pursuit. '/ Rushing in front of a train across the line to the left of a footbridge the Terrorists leached more open 'land. The pursuers grew in numbers. "Workmen f-hrew their •tools to join. One of the policemen had now r revolver, given him as ho passed a fire station. The fugitives came to a canal.^ They turned sharpy to th« left and ran •long the banks; but the pursuers were gaining. Th« ruffians halted beside a swimming bath and opened a fusillade. Constable Kieod fell shot in the leg; a boy named Devine was struck iv the leg; others threw themselves flat to escape th© bullets. One of the thieves who had lost his cap snatched a cap from a woman standing at a gate, and, after robbing, tried toT shoot her, J>ut the bullet went wide.'On the other bank were some men with guns shooting birds. They luraed_ as the •chase ivent by. - "Shoot them!" ' '"Shoot fhem!" shouted the" panting pursuers, -pointing io the two -figures ahead: -But the sportsmen could "not believe their ears, and did no-thing. The ruffians, running- and firing wildly, approached Chalk Bridge, a narrow, high span over the canal. " - A workman picked up a brick to tb-row at them; he was shot in the leg. l)ashing on to the bridge, "winded" by their flight, they made a brief stand, leaning on- the side to take aim, they fired ehot af'er shot at their pursuers — more than a* 103 there were — who spread out fan-shape round the bridg-a. It was a long 7 Tange for revolvers, but on^e victim fell, badly Hint. Cro-suig the bridge, _ the-two men turned to th« right and. ran down a "narrow footpath, stepping at the end to shoot back. The policemen at the head of the chase showed reckless" courage charging 'on against the bullets. • • .Up a stsep hill, witb the 'hunt less than a. 100 yards bahind, toiled the fugitives.- the younger ahead- of his. companion. They c£me to a lane, and turned to the left down, itr They had no idea of direction. People ran out x>L the neighbouring houses. In-, sfantly the men opened fire, and senl them cowering into shelter. . . ',And «> the chase went on; until the fugitives" broke through a hedge en to a main street, along which an' electric car was running, after which "the 'ruffians panted, shattering the windows and scaring the driver from' his post. The terrified passengers jumped off, except a man and a. woman and her child, who suffered agonies of fear during that terrible drive, for the murderers had boarded the car «nd dragged the conductor to the front,

/ where, with a pistol held to his head. \ ; h>3 was compelled to drive on. The 1 other stood in tha rear of the car, fir- ! ing at the pursuers wildly, and policemen after policeman . was disabled. ! Through all this dreadful time the poor woman was crouching in terror with her 1 child. The man did an heroic deed, ! with all the odds against him, for he I vried to liberate them, and springing up I he threw open the glass door to grapple ; with the fiend who hold the pistol to the ' conductor's head, but, turning for a mo- ! ro«nt, a bullet through the would-be defender's neck felled him inside the car. It was a ruse of the conductor's that rid the car of the Russians. As ih-ey ! approached a corner he said that there j was a police station just round it, and that if they didn't want. to be driven to it they "had better get off. They jumped" off, and seeing a milk cart ( ahead shot the driver and seized the i cart. But • a constable had stopped a i private motor car, and, keeping out •of i the range of fire, was cornering the t fugitives, one of whom was heard to say I hi° cartridges were nearly done. Seeing 1 they would" be cornered on the high road | they cut across country again, j / Hef-e'd turned sharply to the left, down a '■ road which runs parallel to the railway line. . The ether dashed over a level crossing into , fields. Alter the first man went the pursuers. He ran but a short distance, then swung I to fclse right, an-3 tr'ei to clinat a tall fence. I But his strength' was not enough. Men ! with guns, and mounted and foot 'police, i bore down upon him. He turned desperl ately and faced them, firing with his Brown- ! ing revolver till all but one of his carti rLcfo-es w* re speiit. Then he put his weapon :to °his bead. Sred. and fell. The -wound : was not fatal, and he was borne in a motor i car back to the Tottenham Hospital. There ! ihe said that he was shot by one ci fchie ' pursuers. The point is uncerta : n. i The second man, Jacob, less exhausted. 1 struck across a field after he had crossed 1 the railway. As be lidjst one or two men, ■ carrying shot-guns. came~out from houses on , the right and opened fire. He was hit in , the legs, but ran on. Doubling across a road he ran through s field in which nouses are being built. - A -plasterer named Mortibarred his way. Instantly the . rej volv<er oarne into action, and Mortimer fell • with a wound in his breast., ' Turning a little- to the right, the fugitive ran on Aintil he reached tEe back of a row 'of cottages in Higham's PaTk. Towards the , last one on the left. Oak Cottage, be made 1 his- way, with tile hue and cry now in all 1 the lanes axcund him. Breaking through a ' fenc« he entered the yard. The housewife, Mrs Rolfton. ivith her two children, was in the kitchen. A momen-t before she had heard tll« cry, "A murderer is about!" Turning, sh-e saw Jacob, with the revolver in his hand, his face pallid, his chest heaving. 'Let me in," be said. She ( screamed, and fled ' to a front room. ; Jacob entered the little kitchen. Seizing a jug of water lie poured out a mugful, and drank it greedily. Meanwhile the woman Tan out with her younger child in her arms. In front oi' th< cottage pursuers were arriving — policemen, mcuated, on foot, and in motor cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. Guns, pistols, end ancient blunderbusses were brandished. More than 50 of the" men were armed. "'Where is he?" was the cry. . Suddenly there- was a movement in the ' cottage. A pale face peered from the front • window. It. was greeted with a howl oi ' rage. It seems that, his courage a<!l_ gone, he tried to climb up the chimney. But it was too snialJ. To the weeping child left j in the back room he calle<( out roughly, ■ "Stop that noi&e!" Then he ran ink) a front room on the first floor. Again his face was seen at the window. This tinio several shots rang out from the street. The glass of the window was shattered; bullets embedded themselves in the ceiling and smashed some pictures on -the -wall. More than one "bullet reached the murderer, who fell dead. This is the substance of the story that Christian England read in the Sunday ne-wepapers the next morning, and about which London has been talking and writing most of the week. The subject 1 As-bich has *>een discushed in all its beaT■i ings is. of course, the Aliens Bill, and the sasy access such undesirables have to these shores. Thousands, diseased bodily and morally are allowed entrance every year. j The King sent messages of appreciation through the Commissioner to the police ■ officers engaged in the Tottenham tragedy, • and als< one of sympathy to Mrs Tyler, ; whose gallant young husband was killed, ■ «and who is to be buried to-day with full • police honours. A public subscription is ' being raised for the widow. Lord Ridley, at Gateshead last night, said he would not like to say that the ■' CJovernment was directly responsible for j th© death of the policeman, but the Go- ! vernment, by laxity of ministration of the j Aliens Aot, had largely undone the work t of the last Government, and -made Engi land a haven for such miscreante. They j were admitted freely to steal Englishmen's work, and possibly to propagate anarchist doctrines. If free-trade was to be freetrade in anarchism, the sooner we got -id of the Government the bstter. i London has been a depressing place for ■ the la&t week — for three successive days '• wrapped in a pall of darkness, through which people groped their way through a suffocating pall. East, west, north, and 1 south the great metropolis was blotted out— • J "it filled the houses, and offices and theatres j through which, lamps burned dimly, and in the streets the people looked like shadows. ■ All t-hcee people who had business in the | city went wherever possibl& by the Tube and underground railways, for the surface trains and conveyances crept along through the darkness at a snail's pace, not knowing the mon.ent a collision might occur, pulling up at a moment when a crash j seemed inevitable. The whole intricate system of the railway Acas disorganised. Trains due with business men at 10 o'clock in the city crawled through the darkness of the stations after 12 o'clock. Judges, counsel, and litigants arrived at the Law Courts late, and business men lost appoint- • jneuts ihj hours. The great, restless., *m- i

patient city lay under the hand of its arch enemy subdued, shrinking, baffled. Stagnation of business was the result. West End shopkeepers^ say thait a fog of this description makes in the large establishments a tremendous diffe.rence, for no one goes out who can possibly keep to the shelter of their homes. The restaurants say that their takings are quite £200 a day less. The shops closed early because no business was being done, and in the evening the streets were practically deserted, and in the theatres few save the 'booked*' seats were occupied. Many cases of accident were reported iron? the hospitals. An amusing story is told of his Excellency Tang Shao Vi, che Special Envoy from China, who reached England with the fog, " and. might easily have regarded England as being- situated" in the regions of eternal darkness outside the so-Lar system," for the Channel' was blotted out — London and its millions, is palaces and towers and its river was blotted out, — and on the third day one of Ms Excellency's attendants inquired at what period of the year the sun rises in England ! It recalls* a much leas exalted Chinese opinion of London given to me "down under" when telling "Jclm" not to call again with vegetables/ as I was going to London, where he had evidently been, for with an expression of horror he declared : | 'You no hkee, rriissie ! London allee samee one top-side black, cold brick !" Yet the old Londoners say tihat this geneoration do not know the full discomforts of "a London particular.'" With motor convej'ances and electric light, telephones and underground railways, ?t 's much easier to get about than in the days of horse 'bu.=scs, ai?d they had frequently, to be put off the road. On the other hand, there is much further to go now than when people lived over their shops in the city, and Hampstead and Putney and Chelsea was in the country — much further, and many more people to get there.