Science Played A Big Part

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 177, 29 July 1939, Page 8 (Supplement)

Science Played A Big Part

WITH the long series of Old Bailey explosives trials over, and Many of the original organisers of the Irish terrorist group safely under lock and key, it is possible to reveal some of the methods by which Scotland Yard negatived the I.R.A.*s great plot to sabotage Britain's public services. Well aware of the difficulties of the tusk which the Special Branch performed go skilfully, Mr. Justice Humphreys paid a high tribute when he completed the hearing of the cases, at which he passed sentences totalling 152 year*. "The police showed great diligence and intelligence, -without much assistance from any other body, in bringing to justice these dangerous people," ho declined. The judge's reference to "any other body" was token to mean the Eire authorities. Warrants issued in England for the arrest of suspected terrorists who have fled to Eire could not be executed, though Special Branch men travelled to Dublin believing that they would secure the fullest co-operation. The story of the round-up dates back two or three years, when it first became known that a move was afoot to carry out a series of acts of sabotage intended to force Britain's hand regarding the Irish partition question. While spies in the ranks of the illegal I.R.A. in Eire itself kept the Special Branch informed of certain men's movements, known members of the I.R.A. in England were watched carefully. Whenever information reached the famous Room 408 at the Yard—office of Chief-Constable Canning and Supt. A. G. Foster—that an Irishman had been

m In Scotland Yard's Capture Of The Irish Terrorist Ringleaders In England

heard pressing the claim that Britain should "get out of Ireland," his every movement was noted, and full inquiries made as to his activities. Most "United Ireland" sympathisers were found to have taken ordinary employment as a "blind." As the months went by Scotland Yard 1 filled a dossier with names and addresses. Against certain names was ' written the one wosd, "Dangerous"; ' against others was the comment, "Cunning, but not likely to do anything 1 dangerous," or "Will use 'tools' but take care of own skin." 1 For two years many such men were ! seldom outside police surveillance. ' Then came the news that the terror- ' ists' "8" plan —"S" believed to represent ! ".sabotage"—was to bo put into operation. Zero hour was heralded with a series of explosions at Customs houses alone; ' the Ulster border and the capture of an ' I.R.A. "proclamation." Bomb outrages in Britain followed the sending of tho famous "Britain must go" ultimatum ' to the Foreign Office. I The Special Branch swooped with • lightning speed, and within a few days 1 many of the ringleaders were in prison cells and huge stocks of explosives had > been captured. In a few cases detec- > tives arrived after the "birds" had . flown, but they were able to secure evii deuce of the terroristic activities of

those who had eluded them. Many of the raids, too, produced clues implicating others previously unsuspected. Having secured their first haul, the Special Branch sought the co-opemtion of some of the greatest experts of tli.'ir kind in the world. Chief-Inspector F. Cherrill, head of the finger-prints department of Scotland "Said, declared that a finger-print on an alarm clock used to "time" a bomb, belonged to one of the prisoners. Dr. E. H. Watts, Home Office explosives expeit, examined hundreds of pounds of explosives, labelled examples, and explained in Court just what effect thoy would have if exploded. He showed how an ordinary alarm clock, which may be bought for 2/ in many shops, or even obtained in a "crane" machine in an amusement park for a penny or two, could be converted into a diabolica.l piece of mechanism with the aid of a few articles, including a couple of pieces of electric wire and a halfpenny. While the flnger-print and explosives men were hard at w&rk, Dr. Roche I/yncn, Homo Office analyst, sat in his laboratory examining various articles for traces of explosive substances. Suitcases, dressing-table drawers, clothing, newspapers, bottles and measuring instruments were all taken to him and daily reports on his discoveries reached Room 408, to be filed as evidence against individual prisoners. . <e>

t An example of tho analyst's work J (vi inn to light during the trial of two ! brothers named McCafferty. A drawer 1 from their room gave off strong fumes, which one of them explained by saying, "The smell comes from oil I use. I am 1 a plasterer's labourer, and the oil is ; used to take the plaster off my hands." i Detective-Inspector Kane did not be- ' lieve his explanation, and Dr. Roche ' Lynch was consulted. "The smell comes from sulphuric acid, which is used in ' connection with explosive substances. ' No man would dream of washing his ' hands with sulphuric acid," he declared. ] Many times during the trial half a , do/.en words spoken by the quiet-voiced analyst were sufficient to explain the ; results of several hours' work in the \ police laboratories. '. Everyone in Court was surprised at a . revelation made in the witness-box by , a Scotland Yard photographer. -, Camera Called In As Detective } It was explained that an exercisebook found in one raid appeared to have one or two pages torn out, and the : Yard's photographic experts thought that something might have been written on . those pages. Therefore they examined j the pages next to those torn out. "And what did you find?" prosecuting counsel, Mr. Christmas Humphreys, asked ' the witness. "Using oblique lightning—that is, a light shining on the paper at an acute angle*—wo photographed certain indentations obviously made by someone writing on the torn-out page," came the reply. "One page bore the name and address: Jerry Wharton, Camden Road, N.W. 1, Waterford City Unit." Wharton was sentenced to 10 years' penal servitude at a previous trial for his part in the conspiracy. "It is a wonderful piece of photography," commented the judge. On the ordinary detective side of the investigation, apart from the aid afforded by science, simple things led to the identification of suspects in several instances. A photograph found in her handbag had much to do with the conviction of 18-year-old Molly Gallagher, one of the most attractive girls who ever stood m the Old Bailey dock. The photograph showed, back view, two girls wearing rucksacks. One of them was identified aa Gallagher, and in her room Special Branch men found a rucksack and an old Army pack. On the face of it, there was nothing suspicious about that. But the rucksack and the pack were found to contain about 561b of explosive substance. Another simple clue led to the arrest of Peter Stuart, who received 15 years' penal servitude. It was a receipt for a typewriter. Efforts were made to trace the typewriter to ascertain whether it was the machine used to type certain instructions based on the "S" plan. Traced te an office in the West End, it was found to have certain peculiarities which identified it plainly as though it had left "finger-prints." When a man returned to the office he was arrested. He was Stuart. In another case, the constant ringing of an alarm clock gave rise to complaints. Investigations revealed information which led to an arrest. One of the last to be dealt with st the Old Bailey trials was auburn-haired Molly £rft ]1a g 1l ' > rj 3?k> X* B ** 18-year-

old clerk, living in Islington. Found guilty of having in her possession or control a mixture of potassium chlorate, she stood with head erect and arm? folded behind her back when sentenced to three years' Borstal detention. As she left the dock she waved to some women at the back of the Court. The girl, who protested she was not a member of the 1.R.A., pleaded not guilty. Mr. G. B. McClure, prosecuting, stated that Gallagher shared a room with a young woman called Margaret Edgeworth, who was in Dublin with Gallagher's brother. A warrant was out for her arrest. Detective-Inspector Thompson, of Scotland Yard Special Branch, revealed that efforts to get Edgeworth to England, with the. assistance of the Eire Government had not been successful. The inspector added that Molly Gallagher was born and educated in London. Her family had been known to the Special Branch for some years as ardent supporters of, and sympathisers with, the I.R.A. Apart from the case, she Mas a perfectly respectable girl.- Gallagher's counsel, Mr. Malcolm Morris, declared that she was sorry for what she had done. Ten years' penal servitude was the highest•sentence imposed in the second batch of trials —on Gerald Francis Wharton, 35-year-old rigger, of Camden Town, N.W. Wharton was said to have fought first against one Government m Ireland and then another, and Mr. Justice Humphreys called him "a rebel against all constituted authority." "You were a member of the gang which committed murders on British officers and others up to 1922,"' added the judge. The other accused and their sentences were:—Daniel Fitzputrick, 21, labourer, eight years' penal servitude; Francis McGowan, 24, labourer, seven years' penal servitude; James Patrick Connolly, 23, labourer, six and a-haif years' penal servitude; James McCafferty, 29, labourer, five years' penal servitude; John Mitchell, 2S, garage attendant, five years' penal servitude; Daniel McCafferty, 20, lalwurer, four and a-half years' penal servitude; Daniel McCarthy, 19, labourer, four years' penal servitude; John Ryan, 31, labourer, 18 months' imprisonment; Jack Logue, 17, and Francis James Burns, 17, labourers, three years' Borstal detention. The men did not all appear at the same trial. McGowan and Connolly, found guilty of possessing explosive substances, appeared together in the dock. The two McCaffertys were tried together and found guilty of having under their control an alarm clock fitted for timing an explosion. The others had been found guilty the previous week of conspiring to commit explosions. <S> <«>