SATURDAY EXTRACTS. ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP AN ENGLISH EXPRESS.

Evening Post, Volume XX, Issue 266, 13 November 1880, Page 4

SATURDAY EXTRACTS. ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP AN ENGLISH EXPRESS.

As briefly reported by cable, a dastardly attempt to injure the London and NorthWestern down express, leaving Euston Station at 5.15 a.m., was made early in September, near Bushey Station, 16 miles from London. As the platelayers were going their usual round of inspection they discovered, about 200 yards from the station, a brown paper parcel containing about 41b of what is believed to be dynamite. The fish plates by which two rails were joined had boon removed, and the parcel was placed underneath the rail. Connected with it was an indiarubber tube containing pjunEowder and some percussion caps. It had eon cut in half by the wheels of the train, but, fortunately, the place at which it hud been severed contained no percussion caps, otherwise the gunpowder would liavo been ignited and the train completely wrecked. The deputy Htationmaster at Bushey is at a loss to account for the motive which prompted the diabolical attempt, and states that no officials had been recently discharged. Two detectives were at once Bent to tho neighborhood of the discovery. They made minute examination of tho spot where the supposed explosives were found, but nothing as yet has been discovered to throw any light on the affair. It is suggested that tho attempt is connected with a Nihilist plot to destroy tho train in which it was expected the Grand Duke Constantino would travel. It was originally anticipated that the Grand Duke would return to London by tho London and North-Wostern line ; but if the supposition be correct, it follows that the explosive parcel, besides being laid on the down inntead of the up line, must have been deposited before the night of 12th September. '1 hi.«, however, is explained on the belief that, if the Nihilists were concerned, they were unaware of tho movements of their intended victim. At all events, police inquiries have been directed to the Nihilist quarters in London, from which they are of opinion that tho dynamite was placed on the railway with the view of wrecking the train in which it was expected that the Grand Duke Constantino would travel in to Glasgow. The Grand Duke, it was subsequently stated, received a hint of tho deadly preparations'made for his reception, and at the last minute travelled by the Great Northern line.