A FAMOUS DETECTIVE.

Evening Star, Issue 12094, 15 January 1904, Page 7

A FAMOUS DETECTIVE.

SUPERINTENDENT . MELVULE RESIGNS.—THE ANARCHISTS' F6E.

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.., LONDON, December 4. - 1 _ On Monday last there came to a close the active career ol' a nian to whom society at large owes a debt of gratitude which it is. not in the least- likely, to pay. I refer to Superintendent William Melville, of the Criminal Investigation Department of Scotland Yard, who is retiring on » pension' after nearly thirty-two years of valuable service to the community. Happily, despite a strenuous and stirring career, his gradual march down the vale of years has left him physically as fit as a man of his age could expect to be, and he may hope, to live for many a day to enjoy the pension he has so well earned. During his association with the Yard, Superintendent Melville has done much good work that has received public recognition, in the shape of arresting Anarchists, dynamitards, and desperate criminals,- betides bringing to book many notorious characters whose hands were only clean of blood. But society owes him still more for, what he has driven beneath the surface, for intended crimes nipped in the bud, for dangers he has foreseen and averted, for perilous forces he has harnessed and controlled. During the time he has been attached to the political department of "the Yard" he has, at one time or another, been answerable for the personal safety of almost every crowned head or chief of a State in Europe. Times without number Superintendent Melville has discharged his duty at the risk of his life, but he leaves the service unscathed by knife or bullet, and with a long, record of splendid successes and not a single failure of note. He is justly regarded as the shrewdest and most capable detective of his time, and no detective of fiction has been credited with more startling adventures or with more escapes from violent death in pursuit of his duties than it has fallen to the lot of Mr.Melville to experienced in reality. His personal reminiscences would make a bulky volume of a highlv exciting character, and it may be that the bluff, shrewd, but genial and kindly Irishman will find time in his leisure to compile snch a work. Mr Melville

EOSE FROM THE RANKS. Born in County Kerry, he joined the London Police Force as a constable in 1872, and for. a_ time his chief duty consisted in running in " drunks " and otherwise attempting to curb lawlessness of all descriptions in the neighborhood of Drury Lane and Covcnt Garden. But he soon showed that plainclothes work was his "metier," and wore the uniform only two years. During the next four years he showed such ability in hunting down burglars and arresting pickpockets that when, in 1878, Mr. Howard Vincent commenced reorganising the C.I.D. at Scotland Yard, he made Melville a sergeant, and gave him important work to do. So well did Melville acquit himself that he was presently transferred to the political branch," and became associated with Superintendent Williamson in investigating the various dynamite outrages which bgan with the explosion at the Local Government Board offices in March, 1883. Slowly but surely the untiring efforts of Melville and his "Yard " associates stamped out the dynamitards, but no sooner was their work in that direction fairly complete than the even more hideous dragon of Anarchism awaked to fiendish activity. Thanks to our " open door " policv, England became the haven of refuge for the dangerous riff-raff of every country in Europe, and our police force were unable to check the tide of immigration. Soon london .became a veritable hot-bed of Anarchism, and many men badly wanted on the Continent managed to find a haven of refuge in Soho. Some of these had committed extraditable offences, and to Scotland Yard fell the task of arresting them. As most of the refugees had acquired the habit of going about armed with knife and revolver, their arrest was attended with considerable danger. Melville himself considers that THE MOST EXCITING INCIDENT of his career was the arrest of the Anarchist Mennier at Victoria station. The tale has been told before many a time, but will bear repetition. In 1892 Ravachol, a most dangerous Anarchist, was arrested in the Cafe Very in Paris, and out of revenge Meunier and another man threw a bomb among the diners at the restaurant, and caused the deaths of several people. Meunier made his escape, and for two years all trace of him was lost, but sooner or later it was believed he would make for, London, the Mecca of. foreign Anarchists. Scotland Yard was furnished with the usual photograph and description. Melville studied the picture and the description till he had it fixed in his brain, and for more than twenty months searched for this man in vain. One evening in April, 1894, he happened, in company with Mrs Melville, to be on the main line departure platform at Victoria station. The Continental train was about to start, Melville suddenly observed a man whom he made up his mind must bo Meunier. Quietly telling Mrs Melville to wait, as there was a man he wanted to speak to, he informed a porter that he was Inspector Melville, and was about to arrest a man for murder. At the mention of the word murder the porter rushed off to find the station-master and tell him all about it! Troubling himself no more about the railway officials, Melville collared Meunier as he was stepping into the railway carriage, and exclaimed: "Meunier, je vous arrete." At the mention of his name Meunier screamed like a madman, and threw himself on his would-be captor. Another Anarchist came to Meunier's assistance, and the three men tumbled in a struggling heap on the platform, the Frenchman making desperate efforts to reach the revolver in his hip pocket. Meunier got his hand on the revolver, but Melville wrenched it from the grasp of the Anarchist and flung it away. By this time Mrs_ Melville had informed the railway officials concerning the identity of her husband, and porters soon secured the arrest of the two men. Meunier, after trial in Paris, was condemned to the guillotine. BOMBS AT WALSALL. Sir John Bridge, duringj the Extradition Court proceedings in the case of Mennier, paid Melville warm compliments on his prompt and brave action, Dut that exploit' was by no means the only one in which the famous detective ran great risks. Perhaps the greatest blow he struck at active Anarchism in England was in the famous raid on the bomb factory at Walsall. How Melville got to know of the existence of this factory does not matter; but one fine day he travelled down to Waltell, and with tne aid of the local police effected a clean sweep of a whole colony of Anarchists which had established itself in the borough. This was in 1894, and at Stafford Assizes the ringleaders were sentenced to long terms of penal servitude. The intention of the bomb-makers, whose engines of destruction were chareed with high explosives, was to cast their deadly missiles into public buildings in London and elsewhere, totally regardless of life and limb. Melville and those acting -with him saved the people of England from a veritable reign of terror. A curious side incident came to light about this time. Melville arrested in I ondon an Italian whom he suspected of having bombs in his possession. To the chagrin of the detective, he found nothing more incriminating on the person of this Italian than a bottle of chloroform. Subsequent investigation disclosed the fact that the chloroform was to be used in railway carriages and elsewhere to stupefy people, and rob them of their money and valuables. Such is the infatuation of the militant Anarchist that Melville is convinced the object in view was not robbery for greed of gain, but in order to bring money into the coffers of the "great cause" of bombs and social terrorism. Melville's active pursuit of the militant' Anarchists speedily caused him to become

"A MARKED MAN," and after the Wallsall raid he was closely shadowed by two rampant Italians named Polti and Farnaro, who', having started a bomb factory in South London, proceeded to lay down a plan of campaign- for. wholesale murders which would make the whole civilised world shudder with horror and tremble with fear, especially " capitalists." By the simple expedient of throwing a couple of live bombs into the Stock Exchange during the busiest hour of the day, they designed to send to perdition* a large assortment af those "bloated capitalists"

who were the pet objects 0 f their aversion. They also contemplated the assassination of the then Home Secretary, Mr Henry Matthews (this to scare politicians), Mr Justice Hawkins (this to teach the Bench a lesson), and "that villain Melville." Farnaro cared little about the Home Secretary's or Justice Hawkins's living a. while longer, but Melville was" to be put out of the way "at any cost" and as speedily as possible. But, nappily for Melville, perhaps, Polti and his friend started a quarrel between themselves as to the best weapon to employ against their bete." npir. . Polti wanted to shoot him, but Farnaro insisted that a dagger would be equally effective, and would make less noise. "Meanwhile Melville had lit upon the track of their bomb factory, and saved an open breach between the two " comrades" by. arresting both- men.- They got ten and twenty years' penal servitude, but their chief regret was that they had been unable torrid the world of "that pestilent Melvill*." They had, it appears, comp to an agreement as to the weap6n whereby the detective was to die, and had "booked" >»m to start on the long journey during the week following their arrest.

Another narrow escape Melville had during 'his career as shepherd-in-chief of the Anarchical fraternity was when he arrested the notorious French Anarchist Francois in 1892. Francois, a man of immense strength, had been concerned in the blowing up of a cafe in Paris. After the commission of his crime he succeeded in escaping from .his captors, and in reaching England.. Melville tracked him to the East End of London, and with a posse of police burst into his apartment at midnight. Francois was armed with a revolver and a dagger. As a preliminary he fired three shots «at Melville, luckily missing him. Before he could fire a fourth the officer closed with him, and a desperate struggle ensued, Francois fighting like a wild beast, until overpowered and secured. In the meantime his wiio. who was in ihe apartment, picked up the revolver, which had fallen from her husband's grasp, and tried to use it, and it requrrea four detectives to overpower her. Francois was shipped to France, where he received his deserts.