THE LATE OUTRAGES IN SCOTLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6063, 23 April 1881, Page 7

THE LATE OUTRAGES IN SCOTLAND.

We recently gave some particulars relating to the mj-Etenons strangers captured iij the vicinity of Leith Custom-house by the police, on suspicion of being Fenians engaged in attempting to blow it up. One of them blew his brains out with his revolver in the act; of being captured, and the other attempted his life, but his revolver missed fire. There was a third man connected with the prisoners*, but no trace of him has been discovered despite the exertions of the police. The men's names, which are believed to be aliases, are given as Grant and Seymour. They have been identified as the men who were concerned in a series of outrages, robbery with violence under arms, in which they wounded several persons the week previously in Edinburgh. From information received by the Edinburgh police that they had recently arrived from"Australia, and were supposed to beconnected withtheKelly gang, photographs of them were sent to all the police stations in Great Britain, and also to all the Australasian Colonies, Superintendent Thomson, of Auckland, receiving them, as also descriptions of the men for identification. The Scottish Weekly Review, of February 12, gives the following further particulars : — " It is now admitted by the police that Grant has but recently arrived from Australia, and that he, along with the man whom he calls Seymocr, and another friend, embarked at Melbourne on board the ship Melbourne, bound to London. He states that as he was unaccustomed to tea life he had to work his passage home in a menial capacity, while Seymour and his other friend, having served on board a ship, were able to make themselves generally useful. Though he has not specifically mentioned to which country they belonqed, yet from his conversation, and the few words he has unintentionally let drop, it would seem that Grant is a bom Australian, and that Seymour, as he is called, was either a native, of Edinburgh or some other town in Scotland, or had some friends in this part of the country. Again it is asserted with confidence that Grant (the name which the prisoner has assumed) intends to make a ccjnfession, which will be of immense value to i ! ae colonial authorities in clearing up certain mysteries which: at present they cannot unravel. When before Sheriff Hamilton, Grant only divulged the fact that he, with Seymour, arrived in the East India Dock on Monday last, and after spending two days in the metropolis, they made their way to Edinburgh by rail direct. Here they took up their residence a lodginghouse, from which they emerged occasionally. It would seem that between them there existed a compact that before they were arrested by the authorities they would die by their own hands. It was thought at first that the tramp, who figuies in the following narrative, was identical with the prisoner Grant, but the gentleman on being confronted with Grant could ! not identify him as the tramp referred to. \ On Friday afternoon (February 12), juntas darkness was coming on, the lady occupant of a cottage situated near a village about three miles south of Edinburgh received a very cheap offer from a rather wild-looking man to carry, her coals, which had been deposited at the gate leading to the house. She at first thought she would not employ him, but as he looked hungry and haggard she consented to give him the'job. He immediately set to work, with which, however, he got on very slowly, as the lady thought, owing to physical weakness. He subsequently entered into conversation with the lady, and told her he was a German—a foreign seaman— explaining that his mother was a Scotchwoman and his father a German. About twenty minutes after the man had commenced- his work the gentleman of the house arrived from his office in the city. After the work was done the man was taken into the house, where he was given some tea and food. While engaged at his repast he entered into conversation in English without any foreign accent at all. He explained that he was a tramp, having been on the road from London since the 29th of December, and was on his way to Leith, to reach which that night before S o'clock seemed to be the sole object he had in view, as he said he.wanted to see the captain of a vessel which he : called the Milo. Under this "captain "he said he had been a mate for some time, and would like to appear before him in a pretty respectable way j and, in order that this end might be attained, he was provided with a flannel shirt by the good lady. He said he also I knew the steward of the vessel. In relating' I some of his experiences in life, other than I those on his way from London, he said he had come from Australia, and asked : the gentleman if he had ever been there. : He then asked if he had ever read any books on bushvauging. The gentleman then said in reply that his tastes for that kind of literature, at one part of his boy life, ; had been very pronounced, but they were not now so much bent in that direction. The man then spoke of Morgan, Sullivan, and Kelly, three notorious bushrangers, and with great gusto told one or two of these marauders' exploits. He was, he said, in the Court in Australia when Sullivan was tried, and praised the deeds of these men for their cleverness and courage, adding, that Sullivan was a good-hearted fellow. At this stage of the conversation he represented to the occupants of the house that he belonged to Inverness, and that his name was M'Pherson—a different story from that which he bad previously given. He asked the gentleman if he belonged to any secret society, and being answered in the negative, remarked that he himself was a Freemason. He promised faithfully to bring to : the gentleman books of the lives of Morgan, Sullivan, and Kelly, as he thought they would interest him very much. On leaving the premises, and shaking hands with the gentleman, the stranger remarked in a very light manner that " if things did not turn up in Leith as he expected he would get into gaol." It was the gentleman's impression from the way in which he spoke that he must have had experience of jail life before now, and that ho was a man of no moral principle, though he spoke in a very intelligent and connected maiiner, as if he had had a good education. This strange and unpleasant visitor is described as between thirty-five and forty years of a<;e, but his complexion is such that anyone might be deceived as tohis exactage. He is about five feet ten inches or six feet in height, has protruding eyes, is shaved on the cheeks, and has «tuft of reddish-coloured hair on the chin, and reddish-brown hair, short exit. He has a thin face, with a protruding upper lip. He conld be easily identified owing to a severe cough "from which he is suffering, and which affects his speech.. The police have been informed that a man has been seen in Edinburgh answering the description of this rather unwelcome stranger by an Australian gentleman, who recognised him as a criminal who had been accused in Australia of part in a heinous crime committed by a gang of bushrangers, but who was liberated on' turning Queen's evidence. ~ .