UNKNOWN

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7341, 30 May 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

UNKNOWN

It is both singular and amusing that Mr. W. H. Qailliam (Messrs. Quilliam and Heaton, Liverpool), after defending the. anspected dynamitards in the Bow-street Police Court, for the last four weeks, should at length have been arrested himself in the metropolis, on suspicion of belonging to the dynamite sohool of politics. The circumstances are these :— On the Monday of Cunningham and Burton being again remanded by Sir James lngham, Mr. Quilliam left Bow-street with the intention of taking train for King , * Cross, and thence to Euston for the North. Shortly aftsr leaving the court, an Irish-American, an unwilling witness for the Crown on subpoena—ready, no doubt, in every way to oblige the advocate of his unfortunate countrymen;—accosted Mr. Qailliam, offering to carry his bag.. This offer was gladly accepted. Going along Great Prescott-street, in whioh Cunningham and Mr. Quilliam's voluntary porter shared the same apartments, the two pedestrians unconsciously passed a detective officer, and as Mr. Quilliam's companion was speaking at the time with a strong nasal twang, the suspicions of the "active and intelligent" were at once aroused. The twang and the black bag was quite sufficient to tempt the detective from Great Prescott-atreet to follow in the wake of the suspected dynamitards, and speedy promotion, with a substantial money reward (not to mention thenumber of appearances his patronymic would take in the columns of the newspapers), seemed if not very close at hand, well, next door to it. Keeping his intended victims in sight along the Minories, our official—upon whose shoulders the mantle of Inspector Buckle, of " Bleak House" fame, has evidently fallen—by a mysterious contraction of one of his optical organs, induced a policeman to desert his beat, and so follow him at a distance, and thus participate; in a second or third-rate capacity, of course, in the important capture. The eye of the law is keen, and its arm is very muscular ; and this must have been unreservedly conceded by Mr. Quilliam when he and his Irish-American companion were seized just ae the former, after having completed the necessary formality of ' booking," was about to step into a railway carriage at Mark-lane. " No, you don't," exclaimed the Law, forcibly holding him back, with well-controlled features; '' You cannot go by this train." It did not take the legal mind long to comprehend the state of affair?, and Mr. Quilliam then began to administer an awkward list of interrogatories. " Where's your warrant?" "Oh,"never mind, we'll see about that," soothingly murmured Inspector Buckle. "But I insist upon your showing me yonr warrant," replied the solicitor, "or let me go without further molestation." Mr. Quilliam further informed his captor that if he detained him an action for assault and false imprisonment would " lie ;" and he also placed before the eyes of Buckle one of his professional cards, which was rejected with a snort of contempt, accompanied with the remark that it was very easy to obtain possession of that. Further remonstrances proved unavailing, and the detective and constable (who had the struggling and indignant Irish-American is his dutches) detained their prisoners on the station platform, where the blaok bag was curiously inspected by "all sorts and con* ditions" of 'Arries, and where thousandstongued rumour soon gave forth that the two i.: iccreanta in the custody of the smart policeman had been caught in the act of blow*, ing up Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament simultaneously. After the pardonable public exhibition of their smartness, Inpector Buckle and his subordinate conveyed their convoy to Leman-street Bridewell, there to be further examined. Mr. Quiiiiam, as a forlorn hope, gave the name of Inspector Abberline, of Bow-street, with whom for the past month he had been exchanging professional courtesies, and eventually he prevailed upon the official in charge of the Leman-street establishment to telegraph to Bow-street requesting Abberline's attendance, in order to see someone .who called himself " Mr. Quilliam." After a due lapse of time Abberline drove up in a cab, entered the bridewell, and at once recognised onr unfortunate solicitor. * Explanations followed, and, as the night was far advanced, the hospitable inspector insisted upon making amends for the mistake of his over-zealous brother officer, and gave both Mr. Quilliam and his Irish-American a " lift" in his cab to his residence, where he regaled them with an appetising supper.