THE BREMERHAVEN FIEND.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 1, 5 April 1876, Page 2

THE BREMERHAVEN FIEND.

Tm-; antecedents of the man Thomas, now known as the Bremr rhaven Fiend, whose infernal machine wrought such ruin on the wharf, are still under investigation by the j olico, and, as far as at present traced, suggested a long career of murderous crime. Inquiries at Liverpool showed that he had endeavoured in last October to insure a box there under suspicious circumstances. This box lias since been discovered in the baggageroom of the Custom House at New York. The opening of it was a work of some trepidation. One of the parties who took part in the process says;— The outer black oilskin was taken off altogether, ami then there was a common pine box. We loosened the steel trap enough to get the top oh Below this was a steel plate, and in the middle was

n hole. l>y putting a finger in thi hole the [date was lifted. It was the top '>!' a steel box. In this were about a dozen straw packages, such as come round Lotties, with a lot of coarse brown pnp'T. At the bottom of the metal box we found two bags of shot, ordinary drop shot, and a .second box. This rather frightened us, and neither of us cared about opening it. This littlw box was about 1 Oin by Bin, and about din deep. With the bags of shot, it just filled up the bottom of the box. It was wrapped in brown paper, and tied about with a string. On taking off the string and paper, a wooden box was seen. The lid was held on by four small screws, one at each conn r. Taking these out with the greatest care, two more hags of shot wore found in the little box, and this was all. Not a speck of writing or printed paper of any kind was found. J then took the hox, with all that was in it, to the police station, when there wore found 2olh hags of the shot at the hotel, whore the register contained the autograph writing in a hold dashing hand, ‘ W. K. Thomas, Dresden.” The theory of the police is, that Thomas, failing to gel the insurance policy, came on to Now York at Liverpool, postponing Ids plans, and returned again to (formally within a few days.

The Prussian War Office is in possession of u machine like liio ono exploded at Bremen, winch was offered to them a resident of New York, in JB7O, as a means of destroying the French navy. The offer was declined. The person who made it is h'dieved to have been an associate of Thomas. The Berlin police now report that Thomas was charged as far hack ns IK GO with scuttling a vessel, in which he had goods insured to England for the value of £24,000, and that he was then arrested at Bale and delivered up to the English authorities; but here, for the present, the record ends, though the clue will he followed out, and the statement soon sifted.