Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume 1 (of 2): With an Account of his Parliamentary Struggle, Politics and Teachings. Seventh EditionRobertson, J. M. (John Mackinnon)
History
Charles Bradlaugh: a Record of His Life and Work, Volume 1 (of 2): With an Account of his Parliamentary Struggle, Politics and Teachings. Seventh Edition
Robertson, J. M. (John Mackinnon)
Bradlaugh, Charles, 1833-1891
He goes on to say that "the organization of all these precautionary
measures involved a great deal of labour, and required much tact. The
presence of French police spies was supplemented by the interference
of English spies; and against these it was necessary for Bernard's
friends to be on the alert. On one occasion some mounted police
followed Bradlaugh to his home in Cassland Road, Hackney. At another
time he entered a restaurant near Leicester Square with Dr Bernard
and Mr Sparkhall, an old and trusty friend, who subsequently joined
and helped to organize the English legion that fought so well for
Garibaldi. While they were discussing a French spy came in, and
sitting down in the next compartment, soon pretended to be asleep.
Bradlaugh, recognising the individual, leaned over the compartment,
took a long spill, as if to light a cigar, and held the burning paper
under the spy's nose. As the man was only pretending to be asleep,
this treatment did not fail to awake him most promptly. Further, this
manner of dealing with him left no room for doubt as to his having
been recognised, and he therefore simply rose and quietly left the
restaurant, without even protesting against the burn inflicted on
his most prominent feature. So numerous were the foreign spies in
London at that time, that popular irritation was excited, and once
Bernard himself was mistaken by a mob in the Park, and attacked as a
French spy. His friends had great difficulty in shielding him and in
persuading his aggressors that they were mistaken."
Thomas Allsop,[23] mentioned by Mr Bradlaugh in the same sentence with
Bernard, was also present at the Reform League meeting, and he is
described by my father as "a straightforward old gentleman, carrying
his years well, and apparently untroubled by the late harassing events;
his head gives you an idea of power and dogged determination--it
is worth more than £200." These last words refer, I believe, to a
reward of £200 which was offered for the apprehension of Mr Allsop in
connection with the Orsini matter. Apart from the striking personality
it represents, the name of Thomas Allsop will always bear a peculiar
interest to admirers of Charles Bradlaugh, for it was he who bestowed
upon the, even then, "strong man and strenuous fighter" the motto
"Thorough," which his after life so amply justified, and of which he
was so proud, saying, "When my work is over, and the stone covers the
spot wherein I lie, may I be entitled to have the word 'Thorough'
carven upon its face."
[Footnote 23: Mr Allsop will be known to the English public as the
author of the "Recollections of Samuel Taylor Coleridge." He died a few
years before my father, and he lies near his friend at Brookwood.]
It was during these years of political excitement that my father became
acquainted with Mazzini, Crispi, de Boni, Ledru Rollin, Louis Blanc,
and W. J. Linton.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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