Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham: A History and Guide, Arranged AlphabeticallyHarman, Thomas T.
History
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham: A History and Guide, Arranged Alphabetically
Harman, Thomas T.
Birmingham (England) -- History -- Dictionaries
_Dynamite making_.--One of the most serious offences committed in
Birmingham was discovered when Alfred Whitehead was arrested April 5,
1883, on the charge of manufacturing nitroglycerine, or dynamite, at
128, Ledsam Street. Whitehead was one of the Irish-American or
American-Irish party of the Land Leaguers or Home Rulers, who entertain
the idea that by committing horrible outrages in England. they will
succeed in making Ireland "free from the galling yoke of Saxon tyranny"
and every Irishman independent of everybody and everything everywhere.
Well supplied with funds from New York, Whitehead quietly arranged his
little manufactory, buying glycerine from one firm and nitric and
sulphuric acids from others, certain members of the conspiracy coming
from London to take away the stuff when it was completely mixed. The
deliveries of the peculiar ingredients attracted the attention of Mr.
Gilbert Pritchard, whose chemical knowledge led him to guess what they
were required for; he informed his friend, Sergeant Price, of his
suspicions; Price and his superior officers made nightly visits to
Ledsam Street, getting into the premises, and taking samples for
examination; and on the morning named Whitehead's game was over, though
not before he had been watched in sending off two lots of the
dangerously explosive stuff to London. There was, however, no less than
200lbs weight found still on the premises. The men who carried it to
London were quickly caught with the dynamite in their possession, and
with Whitehead were brought to trial and each of them sentenced to penal
servitude for life. The distribution of rewards in connection with the
"dynamite outrages," so far as Birmingham people were concerned, was
somewhat on a similar scale to that described by the old sailor, when he
said "prize-money" was distributed through a ladder, all passing through
going to the officers, while any sticking to the wood was divided among
the men. Mr. Farndale, the Chief of Police, was granted an addition to
his salary of £100 per year; Inspector Black was promoted to the rank of
Superintendent, adding £50 a year to his salary, and was presented with
£100 from Government; Sergeant Price, became Inspector, with a rise of
£41 12s. a year, and received a bonus of £200; Inspector Rees' salary
was raised to two guineas a week, with a gift, of £50: while Mr.
Pritchard, to whom belonged the conspicuous service of having given the
information which led the police to act, was rewarded (!) with £50,
having lost his situation through his services to the public.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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