Dear Boss

[TradeName]

The Hannah Dobbs testimony at oldbaileyonline:

SIWERIN BASTENDORF, Deception > perjury, 24th November 1879

55. SIWERIN BASTENDORF (32) was indicted for wilful and corrupt perjury, committed by him in an affidavit in an action between himself and George Purkiss.

Another case charging Judy with libeling the Central News:

WILLIAM JOHN SINKIN, Breaking Peace > libel, 10th December 1883.

143. WILLIAM JOHN SINKIN , Unlawfully and maliciously printing and publishing a libel on the Central News Company.


The item in question:

Judy, or the London Serio-Comic Journal, Volume 33, October 31, 1883, Page 213

Political Palaver

[TradeName]

This is apparently the "confession of Hartmann" the Quarterly Review piece mentioned:

Grey River Argus, Volume XXIII, Issue 3671, 1 June 1880, Page 2

HARTMANN'S CONFFSSION

HIS ATTEMPT TO PLOW [sic] UP THE CZAR—HIS CAREER

[lynn cates]

NV

Hello Trade. Thanks for this. Wasn't he a Narodnaya Volya chap?

Cheers.
LC

[TradeName]

Doing some Googling with the clue you provided, it does look like this was the Leo Hartmann associated with Narodnaya Volya.

When he was in New York in 1881, some doubted his authenticity:

The School Herald, Volume 1, September 1, 1881, Pages 114-115

PSEUDO CRIMINALS

The second would-be-thought criminal who is accused of hypocrisy, is the person claiming to be Leo Hartmann, the Nihilist. Coming to this country some weeks since, this man made open confession of his participation in the blowing up of the Moscow train, and gained considerable notoriety thereby. His description of the way in which the crime was effected was given in full by the press, and the question whether Hartmann could be extradited on the strength of his confession was generally discussed. Now comes a St. Petersburg correspondent and says that "the Moscow railroad mine was not dug from a house, as alleged [in Hartmann's narrative], for there was no house except a signal box and tool house within 100 yards of the line at the point of explosion. The dynamite was in a broken culvert, and was fired by means of a cartridge, exploded by a lever fastened to the rail. All that portion of the New York story respecting the superhuman efforts of Hartmann and his associates in digging from the cellar of their house under a road to the line is, therefore, purely imaginative, and it is the basis of the whole narrative. Either Hartman is not on your side of the water, or he is romancing."

---end

[lynn cates]

assassination

Hello Trade. Thanks. The NV was responsible for the assassination of the Tsar earlier in the decade.

Do you, perchance, have Butterworth?

Cheers.
LC

[Tom_Wescott]

Hi Lynn, I seem to remember that Philip Krantz of Berner Street fate was allegedly involved with the assassination of the Tsar.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[TradeName]

Do you, perchance, have Butterworth?

I've thumbed through it at the bookstore.

[lynn cates]

interesting

Hello Tom. Hmm, new one on me. Wonder if he had ties to "The People's Will" (Narodnaya Volya)?

Thanks.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

Butterworth

Hello Trade. Butterworth is indispensible for "knowing your Anarcho-Socialist." Better even than an explanation by John Cleese. (heh-heh)

Cheers.
LC

[mariab]

Hi Lynn, I seem to remember that Philip Krantz of Berner Street fate was allegedly involved with the assassination of the Tsar.

Hello Tom. Hmm, new one on me. Wonder if he had ties to "The People's Will" (Narodnaya Volya)?

Tom is correct. Also about Narodnaya Volya. This is discussed by Eduardo Zinna in Ripperologist #39 (from February 2002), which is from when the mag was in printed form. I can send you a xerox copy at some point, Lynn, along with some anarchist-related documents from Paris. I'm still using your Rocker, and by the by, it was Tom who recommended the Zinna article to me.
As another by the by, the AF project is progressing rapidly, both from N.Y. and Whitechapel. I'll report about this soon, I'm still sorting it out.

I've thumbed through it at the bookstore.

Butterworth is also available to read at www.amazon.com for free.

[TradeName]

The Birley or Burley who collaborated with "Mr. Moore" on the Euston Square Mystery pamphlet might be Bennet Burleigh, AKA Bennet G. Burley, who went on to gain fame as a war correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.

The Printing Times and Lithographer, Volume 6, September 15, 1880, Page 231

PRINTING AND OTHER COMPANIES

[...] The Central News Agency is also being metamorphosed into a joint-stock concern, Mr. W. Saunders, the present manager, being one of the promoters.

[...]


CENTRAL NEWS (LIMITED).—This company was registered on the 26th ult., with a registered capital of £20,000, in 1,000 shares of £20 each. It has been organized to carry on the business of a news agency and of newspaper proprietors and publishers in the United Kingdom. The promoters are: W. Saunders, 107, Fleet-street; W. Hunt. Hull; S. Saunders, Lavington; F. Duff, 107, Fleet-street; J. Moore, Peckham Rye; A. Kinnear, 186, Kennington-road; and B. Burleigh, Herne-hill.

--end

Michael Davitt's account of how he learned of the Phoenix Park murders from Burleigh:

The Fall of Feudalism in Ireland: or, The Story of the Land League Revolution (London: Harper, 1904), Page 357
by Michael Davitt

We drove to the Westminster Palace Hotel accompanied by a score of the more intimate friends among the members of the throng, where a couple of hours were spent in general talk; "the Home-Rule Parliament of the immediate future" being toasted and drank to in the true spirit of Celtic buoyancy. Then the friends departed and the clouds came.

Scarcely had Mr. Dillon and the writer sat down alone than Mr. Bennet Burleigh, the since famous war correspondent, rushed into the room and spread before me without a word a telegram which read as follows:

"The Depot, Phoenix Park, Dublin, 8 P.m. "Lord Frederick Cavendish and Under-Secretary Burke were assassinated with knives by a band of men about halfpast six this evening opposite the Viceregal Lodge."

"Oh, come, Burleigh, this is a patent bogus outrage for tomorrow's Sunday papers. Surely you are not going to lend yourself to a monstrous scare of this kind?"

"I hope to God you are right, but see where the message comes from? It is from the constabulary headquarters to the Central News."

"Just where a thundering sensation can be so well manufactured," was the reply; but Burleigh shook his head and departed, leaving us disturbed in mind but absolutely incredulous that so dire a calamity had occurred or could thus cruelly dash the morning's cup of bright hope and promise to the ground.

--end

Obit:

New York Times, June 18, 1914, link

BENNET BURLEIGH DEAD

Veteran War Correspondent Served In Confederate Army in Civil War



Now sure what to make of this. William Mertens was arrested in 1882 for "unlawfully publishing, on 13th May, in a [Communist] newspaper called the Freiheit, a scandalous, wicked, malicious, and immoral libel" and "by such libel encouraging persons to murder certain subjects of the Queen." The arresting officer, Charles Hagen, testified that at the time of the arrest Mertens told his wife the following: "Go to the others and say to them I am arrested on the same charge as [Johann] Most was; also go to the Central News and see Mr. Burley, and tell him the same, and if you want any money he will give it you."

WILLIAM MERTENS, Breaking Peace > libel, 31st July 1882

737. WILLIAM MERTENS (30) was indicted for unlawfully publishing, on 13th May, in a newspaper called the Freiheit, a scandalous, wicked, malicious, and immoral libel. Second Count, by such libel encouraging persons to murder certain subjects of the Queen.

Related cases:

JOHANN MOST, Breaking Peace > libel, 23rd May 1881

541. JOHANN MOST (35) was indicted for unlawfully and maliciously publishing in a newspaper called the Freiheit a libel attempting to justify the crime of assassination and murder. Second Count, with intent to incite persons to conspire against the lives of the Sovereigns of Europe.

FREDERICK SCHWELM, Breaking Peace > libel, 26th June 1882

672. FREDERICK SCHWELM (28) was indicted for unlawfully publishing, on 27th May, in a newspaper called the Freiheit, a scandalous and malicious libel in the German language, tending to encourage persons to murder the subjects of the Queen.

[TradeName]

A sketch of Bennet Burleigh from 1900 describes him as an ardent Socialist:

Harper's Magazine, Volume 101, July, 1900, Pages 209-216

ENGLISH WAR-CORRESPONDENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

BY FRED A. McKENZIE

Pages 213-214

No correspondent has done better service than Mr. Bennet Burleigh, the famous Telegraph special. He is now a veteran, but a veteran who can leave the younger men hopelessly behind. Beginning as a soldier, he fought for the Confederates in the civil war, and passed through adventures that would fill many a volume. Three times a prisoner, he obtained his liberty by feats that make the stories of Dumas seem tame. War over, he took to journalism in Texas, and afterwards drifted to London. He simply does not understand what fear is, and his physical powers are enormous. To spend a day in battle and then ride sixty miles afterwards, write a long and brilliant despatch and get it first through, is to him a trifle. He docs not know fatigue; and the harder a campaign, the more he flourishes. He thrives on hardships as other men do on luxury. Yet, withal, he has sides to his character that men do not see in campaigns. He is so ardent a socialist that he actually fought as a Labor candidate at Glasgow in several elections. To understand the meaning of this, it must be remembered that in England the "Labor candidate" is almost universally regarded as a hopeless crank. His favorite drink is soda-
water, and he abjures tobacco. He began the present campaign by taking a venturesome journey through the Boer army. He actually, at a time when every outlet from the Transvaal was closed, boarded the train of the Boer General Joubert and travelled with him, securing a long interview from him and full details of the Boer intentions. He so won Joubert that the old general lent him a conveyance to go over into British territory. Once at least during this campaign Mr. Burleigh, in spite of the censor, got in front of even the military authorities. The authorities paid him the undesirable compliment of appropriating his despatch and issuing it as official intelligence.

[lynn cates]

thanks

Hello Maria. Thanks. I look forward to it.

Cheers.
LC

[lynn cates]

Johann Most

Hello Trade. Thanks.

Johann Most was connected to the London Club Autonomie.

Cheers.
LC

[Tom_Wescott]

Do you, perchance, have Butterworth?

Would Grey Poupon suffice?

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott