Druitt and the Civil Service

[Mayerling]

James Conally

A small note on a remarkable Irish Socialist leader (whom Goldwin Smith would have totally disapproved of).

Connally came from a very poor family - he lived in slums for many years, even after he had gotten an education. He also did work for unions and labor politics in the United States and Scotland before returning to his family's homeland of Ireland.

Years ago when I was working at a summer job there were several men who happened to be from Ireland (and were old enough - this was in the 1970s - to recall the period of the Irish Civil War. When discussing the events of 1916, while full of praise for figures like Padraig Pearce and his brother, one of them was quite sharp with me about James Connally. "Connally was a socialist!", the man (a Mr. O'Keefe) barked out - as though it was terrible indeed. At the time I was amazed at that reaction, but I have since learned that to the average Irish person Connally's effective career is more important regarding his political and economic standpoints and writings, not his involvement in the events of 1916 (heroic as they were).

I find this so odd...but then if the events of the Easter of 1916 had not happened Padraig Pearce would be recalled for his efforts at revitalizing gaelic and for his experimental public school. Oddly enough, to this day, I keep feeling that Connally should have been the one in charge of the entire fighting, not Pearce. Connally had been training his socialist followers far more completely and accurately as soldiers than Pearce and his associates.
While all the Irish rebels acquitted themselves well regarding the fighting, the socialist troops frequently did the best work. But that is just my own opinion.

Jeff

[jason_c]

A James Connolly march is still held annually in Edinburgh. It can still be quite controversial at times.

A word of caution concerning Druitt. Appearing at a Liberal meeting doesnt tell us much. If I were a passionate liberal, embracing numerous causes, I would not spend most of my time playing sport. Druitt leaves us no writings in which he states his passionate political beliefs. His contemporaries do not comment on this "radical" amongst them.

[Natalie Severn]

Fascinating reads those Jeff.Especially about the Irving connection.I agree with you regarding the composition of those forces.James Connolly,like Jason says,was controversial and a famous writer on socialism.The IRA was never particularly "socialist" but committed solely to Nationalism and in amongst the nationalists were to be found some very right wing republicans-especially during WW2!
As regards Druitt,who knows? A very dark horse perhaps.He was up to something they didnt like, I feel sure.Otherwise why would a man from a similar class and education finger him as the Ripper?Macnaghten was ofcourse a lifelong friend of Monro and Monro and Anderson were desperate to keep the Pigott story "under wraps" until after the Special Commission into the Parnell affair that began its work 22 October 1888.Equally ,the radical MP Labouchere and his friends were desperate to expose Pigott over his forgeries regarding Parnell. [Michael Davitt ,who was Parnell"s advocate at the Special Commission,was actually very nervous of such exposure because he suspected Pigott would be bribed by The Times and would flee trial to avoid having to give his evidence-he was pretty near the mark in the event of Pigott"s suicide].
Thanks for the map Andy.I wonder if we could get a list of Cook"s Wedding attendees?





Grateful for that extract Chris.


Norma

[Johnr]

Should We Shift Edward Tyas Cook to His Own Thread?

Thanks for the further Times article regarding E.T.Cook, Chris,
And thanks Natalie and Jeff for your contributions much appreciated.
Does anyone else think we should shift E.T.Cook to his own thread?
After all, this is the Druitt at Oxford thread. And the Fennians seem to be taking us on a Cook's Tour don't they?
Of course, the discussion of Druitt's political leanings are important. I just wish we could find out why Druitt was rejected for acceptance to the Oxford Union.( And I wish the author of the Ripper Code book would post on the Druitt threads!).JOHN RUFFELS.

[aspallek]

No objections if someone wants to move this to its own thread but perhaps should make it a broader heading than just Cook as discussion might pan out.

Regarding the Oxford Union and Druitt's alleged "blackball," it is interesting to note that Cook was president of the Union as well as the Palmerston Club while at Oxford. So, if the author's premise is correct they may not have been as good of friends as we conjectured.

Nats -- I had a look through the newspapers for Cook's wedding announcement but came up empty.

[Christine]

The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica is available online, in several different places. Here's Goldwin Smith.

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Goldwin_Smith

Selections from some the earlier editions (1875 and 1902) are also out there, and you can buy a complete edition on DVD. These can be very useful for someone trying to get a feel for the period.

[Natalie Severn]

Hi Andy ,John and All,
I got Cook"s biography from the library today.I note that John might prefer this on another thread but if I its ok I will continue here with a few observations that may be helpful.
Cook"s days at Winchester were marked by his interest in "debating" where he cut an impressive argument and became a leading light there-as he did at Oxford.
After matriculating, Cook did pass his civil service exam,he came tenth out of twelve.However,because he wasnt offered a post in the Treasury he wasnt interested!He tried Law too but wasnt too interested in that either preferring to read about Shelley and Blake.He wasnt much interested in Sport his bent being towards Drama,Art and Poetry and Literature.

After trying and failing to obtain several fellowships in 1880,he left Oxford in December 1881.
He then returned to Blackheath,spending time in the British Museum reading etc and having his dinners at "The Inner Temple".
Thinking about that I am tempted to state he must have made acquaintance with Druitt in the Inner Temple-who must also have taken some of his dinners there-it being twenty yards from Kings Bench Walk and his chambers.
During these early 80"s Cook apparently attended small gatherings where he had been invited by A Milner and Arnold Toynbee held in "The Inns of Court".
This could be significant because Toynbee Hall ,which Toynbee founded in 1884 was/is in Commercial Street [in 1884 number 28] and next to George Yard and Castle Alley-significant sites after all.
Barnett and Toynbee"s objectives were to gather together a group of young Oxford graduate volunteers to provide educational projects for the working men of Whitechapel.Clearly they thought Cook was such a man who would be ideal to work with the underpriveleged Of Whitechapel.
Will write more later...........

[John Savage]

Hi Natalie,

This business of people taking dinners at the Inner Temple was I beleive all part and parcel of what it took to become a barrister, it being required that those wishing to become barristers had to take a set number of these dinners before they could qualify.

Rgds
John

[Natalie Severn]

Well it seems obvious to me that one of the questions we need to ask is whether Druitt was one of these young men who volunteered like Cook apparently did to work educational programmes with working men from Whitechapel.
I will try to visit Toynbee Hall again-when I last went last Winter I tried to look up this kind of thing in their library but the person there was a "replacement" librarian and couldnt help me.Its possible they may have records of their early volunteers.I know that in the seventies and eighties John Profumo was a volunteer there after his escapades with Christine Keeler became public knowledge.

Thanks for that info John.Yes I gathered Cook had been interested in becoming a barrister at this time.

[Natalie Severn]

Just to recap:
Edward Cook -born 1857
- attended the same School,Winchester,in the same year,as Druitt and left at the same time
-like Druitt-joined debating society at both school and University

- began at the same college-" New College", Oxford and graduated the same month and same year

-sat same Civil Service exam---passed but didnt take post offered

-returned to Blackheath in December 1881

-went for "Dinners"at the Inner Temple-[see John"s post above]

-attended Arnold Toynbee"s teachers group comprised of Oxford graduates volunteering to work in education with the workers of Whitechapel[sounds like they would have been known to William Morris, known for attending the Berner street Club.

Note: Toynbee Hall,opened in 1883/4 is on Commercial Street, Whitechapel which was where the lessons,led by Oxford Students,took place.

[m_w_r]

Hello everyone -

If we never learned anything else about Edward Tyas Cook, I am glad we have got this ...

From the Leeds Mercury, 19 July 1890:


I like "It certainly looks a very sensible bird".

Regards,

Mark

[Natalie Severn]

That was fun Mike!
On a serious note [ ] I am mindful that Sir Edward Cook was one first class Fleet Street journalist who would have been covering stories during the Autumn of 1888 as well as during the period when his colleagues on the Sun newspaper were screeching about The Ripper as Cutbush in 1894.As the editor of a National Newspaper he would have had secret information about Macnaghten"s report.He would almost certainly have known that he had named Druitt as the lead suspect- --as Druitt was his long time school/college/Inns of Court/ Blackheath compatriot after all.
We need more information.I dont think Cook was in any way connected to the Irish Nationalist movement.However he stated himself in letters that he was a strong supporter of Home Rule.

[Mayerling]

Fascinating reads those Jeff.Especially about the Irving connection.I agree with you regarding the composition of those forces.James Connolly,like Jason says,was controversial and a famous writer on socialism.The IRA was never particularly "socialist" but committed solely to Nationalism and in amongst the nationalists were to be found some very right wing republicans-especially during WW2!
As regards Druitt,who knows? A very dark horse perhaps.He was up to something they didnt like, I feel sure.Otherwise why would a man from a similar class and education finger him as the Ripper?Macnaghten was ofcourse a lifelong friend of Monro and Monro and Anderson were desperate to keep the Pigott story "under wraps" until after the Special Commission into the Parnell affair that began its work 22 October 1888.Equally ,the radical MP Labouchere and his friends were desperate to expose Pigott over his forgeries regarding Parnell. [Michael Davitt ,who was Parnell"s advocate at the Special Commission,was actually very nervous of such exposure because he suspected Pigott would be bribed by The Times and would flee trial to avoid having to give his evidence-he was pretty near the mark in the event of Pigott"s suicide].
Thanks for the map Andy.I wonder if we could get a list of Cook"s Wedding attendees?





Grateful for that extract Chris.


Norma

Hi Norma,

Thanks for the kind remarks about my comments. There is a major reason for the intense hostility shown by Scotland Yard to any attempts to uncover the Pigott forgeries. In the years since the Parnell Commission met many historians have felt the police help support and cover Pigott all along - as in later periods the police monitored labor unions and Labor Party leaders the ones in the 1880s did the same with Irish figures and socialists (like in the East End) as well as their allies in the Liberal Party. The police were not alone. There is evidence of the involvement of at least one leading political figure at the time - the overly ambitious would-be Prime Minister Joseph Chamberlain. Chamberlain would abandon the Liberal Party in 1885, on the issue of Home Rule, thus seriously weakening Gladstone's government. For the rest of the 1880s there were four blocs in the House of Commons that were uneasily building up and down so that between 1885 and 1887 there two goverments that rose and fell (including Gladstone's shortest one). Parnell kept playing his own game of Parliamentary maneuvering to force the Liberals to back his Home Rule, and then came the Pigott forgery and the Parliamentary Inquiry.

It's obvious now that the timing of the inquiry was to prevent Parnell from fully being able to assist Gladstone in maintaining his control of the House.
Parnell would be more involved with proving his innocence (aided by Gladstone's former Attorney General, Sir Charles Russell, as his attorney).
Pigott was hidden as long as possible, until letters showing a common spelling error of his, and letters showing him trying to approach a business understanding with one of Parnell's supporters, came to Russell's attention. It was these papers that destroyed Pigott on the witness stand in 1889.

But at the same time that Pigott proved such a liability, Joe Chamberlain was already looking at a better attack weapon. Chamberlain (a Birmingham manufacturer of screws of all things) approached Captain O'Shea, the husband of Kitty O'Shea, Parnell's mistress. O'Shea was soon promised an easy future job for his assistance, and (as Parnell refused his attempt at extortion) O'Shea would bring the divorce proceedings that destroyed the Home Ruler.

Police involvement included allowing Pigott to flee London while the cross-examination at the Commission was entering it's third day. He was traced to Madrid, and two policemen did confront him at a hotel there - where Pigott conveniently committed suicide. Nobody ever said it was not a suicide.

Oddly enough, six years later, the Police seemed equally willing to not push for an arrest when a trial for libel turned tragically wrong. Oscar Wilde's first trial against the Marquess of Queensberry ended with a verdict for the Marquess (Mr Wilde, the jury decided, had posed as a "somdomite (sic)").
Wilde now faced criminal prosecution under the Labouchere Amendment regarding homosexual sex. For nearly half a day Wilde was not bothered - the police hoping he'd do as Pigott did and flee England. Unfortunately Wilde stayed put...and thus ended up facing a second trial, and his own incaceration in Reading Gaol.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[Natalie Severn]

Thanks a lot Jeff for all that most useful information regarding these amazing anti Home Rule shenanigans !I also know that O"Shea was invited and took part in a cabal -who became engaged in a Black propaganda campaign to bring down Parnell.Mainly- see page 186 Fenian fire -composed of British agents engaged in anti Fenian work, they were Hayes/Casey /George Mulqueeny-a long time informer for Anderson and Monro-see page 188 Fenian Fire.They were joined by no less than Richard Pigott,the forger of the Parnell letters.This was all in the run up to the Special Commission of the Autumn of 1888.Eventually the very important Tevis was sent to join them.
I believe Sir Edward Jenkinson was involved in the "pro-Home Rule" side[maybe just the anti Anderson/Monro side,or maybe, and more likely, to broker a deal with Davitt since Jenkinson was being "blackmailed"].Anyway, whatever the reason , Michael Davitt,in his note book of October 21 1888 ,recorded an"exchange of information" in Paris with Jenkinson on the eve of the Special Commission-see pages 308/309 /310 Fenian Fire by Christy Campbell.It regarded the people behind the Times campaign to discredit Parnell by the publication of the Pigott forgeries and by Sir Robert Anderson"s authorship of the same series of articles entitled "Parnellism and Crime".


While I do accept the involvement of the police in all this I think it needs to be clarified that there were many who were totally p**sed off with the early Fenian outrages-bombs being set off at random in the capital killing and maiming innocent people.The Government of the day though,because it did not want its colony of Ireland to break away from the British Empire and follow in the footsteps of American Independence, "capitalised" on these to bring discredit to the cause of Irish Nationalism.The crucial difference here was that Parnell ,as an Irish MP at Westminster,was an Irish protestant landowner who believed in a "peaceful" solution through "Home Rule" and "Parliamentary Democracy".
Unfortunately for him and the pro "Home Rulers",it was not to be.
So the police did their job ----and "under government orders".They were there to protect Law and Order after all,not allow dynamiters to be blowing people up.So if Parnell was thought for one moment to have been involved with any terrorist outrages,as Pigott"s forgeries in The Times suggested,then he was considered a criminal.

Cook understood this with absolute clarity.He seems to have supported Parnell throughout the Special Commission but to have been sorely disappointed by the scandal of Parnell"s later adultery.

Best Wishes
Norma

[Natalie Severn]

Having delved a little more into Cook,who sounds a very honourable,sane sort of chap in every respect,I can find no further link to Montague Druitt.I dont think it unlikely they were on friendly terms, but I do think it unlikely,on the evidence I have seen so far, that they moved in similar circles once they started out on their separate careers,ie after sitting their civil service exams at the same time and neither of them taking up civil service positions for whatever reason.
So I will join John R to discuss Cook further ,on the thread set up for Edward Cook,who was after all a neighbour,a contemporary and associate of Druitt"s.
Natalie