London has been disturbed this week by a great crime,
the' motive of which is still not ascertained. At a few minutes be- fore eight on Tuesday evening an explosion shattered the end carriages of a train travelling from the Praed-Street Station, on the Metropolitan Railway, to the Edgware-Road Station ; while at a few minutes past eight a similar explosion occurred on the Metropolitan District Railway, between Charing Cross and Westminster. In the former case, three third-class carriages were shattered, and above forty persons injured, four of them. seriously, though no one was killed, the sufferers being all poor- men and women. In the latter case, the gas was extinguished,. part of the roof over the carriage-way blown out, and three persons thrown down, but no injury was done to life.. The explosion is believed to be due to dynamite, and the balance of opinion among experts is said to be that in each case crimi- nals, supposed to be ignorant men, had hung infernal machines,. timed to explode before the whole train passed, out of a carriage window, and then cut the string, the intention being to wreck the lines, and cause the largest possible amount of injury and annoyance to London. Colonel Majendie, however, has not yet given his opinion, nor are the facts all known, and many of the theories advanced are only clever guesses. It is well to waft,. but meanwhile the public attributes the outrage, which has profoundly shocked opinion, to some secret society within the Fenian organisation, which is " making war " on the British Government by destroying private property and endangering the lives of innocent citizens.
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