THE CROWN JEWELS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 235, 22 February 1913, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE CROWN JEWELS

M.P.'s STORY OF A RED-HANDED OFFICER.

Amazing allegations in connection with the theft from Dublin Castle of the Regalia of the Knights of St. Patrick, valued at £50,000, wore made in the House of Commons by Mr. Ginnell. a Nationalist member, who has more than once raised the question. Mr. Ginnell, in dealing with the matter, said he would refer to two characters, whom he was entitled to name, but whose names he would not give, in deference to the wish of the Speaker. In the years preceding and during the Boer war the British Army in South Africa had the distinction of contaiiihg first as private aand afterwards as captain, the greatest sconndred in South Africa. He was well known in the Army to be a reckless bully, a robber and a murderer. The exploit for which he was courtmartialled was robbery of the Bulawayo-Sali.sbury mail coach, and some years later lie was kicked out of Tborneycroft's Horse. Such a reckless bully was he known to be, so many lives of Portuguese and natives was he known to have taken wantonly, that, though his guilt was a matter of common knowledge, no one would take the risk of publicly giving evidence against him on any charge. Hence the first court-martial failed. In 1902 he was informed that he could no longer be tolerated in the Army, and was allowed to resign on the ground of ill-health. . He went to Ireland, and, as if nothing had happened, was given a commission in the Third Royal Irish Regiment. Finding robbery of mail coaches not feasible in Ireland —(laughter)—he practised his other accomplishments there, and got congenial spirits in Dublin Oastle to admit him to their society. He waited his opportunity, and availed himself of it, to steal, in conjunction with others, the Crown jewels. One of his chums in the Castle, a participant in the theft, was a lieutenant in the Third Royal Irish Fusiliers, then stationed in County Armagh. This person threatened what was called the Trish Government—(laughter) —that if they dared to put them on trial he would make a full disclosure of the thefts, and of everybody connected with them. It was a pretty state of things when a criminal so bad knew his environment to be so bad that he could safely flout the thing calling itself a Government. (Laughter). His threat was submitted to. and all that was done was to call upon him to leave the Castle and resign his commission in the Army. He accordingly sent in his resignation in 1907. The South African hero managed to escape expulsion from the Army in Ireland till August 9, 1908. On that day he was once more told he must leave the Army, hut again he was allowed to resign. But he went as quietly as he could.

In addition to his personal part in the crime in Dublin Castle, there were two matters of wider importance. How did a person, discharged in Africa, afterwards obtain a commission in Ireland, and by what authority were criminals found in the Army a second time turned loose among the public instead of being banded over to be dealt with, under the ordinarv btw?

The concealment of the theft having been made impossible, the ordinary criminal investigation was stopped. With what object hut the concealment of crime and criminals was the Vice-regal Commission appointed? The Chief Secretary selected certain men ostensibly to investigate the jewel theft, but really to do what he and the thieves wanted done. (Laughter). The right honorable gentleman salved his conscience, but threw dust in the eyes of the public by asking the officials, one of whom had threatened full disclosure, to give him their word of honor that they were not in Dublin on the date of the theft.

Imagine the Chief Secretary for, Ireland going among these scoundrels — (laughter)—and saying. "Look here, gentlemen thieves— (laughter)— you have got me into a mess. (Renewed laughter). Public opinion has compelled me to appoint a Commission to enquire into your work, but I have taken care that it is of the right sort. (Laughter). Tt will look far better, however, if I can safely produce some of you as witnesses. I am unable to do this unless you give me your word of honor that you know absolutely nothing about your own theft.' (Laughter).

Of course, they all declared that they were absent from Dublin on the day of the theft, but it was awkward for some of them that the fashionable intelligence in the Dublin newspapers gave them the lie. (Laughter). He submitted that the setting up of the Commission by the Chief Secretary was a greater crime than the theft of the jewels. (Laughter).

Mr. Birrell said he had listened carefully to the honorable gentleman's remarks with a view to extracting any'information which would enable him to do the one thing he was most anxious to do before lie left office, namely, to restore the frown jewels to their proper keeping. There was not a word of truth in any one of the charges made by the honorable member. He (Mr. Birrell) knew nothing of any criminal. TTc. had bad no consort with any criminal. (Laughter). Neither did he know anything of any of the incidents to which the honorable member bad referred. The ignorance which be was professing, and which lie deeply regretted, was a real ignorance. The police had assured him that during their enquiries into the robbery they did not come across the names of any persons to whom they could depose, and were not put upon the track of any crime of anv sort in Dublin Castle or the city of Dublin which would enable | them to put anybody on trial for these | odious offences. He left the House to ! judge whether the honorable member was likely to lte of any use to him in the further conduct of these enquiries, and be should in future pay the honorable menilier that total disregard which ought to attach to his observations.