Walsall Anarchists facts for kids

The Walsall Anarchists were a group of people who believed in anarchy. This means they thought society would be better without a government. In 1892, they were arrested in Walsall, England. They were accused of making bombs. Later, it was found that a police agent might have caused some of the trouble. This agent worked for a special police group called Special Branch. This group is part of the police that deals with national security.

The First Arrests

In January 1892, a man named Joe Deakin was arrested in London. He was accused of making bombs. The next day, he was charged in court. After his arrest, several other anarchists were also arrested. These included Victor Cails, Fred Charles, William Ditchfield, John Westley, and Jean Battola. They were all accused of making explosives together.

When they first appeared in court in Walsall, the police asked for them to be held for a week. The police said they had "very important information." They claimed there was a "widespread conspiracy" across the country.

What the Police Said They Found

The police presented evidence against the group. They claimed the people had items for making bombs:

• Charles was accused of having bomb plans written in French. He also had a model for an explosive bolt. Police also found a French paper by Cails called The Means of Emancipation. This paper encouraged people to make and use explosives.
• Cails was accused of having a fuse and French anarchist writings. One paper, L'International, had instructions for making explosives. It also showed how to use them to damage buildings.
• Ditchfield was accused of having a plaster mold for a bomb. This was found in his workshop. An explosive bolt was found in his home. He also had clay mixed with hair in the Socialist Club's basement.

All six people were kept in jail. However, no actual explosives were found. There was also no clear evidence against three of the people.

More Arrests and Surprising News

This poster from 1894 asked for the release of the Walsall Anarchists. It said their arrests were due to a "Sham Dynamite Plot" made by a "spy" working for the police.

Joe Deakin thought Fred Charles was giving information to the police. So, Deakin made a statement. In his statement, he also mentioned Auguste Coulon. Coulon was a French anarchist. He worked at a school in London that taught children of foreign socialists. Coulon was also involved in chemistry classes and sharing information about making bombs.

The police also arrested a Swiss inventor named Cavargna. He had invented small explosives used to get rid of rabbits in Australia. He was released from jail after two days. Another person, McCormack, offered to help the police. He had recently been kicked out of the socialist club in Walsall. But the police soon decided he was not reliable. He then went to Birmingham and sold his story to a newspaper. The next day in court, he said the police had hired him to create false evidence against the Walsall Anarchists. Later, Charles Mowbray and David Nicoll were also arrested. They were accused of being part of a secret plan.

After David Nicoll was released, he was raising money for the Walsall anarchists. By chance, Coulon's brother let slip that Coulon was actually a police agent. The defense team brought this up in court. They gave Coulon's address and asked why he had not been arrested. Nicoll started a fund to help the anarchists. Another fund was set up by Edward Carpenter, which raised money from socialist groups. These groups had different ideas about whether the whole trial was a police setup.

The Trial and Its Outcome

The case got a lot of attention in the news. Two writings were especially talked about: The Means of Emancipation and The Anarchist Feast at The Opera. The second one described how to cause a lot of damage in an opera house. It talked about breaking gas lines and leaving bombs in seats.

After three bombings happened in Paris, a reporter for The Times newspaper made a connection. He wrote that anarchists should not be seen as a political group. He felt they should not be able to escape from Paris to other cities like London. A man named Ravachol was arrested for two of these bombings and quickly admitted what he did.

The mood during the trial was not calm. The Anarchist Feast at The Opera was read out loud as if it showed what the people on trial believed. The defense team did not argue that it was a police plot.

Charles, Cails, and Battola were found guilty. Deakin was also found guilty, but the jury asked the judge to be kind to him. Westley and Ditchfield were found not guilty. Those found guilty were allowed to speak. Charles, Battola, and Cails all said they believed it was a police plot by the police. Charles, Battola, and Cails were each sentenced to ten years in prison. Deakin was sentenced to five years.

Images for kids

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  This poster from 1894 asked for the release of the Walsall Anarchists. It said their arrests were due to a "Sham Dynamite Plot" made by a "spy" working for the police.