Walsall Anarchists

The Walsall Anarchists were a group of anarchists arrested on explosive charges in Walsall in 1892.

Recent research into police files has revealed that the bombings were instigated by Auguste Coulon, an agent provocateur of Special Branch Inspector William Melville, who would go on to become an early official of what became MI5.

On 6 January 1892, Joe Deakin, an anarchist from Walsall, was arrested on Tottenham Court Road, London on his way to the Autonomie Club. He was remanded in custody at Great Marlborough Street Magistrates Court the next day on a charge of manufacturing bombs. Following this court appearance, Inspector Melville went to Walsall and that evening arrested Victor Cails, a Frenchman, and Fred Charles at the Socialist Club in Goodall Street, Walsall. Later William Ditchfield and John Westley were arrested in Walsall and Jean Battola, an Italian, was arrested in London. Deakin and Battola were taken to Walsall to stand trial. They were all jointly charged with bomb making. At their first appearance at the Walsall police court, the prosecution asked for a week's remand on the grounds that "[t]he authorities both in Walsall and London had received very important information with reference to what he might call a widespread conspiracy throughout the country."

The evidence presented was as follows:

All six were remanded in custody, although no explosives were actually found and there was no evidence as regards the other three defendants.

Under the false belief that Charles was a police spy, Deakin made a confession. However, his confession also implicated Auguste Coulon, a French anarchist, who worked as an assistant in the school set up by Louise Michel for the education of the children of the foreign socialists in London. He was also involved in trying to organise chemistry classes and translating and circulating information about bomb making. The police also arrested a Swiss inventor called Cavargna, who had invented some small explosive shells for exterminating rabbits in Australia. He was released after two days. A further person named McCormack, who had been recently expelled from the socialist club in Walsall, offered his services to the police, who soon decided he was unreliable. He went to Birmingham where he sold his story to the newspaper and got drunk on the proceeds. Arrested for being drunk and disorderly, he promptly declared in court next day that he had been employed by the police to fabricate evidence against the Walsall Anarchists. Charles Mowbray and David Nicholl were soon also arrested on conspiracy charges.

...
Wikipedia