Karl Marx and Frederick Engels 1881
Source: in The Daily News, April 1, 1881;
Transcribed: by Tony Brown.
Sir ,
The Daily News of to-day, in an article entitled: “Prosecution of the Freiheit Journal,” states that the number of that paper, containing an article on the death of the Emperor of Russia, “also contained some allusion to the perpetrator of the Mansion House mystery.” As this statement is open to an interpretation altogether at variance with the contents of the article in question; as that article is entirely unconnected with the one on the St. Petersburg affair and as Mr. Most the editor is at present not in a position to defend himself in the press, we beg to ask you to insert the following literal translation of all that is said, in the number of the Freiheit alluded to, with regard to the “Mansion House mystery.”
Freiheit, 19th March, 1881:
“On Wednesday evening a parcel full of gunpowder, about 15lb., was placed by an ‘unknown’ hand before the Mansion House in the City. It was burning at one end, but ‘accidentally’ a policeman at once observed this and was plucky enough to put it out. Now we do not see what purpose might possibly have been served by this powder explosion. Anyhow, the international police appear to have known how to make capital out of it. For on the following evening Government was to be asked in Parliament what measures they intended to take against the Socialist bands which had established themselves in London. However, the Home Secretary did not think proper to do anything besides shrugging his shoulders, and that was all the international police got for their pains.”
We are, Sir, your obedient servants,
Karl Marx
Frederick Engels
London, March 31