Would you, guided by Old Nick,
March the Rogue’s March double quick,
In a cash-box span and spick,
Ere insured by Messrs. Slick,
Substitute for bullion brick;
Whatsoever ship you pick
Sail not in her–say you’re sick.
Though on deck the crowd be thick,
Why should that your conscience prick?
Hid in clock that will not tick
Till the fatal hammer click,
Dynamite will do the trick.
If by chance of fall or kick
Hatch precociously your chick,
Then, the dust of earth to lick,
Ere your neck the hangman rick,
In your brain a bullet stick.
Anonymous, Baily’s Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, Vol. 28, No. 193, Page 209. (March 1876.)
Quite an unexpected thing to see in a magazine about hunting and cricket.
I’m not able to figure out exactly which act of terrorism this is deriding. Dynamite was invented in 1866; this event probably took place circa 1875.
[later...]
Ah! As luck would have it, there is a recent book by Ann Larabee which talks about this incident: The Dynamite Fiend:The Chilling Story of Alexander Keith Jr., Nova Scotia Spy, Con-Artist & International Terrorist. You can read more about the book and its Canadian connection here.
Keith apparently was trying to commit insurance fraud; the bomb went off too early, and many dockworkers were killed. Keith shot himself, but remained living for a few days.