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could prejudices into which 'false proph...
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FIRES. 'Great Desmccnos op Profbktt — On...
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DERBYSHIRE. National Defences.—On Monday...
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MR, O'CONNOR AND HIS COUNTRYMEN—INTELLEC...
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THE SPECIAL COMMISSION. The trial with w...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Could Prejudices Into Which 'False Proph...
THE NORTHERN STAR January 29 , 1849 . * == _^ -- ~* - ~"" ' " ' " ' —~ ~* T _~~ ¦ I M
Ihetrupoittan Intelligent*
_iHetrupoIttan _Intelligent *
Fires. 'Great Desmccnos Op Profbktt — On...
FIRES . 'Great Desmccnos op _Profbktt — On Monday _fiightlasfc , a fire broke ent npon the extensive premises belonging to Messrs Beech and Berrel , lacemen and haberdashers , carrying on business at No . 64 , _Edgwareroad . It was caused from some light articles banging in the front window blowing against the fas , which set the whole in flames . Owing to the timely aid afforded the _flimes were Bpeedily extinguished , but not before the stock of laces and fancy ribbons in the shop windows was _severely damaged and the splendid plate glass windows demolished . The loss it is believed will exceed £ 200 —Another fire happened in Grove-mews , Great JameB street , _Lisson-erove , in the tenure of Mr Oliver , a writer and grainer . It began in the _buildings immediately ovi r the stable 3 , and w & s occasioned from the heat af a store . The premises were severely damaged by
fire , and a valuable horse in the stable " below nearly burnt t 9 death . —A third fire , on the same night , broke out on the premises belonging to Mr T . Mann , eating-housekeeper , No . 7 , Bucklersbury , Cheapside . It was _oaused by the over-heating of the _steambciler , which Bet the floorings and _joistings in the Mfeh ? n in a body of flame —A fourth fire , and whieh vas nearly accompanied with a lamentable _Iojs of life , broke ont on the premises belonging to Mr T . Simpson , china and glass merchant , carrying on business at _Nos , 2 and 3 , Queen ' s ( lead-row , _Newington . The discovery w & b made by Mr Simpson , about two hours after he and his family had retired to rest . He immediately aroused the inmates , and , upon his goin ? below and opening the drawing-room door , he was nearly knocked down , by a volume of smoke issuing forth . The inmates were saved , but not until they vrere _ne-irly suffocated . The outbreak arose from a -defect in the drawine-room stove .
Fire is the Burlington Arcade . —An alarming firo broke out on Saturday morning last , at a few minutes before five o ' clock , in this arcade , and in a very brief space of time , laid in rains four or five houses , and severely damaged others- Whilst the sight beadle was going his rounds in the arcade , he perceived smoke issuing from the basement of the premises _belonging to Mr Russell , whipmaker , No . 14 . He forthwith rang the fire-bell , and after considerable trouble he succeeded in making Mr Russell and his family sensible of the danger to which they were exposed . The fire having extended to th ' e shop , the inmates were compelled to escape over the _roef of the arcade , tn an adjoining house . Within a few minutes tbe flames burst through the front of the shop , and set fire to the house opposite , known
as the Civet Cat toy warehouse , and nearly at the same time the roof of the arcade was wrapt in flames . Shortly afterwards ths engines arrived in rapid succession , and having an abundant suoply of water , they , after the lapse of two hours , succeeded in preventing the further progress of the flames , but not nntil four or five houses were destroyed , and several _others . _much damaged . About fifteen minutes after the first discevery was made , tho roof of Mr Russell ' s premises fell in , and then the flames shot np higher than they had previously done . The firemen , nothing daunted , continued at tbeir posts , and mounting the roof of the arcade , they were enabled to prevent the fiimes from extending farther from the
outside . "Whilst that wag going on outside , the firemen kept pouring torrents of water into the lower parts of the burning property . This had the desired effect , for although the flames were not extinguished , it . _bpcame manifest that no further destruction of buildings would enBue . The engines having been worked with full vigour until eight o ' clock , the fire was at length wholly _extinenhhed . It _isasingnlar fact , that on Saturday , the 26 th of March , 1835 . when the Western _Exchange and the arcade were partially _destrayed by fire , the first house that beeame _ignited in the arcade was the same in which ihe fire broke ont on this occasion , and neariy the same premises were then burned as at present .
INQUESTS . Alleged Matricjdb . —Before Mr W . Baker , at the _ZCooDer _' _a Arms , Golden-lane , respecting the death of Mary LeaTy , aged _fifty-nine years , whose death was alleged to have been caused by injuries she had received from her daughter , Julia Leary , aged thirty years . The deceased was principally supported by * her daughter , at > d _lirerl in a miserable apartment in Little Cheapside , St Luke ' s . They were both very dissipated characters , were frequently intoxicated , and repeatedly quarrelled . On Friday morning Julia went home very drunk , and struck her mother with a poker . About two o ' clock the following morninz she was found in bed quite dead . —Inspector Gravestock said the _daughter waB a most desperate woman , and had frequently been
in custody for disorderly conduct . Some weeks since she was charged with throwing a female down stairs , who received a fracture of both legs . She was remanded several times , and after the female had left the hospital she refused to pres 3 the charge , and Leary was liberated . Since the death of her mother ghe had disappeared . Tke police had charge of the room , and had looked the door . —Mr Wright , a surgeon , said he had made a post mortem examination , and attributed death to a deceased brain , resulting from natural causes . —The coroner said if tbat waa tbe case there was no necessity to make any further Inquiry , and if the woman had received twenty blows it would not affect the daughter . —The jury then returned an open verdict of ' Found dead , apparently from natural causes _^
Culpable _Neolbci of Wardbss . —Before Mr Bedford , in the _Tothill-fields prison , on the body of Sirs Hannah Thomas , aged forty-five , a lady respec tabiy connected , who was _committed from Bowstreet , on Fiday last , for giving a servant a false character . Ann Stone , a sub-warden , said , in answer to questions by the jury , that tbe cells were not heated with pipes , but prisoner had two blankets and a rug . On Sunday she made no complaint . At half past seven the nest ( Monday ) morning , witness found her lyiBg en the floor with her bed and bedclothes . _Shespoke to her , bnt she could not or would not get up . She called Mrs Anderson , another warden , and she was raised up , but was apparently _uaable to stand ; they , however , put her day clothes on . The coroner : What was that for
?—Witness _Eaid she did not know , but they did it . — The coroner : Waa no medical assistance called for ! —Witness replied in the negative , and that she went to breakfast , and on her return at a quarter-past eight the deceased was sitting in the earner where they had left her , talking to herself . —The coroner : Did it not occur to yoa to send for the surgeon ?—"Witness replied that she did not , for she thought she was ' shamming . ' At twenty minutes past eight , on going to deceased , she appeared dead , but by erder of the matron she was put in a warm bath ; and the _docfar , having been apprised of her illness , almost immediately attended , but when taken out of the bath she was quite dead . Mr John Lavies , the surgeon of the prison , stated that he saw the
deceased on Saturday , not ' on account of auy illness she complained of suffering , but that she wished him to intercede with , the magistrate to revoke her sentence . She spoke of the disgrace of being there , and cried very much ; H 8 saw her the next day , but _shemadeno complaint . Mr Lavies stated that he had opened the body , and found about a pint of Tenons blood in the cavity of the chest , whieh had come from the lungs , and fully accounted for the death . After a lengthened investigation , in whioh the propriety of visiting the _' cells in the night was suggested by the coroner and , the governor of the prison having stated that the wardens had no right to give an opinion as to whether the prisom _rs shammed ill or not , the jury returned a verdict , * Tbat the deceased died from natural causes . '
The Recent Fatal Accident at the Eustokequabb _Teruisus . —A _TuifiD _Sltfebeh . —Before Mr G . J . Mills , at the University College Hospital , on the body of James Hiekie , labourer , being the third party who died in consequence of injuries received on the 6 th inst ., by the falling of a wall , & c , in progress of erection near the above terminus . It will be recollected that Mr _Milte held an inquest on the first sufferer , John Shea , on tbe 10 th inst ., when the jury declining , though the deputy coroner consulted them on the point , to examine professional persons unconnected with the building , returned a ¦ verdict to the effect , ' That Shea had died from
injuries caused by the fall of a certain wall , but how that fall was produced there was no evidence to show . ' The verdict did not give satisfaction , and a second sufferer dying , an inquest was "ommenced on the body on Thursday , the 20 th , which Mr Wakley and the jury ordered to be adjourned to Monday next , that they might have the evidence ef an architect , appointed by government , to examine the locality of the accident . Mr Mills adjourned the inquiry of yesterday to the same day , after the proximate cause of the death , but not the remote cause , which is now the great object of inquiry , had been proved .
_mSCELLAKEOUS . Births asd _Deaths _Uurisg the Week . —Deaths , 1 . 401 ; births , 1 , 303 . The average number of deaths during the corresponding week of five previous winters was 1 , 107 , or nearly three hundred less than last week . The excessive mortality in the present case is still found to arise from those diseases which , by their extreme prevalence , have rendered the pre sent winter remarkable . Influenza , bronchitis , and pneumonia still maintain their fatal pre-eminence . _Trphu ? , measles , and scarlatina have likewise des troyed during the past week many more than the average number of lives . Two women are registered amongst those dying of old age , one of whom
attained 100 yeirs , and the other 102 . Tbe former lived in South Chelsea , and the latter in Pcckham . Astltjhs for the Houseless . —In conseqHence of the severity of the weather , and the appearance of a cominuation of it , the committee of the 'Asylums for the Houseless' had an especial meeting on Saturday , when it was resolved to open the asylums in Playhouse-yard , St Luke ' s , [ and _Glasshouse-yard . East Smithfield , in which establishments about -400 _applicants were received on Sunday night . The Western Asylum in Ogle-street , Marvlebone , is also to be opened . We regret that the funds of this moat _pfr-ci-ve but unobtrusive charity are _seriouslv reduced .
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Derbyshire. National Defences.—On Monday...
DERBYSHIRE . National Defences . —On Monday last a public meeting was held in the Guildhall , Derby , ' for the purpose of petitioning parliament against any addition to tbe existing naval and military forces , the enrolment of the militia , or the establishment of additional fortresses . '—The Rev . Noah Jones , at the conclusion of a speech _depreoatory of war aud the war cry just raised , moved the following resolution j — ' That this meeting , believing the ; system and practice Of war to be at variance with Christianity , and with the best interests of mankind , deeply regrets the attempt now being made to excite in tho public mind an opinion that war is imminent , as it would increase the taxation by increasing tho military and naval establishments of this country . —in .
Rev . L . Gawthorne seconded the resolution . He did not go the length of the peace partfi that war wa 3 not justifiable under any circumstances ; at the some time he ridiculed the absurd cry that war was inevitable . The resolution was carried without opposition . —The Rev . W . Poile spoke strongly again-t the government . He concluded by _mnviBg the _following ;— ' That it is the deliberate conviction of tbis meeting that the apprehension of war ia unfounded ; that an increase of expenditure in strengthening the naval and military forces in any form is uncalled for ; that it would tend to excite a spirit of war rather than a love of peace ; that it would obstruct the tone of morality and increase the taxation of the people . '—The resolution was seconded by Mr Stokes , and carried unanimously —Other resolutions were agreed to , and a petition adopted .
TOBKS 1 I 1 _BE . _IIuddbrsfield—Alah _^ ing Fire . —Last week , a fire was discovered in the mill belonging to Benjamin Robinson , at Lane ,, ( the Leeds end of Huddersfield , ) immediately adjoining the Lane _dyehouse . The mill waa _''ceupied by several parties , both for manufacturing and dressing purposes . The mill itself was totally destroyed , the loss of property amounting to many thousand pounds .
BERKSHIRE . Melancholy Suicide at WiNDS 0 B . _« -On Monday | morning , Mr Thomas Hyde , a highly respectable inhabitant , about sixty years of age , who carried on an extensive business for several years past ,, as a baconfactor , in Thames-street , Windsor , committed suicide , by first cutting his throat , on the banks of the Thames , aud afterwards throwing himself into tha river . An inquest was held on Tuesday , at the Town Hall . _CUarles Hicks , a _waterraas _, who was standing on Windsor Bridge , shortly after seven o ' clock on Tuesday morning , saw the body floating down with the stream , and he , with another man , got into a punt and brought it ashore . On taking it to the King's Arms public-house close by , ahd unbuttoning the shirt collar , he found the throat cut , and the wound still bleeding . There were not the least signs of life . He went to the house of deceased to acquaint the shopman , when he was told his
master had only left the house at seven o ' clock that morning . The deceased had no shoes nor hat on . Edwin S . Collins , assistant to Mr Alderman Soley . Burgeon , deposed that he saw deceased shortly after he was taken out of the water , and after some time animation was restored by the usual means . Deceased _w-sthen _ca-nveyed to his house in Thames-street . Mr Edward Andrews , surgeon , who had attended Mr Hyde ' s family for the past seven yeare , stated that for the last three weeks the deceased had been suffering under a general derangement of health , occasioned by _lownesa of spirits . From his knowledge of the deceased he bad no doubt he had been liable to attacks of insanity during the preceding fortnight . His death was the consequence of the effects of immersion in the water . Verdict— Temporary insanity . ' It was stated that the deceased made his will only the night before he committed the act which led to his death .. Deceased has left a widow and five children .
KENT . Tub Death bt Fire at _Gravksbnd . —The adjourned inquiry into thislamentable accident has been concluded . Sergeant Denyer , oftheGravesend police _^ proved that he was on duty at the Borough stationhouse , between twelve and one o'clock on Sunday morning , when tho deceased was brought in by ttvo constables , Daniel Lewis and John White , and charged with being drunk and disorderly in the streets . Witness desired the officers to take deceased to the' Refuge' in the market placo , after having entered ; the charge . There were cells in the station . bouse vacant at the time , but as tho deceased was v ' _erynoisy as well as dirty in his habits , when in custody , oh former occasions , witness undertook to " order him to bo placed
in the' Refuge , ' that place having- been devoted to the reception of persons of the deceased's character for the last five or six years . The witness here described the ' Refuge . ' The building , he Baid , was about sixteen feet square , and consisted of the ground floor and one above it . . The lower portion was occupied as a receptacle for _trussels and other things let out by the market collector , under whose control it was , being entered from a narrow court outside the market . The upper'floor was used as a look up , or refuse for destitute persons , by the police , who kept the key and entered by a distinct doorway leading out of the market ..- There was no fire-place , and light was admitted into the upper portion by two gratings . There . were four wooden steps within the
door leading from the market to the upper door , and the floor itself was generally well littered with straw ; about lour trusses had been placed in it about ten days Bince . At a quarter past five he heard deceased calling , as he had through the night , of-which , ot course , he took no notice _, * but abaut six o ' clock , a man named Walker , who was employed in the market , came to the station house and told him that the' Refuge' was on fire . On looking out , witness saw flames issuing from under , ihe roof . He immediately turned round , and , taking the key off the wall , ran and unlocked the door . The" place was then in one body of flame , the steps leading to the floor on whioh Budge was confined had fallen ih , and-withes ' _s could see nothing of the deceased . Witness subsequently
assisted in getting out the fire-engine and quenobing the fire , which was not accomplished until the building was entirely destroyed . Joseph Singleton , barge master at the Town Pier , said deceased was _hisceuBin . He was aware of his dissipated habits , and had requested the superintendent of police when he was found drunk about the streets to place him in tbe ' Refuge' for the night , and discharge him in the morning , without troubling the magistrates . Witness had nothing to complain of in reference to the deceased , and believed the occurrence to have been purely accidental . The coronersummed up , remarking that it appeared to him the question for the _consideration of the jury lay in a very small compass . Of the cause of death there could be no doubt , after tho
sad and distressing spectacle they had witnessed ; and the only questions for the jury were , had the deceased been properly _charged in the first instance , and subsequently legally detained in a proper place of confinement . Of the first question ho thought there could be ho doubt , and , as to the second , it appeared that for some years past persons similarly charged bad been confined in the same building . He confessed it did seem to him advisable that persons similarly charged with deceased should , when placed in confinement , be occasionally visited , not only as a preventative to any similar accident , but also in case a prisoner should be attacked with sudden apoplexy or sudden illness of any kind . In was a course invariably followed in the metropolitan districts , and he hoped for the future the authorities would take care to adopt it . With these observations he _le't ihe case in the hands of the jury . The jury retired for about a
quarter of an hour , and on their return , the coroner _announced that they had agreed to a verdict of ' accidental death . ' Mr Carttar added , that he had been reque * ted to state that the jury fully _concurred in the observations he had made with reference to prisoners in charge being occasionally visited , and they had also desired him to express their decided opinion that no portion of any building used by the police as a place of confinement should be under the control of other parties than themselves . He hoped the suggestion would be received by the corporation in the spirit in which it was tendered , and not be understood as an act of dictation to the authorities . The Mayor immediately rose , and said he fully concurred in the suggestions which had been made , and wonld take care they were fully carried out . Mr Oakes having expressed himself in similar terms , the proceedings terminated , having extended over nearly four hours .
SOMERSETSHIRE . Murder near Bras-rot . —Last week an inquest wa 3 held at Dundry _, about four miles from Bristol , touching the murder of arespeetab' . e yeoman , named Walsingham Hall . —The _deceaied _. an old man , sixtyfour years of age , was a large farmer living near Dundry . A maiden sister lived with him , as did also two nephews , young men , named James aud Benjamin Hazell On Monday afternoon last , between three and four o'clock , he was seen by several of his labourers , who were at work ina barn ' , talking with his nephews . After that hour nothing was seen of bim , and as he did not reach home in the evening , the greatest alarm was occasiosed by _his sister , as he was a man of remarkably steady habits . A search was instituted , hut without effect ; and among other places searched was astahle , the koy of
_whisb . Jamc 3 _nazell at' first-refused to give up saying tbat he could not be there ; and in this he was joined by his brother Benjamin , who also said the stable should not be opened . A short tirae ' afterwards , however , the stable was opened , but the _seaich there proved of no avail . Things remained in this state until Thursday , when Thomai Capell and another man , at work , thrashing in a barn _, were informed by on ? . _Joseph Stokes that two men , named Henry Grover and Benjamin Pay ton , had told him that they had dreamt that the body of Mr Hazell was in a certain old well . The "men sneered at the information , but were induced at length to go to the well , which was dry , asd had not been used for some tims , and was then to all appearance in its usual _stnto _, a large stone being on the lid , which was fastened on one side by a hinge . The
Derbyshire. National Defences.—On Monday...
cover was lifted up and the men looked in , but could not see anything . They then got _* candle , and were startled to perceive marks of blood upon the sides of the well . A rope and a hook were procured , and at length tbey brought up the dead body of a man , which proved to be that of their missing master . There were marks over the eye of a treniendouw blow , and also upon the back of the head were several marks of heavy blow 9 . In the pockets of the deceased were 10 a . in silver and a few articles of trifling value . The _bidy was then removed to tho house The well , we may state here , was near the ' stable . A man named John Hall assisted to remove the body into the house , and he then went to a dung heap near the stable , turned it over with a fork , and and ,,
found an ash stick two and a half inches thick , about two feet long , * on tbis stick were marks of blood , and there were also some gray hairs attached to it . Hall also found an umbrella , which the deceased had with him at the time he was missed , on a wall adjoining tho Btable . Tbe two nephews were in custody upon suspicion of committing the murder , and wero attended by Mr Harmar , solicitor , _BriBtol . Hall was Bevere'y cross-examined by Mr Hat mar _. and he gave most evasive answers . At first he said he was at a public-house from twelve to eight o ' clock on Monday , and afterwards admitted that he was absent from tho house for some time . Ho was , after the inquiry , taken into custody upun a charge of being an accessory . The _inqueof was adjourned .
DEVONSHIRE . Exetbr Mysterious Case of Drowning — A case of drowning has occupied the attention ofa coroner & nd jury during throe days . A Mrs Martin left her house between _half-pastsix and seven o ' clock on Monday evening , and said she called at Mr Lake ' s , in South-street . All the witnesses speak of her being in excellent spirits and temper except a Mr Mallott , who says he mot her near the Lower Market , and that she was then very excited and incoherent , not directly answering to the points ef a short conversation . If bo is correct as to time , she afterwards called on Mrs Davidge , in Milk street , and remained with her until 8 o ' clock . T he next morning she was sees floating upright at the mouth of the canal , with
her gown over ber head , which was only about it foot and a half under the surface . When taken out she had not the appearance of being long dead , the limbs were by no means stiff , and the flannel next hei skin not wet . At the first adjourned inquiry it cameout ' thataman named J . Perry had , since the death of her husband , lived with the deceased , conducting the business of a cheese and bacon factor . It was endeavoured to be elicited , if possible , how Perry was occupied during tho night of Mrs Martin's disappearance ; and it appeared that at nine o'clock , when John Partridge , the errand-boy , retired to rest , he left him in the house ; at half-past nine he was atthe Black Horso public-house , Mr Peter Bond's in South-street , just opposite his own residence _, where he remained until half-past twelve . He then went with Mr Bond to Mr _Woosley ' _s in George ' s-
_square _, _Stepcete-hill , where Mrs Bond was at a Cnristm * is party , and where it was thought probable the deceased might also be . But she was not there . Here Perry remained until one o ' clock , when they left with Mr John Davis , a pork butcher , residing near tho Black Horso , and his wife , and at whose house Perry remained until nearly four o'clock , when he went to his own on the opposite side of the _street . His stay there , however , could have been but short , as at four o'clock he knocked up Mr Gay , Glover , in the High-street , to inquire if Mrs Martin were there , or if he had seen the deceased . He ap . peared also to have expressed surprise that she had not returned home . —The coroner recommended the jury , after the investigation they had made , and the great paucity of the evidence , to record the simple faot— ' Found dead in the river , but by what means , there is no evidence before the jury . '
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Mr, O'Connor And His Countrymen—Intellec...
MR , O ' CONNOR AND HIS COUNTRYMEN—INTELLECTUAL CON' DITIQN AND POLITICAL VIEWS Of _TltU PBASANTRT—8 TATE OP IRISH _PAWIES-MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING —father kenton ' s wall—inn special commission—the FAMINS—BULLBT 0 , NOT BREAD , TOR THB STARVING ! . .
( From « ur own Correspondent . ) ' ¦ >' ¦ ' Dublin , Jan . 24 th ' , 1848 . Mr O'Connor ' s address ' te the Irish people , ' published in the Northern Star of the 15 th instant , has elicited unbounded applause in all quarters where it has found its way ; and it is much to be deplored that those excellent letters cannot reach the fire-side of every peasant who has still a fire-aide to sit by . I stated in my communication of the 10 th instant _, that the greatest impediment in our march to freedom , was the ignorance under which our population laboured—perhaps I would be searer to the mark if I was to say—the political delusions into which thoy have been led during the last quarter ofa century . The Irish peasantry are not ignorant in tho literal
sense of the word . On the contrary , they are shrewd , intelligent , and tolerably ' well up' to everything passing in the changing world of politics . Every Irish peasant can tell you of such and such statutes , their objects , and tendencies—by whom introduced , and by whom resisted . H « can inform you of every ' speech' made in the ' House . 'for and against his country . He knows who ' stood fast , ' and who ' sould poor Ireland ; ' and ho can 'insense' you— as himself would say—into the causes why such and such persons became favourites with the _Sassanagh _government _; and why others , with equal or _superior abilities , but possessing more integrity and fidelity , were spurned , repudiated , and driven , in so' row and disgust , from the conflict . AH these things are quite
familiar to the poorest peasant : Yet , I must say , oh most points of useful , practical , benefioial knowledge , he is wofully in the dark . I need not now delay my readers with any inquiries into tho designs of those parties who have so long practised on the credulity and simplicity of my countrymen ; but I state the fact once more , that with all his shrewdness and acumen , the Irish peasant doe 3 not possess that sound political knowledge essential to any combined or effeotive strusele for the * rights of mam' -He-believes that Irishmen , of themselves , are invincible ; that they have only to male ? ' the effort , ' whi > n the time comes , ' and success will follow ! He confides too much in empty vapour and braggadocio , and becomes too easily the dupe , nnd tho tool , and the slave
of every impostor , and quack , and political mountebank , who scrambles up the stage of mischief-making agitation in this unfortunate land . If you ask him what good did such asd such proceedine , undertaken by such and such persons , do for Ireland ? he will answer you with a shake oftho head , or atwitoh of his fingers , and say , 'The timo bas not come _^ yet . Wait a little longer , and if such and such prophecies he not'fulfilled , there is notacottonor in . Cork . ' Paddy ' s belief ia—and I blush to confess it—that nntil a certain period will arrive , and until certain prognostics and tokens will make their appearance , no good can be effected for Ireland , even had she all Europe enlisted in her cause . But if those particular events had transpired , and if onco those
symptoms and ' tokens' were to manifest themselves' Och , by the powers , ' _sheuts the Irish peasant , ' we would bate those blood-sucking Sassanaghs with cabbage-stalks . ' Columbkille and Pastorini are , unfortunately , too often poor Paddy ' s political preceptors ; and if he looks to the newspaper press of his country or goes to listen to the _spoutings of those cheats and swindlers , who fatten and riot on his cash and his credulity , he will find himself very little better enlightened than when he flings aside his well-thumbed copy of Columbkille or ' Vision of Tarah . ' This is truly lamentable . Such brave , chivalrous , manly fellows as the peasantry of Ireland , to be so deluded , so cheated , and so imposed on—to be left in the hands of base , grovelling _oreatures , who , so Ions as thoy find the present ' system' conducive to their
own selfish interests , care little for the results or for the miseries thereby perpetuated on their octroyed country—it is , indeed , deplorable . And yet it is nrre deplorable , when we find amonpst all those who set themselves up on the rostrum of national instruction , of public teaching—amongst all those who cry out , ' Lo , bere Christ , nnd lo , there Christ ' ' Come this road , and come that road '—when we find amongst all those quacks and pretender . * , not one competent—or , if competent—not one willing to undertake the proper training of the people , or tell them plainly that they are deceived and bam boozled , and that neither ' Old Ireland' or ' Young Ireland' are worthy of their confidence , or competent to guide them on tho pathway to liberty and prosperity .
And surely until the Irish people are instructed , it is folly to hope for any solid or permanent amelioration of their condition . Mr O'Connor ' s excellent letters make a good beginning so far as they go , but under present circumstances they can never reach the overwhelming majority of the lower classes in Ireland . Those classes certainly aro fond of reading newspapers whenever chance sends ono in their way , but unfortunately they never can afford to expend sixpence on the purchase of a public journal and even if they did , or if thoy could , they aro bo auspicious of
everything' English , thatthey would never dream of seeking instruction in an ' English' newspaper . Mv O'Connor's labours are , therefore , unfortunately in danger of being lost on the great bulk of those for _whese wolfaro he works so strenuously : and unless he —aided bythe _gor . crons peopio of England—tries some expedient by which _suoh instruction can reach the proper quarter , he nor wo can never hope for the advantages which , under favourable auspices , would most assuredly arise from his exertions , and his gi-» antie labours .
I will make no further _suggestions—I will not presume to point out the way in which this creat , this _glo'io ' . is object might be effected , but I would fain appeal to the brave people of England to consider ivhat could ha done for the instruction of their Irish brethren . I would implore of them to co-oporato with our illustrious countryman , and their chivalrous _chioftiin—O'Connor—in devising somo plan by which sound political knowledge mb ? ht bo _brouobi within tbe reach of every Irish peasant , and by the agency of which our present mistrust of _Englishmen will be . removed , our jealousies allayed , ana the mists and
Mr, O'Connor And His Countrymen—Intellec...
prejudices into which 'false prophets' have led us ' will bo forever eradicated from OU ? naturally generous and honestly disposed minds . It is an unfortunate faot that the Iabounn _^ _dlassea in Ireland , regard the people of England in a very mistrustful , if not hostile light . The incendiary haB plied his trade successfully , and has raised up an anti-Saxon feeling in tho minds of the uninformed _neasnntty , which must be removed before any permanent good can be effected for the country . When describi ng tbe misdeeds of England towards Ireland , he has made it appear that all classes of Englishmen are culpable , and that the Irish have no mercy—no sympathy-to hope for from anybody having a drop of Saxon blood in their veins . Hence , Paddy looks _^_ _.:.. j _;—J ;„ _* o _. _MaIi « _fa _' sn _DroDheta * have led u &
on _evtry Englishman as an implacable foe—and looks disdainfully and disapprovingly on every overture towards mutual co-operation , or & friendly _underderstanding , with his British fellow _BubjeotB Hence , too , it wa » , that he was so easily prejudiced _aeainst Chartism—3 nd was made to believe that no man could or would be a Chartist , but a rebel , or a robber , or a villain . Paddy , with all his _vaunled cunning , _wob not properly instructed , and thus , became a ready dupoto every artful , self-interested ' dodger , ' aever suspecting—poor fellow—that those on whom he so lope and _sofond'y confided , had anything in view but the welfare of Old Ireland , and the release of ber children from poverty and bondage . But , now , even at the ' eleventh hour , ' it is not too late . It is worth the while of Englishmen to make the exneriment , and see how far tbey can come to a friendly and mutual co-operation with their Celtic neighbours . Whilst
one portion of the empire remains _engulphed in misery , and burning with discontent , the other portions muBt more or less participate in the evils which ever arise from suoh an unnatural state of society ; and the English labourer or artisan may be assured that lie and his family will , and must ever , share in a greater or lesser degreo in the embarrassments and poverty of the Irish peasantry . Then , in the name of Heaven , let the trial be made , and let those who have the greater strength , and power , * . nd appliances , set about the work . Let those men who so bravely and successfully struggle for the good of the labouring classesof Englishmen , look _sympathisingly on the prostrate condition of their Iri _< h brethren , and see what can be done towards dispelling their prejudices , and enlightening their ignorance ; and finally , leading them from crime , and folly , and misery , into the pathway which conducts to peace , and plenty , and contentment .
There is no chance of a cessation of hostilities between the rival sections of' Young Ireland / in this country . Tho Nation schism grows stronger every day , and it is difficult to say which _seotion is the more ridiculous . It is quite plain , however , that the days of . ' Young Irelandism' are numbered . Even when a united arid compact body they bad enough to do to preserve themselves from being ruined by their own waywardness , and arrogance , and conceit ; but now thatthey havo divided and split into contending factions , tho ' Irish Confederation' will quickly ba numbered with 'the things that were , ' Mr Mitchel , no doubt , appears to be actins a consistent and manly part , that is , if he be in earnest , or conscientiously believes himself doing
tbe best for his country ; If he be ao in earnest , and determined to ' sink or swim' by the assertion of his peculiar views , all that can be said is , that he is a ' HKRo ' and a 'fool . ' But as I . said in my _lastletter , he has now no chance of creating ' a party' in Ireland . The spirit of' 98 and' 43 is subdued at present , and though a starving peasantry may shoot a landlord , or firo the house ofa 'land-jobber , ' they can hardly be persuaded to embark in a protracted warfare with a numerous and well-disciplined army . Besides , the spirit of the age is against war . There are other means of accomplishing tho rights ofa people besides massacre and bloodshed , and though I am not one who denies the justice of physical resistance to tyranny , still I am glad to say , that unless ' the
worst goes to the worst' the Catholic clergy of Ireland will never sanction an appeal to arms . Mr Mitchel , then , should be advised in time , and reflect or the madness of making any attempt at tanning the fire of rebellion in tbis country . He is about to establish a newspaper in Dublin , to be called by the very ominous name of * The United Irishman ; ' but lam certain that this paper will have but a very brief existence . It is whispered that 'Mr Mitchel had resolved on this course long before his secession from the Nation , and that it waa the knowledge * of this fact which induced Mr Duffy to bring the affair so prematurely to a crisis . Mr Duffy ' s credit as a patriot and a politician is indeed ruined by the transaction . Personally he never was very popular , nor was he ever regarded as a man to be relied on . Tho late Mr O'Connell always had his doubts ' of Mr
Duffy's consistency , and ' time and the hour' now prove that his suspicions were not groundless . Mr O'Connor has given a fleeoinr ; , in his letter in last Saturday ' s Star , to Mr Duffy , which must bring many * bitter remembrances' to that gentleman , and which cannot but upset him for ever with the people of England . In Ireland , whatever may be the fate of Mr Mitchel , it is quite certain that the Nation ' division' of' Young Ireland' will go down in a few months . Indeed , neither sections will live very long ; and it is also equally certain that the' Moral Force ' party will never again possess the confidence of Irishmen . A new organisation , —an agitation ' in another direction , —must succeed the ' humbug' of the prosent day , and a more meet opportunity for the creation of a new ' soul in Ireland' will never present itself than that opportunity open at the present
moment . ( I mentioned in my last communication the extraordinary omission of ' The memory " of O'Connell , ' in the list of toasts prepared by our new Lord Mayor for the occasion of hia grand civic feast . This omission , from whatever cause it arose , has given much annoyance to his lordship , and it will certainly embitter , not _onlj his year of offioi ' , but probably all the dayBof bis future- existence . Even the most _bitur opponents of O'Connell havo been howling at tha unfortunate Mr Dunne ; whilst the newspaper press of every party has rung the changes over his ingratitude , and sycophancy , 'and perfidy ,- until 'the very dogs ( as we say ) Would' _nbt- lap his blood . ' At the meeting , at Conciliation Hall , on Monday last , the subject was discussed very freely , and his lordship ' s conduct denouncpd by different members of that body in terms of unmitigated reproach . At the meeting
of the _Corporation in the assembly-house , Williamstreet , on Tuesday , his lordship introduced the subject , and said that ' no act of his private or public life ever gave him so much pain as that fatal blunder . ' But he assured tho publio that it was altogether an unintentional omission , and that he was willing to make the most abject apology to that house , and to the public at large , for his unfortunate conduct on that occasion . At the same time , he would take the entire blame on himself , as no other member of the Corporation had any thing to do with the preparation of the list of toasts or other arrangements for the banquet . ' This explanation , of course , mu ? t disarm hostility , but nevertheless , Mr Dunne ' s ' unintentional omission , ' will not be forgotten by Irishmen . It were Detter for his honour and his peace of mind that he never sat in the civic chairof this metropolis _.
The celebrated Father Kenyon , of Templederry , is again before the public ! His famous wall is likely to become more an object of interest and celebrity than the walls of Troy , or the walls ot Derry , or even the walls of' the house that Jack built ! ' My readers will bear in mind the history of Mr Kenyon ' s ' wall ' affair , which I gave them in a former letter . They will recollect that I left it demolished as effectually as crow-bars and sledges could perform the job ; but the reverend gent'eman , it seems , was not so well disposed to leave his favourite wall in ruins as I was . He accordingly rebuilt it shortly after its first
demolition , and fancied that the authorities would take no further notice of the matter . In this , however , he was disappointed . _Proceedings against the luckless wall and its reverend proprietor were ngain instituted , and accordingly , on Wednesday la-it , a strong force of horse , foot , and constabulary , under thecommand of tbe resident magistrate , marched against tho wall , and once more ' laid it in tho dust . ' But the indefatigable Mr Konyon , nothing daunted , is agnin rebuilding it , and before this letter reaches the readers of the Star , the ' third [ edition' of Father Kenyon ' s wall , will be out _ before the public ! This is no joke—the wall ia already re-erected .
TheCoramission still goes 'bravely on' in the south , and additional victims have received tho fatal tht of tho law . In the mean time , crime and outrage stalk unchecked over the land , and the peasantry seem as heedless of consequences as if they never hoard of law , or coercion , or special commissions . Blood Btill flows , and blood will flow , and must continue to flow , until a better security for life and property is provided , than starvation , martial laws , and ' hempen cravats , ' for the maddened refractory peasantry .
In the meantime , famine is doing its own work of destruction . The southern papers record several inquests held _during-the past week , on persons who died of' actual starvation ! ' These cases are becoming of every day occurrence ; pestilence , fever , and dysentery are _sfriking'down thousands , and the scenes of _lSlY are setting in with renewed horrors—18-18 will , indeed , boa terrific year in unfortunate Ireland . Ala 3 ! alas ! ' is there no hope—no salvation for wretched Ireland ? A most lamentable and determined _suioidc has been porpotrated in the eaol of Enniskillen on last Saturday , the 22 nd inst . The unhappy victim was a Protestant _clergyman named Moore , who was confined for debt in that prison . On the clay named he cut his throat from ear to ear with a rfizor .
During the past week largo parties of soldiers and police have been drafted into tho proclaimed districts of Munster , where they are _ongago-1 from morning till _niglit scouring the country for fire-arms . Uowever , up to this tliey havo been signally unsuccessful , as they have captured only a few worthless things , which are ot no value for any purpose . I said on move than one occasion , that tho Tipperary lloekites wero not such fools as to leave their fire-anna within reach of the * informer , ' or ' peelor _, ' and I was right . Thoy will keep their arms and use them too , i and laugh to derision the . law and the gallows ,
Mr, O'Connor And His Countrymen—Intellec...
Outrage ia on the _inorease in the Queen ' _e County . On this week a gentleman named _Oassan of this city _, who has some property in that county , received through the post a _Rwkite notice , stating that Captain Starlight' and his men are on the « l ook out for a _ehot at him , and that they will seek their victim even in the crowded city ! It is dated from ' Fireball Lodge . ' The only ' eharge' against Mr Oassan is , his having threatened to dispossess some of his tenantrv who ewe him three years rent . The Roman Catholic archbishops and bishops are to assemble again in this _oitypreTious to tbe meeting of parliament oh the 3 rd of February . Tho Roman Catholic Clergy of Ireland _aredreadfully alarmed at the melancholy situation of the country , and tbe object of their again meeting , is to press upon government the absolute necessity of adopting somo effee * tire plan , for the preservation of human life and the tranquilisation of society . Outraze ia on the inorease in the _Queen'e County .
The Special Commission. The Trial With W...
THE SPECIAL COMMISSION . The trial with which the court was occupied at Ennison the 17 th _wsb regarded as ene of She most important of those that have been tried under the Commission . It was that of a man named Crowe , belonging to the better class of farmers , for procuring tho murder of Mr Watson by bind assassins . The boy James Crowe , a nephew _« f the prisoner _, detailed the particulars of the horrible deed , and further stated , that Mr Watson bad distrained the cows oi his uncle , and that he afterwards saw Ryan ( Puck ) and his uncle together , and on the latter saying it should be a dear job to Mr Watson , Puck looked at him and laughed . The witness again un derwent a very severe cross-examination by Mr O'Hea , but , although hia admissions proved the pro- j
fligacy of this precocious youth , his testimony was not shaken . He stated he had a pistol in his hand on the morning of the murder , lie admitted that he had stolen it the night before , and that having procured some powder and shot from another boy , who works in an adjacent quarry , he loaded it on the morning of the murdor . For what purpose he was so prepareddid not appear , but it may be surmised that the intended assassination was not unknown to bim , and that be actually went to the spot to witness , if not to aid it . He also admitted that for the last two years he had been addicted toeard playing , a ' deck' ( pack ) of cards being held by himself and three other boys in commen , and carried by
each in turn ; and that to carry on his profligate practices he had frequently robbed his grandfather of money . His brother , a little boy about twelve years of age , who , if possible , surpassed him in the sagacity which his evidence indicated , stated that he lived nt his uncle ' s , and the night Ware the murder Ryan ( Puck ) and Ryan ( Small ) eame there with a strange man , and the two former slept there that night . On the following morning he saw Ryan ( Puck ) take some bullets that were lying on a dresser in the kitchen and go to a cow-house , and on his return , in the prisoner ' s presence , he said , ' Oh , we have put in good charm . '
A man named Quinlinan stated that a short time before the murder he had lent Ryan ( Small ) Is . 6 ( 1 ,, and that soon after it occurred he saw him with five £ 1 . notes in his possession . In answer to a question from the court , however , he admitted that he was unable to read , and only believed them to be £ 1 . notes . . But tbe most powerful evidence against the prisoner , so far as any reli & nce could be placed upon it , was his own admissions to a man named _ShaughneBsy , who had been confined in tha same gaol . Shaughnessy , who waa in prison for petty lareeny , stated that he was in gaol when the prisoner was taken there , and that a few days subsequently to
his arrival , the prisoner entered into conversation with him , and after saying that he was taken on suspicion of having had something to do with Mr Watson ' s murder , told him some of tho facts connected with the transaction . He told Shaughnessy that Mr Watson had ' canted' his cattle for rent , and that he ( the prisoner ) had gone to him and offered him a note for the money , but that Mr Watson refused to tako it or back it with his name , and , continued he , ' 1 thought that neither God or man could blame me for killing such a ruffian . ' The prisoner also told him that Hayes had desired him to be out of the way at tho time , and to go to some place where he might have witnesses to speak to his
presence . MrO'HBA made a viry powerful address to the jury , grounding tbe prisoner's defence on the suspicious character of the evidence , and its indirectness against him , even if it could be relied upon . A boy named Kruse , a servant of the prisoner , swere that no one but the family slept at the house the night before tbe murder , and that he had never seen there Ryan ( Puck ) or Ryan ( Small ) . He was cross examined by the Attorney-General , and hesitated much in some of his answers . The little boy Crewe was called up and confronted with him . The boy was again asked if any one slept at his uncle ' s the night before the murder , and again swore that Ryan ( Puck ) and Ryan ( Small ) were there . ' It ' s false , ' exclaimed Kruse . ' It ' s true , ' immediately rejoined the boy .
The Lord Chief Justicb asked the bay where Ryan ( Puck ) slept , and how he knew it . His answer was , he was sleeping with Wilkinson and Kruse , and that he felt Ryan ( Puck ) coming into . bed in the night . Mary Kelly , a servant of the prisoner , and sister to James Kelly , who is charged as an accessory to the murder , also swore that no strangers slept at Crowe ' s house the night before tho murder . On her cross-examination by the Solicitor-General , she persisted in saying that she never saw Ryan ( Puck ) in her life until he was taken prisoner , and that she had never seen either hiaa or Ryan ( Small ) at hor master ' s . The younger Crowe was confronted with her , and he Btill adhered to his former statement . He added that the girl had made _brtakfast for-the men on the morning the murder was committed , - ¦ '
What did the breakfast consist of , asked Mr O'Hra ?—Of bread and butter and tea , was the boy's answer . « Oh , ' said the girl , ' on my oath I never made a cup of tea in the house ia my life . His statement's false , my Lord . ' It is not , ' said he . Mr O'Hba asked him how the tea was made , and whether there was even a kettle In the house , but the boy conld not tell . Several questions were put to him bv ithe jury . There was an evident doubt on their part of the truth ef his evidence .
Mr O'Hea made some observation as the boy left the table , and he , turniug sharply round , looked at him with a most significant expression , and said ; ' Oh , you'll catch no cranny in me , ' meaning that he would not be found tripping in his evidence . Mary Crowe , the daughter of the unhappy man , a very neatly dressed and good-looking girl , gave _simi ' ar testimony to the witnesses Kruse and Marv Kelly . She had never seen either of tho Rvans at her father ' s . The broken stock of the gun with which tho unfortunate victim was struck was produced in court , and upon it there appeared to be still remaining some traces of his blood . The stock was identified bv the
elder boy Crowe , as . part of a gun belonging to Kelly , the prisoner ' s servant . Crows said , ho fouad it on the ground where Mr Watson was lying , and that he imme liately picked it up and hid it . lie told Kelly he had got it , and it was ithen concealed in some other place . He believed that Kelly did not know that he ( Crowe ) was aware of its _bein-jhis cun , for Kelly said when he told him he had hid the stock that he must take care of it , for an owner would most likely be found for it . It afterwards was delivered to the police by the priest of the parish , but it did not _appear from whom he had received it . After a brief but very able reply from the Solicitor-General ,
The Lord Chief Baron most elaborately and carefully summed up the evidence , and explained the law relating to the charge agai' _-st the prisoner . The jury then retired , and after a few minutes ' _absence returned with a verdict of Guilty . The prisoner , who throughout tho trial had shown the _' most nervous anxiety , was overcome by the fatal announcement . The first case tried under the adjourned coramis sion at Limerick , on Thursday , was that of James-Skehan , a very young man , for the murder of Mr Ralph Hill , at Ratherd , near Limerick , on the ISth of November hist .
The prisoner w . _is a farm servant , in the employ of a farmer named Quan , who was tenaut to Mr David _Fitzgerald . Quan became in arrear of rent , and a distress was made by the landlord upon his lands , j Mr Hill went out with bailiffs to secure and carry away the goods , and upon this oeea 5 ion was fired at together with the bailiffs . Ho was himself shot dead , and two of the bailiffs were seriously wounded Evidence was produced which established most clearly that tho _prisoner was a principal in this tviiTOaotion , if noUhe individual who fired the fatal shot . The ; jury , after a few moments' consideration , found tho prisoner guilty of ' aiding and assisting ' in tho murder . On Saturday , James _Quaino was placed in the dock charged with having been accessory to the pernetration of the murder .
The only additional particlo of evidence to that given on the trial of Skehan , waa tho fact that the prisoner had borrowed on the night before the murder a _pingle-barrelled gun from a person named M'N . imav-a , and that on the day sifter the murder whs committed , he told him that unfortunately Mr Hill was shot—that what was clone could not be undone , and that he had concealed the gun in a pigatyn nenr the haggard , whence the shots were fired . It was also proved that the gun was found by the police in the very spot where tho prisoner said he had concoaled it . Tho jury , without retiring , found tha prisoner guilty . i The wretched man , who had betrayed throughout _^ hi 3 tnal symptoms of the greatest fear , and had been
The Special Commission. The Trial With W...
most restlessly attentive to the whole of theproceer j ,, ings , was ikon reminded to the gaol for the _purpo _^ of being brought up again after a short interval to , have sentence passed upon him . The two men , John and Thomas _FrewiB , wh 9 i pleaded ' guilty' to tbe charge of _harbouring , _wity their brother , William Frewin _, the notorious Rya ( Puck ) , were then placed in the dock . . The Attorney GKRERALsaid _, he had read the afH _< davits made by the prisoners in extenuation of their guilt , in which _theyafat'd they were ignorant of tha law relating to the crime of which they bad been convicted . The Lord-Lieutenant had done all in'his power to make known the law upon the subject , but tinder tbe circumstances to which he had referred on the _preceding evening , he wonld ask their lord ' ships to inflict such a mpasure of punishment , short of transportation , as their lordships should think ; fit I most _restlesHlv attentive to the whole of _theDrnt-p _^
The Lord Chief Justice then sentenced Thomas Frewin to imprisonment for six -months fro _* n the _dateofhis committal ; John to imprisonment for twelve months ; the former being a shorter period fmm the circumstance of his returning home only a few hours before Ryan was captured in . tha house . James Skeehan , James Qtiainp , and Michael Howard , were then placed in the dock , and the learned _judgea having put on their black caps , The Loro Chief Baroh proceeded to pass upw tbem tbe sentence of the law .
The two former affirmed their innocence in so many words . Howard on being asked whether he _hnd anything to say , said , ' I am innocent of this charge , and many in my country know that I am ; I am as innocent as the child unborn , maDy of my _c'ei-ey know it . However , I have nothing to gain or loose by what I say . I forgive those who persecuted me . I did not know thera , I could nit identify any nf them on Friday : and if I got my liberation at this moment , I conld not identify Hourigan ' _s house , unless it was pointed out to me- Tha boy that stood thero ( pointing to the table ) on Friday swore against me : he had my description learnt before I __ was arrested . I have reason to believe it wag combined against me . He knew there was a reward _, lie learnt I had moles on my face . That was tha
reason he wns able to identify me . It was so plain to the world the minute he turned round and said , 'he had moleB on his cheek . ' Let anyone give raa a description of a man that he had moles on bis cheek , and I wonld identify him . I hope , my lords _, by your mercy , and tho mercy of Almighty God , yoa will take my case into your serious consideration _^ - for ijt deserves it . I am innacent , bnt I am satisfied to die . I am not afraid to appear before my God , for I never killed any man . 1 _Jmd ten miles from Hourigan ' _s . I am as well pleased to die as anything ; else ifiti « the will of Almighty God to inspire your _hearts with it . I shall have a better master than any _master in this world , and I am not afraid to appear _be ore Him . '
Oti Friday , the first case tried _was that of Michael Howard , a young man , about _thirty years of _ase , and ra _» her well-Inokinc . chargpd with the wi'ful murder of Johanna flouriean . at Ballycullnn , on the 6 th of April , 1847 . by i ' _flioting a gun-shot wound on the side ; it was also charged that the fatal shot was fired by some person unknown , the prisoner and others having been preBent , aiding and _assiitins in themurder ; another count averred that Michael Howard , of Honevpark , had shot at and mortally wounded Cornelius _Hourfean , and that the prisoner and others were _rresent , aiding and assisting . The second Michael Howard mentioned in the indictment was tried at the last summer assizes , convicted , and executed for the murder . A third man , said to have been one of the party at the murder , has escaped to America .
TheATroRVKT-flENKBAL detailed the facts of tha case . He said it had been his duty , during the progress o f the special commission , to detail the circumstances of several barbarous murders ; but they were all exceeded in barbarity bythe murder for which the prisoner was arr igned . A mother and her son were barbarously _asBastsinated in their _housei in the open day , and evidence would be produced to show that the prisoner at the bar was one of the three persons who committed that horrible outrage . Hourigan , the husband nf the murdered woman , and the father of the boy put to death , had prose cuted some persons who had attacked him , and beat him so severely as to put his life in danger ; and that circumstance was the only motive that could be attributed for the commission of the murder . After
the presecution , police were placed in Hourigan ' s house for protection , but , unfortunately , they only remained there at night , leavinsr the house in the morning , and returning again in the _evening . This fact being known to the perpetrators of the murder , they watched the house until thev saw the police leave it on the morning of the 6 th of April last , when they entered , and shot the mother and son . For this offence , one man , another Michael Howard , had been convicted at the last assizes and executed ; the prisoner was now arraigned for it , and the jury would have to say whether he was not one of those guilty of this dreadful crime . Tbe third of the party , a man named Roarke , and who was one of the persons prosecuted hy Hourigan , had not yet _beea made amenable to the law .
Hourigan , who had been thug deprived at one fell blow of his wife and son . proved that part of tha horrible transaction of which he was a witness . The married daughter , a neatly dressed woman , said , that she was in the kitchen when the prisoner and three men entered . They asked for her father , and when they found he was not there one nf them presented a guu at my mother and fired . The poor woman fell across the fonder , and the men then struek'her a blow on the head . They then found their way into the bedroom . She heard her poor brother call ont , and then a shot was fired . She ran out of the house , but . the men leaving directly afterwards , she returned , and found her mother lying actually on the fire with her _ch-thes burning . She immediately _dragged her off the fire , and at that time she was alive , but she died within a few minutes . The daughter _identified the Howards as two of tbe men who entered the house .
A little girl , about 13 , another daughter of Hourigan , said she was in the cowhouse when the men came up . She saw them enter the house and immediately heard a shot . She ran thither , and the first thing she saw was her mother lying apparently dead . She described the dress of the party , hut was unable to identify them . Her description , however , corresponded with that which was given bv the other witness . The poor eirl cried bitterly as she gave her evidence . A boy , about 15 years of age , named Daniel Keliehan , stated , that on tbe mornimr of the murder he saw three men cominz from the direction of bisf
master s house which was near _Hourisan ' s . They had _crossed oyer into the road from a field _; and as they were going in the same direction as himself , when tbey camo up to him they asked whether . he knew them ? Fortunately , no doubt , for himself , he did not , and he told them so , and thev then passed . on . The men had their faces blackened , but as thev sweated a _trood deal they had wiped soma of the _blacking off . He was able to identity the prisoner by two moles or warts on his face . The trousers of the men _ were wot at the time ; and it was proved by other witnesses that in making a short cut from _Hi-urigan ' _a they would have to pass through a littla
stream . Hourigan ' s brother said he was on the spot soon after the murder , and the daughter then pointed out three men who were going in the direction of the stream , as the men who had committed it . There was a difficulty iu the evidence in this _rcapeot . Kellehan stated , that he heard of the murder before tho three men came up to him ; and he was told of it by a boy at the forge which he passed on his road ; and , that still further on , another boy had told him more of the particulars , but the forgo was so located tbat to reach it from Hourigan' 8 a person travelling by the usual road must describe two sides of a triangle , whilst the three men were stated to hive made a short cut over the stream and across the fields to the same point . The only way in which the difficulty could be explained was by referring it to the rapidity with which rumours are conveyed .
But there was another remarkable circumstance in the evidence . The murder was committed at S o ' clock in the morning , and yet the boy Kellehan swore that it must have been 10 when he saw the men , although the cut they took from Hourigan ' s was not more than from three-quarters to a mile _. These circumstances were forcibly dwelt upon by Mr O'Hea in his defence of tho prisoner . The Solicitor-General replied in a very able speech , directing the attention of the jury to the fact that Hourigan himself had spoken positively as to the prisoner ' s being ono of the three men by whom the murder wa 3 committed , and that ho had given the same testimony on tho trial oftho other Howard . The Loud Chief Baron , in summing up , said the only question which the jury had to determine wa _? . whether the prisoner was sufficiently identified as one of the murderous _assailants , for of the
circumstances connected with the murder itaelf there could not bs a moment ' s doubt . His Lordship thin went through the evideuco , commenting upon it at great _lensth . The jury retired for a short time , and returned a verdict of _Guiltv . The _prisoner is the fifth who , under the cowm _!** . sion for this eounty , has been found guilty o { murdor . _Rrsult oi' the Special Commission in Clare ' .- — Besides the capital convictions at Ennis , _amounting to four , the following _convicts , sentenced to tvanrportation for various periods , arrived in Limerick in the of the
course month from Clare , and on Friday wore Micly lod _ge d in the convict derOt here :-Robbevy of arms : Pat . Kenny , Michael Iliekev _Miehaol _skenhar , . Joan Leddy . John Slattsry _, U years ; and Michael _Murpuy , 7 ? ears . _Hi _. hwny ' robbery .- 'fi ff _M . 7 years ; Owen Liddy , Timothy O'Brien , 10 years . Sheep stealing : Thomas Neville , 10 years I a ? n _° A _£ " , S _* ' Jamis King , Matthew Hourigin John Butler , w _, i ! i , _Dynan , Thomas Bourfce , 7 year *; Denis Reek , 10 years . Cow-stealing : Denis lioland _, 10 years . _Heifer-stealins ; : Michael Mul-Iqueen . 10 years ; Michael Quillinaie 7 yeais _l Malicious assault ; Thomas _M'Eaimy _, 7 years _.
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 29, 1848, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_29011848/page/6/
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