The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-02-24 00:00:00

COMMITTAL OF THE PRISONERS,

The process of reading over the depositions, which
the Act of Parliament requires, was gone through on
Tuesday before the magistrates at Kilmahaharu. The
Dublin Correspondent of The Times says ;

It was a very dull and dreary ordeal, and the deserted
appearance of the Court-house, in which only the magi-
strates, the counsel concerned, the prisoners, and the Press
were present, contrasted very strikingly with the life and
excitement which it exhibited on former days. In the
absence of spectators, before whom they might display a
spirit of bravado, the demeanour of the prisoners was much
less demonstrative. The following prisoners were placed in
the dock—James Mullett, Joseph Brady, Henry Rowles,
Thomas Martin, Timothy Kelly, Peter Carey, Edward
M'Caffrey, Edward O'Brien, Joseph Hanlon, Lawrence
Hanlon, Peter Doyle, William Moroney, Daniel Delaney,
Joseph Mullett, Daniel Curley, Patrick Whelan, George
Smith, Michael Fagan, Patrick Delaney, James Fitzharris,
Thomas Doyle, and Thomas Caffrey. Whelan, on entering
the dock, shook hands with his companions, with whom he
appeared to be a favourite.

Mr. Keys, referring to the arrangement to admit Patrick
Whelan to bail, said that the 19th and 13th Vic., chap. 89,
regulating procedure was most stringent and mandatory, re-
quiring that in all treason-felony cases, before magistrates
can accept bail, a license should be obtained from the
Lord-Lieutenant or the Chief Secretary.

Mr. Tinder, solicitor for Whelan, thought that their wor-
ships might make the rule of bail on consent,
Mr Keys: We cannot. The statute is mandatory; but
no doubt a licence could he promptly obtained from the
Castle.

Mr. Woodlock ! We will take bail if the licence is forth-
coming after the depositions are read, and these will be
read in the presence of all the accused—Whelan as welt as
the others.

Mr. Peter O'Brien, QC., thought it hotter that they should
proceed in this important matter with due and proper re.
gularity, and he would forthwith obtain the necessary licence
from his Excellency. The sureties, who were in attendance,
then left court.

The prisoners having answered to their names, the clerk
proceeded to read over the depositionS, beginning with the
formal depositions of Acting-Inspector Warrington and
others made in the police court the day After the arrest of
the larger number of the prisoners.
During the readins of the depositions the prisoners
conversed with each other in an undertone, and in a lively
and sometimes humorous spirit. Even Delaney, who has
been very melancholy throughout the inquiry, appeared to
be amused. "Skin the Goat" was the centre Qf the fun,
who kept his audience in a merry mood by Id Is running
comments on all that parsed. Joe Brady sat frt the middle
of the dock, and conversed with Patrick Delaney and
Thomas Caffrey. They paid no attention to the reading of
the depositions, which was the merest formality. In the
couraa of the day a number of the prisoners' relatives were
admitted to the gallery, and greetings of the most friendly
character were exchanged between them, which stowed that
they were not devoid of natural affection.
The prisoners, with the exception of 'atrick Whelan, were
then formally committed on 11.0 charge of conspiracy to
murder certain Clo-v-elument officials and others, and of
haying in pursuance of that conspiracy, murdered Lord
Frederick Cavendish and Mr. Burke.

Whelan was committed for trial on the charge of treason
felony, and was admitted to bail, himself l 50, and two
sureties in £.25 each.