The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-05-02 00:00:00

THE FENIAN TRIALS,

(By one of our London Correrpondeu tr.)
During the closing dart of last week, the popular excite-
ment with regard to these now famous trials, went On in.
creasing. Morning after morning there were inereased and
earlier demands for admittance to the Court. Tickets have
all along been procured with difficulty, and care has been
taken, not only to grant them to persons of known respect-
ability, but also to issue no more in a day than the ('art
could conveniently hold. Of course, due allowance was
made for folks being compelled to go away, aunt, Judging
from the demands made at the gate for admission—demands
in the main futile—it would seem that ninny people who had
procured tickets for the earlier la.. had treasured them up
with tha intention of using theta when the proceedings
became more exciting and approached a climax. Unfortu-
nately, the sergeanta at the entrance were stern, and pointed
with mute significance and inflexibility to huge placards,
which proclaimed in most gigantic capitals, " Tile ('ovirg IS
NoW FULL" Ihtt if on Thuraday. Friday. and Saturday, the
applications were nUlnerotts, on Monday, when it had become
known that the trial would terminate on that day, the
entrances to the ('suet were literally besieged. Mere point-
ing to the placards was of no avail, and coaxing and threaten-
Mg had both to be employed, and even then many more
people than could possibly be accommodated pushed past
the guardians of the gate, and in spite of the stringent regu-
lations of the sheriffs, lined the passages leading to the
Court-room. %titian, every possible seat was occupied. The
aldermen's bench was crowded to suffccation, and at the
most distant end of it two ladies modestly put in an appear-
ance, to the envy of the rest of the fair, who had to content
themselves with places lea conspicuous, and also less
admirably situated. 'Allier appeared in strong force in all
parts of the Court, except in the gallery, and generally they
were no placed that they cold both hear and see. The lonia
of creation were treated with less consideration. Barristers
took advantage of their indisputable right of entr%c, and
when they could not get seats, lounged about in wig and
gown before the dock. Attorney's clerks, poliminen.
detectives, and witnesses herded together at a small table
in the well of the Court and in a sort .of cattle-pen, to the
right of the jury-box. The general public are not allowed to
stand in the Court, but everywhere they were packed as
closely as herrings in a barrel until the heat was absolutely
stilling, and the closely-squeezed crowd in the gallery, who
jostled Chill Other and leaned heavily on cash other's
shoulders, became objects of the deepest commiseration.
The demeanour of the prisoners was unchanged after the
flrst day. They came in in the same order in the nil
they sat in the same places all day long, and retired can-
Lusty and unconcerned at night. Ann Justice, in the corner,
sat enveloped in her rough woollen shawl. sometimes
smiling at the evidence ',nought forward, and strangely ‘,,n-
trusting in appearance with the immobile female turnkey,
who sat behind her as motionless as if she had beets carved in
ntelle. But Thursday evening saw the conclusion of the
evidence for the prosecution, and nothing of importance
having been brought against Ann Justice. 51.0 was removal
from the dock on the suggestion of the Lord Chief Justice.
A glad light broke into her eyes as she curtsied to the Bowl..
dire turned to Barrett, who sat next her, and kiaseat him
annuly, whispering something earnestly in iris ear. She
then shook hands with the other prisoners, saying a few
words to each, and retired. fullusved by her Medusa. Next
morning, the number at the bar was again lessened by the
withdrawal of the charge against O'Keefe. Ile, poor, brain-
leas soul, had not wit or strength of mind enough to be
either grateful to the prosecution, or sympathetic towards
his fellow prisoners. fie rose, lii concealing his nervous. ;
noon, and, with a dull nod to English as he passed, withdrew.
On Saturday, when the evidence in Barrett's defence was
given, the prisoner sat wills eager eyes, and an intent coml.
tommce, but still calm and cool externally. On Monday
morning the prisoners had, to a great extent, lost their c,ml-
ness. Barrett, on the assembling of the Court, was very
much flushed, although he recovered his calmness tia the day
went on. English was almost invisible, and sat with his bead
buried in his hands, and evidently a prey to the moat intense
nervousness. When anything favourable to the prisoners
was said, he peered over the front of the dock, and then
quickly resumed his former attitude. William DeBllloll,r3
shrewd eyea from under his beetling brows, roved round the
Court in a careworn,. anxious, weary way. And Timothy
Desmond spent his MO in watching the jury, to see the
era of the Attorney-General's speech, and of the summing
up of the ford Chief Justice, aunt in studying the Royal
Arnis above the judge's chair.
The proceedings of Thursday, although in themselves In-
teresting, and of great importance, were not novel, and have
been frequently before the public. The discharge of Ann
Justice created a momentary excitement, but it soon died
away, and the audience settled themselves into attitudes of
attention to listen to the speech of Mr. Warner Sleigh, who
represented William Desmond, and his speech brought the
Rifting to a close.
Friday was taken up with the speechee of the counsel for
the other prisoners. It was understood that no witnesses
would be called for the defence. but on the re,issembling of
the Court after luncheon, it began to be whispered about
that Mr. Baker Greene meant to bring forward an alibi for
Barrett.

- .
'onsequently that gentleman's speech was listened to
with great interest, which died gradually away, as three
weary hours went by in dull and tedious wordiness.
But when in conclusion ha said he maintained that Barrett
was not in Corporation-lane, that he was not in London,
that he was not even in England on the night of the
explosion, but, that he asserted that Barrett was on
that very evening in the Bell hotel in Glasgow, and was
seen by several people who had mai to prove it, he took the
Court by storm. As he sat down everybody In court rose, in
spite of the court keepers, and stared to see from whence
the new witnesses were to come.

The first witness for the alibi was a man called M. McNulty,
a shoemaker, from Glasgow, who swore that on the evening
•d. the 1201 of December last Barrett came to his workshop
In the Briggate, introduced by a man named Mullen, am!
asked to have a pair of boots soled, heeled and welted. They
were promised to be done on the next evening, and on that
evening, that of the explosion, Barrett called for the boots,
but they had not then been touched. On the following
evening, the 14th, Barrett again called alla finding the boots
still untouched, called the man anything but a ttentleman ;
bat the 5011 .1 Ilispin boldly stood his ground, giving abuse
for abuse. At this point two shoemakers entered 1111 d agreed,
as a favour to their cobbler friend, to repair the boots and as
to appease tho gentleman. Barrett meanwhile waited, and to
Wile away the time sent out for a copy of the Glasgow
Evening Pest, which contained an account of the explosion
at Ukrkenwell, and which he read to the shoemakers as-
sembled. The ls-,,ds were finished about seven o'clock. The
man left, and the shcemakers never saw him more.

On Satnrday morning the two shoemakers were called, and
in. the hoportant particulars substantiated MeNulty's state-
ment. They differed slightly in detail.
But another alibi was attempted to be set up. Mr. M'Corry,
the elitor of a Glasgow newspaper, of strong "national"
Irish tendencies, accompanied by two men, swore that on the
ni,,ht of the explosion they saw Barrett In the Bell Hotel, at
Glasgow. They also assert that his whiskers were singed at
a torch-light procession, held in honour of the "Manchester
martyra," on Glasgow Ureen, and dust he therefore shared
them off. . .

oeo,
The Attorney-General, on the other hand, called Superin-
intemlent McCall, ,d the Glasgow Eidice, who swore that he
called open McNulty, the shoemaker, and that he told Inin
that he belonged to the pollee; the tin spite of this McNulty
Raid that he remembered no man of the name of
Barrett, that no man had left boots to be repaired, that
no man hail kicked tip a row In his place, and
that no man had read an account of the Clerkenwell
explosion in the Glaxgoir Evening Poet.
Mr. Baker Greene made the moot that possibly eould be
made of the alibi, which he had brought forward. His
, second speech was quite the opposite of the first. It was
short, to the point, and brilliant. Ile declared that his
witnesses were not like those of the Government, with halters
round their necks, with handcuffs on their wrists. or with a
dazzling reward before their eyes—they were honest, hard-
working men, and one, the taut respectable editor of a
Glasgow newspaper, who had come without fee or reward,
awl that to do justice and to speak the truth ! Ile therefore
left it lathe jury to form their own opinion of the worth of
the two teatimonies. He looked to them after consideration
to do a full measure of justice, and to hasten to release
Barrett from the gaol in which he had to long lingered, and
to restore lam to the decent, honourable, blamelees, and