The Express.
London, England, 1852-11-10 00:00:00

THE SIX-MILE-BRIDGE AFFAIR.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.—Pirmme, MONDAY.
At the sitting of the full court this morning, the Snlici•
for General (with whom were Messrs. Manley, Q
Hayes, and Graydon), said he appeared to move that the
inquisition in the above cage should be quashed. There
were seven distinct inquisitions, but he would take the
but of one of the parties, via ,—that of James Casey, sod
move that it should be quashed, as the judgment on one
case would of course govern all the others, on the ground
that there was no evid.•nce to sustain the fielding of wilful
murder against Chi istopher Damper, J.P., John (Henson,
and the ether soldiers of the 31st Regiment charged. Thu
charge against Mr. 1/...lmege and the soldiers was, that on
the 22nd of July last, they did, by discharging certain fire-
arms, kill and murder this person, and the 1.11 other similar
findings were, that these same soldiers, each and every one
of them, killed and murdered each of the persons who
met with their deaths on that occasion. There was a
vast body of depositions in the case, and although the

the
y
there
u t°
an
question involved was one of great importance to the
effectual administration of justice, he (the &licher Generel)
would not consider it necessary to refer to the greater per-
assworn
merelyto' sa whichto wwhaest non
relevant
tpoioinntofatwhivatuew,
but
evidence to affect Mr. Delmete and the eight soldiers
charged with so enormous an °fleece ; and for that purpose
he would refer to the testimony of magistrates, officers and
soldiers who witui seed shat occurred, and could only de-
tail the farts accurately; and he might observe that he
supposed that it was only by accident that the persona to
whew, testimony he would ear fur, were not included in the
verdict. (Laughter.) The fame of the case were these:—
On the 22nd of July there was a general election for
the county Clare, and it appeared that a number of
venni of ono of the candidates were locked up in a
house against their will, to prevent them voting,
which illegal act was in fact the origin of this
uutortunate occurrence. In consequence of their de-
teutiou, en application, signed by four magistrates of the
county, w.is addressed, in the proper torn., to the com-
mending officer of the district, Colonel D ogles, who pave
enters. directing the troops to attend on the following day,
and t wort the voters to Six mile-bridge, which order was
in court, and would at least satisfy their lord.hips th a the
military were present, acting under a lawful meliorate, and
were compelled to discharge the unpleasant duty cow on
them. TLe order issued was that the troops shoould he a
safeguard to these incarcerated voters, and protect tit: m in
Casa any violence was atteanne ol towards them on their
way from Limerick to the place of voting ; end the tett-
nt officer whoa issued that order swore that, if sc,ldiers
were attacked with Stones, and knocked down when
obeying boil: :tin order, it would he their duty to lire
if net:emery, otter first trying what the bayonet would do.
Colonel Staunton, one of the moat experienced officers,
was also examined, and stated he was not with hie men en
tho oecwien is question—but that he ascertained their
numbers to hove been forty-one and that they
had fired without an order from their nailer re or u meals-
trate, an he considered they were justified in doing moiler
the circumstane s. Ile (the SulicitohOeneral) had stated
that, by accident, some of the county magistrates were not
flung guilty of wilful murder, and he would refer to the
tetinvony of one of those tomb:men, Mr. Belem Wadi r.
Before lie did en, however, he might rot ation that Mr.
%Inseam and the troops, un the 26id, went to Themeed.
bridge, in Limerick, wean° they found the voters loeLed
up, and were detained for a citnOdt table period, until the
soldiers were obliged to batter at the door with their
museetie Mr. Waller mete that he joined the escort, and
aeonnspenied thereto Sitmile-bridge,where he first sew the
Bev. Mr. Burke, who came up, and shored hire in his at-
tempt. to interfere with the voters; be passed on and called
the voters convict., and GP the caraleide reaching the chapel,
stones were thrown at the withers and voters from behead,
se leech -co that he was knocked down and when he got up
he bound everygmen acting fur himself. Ile found the
mob engaged hand to hued with the military, several of
whom lie saw knocked down before a shot was fired, and
tho opinion he gave of the occurrence was that the lives of
both voters and nailitary were iu dagger before the latter
wont their weapons. This gentleman then went on to ray
with sequel to Mr. Delancey, who o.s accused of firing, sod
ordering the soldiers to tire, that he saw no pistols with
him until evening, and then he observed him drawing the
charges, and remarking they were perfectly clean, which
showed that they had not been used in the couresof th. day.
Judge Cr 11111. ton—flow many lives were lost?
The Solicitor-General—Seven de.d, and it is said that
several others were wounded, but not one of the wounded
were produced as witnesses at this extraordinary inquest.
Thu Sallit.i,.ll of the locality where this occurrence took
plate was a matter of consideration. It would apeear that
Simmile-bridge was approached by a Street leadieg
directly up to the court-house, but at will he toned that
ate particular point, the escort, instead of geing down the
direct way, tweed tap a lane, for the lupus. purpose
of avoiding a celindon with the people, the 'ray thing which
afterwards occurred. When the newt arrived at this
point, the magistrates and officers in charge of it observed
that the main street was choked up with people, and a
policeman hoeing ineented Captain linger that he could
go to the court-house up the lane, and w avoid the crowd,
tlin former wok that route, and chauged his Coyne accord-
ingly. After passing this particular part of the lard., at
appeared from the evidence of Constable Boyce, that the
troops were on their way towards the green to awed the
crowd, and that the crowd, otserving them changing their
course, followed them, and went up the lane after them,
shouting and hooting,and throwing nonce ; and he positively
swore that he heard one man w nth a stick in his hand say—
" Come, boys, hire the voters au, doe't let them
pass," which clearly showed for what purpose the mob
had assembled—,and what the object woes they hog in
view. This expression was used just before the escort vet
into the late, and at the same moment that this party came
up another party of people ran round ,he other way to attack
the troupe, " and make stones hop off their bayonets," as
the witness described it. Another constable named White
Rave testim .ny to show that the attack was teerrovokee ;
detailed what occurred near the court-house, and proved
that the Rev. Mt. Clune, a Boman clergymen.
tolled out to the mob when in that excited state aud said—

" Toy are bringing voters here izie---e;rr,Uniijiirere
standing by idle," upon which the people went off in a
body darn the lane, soon after which the stone-throwing
and tiring commenced. This showed who were the ring-
leaders, and what it was intended to do. Again, a con-
stable, named Thompson, deposed that he was an duty
on the same occasion, and saw the pause rev. geutlenian
urging the mob to stop the voters; and constable Curet-
' gan described similar conduct, and said he saw Father
Cline take off his hat and say—. They aro coming ; will
you allow them to come by i" upon which the mob rushed
up the lane, and the stones were throwu ; Constable
M'Birney was also examined at the inquest, and he teld
this wise jury that he wee on duty at the court-house
window, and saw and heard souse person, w :torn
he did not know, shout out—" Come, boys, here
they arc; come let us rescue them." Now, he
(the Sulicitor•Oeneral) submitted that all this evi-
dence abundantly showed a design—a preconcerted
plot to attack the magistrates and her Majesty's troops
in the lawful discharge of their duty, and to rescue
voters, who were merely going to exercise a cuestas'.
tioual privilege. Mr. Studdert, a magistrate, and a gen-
tleman of the highest character, was likewise pr 'duced,
and stated that he heard the Rev. Mr. Chine address the
people, and cry, " Shame, boys shame. Is there a man
amongst you ? Here are the voters coming ;" and the
crowd immediately ran round the corner, and in a couple
or three minutes after that he heard three shots fired.
Again, Mr. Gabbett„ a magistrate, who was in the court-
bowie, having heard the firing, went out to sea what it was
about, and tound a soldier lying down on the ground, and
the people pelting them with immense stones as fast as they
possibly could. Independent of all this evidence, some of
the persons who were in the vans and who drove the vans
were produced before the coroner auti their testimony sera
equally clear as showing the cause of the unfortunate
reucontre. Mr. Mulqueen, who was a voter and in the
van, swore that he heard a person say—" These are Keane's
voters, let us take them away ;" immediately after which
the mob rushed towards the escort, and lie observed
one soldier get a blow of a stone in the face, from which
he was covered with blood in a moment; and this all
occurred before the military took any step to protect them-
selves end their charge, further than to call on the ',opts
to take care what they were about. Then a witness named
Lonergan, who drove one of the vans, swore that a man
came up to his machine, and caught the leaders by the
reins, and cut them across, and then attempted to cut the
traces, and would have succeeded but for a soldier who
was standing by, whom he called on to interfere. At this
time the stoneslwere flying, and the soldiers being knocked
down as fast as possible, and not one of them had at that
time tired a single shot. Perhaps he (the Solicitor-General)
might here observe that this appeared to be a very saga-
cious, cautious witness, for he informed the coroner that he
protected himself from the melee by keepiag his head in
the shade of his mare's bead. (Laughter.) Another car-
driver was produced, named Neville. He drove the second
car, and saw Lonergan's reins cut, and the stones thrown
in the way described by all the either wane
before the soldiers had fired. This man's car was
broken with stones, several of which were found
in it. Ryan, another cannon, was brought for-
ward, and gave similar testimony, and also informed
the jury that Mr. Wilson—a gentleman who had been in
the army, and who had been a marstrate—said that, sup-
posing the attack was made by the people, as stated, that
the spot selected was the safest place for these, which he
(the Solicitor-General) relied on as proving pre-concert
and prs.arrangement in the movements of the mob. The
Ranted geo•leman then went on at considerable b ngth to
refer to the testimony of Captain Eager, Lieutenant
Hutton, Mr. O'llslloran, and other peril., examined at the
inquest, to show that the troops did not fire until violently
assaulted; that they fired without orders, and were Wily
justified in doing so under the circumstances; and that no
court could sustain such a verdict, where there was no
legal identity of the parties. Ile cited, in conclusion,
various casts from " Bacon's Abridgment," " Viner's
Abridgment," Hale's " Pleas of the Crown," " Hawkius,"
&c., to show the jurisdiction of the court to intertere, and
quash the finding of the coroner's jury, which, was wholly
untenable in a legal point of view.
Mr. J. 1). Fitzgerald, QC., followed, but the learned
gentleman had not concluded his arguments when the
court ruse.

THE TRADE or SOUTUAMETON.—When the Mer-
man leaves Southampton this afternoon fur New York,
there will have arrived in or have left the Southampton
docks, during the last eight days' 10 large mail packets,
with passengen, cargo, and mails, via., the Magdalena,
from the West ladies ; the Berman' from Bremen ; the
Sultan, from Constantinople; the Feline, from Ales.
andria ; the Madrid, from the Peninsula; the Franklin,
from the United Stabs ; the Orinoco, for Jamaica ' • the
Herman for America ~ the Tagus, for Portugal ; and the
Tay, for the Breads. Taking into consideration the nutn.
bee of passengers, the quantity of cargo, and the amount
of correspondence conveyed by these packets, such a eir-
eutustanen as that of 10 immense seamen arriving or ik :ly-
ing • port in a week, has never hapvened before at any
docks or port in the world. The Sultan steamer alone
brought home above 10,000 lettere.
Tut: NIAURITIER.— By the Euxine steamer we have
late r advice, from the hlauritius. The Harbinger, which
left Plymouth on the 14th of June, with mods fur the Cape
end India, arrived at Port Louis on the sth of August.
Both the Queen of the South and the Harbinger were over-
due 10 days when they arrived at the Mauritius. It was
fisted that the mail arrangements will not answer _ „
that the Plymouth steamer. would not reach C. 1147,1' e:
Port Louis in time fur the overland homeward .. . • s.'-'.
....,...r-,,, "r:
staid I hat 'lie MAuritive st,a.ait r.: ought 1., lea - ji_...r ~-., -...t.,... ;..„,
on the 10th of the month. The e.dony is mast air .— • ,1453:. •••
At Bourbon the smill.pox erns r.,gincr. The Port `. Intjal"...,A.- .--i
taut was to he shortly cloud to the biennium. c,.., . ~. r.....
tite4+
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