The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-05 00:00:00

THE STOCKPORT OUTRAGES.

CONCLUSION OF THE INVESTIGATION.
The examination of the prisoners before the
magistrates was concluded on Monday, when the only re-
maining charges to be examined into were those against
William Walker and George Walker, two men who, after
absconding to avoid apprehension' surrendered at nearly
the close of the inquiry. William Walker was proved to
have taken part in the work of demolition at Edeeley
Chapel, and was committed for trial; and George Walker
was discharged.
In the course of the proceedings Mr. Charles Gibson, at-
torney, who appeared to prosecute, complained to the
magistrates that he could not get witnesses to attend, as
they were intimidated, and dared not come. In Man-
chester and Salford, and other towns, the police always got
tke witnesses togeth. r, and the attorneys had nothing to
do with asking witnesses to come. In the whole of this
inquiry ho had had to get up the whole of the evidence, at
a very large expense which would fall on Mr. Frith. 2001.
would not pay at : the reason being that no assistance hail
been received from the police.
Mr. Sadler, the chief constable, said he had called all the
witnesses he could fled.

Mr. Gihson said he had not had one tittle of evidence
sent to him by a policeman. He had had to send Mr.
Faulkner, from Mauchester, and Mr. Alderman Ashton, to
get up evidence Ittihad of the police, and he and his friends
had been traced from house to house wherever they had
gone. It was the duty of the police to bring up the whole
of the evidence. It was a startling fact, and which could
not be overlooked, that not one iota of the stolen property
had been traced; and there had not been a single man
taken into custody fur the demolition of the catholic cha-
pel, excepting through his (Mr. Gibson's) intervention.
It was true two men were brought up by the police, but
they bad been discharged by the bench.
Mr. Sadler pointed out three or four who had been
brought up through the efforts of the police, and added,
that he himself had apprehended, at very great hazard, a
number of parties, on information received by him, without
any warrant having been asked for.
Mr. Gibson said he had written to the Secretary of State,
and had told him it was morally impossible, without thither
assistance at his command, to discharge the duties that
were devolving upon him. Excepting two, all the prisoners
who had been committed had been brought to justice at the
sole expense of Mr. Frith, who was a ruined man, having
lost all his property, but who, through the assistance of
friends, had obtained sufficient money to enable him to
prosecute this inquiry. Mr. Gibson handed to the magis-
trates the following letter, in connexion with the subject :
"Whitehall, 31st July, 1.862.
"Sir,—l am directed by Mr. Secretary Walpole to ac-
knowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th inst., rela-
tive to the prosecution of persons who have been committed
for trial on charges connected with the late riots at Stock-
port, and I am to inform you that there are several reasons
which would render it uuadviaable that the government
should undertake the prosecution of the offenders in the
present instance, but they are extremely anxious that the
law should be vindicated and the offenders brought to jus-
tice. As Mr. Frith and Mr. Foster have already entered
into the usual recognisances, Mr. Walpole thinks that the
prosecution cannot be left in better hands, and the govern-
ment will render them its beat assistance. For that pur-
pose I am directed to inform you that, as the ease is a very
peculiar one, the government will take upon itself any rea-
sonable expenses properly incurred by Mr. Frith and Mr.
Foster over and above the costs of prosecution allowed by
the county. I am, sir, your obedient servant,
" CHARLES ERSKINE,
" For Under-Secretary of State.
"To Charles Gibson, Esq., 69, Princes-street,
Manchester.'
In the course of the conversation Mr. Gibson said be had
not a word to say against the conduct of the mayor or ma-
gistrate. of Stockport; nor did any of his remarks apply to
Mr. Sadler, the chief constable.
Twenty prisoners have been committed for trial at the
Chester assizes' including an equal proportion of English
and Irish. The following is a list: Roger M'l)ermott,
Michael M'llermott, Samuel Williamson, Joseph Birch,
Thomas Garvey, Thomas Murphy, Thomas Feeny, Patrick
O'Hara, Patrick Naughten, James Finn alias Flinn, and
James Walsh, for rioting. The two latter, who were
among those admitted to bail nightly, failed to appear on
the morning of the 24th ult., when they were committed,
and are still at large. George PeU and William Butterey,
for the offence at St. Michael's Catholic Chapel ; Mark
Gleave. Samuel Preston, Thomas Walker, Johu Walker,
John Slater, and Thomas Edwards, for riot destruction
of property at the Edgeley Chapel and the residence of Mr.
Frith; and Matthew Mulligan, the man who was com-
mitted on the coroner's warrant for the wilful murder of
Michael Moran.

The ComMl4ion for the Chester Assizes will be opened
nest Saturday, and business will commence on Monday.
The Judge on the circuit is Mr. Justice Talfourd.

Tna TEMPERANCE LEAGUE.—In addition to the
usual attractions, the Surrey Zoological Gardens presented
yesterday that of a grand bazaar in connexion with the
Temperance League, which thus inaugurated its annual
fetes. The extensive grounds were crowded during the
day principally by the working classes, whose respectable
and orderly demeanour, and healthy and happy faces,
might well have justified them in addressing to the
drunkard the scriptural exhortation, " See how their
brethren fare, and take their pledge." The bazaar was a
very large one, and the fair stallkeepers seemed to be
doing • brisk business. A minting press, which struck off
an ode, or poem, or hymn appropriate to the occasion,
was one of the chief `, lions " of the day, but it yielded pro-
bably to the yet superior attractions of • galvanic appara-
tus, round which there never lacked • large and wondering
crowd. Tho fine zoological collection found plenty of ad-
mirers, and the latest acquisition—namely, an enormous
tortoise, about 200 years of age—attracted a very fair share
of attention. During the afternoon the company amused
themselves with various rural games, and with listening to
the bands of music, whose exertions were unremitted.
In the evening there was • regular concert, and the
day's amusements terminated with a grand display of fire-
works.