The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-19 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 19, 1853.

ELECTION EXPOSURES.

MAYO.

Yesterday, oti the re-assembling of this committee,
Lard 11. Vane in the chair,
Captain John Floyd was examined. He stated he was
esp:aiii of the 3rd Regiment, end was stre.toned at Castlebar
during the election. One night, a sheet time before the
election, he was called up at 11 o'cla.a in consequence of a
disturbance. A number of priests were making violent
and seditious speeches from the windows of Armstrong's
Hotel. They alluded to the St:Jekport riots, and exhorted
the voters nut to vote for thu crown and castle. Colonel
M'Alpine's voters ware assaulted in a must brutal
way, and Colonel M'Alpine, if he bad not been
plaided by an escort of dragoons, would have
been in great danger. Stones were thrown about in showers.
They were immense stones. Witness saw one fall close by
Col. They were nearly the size of witness's hat,
and none weie so small as the inkstand. Witness consi-
dered it was not safe for Col. M'Alpine and the voters to
move about without a military escort. Sir Robert lllosse
and others were obliged t o be escorted to the poll, as it was
necessary for the safety of their liver. Witness went to
Callina on Wednesday, the 21st of July. There was a large
crowd w en he marched in, and an eccurrence took place
he never met with in Ireland before, viz., the military were
hissed. Wane a went on that day to dine with Mr. Kir-
wan, the st pendorry magistrate, and bad not been long
there Wore two gentlemen came and said, "for
God's sake come down and protect the town." There
was a disturbance, but it had been put down
by the c .nstabulary. The police had three pri-
msn.-r, taking them to gaol, and were assaulted
seriously. Tee prisoner, were rescued by the mob, but the
police took them back again. Witness came out with his
company who were on billet in the town, and there a con-
ference took place between Kirwan and the Roman catholic
priest+, and the result was that the prisoners were let loose
by order of the magistrates. Oa Thursday, the 22nd, the
town was in a state of excitement all day, and the magis-
trates had to release several prisoners to prevent a riot.
Witness saw about forty of M'Alpine's voters confine up,
and as they came they were hissed. All was quiet until
the polling was over. When witness escorted M'Alpine's
voters about a mile and a half out of the town from the
Court-house stones began to fly about as soon as he marched
off with them, end witness ordered six men in the rear to
charge the mob, who were excessively riotous. He did this
to prevent their pressing on the soldiers. The mob did not
try to get possession of the voters, but it was necessary to
have the Riot Act read. The voters could not with safety
return to their hones without an escort of soldiers.
Things got so bad that witness said if it continued, he
should certainly " fire." A musket went off accidentally,
but the ball lodged in • window, after passing through a
man's coat tail—(laughter);—end the mob thought the
muskets were only loaded with blank ammunition. The
Rimer catholic clergy, from what he saw, bad the mob in
their power. Witness was ordered several times to send
separate escorts for M'Alpine's voters but refused, not hav-
ing • sufficient force to take them to the poll. lie told
Cul. M'Alpine " if you put all your voters together I will
escort them; " but it was not safe for M'Alpine's agent to
goout of the town and collect them, without an armed
force. It was not safe for individual voters to come into
the town without an escort ; and the state of the town was
such as to deter voters from coming in at all. The voters
from Killala came up by a steamer, so as to keep out of the
way of the mob.
Cross-examined by Mr. James—Withers took no part in
the election, and kuew Colonel M'Alpine only since the
election. Ballina on the first polling day was traimuil, and
did not see one voter obstructed on the Friday. The sol.
diet:, were out on the first day, and were stationed at the
Court-house, but witness was net called out on that day to
protect voters. The poll closed at 4 o'clock on the second I
day, and it was then the rioting began. Witness gave or-
ders to his men to run the mob through the middle if
they tried to rescue M'Alpine's voters, and gave this order
before the Riot Act was read. Witness's men had been
struck by stones, but could not say if any voters were, end
nu attempt had been made to rescue voters. Had a com-
pany of 48 men, and had 40 voters to escort, but did not
see the mob molest the voters. This was at 6 o'clock in
the evening. The Riot Act was read by Mr. Kirwan
twenty minutes after. The soldiers were not loaded at
that time, and that was the reason witness gave the order
to run the mob through the body if the riot was serious.
While the military were actually loading the mob were
quiet, but before they were riotous, and throwing stones.
Had nut, however, seen the mob touch the voters
up to this period. The mob might have heard the order to
load and charge, as they were close upon the men. The
priests waved their handkerchiefs, and cheered the mob, as
they brought them into the town on ears the day before.
The priests told them to shout for Moore and Higgins.
Witness did not hear any shouts for M'Alpine. Did not
think there were any colours worn. On the oecaaion of the
seditious speaking from Armstrong's Hotel, witness did not
know that tither Moore or Higgins was there. What he
defined as seditious language wee that the priests alluded to
the Stockport riots, and said the protestant& had something
to du with them, and that the voters would assert their
country if they did not support Moore and Higgins. It
was strung language they used, and halfpence were thrown
among the old women and children. (Laughter.) Went
to see the " fua " before he was called out, and was rather
amused than otherwise on the day before the nomination.
Witness did not see one voter unable to poll, or obstructed
in going to the poll. One soldier was seriously hurt by the
, mob.

F. O'Donnell, clerk to Mr. Ormsby, one of the magis-
trate., agent for Sir Roger Palmer, who had a large Lum-
ber of voters at Tyrawley, was then examined—He deposed
that he was going on 28th July to bring up some voters to
the poll from Tyrawley, and went to Armstrong's Hotel
to book his place fur Sanwa. Knew Dean Burke, the
catholic priest, of Westport, and another priest named
Egan. There was a large number of people at Armstrong's
Hotel, and saw Capt. Higgins and Dean Burke, and priest
Egan there. Witness's name on his being area was men-
tioned from the windows of the hotel, and on his looking
up priest Egan said, " How dare you look up at me, sir:"
pointing witness out to the attention of the mob. Witness
&mule succeeded in escaping, but they brought him
baek -to Anostroite's Hotel, and made him take off his I.st
for "Moore and Higgins." Witness was kept there by the
mob, who said, '• we'll have blood before, and not after, as
the saints say." Witness was greatly maltreated, and his
nose bruised and broken. Mr. Ormsby came and got wit-
BPI out "boat two o'clock, but he could not do anything
afterwards in the way of bringing up the voters of Sir IL.
Palmer, ant in consequence of his not being sole to go and
protect the voters several voted for Moore and Higgins,
having first promised Colonel M'Alpine. There were
twenty-two of them. Some were protestant', and others
Roman catholic.. The state of the mob was such as to
deter voters from going to the poll.
Cross-examined—The list of tenants of Sir R. Palmer,
handed is, contained both protestant/ and catholic'. There
were 10 protestant' out of the 22. Wu not aware that the
excitement arose from an attempt to coerce the Roman
catholic tenants of Sir R. Palmer to vote for Colonel
M'Alpine; but that the contrary was the case. About 10
of the 22 voters had received notice to quit for voting.
Several of these tenants had memorialised Sir R. Palmer,
who said he would not interfere with Mr. Ormsby's de-
sires, for such conduct deserved what it got. Witness re-
ceived the rents from these voters, and Mr.
Ormsby gave the notices. The 10 who had re-
ceived notice were all Roman catholic' but one.
The number of tenantry who had promised but did not
poll was 7 ; 6 of them said they could not go into the pollng
place because there was no escort with them. The notice
in one cue would not be acted upon, that of Flanagan, be-
cause the man acted fairly, having promised to ga with
witness, and witness not coming he could not go, and ought
not to be punished for that. His said there were five or fix
voters waiting for an escort, but did not go because the
escort did not come. These voters were living about
six miles from the poll. Had four or five voters in a room
at a herd's house at Mr. Ormsby'n, who had sent for them.
There were other tenants of Sir Roger Palmer's, but nose
of them had promised a vote fur Col. 11• Alpine. Two of
them left and voted, but the others said they were afraid.
The observation about having " blood" was made by sae
of the persons outside Armstrong's house, but witness was
not struck after that ; he was kept there till two or three
o'clock. He did not ask for a surgeon, but repeatedly asked
to get out. The parties prosecuted for the matter were
four in number. Witness identified one, and another two,
and they were convicted. They were the sort of people
who would have formed any mob.
Re-examined by Mr. O'Malley—Did not believe there
was any coercion used to keep the voters at the herd's
house. They went there cur their convenience, and Mae
away as they liked. Witness did not know why the notices
to quit were served ; but believed that some of the parties
might he in arrear of rent.
Lieut. John Inglis, of the Itth Hussars, examined, said—
In July last be was *tenoned at Cutlebar. There was
great excitement on the day before the nomination, oeca-
sioaed by the priests. On the nomination lay there was a
great mob, and the priests addressed the mob at Arra.
strong's Hotel. He did not hear what they sail, but they
appeared to have great control over the mob, who wen
eery violent towards Col. M'Alpine's voters. Stones wore
thrown as Large as witness's fist. There was violence
directed against Sir Robert Biome, and wham escorted both
Sir Robert and Col. M'Alpine frorn the Court House. out
of the town. The remainder of the witaeu's evidence
went to confirm that of the previous witnesses who bad the
command of the military on the occasion.
Hubert Savage, a barony constable, of Belhinullett, de-
Iposed that all was quiet for days preceding the election and
on the morning of the polling day up to II o'clock. After
that, however, the Isiah assembled round the hotel of Moore
suul Higgins, and the Rev. Mr. M'ltale addressed the mob
from outside it with three or four other totem s. lie spoke
violently about the murders committed at Stockport by the
protestant or Orange party there, and called upon them to
support Messrs. Higgins and Moore, and denouncing those
who should support M'Alpine. The mob shouted, and the
Rev. Mr. IPHale and the priests threw their hats up in the
air. The Ant thing the mob did was to demolish the
windows and sada. of witness's house, and violence was
directed against all who were M'Alpine's voters. M'Hsle
decidedly had a control over the mob, and the stones
they flung were the size of witness's fist. They
were thrown at the police, and at voters in Colonel
M'Alpine's interest. Witness saw a voter named Camp-
bell and others struck with stones. A protestant
clergyman, Mr. Hewson, coming up to vote for M'Alpine
MIA prevented by the violence of the mob. The priests did
not interfere to prevent the riot, ard the mob were further
excited by whisky. The mob then went to the Court-
howe and broke the windows, and young APHale told them
they had done their duty. (Laughter.) Tne Rev. Mr.
M'ilale acted as agent, and took the control of everything
for Moore and Higgins. He insisted in every instance on
the bribery oath being put to every one of M'Alpine's