The Express.
London, England, 1851-07-24 00:00:00

CIIARGE OF CONSPIRACY TO MURDER.

The very singular trial of Mr. William Blood Smith, and
one of his retainers, for a conspiracy to murder his mother,
was still proceeding at Ennis when the last accounts left.
Mr. Brewster, Q.C., addressed the jury fur the prisoners
en Thursday evening, his chief de fence being the extreme im-
probability of the charges brought, which would amount to
this, that Mr. Smith had, with very little effort at
concealment, employed some men to go themselves,
or engage others to go front the county of Clare,
to Kantwnek, in the county of Cork, for the pur-
pose of shooting his aged mother, merely because she
wag in the enjoyment of an annuity which was drawn from
his property. It would appear front the evidence that the
projected murder was spoken of in the presence of several
persons, that it was di:cussed in an office to which various
labourers had access. The conspiracy is stated to have
been entered into so long back as 1816, and a letter
was produced by one of the witnesses that had been written
by Mr. Smith in the following year, urging him to get back
a sum of 20'. from another of the alleged accomplices,
which sum they swore had been paid beforehand as the
price of the intended murder. Mrs. Smith died a natural
death since the period at which the present charge hail
been first brought against her son.
The case was thus detailed by the counsel for the crown.
" The prisoner, Mr. Smyth, in 1816 suffered in his cir-
cumstances ;from the general pressure ; his estate was
burdened with a jointure of 200!. a-year fur his mother,
and that lady was in possession of house property in Dublin,
amounting to 4001. or 500/. a-year, as of her estate fur life,
with remainder to the prisoner. At the period named, an
extensive combination for the commission of crime existed
in the prisoner's neighbourhood. Whiteboy outrages, and
even murders, had been contrived without regard even to
secresy. This state of things had been happily put au end
to by the special commission of 1848, but while it existed
the prisoner would appear to have availed himself of it with
a view to carry out his design on his mother's life.
The case resolved itself into four periods, the earliest
of which was in 1817. It would be proved that in that
year the prisoners llelin and Smyth jointly soli-
cited ono John Corbett to commit the murder; also,
that Melia, with Martin Mliamara, already mentioned,
solicited two other persons named Thomas Corbett and
Patrick Mickey to perpetrate it. The circumstances of
these solicitations and the meetings of the parties would be
fully deposed to as to establish a conspiracy ; and it
would ho proved that Melia after his arrest made a formal
admission before the magistrates, fully acknowledging his
participation in these transactions. At this time, however,
the design was not carried further. The second period was
the months of December, 1847, and January, 1848. It
would appear that at this period a sum of 201. of Mr.
Smyth's money was in the hands of Martin M'Narnara, and
it was alleged by the crown that it was given him in order
to procure the assassination. At all events, he and Heins
would be proved to have made the proposal to two persons
named Michael Rowland and John Callinan, and to have
mentioned the matter to several, offering money fur the
purpose out of the 201. At this period Mr. Smyth was in
Cove with his daughter, who died there on the 14th Jan.,
and it would be proved that ou the same night that she
died, or on the next morning, he u-rote a letter to a tenant
of his named Doulerty, urging him in the most press-
ing and extraordinary terms to apply to M'Namarn for the
201., and to make him return it. The construction which
the crown put on this letter was, that he, for the time, re-
pented of his design, and abandoned, or at least suspended,
its execution. The letter did not contain any expression
which directly bore upon the charge, but the Jury would
find that in some particulars it tallied in a remarkable
manner with tho facts to be proved against him. The
third period was May, 1848, when it appeared that Smyth
and his confederates resumed their plan, and hired two
men, named Connellan and M'Cormack, to carry it into
effect. Mrs. Smyth, the old lady in question, resided with
her younger son at Kanturk, in the county of Cork. The
two assassins went thither on the 10th of MaMay, having tra-
velled through Limerick, where they purchased pistols.
At Kanturk they failed to obtain an opportunity which
they thought sufficient, and they returned without effect-
ing the murder. Witnesses would be produced who saw
them together on the road when they were going and
when they were returning ; and it would be shown by cir-
cumstantial evidence of the strongest kind that they were
actually in Kanturk at the old lady's house, as upon their
return they detailed certain particulars of the movements
and occupation of the inmates on that particular day, which
would be shown to be singularly accurate. The fourth
period was August, 1818. Michael M'Cormick, one of the
alleged conspirators, and one of the persons who actually
attempted to commit the murder, became troublesome to Mr.
Smyth. lie had retained possession of the pistols, and was
very importunate, insisting that ho was promised payment
without reference to success or failure. lie was the only
one of the conspirators who was not a tenant or servant of
Smyth's; but he was quite independent of him. Smyth ac-
cordingly contrived to send him out of the country. For
this purpose 61. war advanced by a cattle dealer in Quin, of
the name of Pat Moylan (Barrett), which sum was advanced
on Smyth's credit, and repaid by him. lythgeejlistols were
given up to Smyth, and M'Cormick was ship at Galwa
for America. It would be shown that Etin himself took
an active part in this negotiation; and it would appear, if
the approver, Conaellan, spoke truly, that before u'Cor-
mick wu sent away, an attempt to take his life by poison
was actually made, with the connivance of Smyth. This
was the leading outline of the ease."
The trial was brought to a close on Saturday night, at
Ennis, by the jury returning the verdict of is'et Guilty.
By the evidence produced for the defence it appeared
that, during the very time when it was alleged that Mr.
Smyth wee aerating the conspiracy, he was actually at-

gaged in proceedings to evict some of the pence; who have
sworn that he instigated them to commit the Grime. The
learned judge, in charging the jury, said that be never
knew or heard of a charge supported by witnesses of so bad
• character.
_ . .

The prisoners were forthwith discharged from custody.

SPORTING.