The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-24 00:00:00

THE ROYAL LIVER FRIENDLY SOCIETY.

About a fortnight ago Mr. Downes, Burgeon, of
White-street, Borough, appeared at the Southwark Polies-
oourt to complain of the conduct of the managers of the
Royal Liver Friendly Society for allowing a female to
insure the life of a child in their office in London without
the consent or knowledge of the parents, and it was ulti-
mately arranged that the parties concerned should
attend at this court, so that all the facts should be gone
into. _ _

Yesterday afternoon the parties were present, when Mr.
Hicklin, of the firm of Bias and Hicklin, appeared on
behalf of the father of the deceased child whose life was
insured ; and Mr. Julian, the London manager of the
society, attended with their assistant solicitor. Mr. Tidd
Pratt was also present.
Mr. Hicklin said that he was instructed to appear for
Mr. Thomas Brooks, whose child, Anna Brooks, died in
November, 1866, of heart disease, and whose life, he bad
recently been informed, had been insured for 201. in the
Royal Liver Society by a Mrs. Parkinson. the wife of Mr.
Brooks' partner, without his °omens or knowledge. As
soon as he discovered the unwarrantable conduct of Mr..
Parkinson be proceeded to the office of the society, in
Bridge-street, Blackfriars, when he was referred to the
head office at Liverpool, and vice versa. Finding he could
get no satiefactory answer to his just complaints he men-
tioned the circumstances to Dr. Downes, who attended his
child, and that gentian- an thought the proper course would
be to lay the whole of the facts before a magistrate for in-
veron' as it was quite clear that the society had acted
illy the transaction.
. Burcham asked if the female was in court who
effected the insurance on the child's life, as he should like
to hear what she bad to asp about it.
A very respectable-looking middle aged female here en-
tered the witnees-box, and said that her name was Sophia
Parkinson and she admitted that she insured the child's
life in 1866 for 121. (not 20/. as previously stated in the
papers), for which she paid 2d. per week to a collector who
called upon her.
Mr. Burcham—How came you to insure the child's life?
Witness—l bad spoken to Mrs. Brooks while her child
was lying ill, and I told her I had insured my mother,
sister, and brother in the Royal Liver Insurance Society,
and asked her why she did not insure the life of her child.
She told me she could not do anything of the kind. I
then thought I might as well pay 2d. • week for the child,
and if anything happened to her to let her parents have
the benefit of the insurance.

Mr. Burcham—Before you insured the child's life did
you speak to her father ?
Witness—l did not. I only had paid 2d. a week for
eighteen weeks, and then the child died.
Mr. Burchain—After that did you go to the office and
claim the money?
Witness—No, air. The child died before the rules en-
titled any one to receive the money. She ought to have
paid twelve months, consequent) I never applied to the
office about that. Had the child survived the twelve
months, I intended to have shown Mr. Brooks the cards,
and on his paying me what I had paid he could have re-
ceived the insurance money, and no one else.
Mr. Buroluun—Have you insured other persons' lives in
the nine office?

Witness—Yes, sir ; an aged mother and my brother and
sister, who are so poor they cannot afford to do it them-
'elves. My sister is married, and I told her and her hue.
band what I had done.

Mr. Burcham—Have you insured any one else!
Witness—Yes, an adopted niece. I pay for five altoge-
ther when the collector calls, every week. The collector
wen the only person I taw about the insurances. I never
called at the offices, or Riffled any declaration or other
paper. The oollector's name is Thomas King.
Mr. Burcham—This seems to be a very serious charge
respecting the society, although it does not oome within
the criminal kw.

The Society's Solicitor—Mrs. Parkinson, sir, is • very
charitable and benevolent person, and pays the insurance
money for those parties entirely through charity. We
have done no more than what other offices of respectability
would do. Perhaps you may not be aware, sir, that she
would get none ofthe insurance money.
Mr. Burnham—l am sure that no insurance office with
the least pretence of respectability would do scything of
the kind. It is certainly illegal.
Solicitor—l don't
_pretend to lay down the law to you,
sir. Mr. Serjeant Tlndsl Atkinson was retained by the
society to attend and explain the law, but as be is not
present I will take the liberty of handing in the opinion of
Mr. Bereaford, of the Middle Temple. We put • case be-
fore him • short time ago, and his opinion was that we
have acted with perfect legality.
Mr. Burnham, after carefully perasing the document
placed before him said Mr. ord., opinion was dead
against the act of the society.
Solicitor—ln what way, air?
Mr. Burcbam—l shall not argue anything about it. I
have carefully gone through the case you have laid before
Mr. Beresford and I say again he is deed against you.
The solicitor here handed in declarations made by the
managers in Liverpool and London and Mrs. Parkinson.
Mr. Burnham considered that the party who took those
declarations had no legal authority to do so, but he would
not enter into that at all. The clauses in the act of parlia-
ment limit you to insure sums of money on the birth or
death of a member's child. This child was not a member's
child.

Solicitor—No, air; but the child herself was a member,
and this insurance was effected on the death of a member.
I say that the deceased child, Anna Brooks, was a member.
Mr. Statham—That is all nonsense. You, as a solicitor
of practical experience, must know better. Are you pre-
wed to contradict what Mrs. Parkinson has stated, ! She
has given five instances wherein she 111118 paid money to
your collector to insure lives not being members of her
own family, without any questions being asked or papers
signed, or declarations made by her. She says she signed
nothing, but merely paid the money when called for by
the collector.

Mr. Tidd Pratt here stood forward, and said that, seeing
• report in the papers on Saturday morning respecting the
society, sad the arrangement to appear-before the court
that day, he thought it advisable to be present during the
inquiry, and after bearing the eatements made and the
Opinion of his worship he should consider it his duty to
sport the whole of the circumstances to the proper quarter,
when • thorough isvestigation would take place, which the
society would be able to be present at, by counsel or
otherwise.

Mr. Dunham thsoked Mr. Tidd Pratt for his attendance,
as the sass was one of peat public importance.

Sir Thomas Henry said that would be irregular, and that
Mr. Harper might at once hold that consultation.
Mr. Harper adopted the learned magistrate's
and turning to Timothy Desmond held a whisppe
venation wrth him, who occasionally emphatiullydec
in reference to Vaughan, the informer, "The fellow has
been a lunatic. He Is too lazy to work, and he wants to
get money at the sacrifice of anybody."
After about five minutes Mr. Harper proceeded to cross-
examine the witness Vaughan, who said— I joined the Feniaa
Brotherhood in 1865. The oath was administered to me by
Timothy Desmond. I have never been a lunatic. I might
have been treated as insane in St. James's workhouse.
I have been twice as an inmate, but I can't say that they
treated me as an insane man. It is not likely that the
doctor would tell me I was insane. The doctor would be
the best person to ask that question. Ido not recollect
ever being kept apart from the other inmates. lam a
Roman catholic. The priest has power to advise us to a
right course. According to my religion, a party taking an
oath should not break it ; but I am sure I Lave broken my
oath to the Brotherhood. I believe Father O'Connor takes
part in Fenianisra. I believe all the money got at raffia
goes to the head centre for the purpose of buying rifles ;
but I have never seen any rifles actually bought. Timothy
Desmond is a tailor, English is • tailor. William Desmond
is a shoemaker, but the other man (Allen) I don't know at
all. It was between half-pass one and half-past two on
the day of the explosion that the prisoner, Timothy
Demmad, came to me. He told me he was going to
blow up the House of Detention. (Timothy Desmond
here laughed outright, u though the statement were ludi-
crous.) He said he found out from Ann Justice when the
prisoners would be exercised in the yard. I knew &Reheat
the design, but I did not take the least dap to prevent it.
Timothy Desmond told me he was going to the House of
Detention that afternoon. I did not go myself, because I
was rather too busy. I was at home working all that
afternoon and I took my work home at seven o'clock that
evening. I did not tell any one what was going to be dons.
I heard of the explosion that evening at seven o'clock. I
should have said something about it if even a reward had
not been offered, because I felt so disgusted at the way in
which the sot had been done.

Sir Thomas Henry—Let that be taken down.
Examination continued—As far es information being
given to me, of course I sanctioned its being done. I did not
give information absolutely for the reward. It was, IA I
have said, because I was so disgusted at the loss of life,
more particularly about the child the, was killed with glass
by the explosion. Timothy Desmond was the only man that
told me the attempt was going to be made. He did not tell
me how it was going to be effected. He did =Amy that any
others were concerned in it. From seven o'clock on the
Friday evening in question I walked round Carnaby-street
with my wife and mother and then went to bed. I bad
conversation with a person about the explosion on the foj.
lowing Saturday. That person is not in custody, but he
may be, and I shall therefore decline to mention his name.
Timothy Desmond had been drinking that day.
The witness here signed his depositions.
The prisoner William Desmond said it was • fearful thing
for an innocent man to be charged with murder. The wit-
ness knows in his heart and soul that I am innocent.

Sir Thomas Henry said that the prisoner would have full
opportunity of making any statement be liked at the pro-
per time.
The prisoner Allen (to the witness)—Have you ever seen
me at any of these meetings
Wituese—Not to my knowledge.
Witness (to the magistrate)—l may be kept in this box
all day, sir, to answer these questions.
Sir Thomas Henry—That's nothing; you must stop
there as long as it is necessary.
Ann J who seemed very ill, said, in a crying tone,
" I have nothing to do with it."
Mr. biloan, the house-surgeon at St. Bartholomew's
Hospital, was called, and deposed that the man William
Clacton was taken to the hospital soon after the explosion.
He was dead. His heart was ruptured and his back broken.
Witness believed that some heavy substance had fallen
upon him. Ann Hodgkinson was also taken to the hos-
pital dead. She had a cut extending down the right cheek
to the bottom of the ear. There were pieces of glees em-
bedded in the skull. One of the principal veins of the peek
was wounded,and *large clot of blood was in her windpipe,and
death was caused mainly by suffocation. I also saw
Minnie Abbott. She was alive when brought to the hos-
pital. Her face was cut to pieces by glue. She died from
the shock about five minutes after she was taken into the
hospital. She died before she could be taken to the ward.
Martha Evans was alive when brought into the hospital.
She died on Thursday morning last from chronic bronchitis
and emphysema of the lungs, accelerated by the injuries
she bad received. Her face was bruised, and her head
WA cut.

Sir Thomas Henry then asked if any of the prisoners
wished to ask the surgeon any questions. They severally
answered " No,' and were remanded for a week.
The two Demonds and English asked if they might see
their wives.

Sir Thoma Homy maid they might, end they were re-
moved from the dock.

PIINIANI&V IN GLASGOW.

On Saturday a discovery was made in Cow-
maddens which has created considerable excitement and no
little alarm amongst the inhabitants in that quarter of the
city. The wildest rumours prevailed during the day of Mersin
of gunpowder having been found in the vicinity of the
gasometer, which was to be blown up, and that in the
darkness an attack was to be made upon the inhabitants
by the Fenian. On making inquiries into the case, it
turned out that rumour, as usual, had greatly exaggerated
the facts, although they were themselves of • sufficiently
vim, and alarming nature. It appears that on Satur-
day morning • man named Cannily reported at the
Northern police-office that • large quantity of telegraph
wire was lying in the ashpit in • court at dO, Oarscube-
lane. This thoroughfare is a narrow lane running from
Maitland-street to Port Dundas-road, and the court in
question is entered by • steep pamage near to the Mait-
land-street end of the lane. The court, which is of con-
siderable extent and very dirty, is bounded on three
tides by range; of three or four eery tenements of
dwelling-houses, occupied chiefly by Irish people, amongst
whom, it is suspected, there are • number of Fenians and
sympathisers with the movement; and on the fourth and
east side by the high wall surrounding the gasometer, the
entrance to which is from Stirling-street. The &Advil in
which what was supposed to be telegraph wire was dis-
covered adjoins this wall, and on the report of the matter
being made to the police authorities, officers were de-
spatched to investigate the case. The policeman, on
looking into the ashpit, observed in one of the corners of
it, almost against the wall surrounding the gasometer,
what looked like an end of • coil of wire sticking through
the ashes. It was immediately got out, and on the place
being searched, coils of similar stuff were found concealed
amongst the rubbish. They were taken to the Northern
police-officiejand on being washed, turned out to be finely
prepared pate percha blasting rope, similar to that
used in mining and other similar operations. There would
be about 400 or 500 yards of the material, the greater
part of which was made up into coils. It is about an
eighth of an inch thick, coated with gutta percha, inside
of which there is • lining of cotton containing the powder,
with which the line is charged from end to end.
When • light is applied to one end of • piece of the
line the tire rapidly runs along the whole length
with a loud fizzing noise, and being coated with gutta
perch* it acts as well in as out of water. About seven-
teen yards of the line, which is rather thicker than the
other pieces, appears to have been teed. It was coiled
up when found, but at the time it was fired it
must have been loose, otherwise it would have stuck
together cm the gutta percha becoming heated. No-
thing has transpired to throw any light on the motives
of the party or parties who placed the rope in the ash-
pit, but it is suspected that it is the work of some
of the members of the Fenian Brotherhood, and that their
intention was to blow up the gas work. No gas is manu-
factured in the place, and, as no men are employed, the
work of laying the blasting rope from the ash pit into the
gasometer might have been, had it not been for this fortu-
nate discovery, carried out without fear of detection.
Immediately, however, on the mater becoming known,
watchmen were employed to perambulate round the gaso-
meter night and day.—North British Mail.

THIS FZNIANS AND TIM GRL&T WESTERN RAIL-
WAT.-It is stated that on Saturday the authorities of
the Paddington terminus of the Great Western Railway
received an intimation to the effect that the Fearing con-
templated destroying certain property of the company,
either by taking up metals or blowing up bridges.
In consequence of this instructions were issued from Pad-
dington to the superintendents in the different districts
to have the line carefully watched, and on Sunday night
gangs of men in the company's employ were stationed on
the railway. They ware supplied with lanterns and instru-
ments of defence, and the number of men ou duty were
sufficient to effect • speedy communication with each
other in the event of any attack. No attempt, however,
to destroy the company's property was made, but it Is in-
tended to continue the precautionary Pleasures.

MANCHESTER, Dec. 2.3,
Sergeant Maeguirey one of a number of High-
lenders in the 72nd Highlanders., a regiment lodged at one
of Mears. Birley and Co.'s cotton factories in Blanchester,
was on Saturday removed under arrest in consequence of
information that he had been communicating with persons
known to be connected with the Fenian movement in this
city and silo that be had been attempting to promote
Fenianism in the ranks. It was reported that soldiers had
been seen in the Fenian funeral procession on the let De-
cember, but the police had failed to detect their presence,
and it was hoped that the report was unfounded. Subse-
quent facts, however, transpired which show too plainly
that even in the midst of the loyal and gallant 72nd High.
lenders the dire disease of Fenianism has been discovered.
The officers of the regiment, with a praiseworthy vigilance
which cannot be too highly co/amended, and which is ohs-
racteristic of the true military discipline of the High-
landers, have for some week, past, from communica-
tions they have received and from events which have
occurred under their own notice, kept up a moat
searching inquiry as to the habits and connection' of their
men. The result has been the discovery that a man, who,
by reason of his activity, iateDigence, and general steadi-
ness of bearing, had raised himself to the rank of sergeant,
was discovered to have unfortunately and unmistakeably
connected himself with Fenianism. The regiment, though
by origin and by name • Scotch regiment, contains in
he ranks men belonging to all parts of Great Britain,
although the majority of them are of the Highland race.
Many of them in very responsible positions are Irishmen ;
but their loyalty cannot and hes not been suspected.
Indeed, they are,
_generally speaking, a highly-intelligent
body of men, and their conduct during their sojourn
amongst us has been irreproachable. The regiment is
under the command of Major Hunter, and numbers 530
rank and file. The regiment came from Aldershott, and,
as is well known, served for many years in India. It was
discovered in the course of the investigations that were
made that one at least of the men was to some extent im-
plicated. Measures were at once taken to watch his
proceedings, and it was ascertained that several auspicious
and unknown persona visited him in the temporary bar-
racks in the Chorlton Mills, Hulme-street, the property
of Meagre. Blelsy. The man referred to is Sergeant
Fronds Maeguire, an Irishmaa, as his name would seem
to indicate, who was generally respected is the regi-
ment, had the full confidence of his officers, and there
cannot be any doubt that his complicity with the
Fenian movement has caused great regret among his
comrade' and countrymen. It would appear that for
some time past Maeguire has been In the habit of attend-
ing Ames where those connected with the Fenian move-
' ment have been known to assemble ; and it is currently
believed that he has been visited at the Wroth. by
sante of that conspiracy. It has been ascertained that
he had obtained keys, by some means or other, which gave
him acmes to various parts of the barracks, and by which
means be could admit persons into the premises. It has
also been discovered that Alaeguire had given various
packets of ammunition to his Motors and that he in other
ways identified himself with the Fenian cause. It is also
singular to stets that, although a soldier occupying a supe-
rior position in the midst of loyal men, be has often freely
expressed his opinions in favour of Fenianism, and has
been repeatedly remonstrated with by his friends in the
regiment.. During the excitement of the Fenian trials, at
the special commission in this city, he was on duty, and in
charge of a body of men at various places, and at the exe-
cution he was stationed with has company inside the
New Bailey whom when Allen, Larkin, and Gould were
executed. Up to Wednesday last his conduct was not
sufficiently demonstrative, nor had his acts been so
manifest as to induce the authorities to take any decisive
steps in the matter ; but on the evening of that day suf.
finest transpired to justify his being put under arrest.
This occasioned no small excitement among the men in the
regiment, who, although far from sympathising with
Maeguire's views, had a very high respect for him, and
looked upon him as a man who was likely to attain a high
position among them. Macguire has been connected with
the regiment upwards of eight years ; he joined it while in
India, and is a man between 2 and *years of age. He is
unmarried. The authorities of the 72nd held several in.
mine' as to the evidence against Macguire, and it was
ultimately decided to commit him for trial by court-mar-
tial for complicity with the Fenian movement. He was
kept under arrest in the barracks until Saturday morning,
when he was removed to the military prison at Weedon,
under a military eamet, to await his areal by court-martial.