The Express.
London, England, 1868-07-24 00:00:00

TER CHARGE OF TREASON-FELONY.

At Bow-street yesterday, the alleged Fenian
leader, James Williamson, ekes Cooke, alias Johnson, wee
brought up on remand before Mr. Vaughan on the charge
of treason-felony.
As at the former hearings, Mr. Poland appeared for the
crown, and Mr. Merridan for the defence.
Mr. Poland informed the that since the last
examination farther mnqquirieshad been made at Liverpool,
after which he thought it right to state at once that he
was not in a condition to offer any further evidence
against the prisoner. He quite felt the force of the ob-
servation of the learned magistrate on the last occasion
with reference to the unsatisfactory nature of the evi-
dence as to the overt acts at Liverpool, and the only ques-
tion now to be considered was whether there we,
sufficient evidence of overt acts in London. A
quantity of ammunition and • loaded revolver
were found in the prisoner's possession. A ques-
tion might be raised whether the prisoner had
posse~on of those articles for the purpose of forwarding
the conspiracy. He did not think he could urge anything
likely to alter the view which the learned magistrate had
aheadv ex and he should therefore leave the cave
in the finds of the court.

Mr. Vaughan said he was still of the same opinion as
that which he expressed on the last occasion. lie
since looked through the depositions with very consider-
able care to eatisfy himself that he had not formed a mill
or erroneous impression ; and after this deliberate exami-
nation be had arrived at the same conclusion which he
had previously come to—namely, that there was no suffi-
cient corroboration of the evidence of the approvers, and
that there was no sufficient proof of overt acts to justify
him in committing the prisoner for trial for treason-felony.
Under these circumstanced', he felt himself bound to des-
charge the prisoner.
The prisoner was accordingly set at liberty.
At One moment a woman who had been present during
the proceedings, and who was said to be the prisoner's wife,
fainted, and was removed in a state of apparent insensi-
bility by her friends.
The informers Corydon and Mullany, who were wait-
ing in one of the ante-room., had exhibited during the
evening an even more than usual degree of nervousness
and agitation. Their apprehensions had probably been
aggravated by a rumour to the effect that certain well-
known Fenian.; who bad been seen lurking about the
neighbourhood, were resolved to attack them when leav-
ing the court. That these terrors were not wholly groun4-
leas appears from the fact that when Corydon left the
court on Tuesday, taking a cab in Bow-street, the vehicle
was followed by a mob, who surrounded and
stopped it between theoperahouseandLong.acre. Corydou
got out and presented a loaded revolver at his assailants,
retreating backwards, and carefully " covering" the fore-
most amongst his antagonists. An uncomfortable con-
sciousness that the first who attacked him would certainly
be shot deterred the boldest of the mob from leading the
assault. The yelping crowd fell back, and Corydon got
away. On the present occasion, however, Corydon,
though still provided with hie revolver, appeared dolefully
reluctant to repeat the experiment. Ultimately he was
relieved from danger in the course of circumstances.
When Cooke left the court he was received in the street
by a group of sympathisers, who followed him a little
way cheering as they went, and then dispersed in knots of
three or four to celebrate their triumph in the bars and
tap-rooms of the neighbouring public-houses. For fully a
quarter of an hour not a Fenian could be seen in Bow-
street. Corydon and Mullany seized the opportunity
and went quietly away.