The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-13 00:00:00

Meeting of Middlesex Magistrates.

THIS DAY.

A meeting of the Middlesex magistrates was held this
day, at the Clerkenwell Sessions House, for the transaction
of the usual county business,

THE PRIiON 3IINISTERS' ACT.

On the motion for the recpti,n of the report of the Visit-
ing Justices of the House of Correction, Coldbath Fields,
Mr LAWRIE asked whether any and what arrangements
had been made by the Visiting Justices to enable Catholic
prisoners who had expressed a wish to see ministers of their
own religion ?

Mr WYATT said the number of persons who had ex-
pressed such a desire was one out of three, two out of three
having declined. With respect to the arrangements made
he had to inform the Court that every necessary preparation
had been made. When only one Catholic prisoner wished
to see his minister, he did so alone, but when two or more
expressed such a desire a warder was present.
Mr LAWRIE asked how often the Catholic ministers
attended, and whether any particular days for their admis-
sion had been fixed.

Mr WYATT said the visiting justices had fixed Sundays,
Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
Mr. LAWRIE said he should like to know whether any
money had been expended in the purchase of crucifixes,
chalices, or other articles.

Mr. WYATT said not a penny had been laid out in such
a manner.

Mr. LAWRIE asked whether past experience induced the
belief that the resolution had been carried out without any
danger to the nation, and to Clerkenwell in particular ?
(" Oh, oh I")

The question produced a slight commotion, but it was
not answered.

[The formal business of receiving reports from other
officers was then proceeded with.)
On the motion for the consideration of so much of the
report of the visiting justices of the House of Correction
at Coldbath-fields, laid before the Court on the last county
day as related to the proceedings of the visiting justices
with reference to the Prison Ministers Act,
Mr Sergeant PAYNE moved, pursuant to notice, " That
this Court has learnt with satisfaction from the report of the
visiting justices of the House of Correction at Coldbath-
fields, that they have so far carried out the intention of the
Prison Ministers' Act and the resolution of this Court, as
to prevent the unnecessary attendance of a Roman
Catholic priest at the prison by limiting his visits
to these Roman Catholic prisoners who, in answer to
enquiry, shall have expressed a wish to receive them,
the statute declaring that no prisoner shall be so visited
against his will. At the same time this court desires to
draw the attention of the Visiting Justices to the further
provisions of the act (which do not appear by the report to
have been considered) by which it is required that such visits
shall be under such restrictions imposed by them as may
guard against the introduction of improper persons and
prevent improper communications.' This court, considering
that without those restrictions, the safeguards intended by
the Legislature will not have been carried into effect."
In bringing forward his resolution, the hon. gentleman
said formerly prisoners could have been visited by a mini.
star of their own religious belief if they required it. The
recent Act permits only the question to be put, "Do
you require a priest to visit you ?" It explained that,
as already stated, that so far as the House of Correction
was ecncerned, one out of three had declined. But the
Visiting Justices, ho thought, had not gone far enough
It was a condition in the 'Act of Pa liament that the
permission to see a priest should be given only
under certain restrictions. The Visiting Justices seem
to have admitted. every one who had come to vi-it
without any inquiry as to moral character. It was only
lately that there had appeared an acocunt of the expulsion
of a priest from a continental establishtnent, in consequence
of most immoral conduct ; and a letter had also appeared
in the papers, which he at first could hardly believe, when
he commenced 'reading it, to have been written by any
other person than some lady superior. However, on com-
ing the conclusion he found it to be the production of a
priest to a little toy. Besides this a recent case of
abduction had not at all set the public mind at
rest. Then, with respect to improper communica-
tions no regulation was made by the justices for the
prevention of objectionable observations. There was no-
thing to prevent a priest, having gained access to a prisoner,
from telling him that all Protestants were heretics ; that
Protestantism was to be overthrown, that the prisoner's al-
legiance was to the Pope in superiority to the Queen. It
was but fair to conclude that the object of those who
pressed this matter on the part of the Catholics was to
upset the Protestant religion, and unfurl the banner of
Popery over the ruins of the Established Church. (Oh, oh.)
Captain MORLEY seconded the motion.

Mr SWIFT said the Catholic gentleman who visited
the House of Correction was to his present knowledge a
gentleman (J the highest possible character as a divine, and
one who by his ( istinguished labours showed most unmis-
takably that his object was the prevention of crime and the
reformation of criminals. He regretted the intolerant re-
marks of the learned sergeant, who might know a good deal
about law, but he knew little of the knowledge of life,
and nothing of the reformation of criminals. The only way
to reform character was by personal application and the
weight of the minister cf religion being brought to bear
upon the offender. He condemned the remarks cf the learned
sergeant as another memorable exhibition of the;intoler-
ance he had so of ten exhibited in that court.

Mr. PAYNE regretted that a county magistrate should
have gone out of his way in his zeal for the cause he had
espoused to make a personal attack on a brother magis-
trate.

The motion of Sergeant Payne was then put by the
chairman and carried.

The Court then proceeded with the other business on the
paper, which, having been disposed of, the Court ad-
journed,

BRUTAL OUTRAGE.—A brutal and probably fatal
outrage was perpetrated on Sunday evening last
near Balinamuck, in the county of Longford. It appears
that a feud existed between three families named Farrell,
Cassidy, and Merriman who resided near each other, and
three brothers of the Merriman family, determined to com-
pletely silence their opponents, waylaid Patrick Cassidy
and James Farrell, and beat them in a most savagemanner
with shovels, spades, &c. During the affray Patrick Cas-
sidy received a severe blow on the head with a shovel, which
leaves him in a precarious state. Farrell was not beaten so
much, but sustained some injuries. After satisfying them-
selves the brothers decamped, leaving their victims welter-
ing in blood. The police have captured Peter and John
Merriman, but Francis has escaped, Cassidy's life is con-
sidered to bo in danger.

FIVE BOYS BURIED ALIVE.—A serious accident,
whereby one boy has lost his life and another
received dangerous injuries. took place in Dukinfield on
Tuesday. James Lawton (nine years of age), John Holmes
(seven years), and three other boys about the same age, were
playing at theDukinfield Park. Near the Dukinfieldßrewery
there has existed a colliery, for many years worked in the
side of the hill, under the park, but it has been disused for
three or four years, The park is a considerable height
above the road, so that the coal crops out in some places in
the park adjacent to the road. At the back of the brewery
the seam is three or four inches in thickness, and the five
boys were digging out the coal when the earth gave way,
and they were all more or less caught by it as it fell. An
alarm being given, some men who are engaged at the
brewery ran to the spot with spades, The boy Holmes was
rescued alive, though he was completely covered with earth
except his feat. The boy Lawton was quite dead ; he was
found with his head uncovered, but had been crushed to
death with the weight of the earth which had fallen upon
him. The three other boys escaped without being in the
least hurt. The boy Holmes, though dangerously crushed,
is expeoted to recover.
A MASTER MILLER CHARGED WITH POACHING.
—At the Wellington Petty Sessions, on Tuesday
last, Mr J. Tomlinson, a miller, living at Leegomery, near
this town, was charged with trespassing on lands belonging
to the Duke of Sutherland, on the morning of the 7th ult.
It appeared from the evidence of a gamekeeper named Jones,
and police-sergeant Christie, that defendant was seen
about 5 o'clock on the morning in question in a field at
Wappenehall. He had a gun in his hand, and was observed
to fire at something in the stubble. He then went to the
spot and picked it up. A subsequent search was made,
and the feathers of a partridge were found on the ground.
Defendant was accosted, but he denied shooting a bird, and
said it was a rabbit. Tomlinson repeated this statement
before the magistrates, but Mr Bather said he considered
the charge fully made out, and was surprised to see a man
of defendant's position of life making himself amenable to
the law, Ho must pay a fine of £2 and Os 8d costs,

POWDER NIAGAZINES.—A special meeting of the
Town Council of Rochester was held on Tuesday, at
which the subject of the late calamitous explosion at Belve-
dere was under consideration, and the consequences which
would result from a similar explosion of the powder maga-
zines at Upnor Castle, on the opposite side of the harbour.
It was unanimously resolved to memoraliso the Government
on the subject, calling attention to the danger resulting
from the storing of large quantities of gunpowder in one
place, and urging upon the authorities the importance of
adopting every possible precaution fur the prevention of
accident at the Upnor magazines, where, it was stated, as
much as 30,000 barrels of gunpowder were in store at a
time.

A triple suicide was committed the night before
last at the house No. 58, Rue du Fabourg du Temple, by
the concierge, his wife, and their daughter, a young woman,
aged 24. The inhabitants of the house and the neighbours,
seeing that the lodge remained closed at a much later hour
than usual, forced an entrance, and found its three inmates
all lying dead on the bed, having been suffocated by the
fumes of charcoal from a large brazier which was still
burning. On the table lay a paper which was written,
"We prefer death to dishonour.'' It appears that the
unhappy man, having lost all his property some five years
since, became concierge of the house in question, but ill-
fortune still pursued the family, and being unable to meet a
bill of exchange about to fall due, they resolved to destroy
themselves.