The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-28 00:00:00

quence of something which he did as Solicitor-
General years ago. Mr. Brewster, QC., protested
against the course adopted by Mr. Rea, and the
judge disallowed the objection. The case is still pro-
ceeding, and will probably last for several days.
A very remarkable libel case was tried at Nenagh
last week before Baron Hughes and a special jury.
The action was brought by Mr. Spring Rice, to
recover damages for an alleged libel published in
the Limerick Reporter by the Rev. Thomas Ryan,
P.P. It appeared in the form of a letter signed
" One of the People." It stated that an invtsti.

gation had been held at Mr. Rice's house; 'when the
following astounding particulars tame out :—A
threatening letter had been foungl on his premises
warning him to prepare for death in consequence
of evicting a family. He sent for the police,
and seemed greatly alarmed. But it was stated
in the libel that the letter was written to Mr.
Rice, at his own instigation, by Bridget Dunne,
his parlourmaid. It was to repel this foul charge
the action was brought. The maid was produced
on the trial, and deposed that she did write the
letter under her master's direction, as stated in
the libel, and also a letter to herself, as if from a

lover in Kilkee. The latter was intended to cor-
roborate a statement which he desired her to make

—that she wrote the first in the hope of fright-
ening the family back to Kilkee. Mr. Rice was
examined, and positively contradicted her evidence
He was corroborated by Mrs. Rice.
Baron Hughes charged the jury to the follow-
ing effect:—" The Rev. Mr. Ryan had undertaken
to satisfy 12 gentlemen upon their oaths that the
charge he preferred against Mr. Spring Rine, by
his letter of the 19th of July, 1862, was true.
What evidence had been given to establish his jus-
tification ? None, in point of fact, with one ex-
ception ; and yet they were asked by defendant's
counsel to affirm the truth of the charges made
against Mr. Rice upon the sole evidence of Bridget
Dunne. Her own counsel were obliged to admit
that she was a clever and an artful girl. She was
admittedly the author and composer of those docu-
ments, which the jury could take into their box
and most carefully consider. The first was a
threatening letter, the second a love-letter, pur-
porting to have been written from Kilkee, and the
third a confession. It would be the duty of the
jury to look into the contents of these documents,
and consider the dissimilarity of the handwriting
in the love-letter from the other papers written by
this girl. They would form their own opinion of
her capacity, and say, from what had taken place,
and from the demeanour of the witnesses who had
been examined during the trial, where the truth
lay. His lordship added, in reference to the ques-
tion of damages, that while the jury would take
into aecount the serious nature of the libel, they
would also bear in mind that the defendant was
only a parish priest, and the incomes of parish
priests were usually small."
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, with
£2O damages, and 6d. costs.
At the same assizes Philip Hayes was tried be-
fore Mr. Justice O'Brien for shooting at Mr. Gore
Jones, with intent to murder him, on the 2d of
January, 1863. Mr. Jones, who is a resident magis-
trate of long standing, detailed the circumstances
of the case, and identified the prisoner as one of two
men whom he saw behind a ditch when a gun was
fired at him while riding along the road from
Thurles. He immediately pulled up and said,
" You scoundrels ! I know you, and I'll make you
pay for this." The men then ran away through
the fields, and he rode after them through a lane,
which ended in a bog. He was obliged to return,
and they escaped. Two holes, as if made by a bullet,
were visible in the loose Inverness cape which he
wore at the time. The witness was severely cross-
examined by Mr. Curtis. Other evidence having
been given, the jury retired. They were locked
up all night, and discharged the next day, not being
able to agree to a verdict.
At the Mayo Assizes John M'Gregor was con-
victed of having acted as a ringleader in the riots
which occurred in the town of Castlebar on the
evening of the 10th of March, during the rejoicings