The Sun.
London, England, 1806-08-20 00:00:00

.AILILIGII ASSIZES, Atm.&

John rernor, &q. David Verner; Esq. R'Aert
Leake,. James Dulop, John Kenney, Joseph Jackson,
Andrew Leake,.George Green, john Pattersop, ,and
William Crawford, were arraigned,- and
,stood capi-
tally indii.ted for setting tire to and, burning the house
of Constantine O'Neil. There were other 'counts,
charging some of the Prisoners as accessaries, and
charging them all with a riot.
George Green, John Patterson, and William
Crawford, were then put to the Bar ou the capital
charge. .
, .
• Mr. MACARTNEY, as leading Counsel for the
Crown, stated, that the Prosecutor, Constantine
O'Neil, was a hatter, residing, previous to the
month of November last, with his family, at Clon-
ticloy. They _were frequently alarmed by a num-
ber ()farmed men, preceded by a band of music, at
the head of whom were to be found some of the prin-
cipal persons of the county. This party particularly-
alarmed the Roman Catholics who resided in that
part of the country, as they made it their business
to-annoy one party, and not injure the other. The
-Prosecutor and his family Went to bed on the night
of the 30th of November•last, and were alarmed be-
tween the hours of one and two dclock in the morn-
ing, by a great noise ; there was a large party, about
20 persons, that night, before O'Neil's door ; some
wore yeoman's uniform—others-had Yeoman's uni-
form turned inside out—and othes hdtl shirts over
their clothes ; and they were armed. At the head
of this party was George Green, wt., was a se-jezil.l(
of a yeomanry corps.' Patterson and, Crawford were
also there ; the door of the Prosecutor's house was
partly broken, through which he saw Sc.s,rjeant Green
with a musket and fixed bayonet, and a lighted wisp
on the point• of the bayonet, with which he set fire
to the thatch, while others, cried out, " there he is,
shoot him l" and they fired into the house. The
door ~hd,windows were: guarded.
.About half au
hour after the Prosecutor's wife escaped out of the.
house, much of which was burnt.- There v:ere alSo
trAnsaaions subsequently committed, which he would;
not touch on, not being in the indictments now be--
fore them; ,but these circumstances having_reached
the ear of Government, .and they wishing equally to
protect the poor and the rich, resolved upon making
the most solemn inquiries, for which purpose one of
his Majesty's Serjeants at Law, was sent down, who:
investigated the inattermibutely;, and reported there-
on ; upon which Government at:led accordingly, and,
now, greatly to their honor, carry on the prosecution.
Mr. AlAcAtiTEl then told the Jury, that if this.
statement should be satisfaCtorily proved by evidence,
it would be an imperative duty bri theni to find the,
Prisoners guilty.
Constantine O'Neil then deposed, that he lived at
Clonticloy, in the 'ceunty of Armagh, in the month
of November last, and is a Roman Catholic. On
the 1 tth of November last, men, with drums and
fifes, armed with guns, came up, and broke -most
of the Roman,Catholics' windows, , and passed by4t he
Protestants' houses without doing them any injury,
and threw stones at the Witness's house. In about
a fortnight after, when the Witness was in bed, a
party came, some with yeomanry clothes turned,
and some with shirts over their clothes.' Witness
• was awakened by the smell of smoke, and found a
part of the house burned over his bed, and another I
part of it burned over the, bed where his brother I
slept. He looked out, and could see every thing I
quite clear by the light caused by the flames. He '
then threw out some rubbish which had stopped
up a window, 'and saw William Crawford with his
gun, which he presented at the Witness. Craw-
ford had 'a white shirt over his clothes ; it was
-broken, and the Witness saw the uniform under the
-shirt. He afterwards saw' two men, whom he did
not know, guarding the door, and a multitude of
people running backwards and forwards.. He; saw
George Green with a lighted wisp at the elk' of his
bayonet; and with it he set fire to the thatch over
the door : others, whom he did not know, came
and -stirred the thatch with their bayonets. Wit-
ness all this time stood in the kitchen ; there were
frequent whistles, and then most of the persons ran
away from the house, except those who stood
guard. In about an hour; his
,wife and the, little
boy escaped ; and sho..tly after, the country peo-
ple being alarmed by his wife, were coming to-
wards the house. The party then got into a knot,
fired a volley, charged their guns again, and departed.
Cecilia O'Neil, wife to the last .Witness, corro-
borated the_-greater part of the statement, and iden-
tified Patterson as one of- the men who were stand-
ing at the door. She further said, that her son,
a little child, being ,burned in the thigh and arm,
she threw him out of the window; in the quietest
place she could see, and afterwards escaped herself,
and alarmed the neighbours.
Charles O'Neil, brother_ to the Prosecutor, re-
members, on the 30th of November last, seeing his
brother's house on fire; the same night his own
house, which is not mo - than six or seven perches
from it, wfis burned also.
.
These three witnesses, who, were the only ones
produced on the part of the prosecution, underwent
long. cross-examinations by the Prisoners' Counsel,
in the course of which .they frequently contradicted
themselves. The cross-examination also tended to
shew that there had been many disputes between the
brothers, , Charles and Constantine, about the pos-
session of the• house ; and that the former was a very
likely person to have committed the outrage. ,
Thomas Douglas, Esq.: and. James. Lawson, Esq.
two Magistrates of the county, were examined On
the part of the Prisoners ; and it appeared from
their testimony, that the two brothers were men of
bad charaCters, always quarreling, and they - did not
' think they were entitled to credit on their oaths!
They also declared it as the result of their .most par-
ticuli.r inquiry, th 4 the country was in perfect peaCe,
and that,the Catholics were well contented with their
situatioa.
Mr. Baron AN:LELAND then summed up the
evidence. He*expressed his satisfaction •at hearing,
from such respectable autl!a:ity, that the jarring
animosities, which, unhappily, for some time back,
existed in religious distinaons in that country, were
healedand set at rest ; and conclUded by desiring
the Jury to consider the evidence before them.
The Jury immediately acquitted the Prisoners.
,The•other prisoners were also acquitted.