The Sun.
London, England, 1831-12-19 00:00:00

THE INQUEST.

At thirty-five minutes past one, the private investigation ter.
minated, and the Rev. Benjamin Morris, Samuel Matthews
-- Pope, and H. Jones, of Mullinabra', Esqrs., J.P.'s, took
their places as Presidents of the court of Inquest. The follow-
ing were then sworn on the Jury :—James Moore, Adams,
Charles Hayden, Robert Power, John Hayden, Thomas Mur-
phy, Robert Braithwaite, David Cassen, John Ebbs, Edmund
Power, Daniel, and John Tobin.
John Brown, policeman, was the first witness called up, and
sworn. He was requested by Mr. Matthews, the acting-Magis.
trate, to state what he knew of the manner in which James
Gibbons, Police Chief ; J. Wright ; Wm. Budds ; Edward
Boyle ; John Prescott ; James Dickson ; Charles Carroll ;
John Lemon ; Thomas Egan ; John Fitzpatrick ; Joseph
Whittaker ; and Robert Fitzgerald, whose bodies lay before
them, came by their deaths. Brown—The men came by their
deaths in consequence of the process-server they were guarding
being knocked down, and an attack made on the police by a
mob armed with pitchforks and other weapons ; an immensity
of stones were thrown, and eighteen of our men knocked down,
before the police fired.
Mr. MAi-rHEws—Gentlemen of the Jury, you have heard
the testimony of the witness. Are your minds satisfied, or
have you any questions to ask him, or do you wish any other
witness to be called up ? Here the foreman asked Brown a
couple of questions, to which he replied—that he belonged to
the party of police who were in the action ; that they were the
men in the rear ranks who were knocked down ; that, then the
front ranks fired about twenty shot, by which they opened
themselves a passage to escape ; that those shots were not fired
till after the process-server was left for dead ; that, besides
stones, the people were armed with pitchforks, shovels, and
things shaped liked knife.blades, but seemingly made for the
occasion, and placed in the ends of sticks'; that, before the
battle, he heard frequent cries from the people that blood should
be spilled; and that the attack was principally made on the
horse police in the rear, where the greater portion of the 'nob
was.
The Court then decided that it was not necessary to take
down the evidence in writing,—that it was sufficient to have it
heard by the jury ; and again desired to know whether the jury
were satisfied, or wished for further evidence.
Mr. Jones of Mullinaborough said it might be as well to
have the evidence of a second witness, as a corroborative testi-
mony ; and on this suggestion,
James Dermody, policeman, was sworn.—Having been de-
sired by the Court to state what he knew of the transaction,
he said—l know how the policemen came by their deaths. .We
were protecting the process-server, when the mob said they
would not harm the police, but to have the process-server given
up to them. Mr. Gibbons expostulated with them, read the
passage in the King's speech relative to tithes, and requested
they would have patience, &c. Two stones were thrown, and
an attempt made to snatch the process-server from the party.
One of the horsemen was knocked down, and then several stones
were thrown. The firing took place in the rere, witness was
near the front.
(This witness was not asked, and did not state, whether the
firing took place before or after the police were struck down.)
The Court again inquired whether the Jury were yet sa-
tisfied, or thought it likely they could agree upon a verdict ?
Upon one or two of its members saying they believed so, it was
directed to retire and deliberate, and was proceeding to do so ac_
cordingly, when the reporter of the Kilkenny Journal, address-
ing the Magistrates, said, that as this unfortunate affair was
one which would excite intense interest, he had been sent out to
take such a full report of the proceedings as would enable the
public, through the medium of the Press, to arrive at a perfect
knowledge of the transaction and the circumstances which led
to it. He added, that from the great brevity of the inquest,
and the paucity of witnesses, who were both policemen, and
gave only one version of the story, that he felt he had not re-
ceived that degree of information which would satisfy the public
mind, and requested to know would the
.Court permit him to
put a few questions to the witnesses. After a short consulta-
tion, Mr. Matthews, with much courtesy, expressed the assent
of the Court, but directed the questions to be put through some
of its members.
The following dialogue then took place :
Reporter—Where did the firing take place ? Brown—ln the

second or third front file.
Did the police receive orders to fire ? I thought I heard
Captain Gibbons say, "Fye, fye, boys," to the mob i but some