The Sun.
London, England, 1822-08-06 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

LIMERICK ASSIZES.—COUNTY COURT, Jute 29.

ABDUCTION OF MISS GOOLD.

This barbarous and pre-eminently atrocious case came on to
be tried, which, when commenced, all parts of the Court be-
came instantaneously thronged with persons of the first distinc-
tion, and continued so until the verdict was announced.
The undermentioned persons were put to the bar, in the fol-
lowing order, as the principal co-operators in the abduction :
Daniel Doody, John Cussen, (this man was acquitted on Satur-
day, for assaulting the habitation of Michael Hartnett; he
went by the name of Walsh to Miss Goo1d), James Leahy,
Maurice Leahy, (a very opulent farmer), William Doody,
David Leahy, and Daniel' Riedy.

The prisoners were then given in charge, for having, on the
4th of March, at Glangurt, in the county of Cork, aided and
assisted in forcibly and violently carrying away Miss Honorah
Goold, in order that one Browne should defile her, and in order
to compel, forcibly, the said Honorah Goold to marry the said
Browne. This was the substantial charge. against the pri-
soners. There were various other counts laid in the usual
tee-mica's.
Mr. Quist-, as leading Counsel for the Crown, stated the case.
Miss Honorah Goole was sworn, a young lady of delicate
figure ; she appeared to be about 16 years of age ; she was in
mourning dress, and gave her testimony correct and distinct,
interrupted only by those bursts of acute sensibility which the
narration of the unparalleled outrage committed upon her
caused in the recital of it before the front of justice.
Counsellor GOOLD examined the young lady. She deposed
having lived with her mother in the county of Cork, in the
month of March last • is now about 16 years of age; recollects
Monday night, the 4th of March; a party came to her brother's
house on that night ; four persons came into her bed-room ; she
was in bed at the time ; would know some of the persons if she
saw them who had come into her room.
The young lady's attention was directed to look about and
see if she knew any person or persons who had been in her
chamber. She immediately, and without hesitation, identified
John Walsh (who pleaded by the name of John Cussen), and
Daniel Doody. The persons who had come into her room
asked " whether she was the oldest ?" to which she replied
" No." She was then advised 'by those very persons not to
feel alanned, as it was not her they looked for; they proceed-
ed down stairs, but returned in a few minutes, and again
put the former question, " was she the elder ?" answering
it themselves, by saying "she was," and desired her to get
ups one of the party said to the rest, " Came out of the room,
and allow her to dress herself." Cussen said this ; after she was
dressed in her usual way, one o; the party came in and took her
up in his arms, and carried herout and placed her before a man
named Browne, who was on horseback. ; it was John Cussen
(Walsh) who did so; never saw Browne before this night; they
rode to the house of Browne's father, Daniel Brown ; this took
place entirely against her will ; it was very dark ; could not tell
the hour ; there were 12 persons in the party and on horse-
back ; when they came near the house, the door was opened,
and a pillion was brought out and put on the horse; she asked
Browne, " For God's sake to let her go." He replied " he
would not." She was then seated on the pillion, a man's loose
coat was put around her, she having brought no cloak; they rode
off, anti Browne continued before her on horseback, and arrived
at Freemount, where they stopped for refreshment, but un-
fortunately there was none to be had ; and she meant by say-
ing " unfortunately," having subsequently heard that the army
was there soon after her ; the party were travelling the entire
night, during which she frequently fell from the horse, when
they arrived at a public house, Browne still continuing before
her, but could not tell the landlord's name of the public house;
the woman of the house heard her cry, and askedher name, for
which Guerin, one of the party, was going to strike the woman ;
five came to the public house along with Browne ; the two in
the dock she identified were of that number ; they proceeded
from thence to another house, David Leahy's, sen.; identified
him in the dock ; this was on Tuesday morning the sth ;
.Cussen and Doody, the prisoner, came there also ; she was put
,by the kitchen fire; James seahy (identified him in the
dock), who was there, told her not to cry, that she ought
to feel glad it was no blackguard had taken her away, that he
was a gentleman and a man of education. She replied " that
she would never consent to marry him." She was next taken
into another room, by whom she could not tell. Leahy's
wife and a girl named Cahill were there at the time. She
' asked Mrs. Leahy's leave to sleep along with her. Browne and
James Leahy, who told her not to cry, came into the same
room, and breakfast was got ready. David Leahy, the father,
his wife, James the son, Browne,and Mary Cahill, sat down to
breakfast. They pressed her to take a little tea. When break-
fast was over, the whole party retired, leaving her and Browne
alone. Browne approached his chair to hers, when she rose
and ran to the door. Browne interrupted her. He then pro-
ceeded to force off' her clothes, When she screamed out " Help
and save me !" Ile then wanted her to go to bed, and threaten-
ed to expose her to the outside party, and * *
[Here the Court manifested a disposition that the young lady
might approach near to the Bench, to tell any delicate fact
pressing on her feelings. The answer .established the com-
pletion of the intended outrage on the part of Browne. Miss
Goold was in tears at this stage of the trial, and the deepest
sympathy seemed to pervade all who beheld her.]
In this dwelling slusstopped until Thursday, but in the in-
terval was taken on Wednesday night to an adjacent cabin, and
brought back on Thursday morning to Leahy's, where the pri-
soner, James Leahy, was before her, and domestics. She Stop-
ped until three o'clock on Thursday. David Leahy, jun. did
accompany her to the cabin (identified), and this was against
her will ; she was next removed to the house of Maurice
Leahy (whom she identified in the dock, a comfortable far-
mer), Browne along with her, and David Leahy. This was
also against her will. It was the distance of two miles from
David Leahy's ; she slept that night at M. Leahy's ; Brown
slept with her; she stopped there a day and a night.; saw
Leahy's wife there, and also a man named Connell ; she was
next removed to Lane's house, Browne going with her, accom-
panied by the prisoner, M. Leahy, and a servant man ; she was
next removed to Mahony's house' Browne still going with
her, accompanied by Maurice and James Leahy, prisoners,
and upon her oath these removals were against her will ; she
stopped a day and a night in the latter place, and was next
taken to David Leahy's on Sunday, the first place where she
had been abused ; Jas. Leahy, Browne and another accompa-
nied them, who stopped there until Tuesday night ; this was
the 12th of March ; she was next removed to a cabin, as-al on
Wednesday morning brought back to David Leahy's; at 12
o'clock she was removed to another cabin, but did not sleep in
the latter ; was brought back to David Leahy's ; remained
there until 10 o'clock. and at that hour was taken to the cabin
in which she lay on Tuesday night ; and swears on her oath
that these removals were entirely against her will and consent ;
from this cabin she was brought back to David Leahy's, anti
kept there until five o'clock ; this was on Thursday, the 14th
of March.
A paper was handed to Miss Goold for her inspection, pur-
porting to have been written in her hand, by desire of James
Leahy, the prisoner ; it was substantially to certify that i'mhiss
Gould had, of her own free will and consent, stopped at Leahy's
house ; Miss Goold said the document was written by her, but it
was under the influence of fear, and with the hope of being re-
stored to her family, she did so; old David Leahy, .James Leahy,
and Browne, were present when she wrote the certificate ; she
was three weeks altogether with Browne ; she was also on the
hare mountain ; a man named Daniel Reidy was with her ; she
identified the man in the dock ; Reidy came to the cabin to her ;
Browne was not with her ; she was taken by Reidy out to the
mountain ; the reason she was taken out was, that the army was
about the place and near her ; Reidy fired after the soldiers ;
Reidy delayed her on the mountain, and brought her back
to the cabin, where Browne was before her ; she was on the
mountain half an hour; she was taken to another man's cabin,
belonging to one Leahy ; Browne remained with her ; young
David Leahy (prisoner) and another went with her to the cabin ;
she was released on Sunday, the 24th of March : on many oc-
casions, she saw with these men guns and pistols ; none of those
in the dock were so armed, except Riedy, who fired a pistol ;
she was finally left on the side of a road, in a cabin ; it was the
army who at length released -tier ; when she was reeased, none
of the party were along with her at the time.
Here terminated the unparalleled narration of this young
lady's direct examination ; she was listened to with a sympa-
thetic anxiety, commingled with the deepest indignation against
, the brutality of her persecutors.
Cross-examined by Mr. O'CossessEme—She was much
frightened, no doubt, during this transaction. Tourmwilla,
where the erasure appeared, was not in her informations. The
Leahys forced her to say with her consent, in the paper she
signed ; they often made her say so to different people, that
it was with her will she acted ; she was brought by force to
Leahy's house: the first time she was brought to Leahy's
house, if she could she would not remain a minute with her
consent in an of the places ; she would escape if she could
y
from the Ruffian Browne, from any of the houses; Browne
has since fled ; the time she was out with Riedy on the moun-
tain it was to avoid the pursuit of the array ; Browne's father's
house was in the county of Cork.
[Miss Goold shed tears—Mr. O'Connell regretted to be
obliged to ask the young lady so much. She then left the table.]
AVilliarn Connell examined by Counsellor LLOYD.—Knows
Maurice Leahy, one of the prisoners ; was at his house in,
. )larch last in this county ; saw Miss Gould there about three
o'clock in the evening; heard from the family the preeeding
evening that she was expected ; James and David Leahy, the