The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-11 00:00:00

OUTRAGES IN IRELAND.

The Special Commission for the county of Meath was
opened on Thursday, at Trim, by Chief Justice Monahan
and Mr. Justice Fitzgerald. After the commission had
been read, and a Grand Jury empanelled, Chief Justice
Monahan delivered a brief charge. He expressed regret
at the existence of the state of things which had rendered
the attendance of the Grand Jury necessary at that un-
usual period of the year, but observed that it had always
been not only the right but the duty of the Lord-Lieu-
tenant to issue a Special Commission, and thus antici-
pate the ordinary assizes, wherever, from the nature of
the offences committed, it seemed advisable that the per-
petrators should be brought to immediate justice. He re-
ferred to the observations which he made at the last assizes
upon the number of serious offences committed in the
county, and remarked that since then no murder had been
committed, and so far it was a matter of congratulation ;
but, on the other hand, considering the short interval
which had since elapsed, he regretted to be obliged to say
that the county still continued in a very unsatisfactory
state. He found from the report of the constabularly
that in that interval there had been as many as seven
malicious burnings, three cases of robbery of arms, five
cases of attacking dwelling-houses and endeavouring by
intimidation to force persons to act in a particular way,
and there had been sixteen threatening letters. There
had also been three cases of firing at persons with intent
to murder or inflict some grievous bodily harm. In two
of those cases no clue had been discovered to the perpe-
trators of the offence, but in the remaining one bills would
be sent before them against the prisoners, Edward Gearty
and John Brady, who were charged with firing at Mr.
John Radcliffe, a gentleman of great respectability, a
magistrate of the county, who always resided among
them, and who during his long life had earned and main-
tained the good-will of all his acquaintances andneighbours,
including those of the humbler classes. This character, how-
ever, was not sufficient to protect him from the very
serious attem which was made on his life on the 25th of
April last. His Lordship, having narrated the facts,
which are familiar to the public, observed that the motive
for the crime alleged on the part of the Crown was that
Mr. Radcliffe was one of the magistrates who convicted
and sentenced Gearty's brother for some offence, and that
Gearty determined to have revenge. Hence the Lord-
L'eutenant had issued the Special Commission in order
that the guilt or the innocence of the accused might
be ascertained with as little delay as possible.
The grand jury, at the conclusion of the charge, retired,
and in a short time returned into court with a true bill
against the prisoners for attempting and conspiring to
murder. The Attorney-General stated that no other bills
would be sent up. The prisoners were then put forward
and arraigned in the usual form. Brady is described as a
young man, about twenty years of age and more youthful
appearance, with rather well-formed features, but an ex-
pression of great determination. The other prisoner,
who is a butcher, is a short, thick-set man, about ten or
twelve years older. They pleaded not guilty, and their
counsel applied for a postponement • but the Attorney-
General opposed the application on the ground that ample
notice had been given. Mr. Radcliffe deposed that he was
returning about two o'clock from the workhouse of
Kells, and was riding on a pony. When he came
to a place called Ballintubber-lane he saw a man
on the road before him, who, he thought, was waiting to
speak to him. That man was the prisoner Brady, who
seized his bridle, but said nothing. Another man, whom
he identified as the second prisoner, Gearty, then stepped
from the lane, and saying, " You are the man I want,"
fired a pistol at him. He knew him at the
time perfectly. The pistol was a longish, old-
fashioned one, with brass mounting. His hat
was pierced by the bullets. After the shot the two men
ran up the lane, and he turned back at once to Kells, and
gave information to the police. He saw the prisoners an
hour afterwards in the police barrack yard, and recognised
them immediately. In February last, James Gearty,
brother of the prisoner, was convicted of having a stolen
sheepskin in his possession and sentenced to three months'
imprisonment. There was an appeal against the decision
of the Bench, and the witness was called upon to say
whether the law entitling Gearty to account for the posses-
sion of the skin had been explained to him. He replied that
it had been explained, and the assistant barrister con-
firmed the sentence. He was cross-examined as to his cer-
tainty of identification, but positively adhered to his evi-
dence that he knew the two men perfectly, and could not
be mistaken. A constable proved the arrest of the pri-
soners, and finding the pistol near Ballintubber-lane, and
on the grass beside it a butcher's knife. A wit-
ness named Lawrence Smith, a butcher, deposed to
a conversation with the prisoner Gearty, in which
the latter complained of Mr. Radcliffe's decision,
and said it would be well to blow the head off him.
He was cross-examined with a view of showing that he
had a quarrel with the prisoner. He said he was forced
to tell what he knew to the police, who arrested him for
being drunk. Thomas Keernan, another butcher, de-
posed that he had got a pistol from Gearty to keep for
him, and that on the morning of the outrage the prisoner
got it from him and sent a person to buy powder. He
saw Gearty put a cap on it. When asked to whom he
was going to give the pistol the prisoner said, "'You are
not the man to know." The witness, on cross-examination,
stated that he was advised by the clergy to tell the truth.
Subsequently, a statement by Brady was read confessing
the crime, and adding that he was engaged by Gearty to
watch on the Kells-road, but that he did not know the
purpose. Gearty held a pistol to his head and swore him
as a son of " Rory of the Hills" to come. Geary com-
pelled him to catch the bridle of Mr. Radcliffe's horse
while he fired the shot. No witnesses were called for the
prisoners. The jury, after deliberating half an hour,
found both prisoners guilty of shooting with intent to
murder. Gearty was sentenced to penal servitude for
life and Brady to ten years.