The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-01 00:00:00

SEARCH FOR THE FENIAN DEASY IN
SIIREWSBUR,I .

An unfortunate gentleman, from Glasgow, spend-
his holidays in Shrewsbury, has just fallen a victim
to the zeal displayed for the capture of " Captain "
Deasy, the Manchester Fenian. From the statement
of the Glasgow gentleman it appears that, having
been overworked in the commercial pursuits which
he follows in his native town, he had sought in
Shrewsbury that total rest which, he was advised,
was necessary for his health. He arrived in the
town on Friday week, and took up his abode in a
widow's house in a quiet street near the river, his
daily custom being to take a short walk in the
morning, and to spend the rest of the day in his
own room either reading or wi iting. A few days
after his arrival he had the misfortune to attract
the attention of a neighbour named Evans, who, for
some unaccountable reason, instantly conceived the
idea that he was Captain Deasy, and under this
impression watched him day by day till his suspi-
cion deepened into conviction, and at length he felt
it his duty to lay a formal information in the hands
of the borough police. No steps in the matter being
taken by them, Mr. Davies, on Sunday evening,
called upon Colonel Edgill, chief constable of the
county police, and laid before him a description
of the stranger, which so precisely tallied with that
of Deasy, as furnished by the authorities to the
various police stations, that Colonel Edgill lost no
time in sending off a despatch to Manchester, and
then proceeded to inform the mayor. He found
his worship in bed, but on hearing the facts as re-
lated by the chief constable, he at once took such
measures for the apprehension of Deasy as only
needed the person's presetice in the house indicated
by the informer to crown them with perfect success.
Accompanied by Colonel Edgill, Captain Fenwick,
R.N., governor of the county goal, Mr. Hughes,
chief constable of the borough, and half w dozen
policemen, the mayor went to the house where Deasy
was supposed to be hiding, and first disposing the
men round about it in such a manner as to provide
for the capture of the Fenian if he should attempt
to make a run for his liberty, knocked at the door,
and after some parley was admitted to the bedroom
where the mysterious lodger slept. After a few
questions put by the mayor and readily answered by
the astonished Scotchman, it became clear that
there was a mistake somewhere, and after apologis-
ing for the intrusion his worship and the police
officers withdrew. Early yesterday morning a
detective police officer from Manchester arrived in
response to Colonel Edgill's note, but on learning
how matters stood he returned home.

the Attempt to Upset the Limited Mail

Yesterday at the Town-hall, Wigan, before Mr.
W. Lamb and Mr. Thomas Knowles, county
magistrates, Michael Flatley, a young looking Irish
navvy, was brought up on remand, charged with
placing obstructions on the London and North-
Western Railway, with intent to overthrow the
trains running thereon. Mr. Mayhew prosecuted ;
the prisoner was undefended. Thomas Houghton,
inspector of the permanent way for the company,
stated that he examined the up-line between eight
and half-past eight o'clock on Sunday evening, the
22d inst., and found it clear. The next train to
pass the spot would be the up mail at half-past 11.
Jonathan Worrall, a coke man, shortly before six
o'clock next morning found about 60 yards to the
south of Kay's crossing, in the township of Ince, a
couple of sleepers lying in the four-feet, one on the
top of the other, and a third sleeper a little further
south. One end of the last-mentioned had been
broken off, and the other had the appearance of
having been struck by the life guard of the engine.
In his judgment the third sleeper had been lying
across the rails, and had been struck by a passing
engine. The distance between the metals is
4ft. Skin., and the life-guard mark was found at
that distance from the broken end. Peter Hartff
a pointsman at Springs branch, three-quarters o
a mile away, the same morning found a splintered
sleeper near his cabin, and another witness, Joseph
Stanley, a platelayer, discovered splinters in the
wing of a crossing a short distance further north
than where the sleeper was found. Craven Sutcliffe,
a detective inspector in the employ of the company,
from his inspection arrived at the conclusion that on
Sunday night the 22d inst., on the up line, 60 yards
south of Kay's crossing, one sleeper was placed
across the rails, and then three others on the top of
that. Of these three one end of each rested in the
middle of the six-feet, and the other ends were
across the first-mentioned sleeper. The engine as
it passed the spot knocked the first sleeper into the
position in which it was found by the witnesses, and
then the fire-box striking the highest of the three
lying on the top of the first drove it forward on the
line as far as Springs branch. There were marks at
intervals all along the three quarters of a mile to
Springs branch just outside the outer rail, and then
at the wing of the crossing the marks left the outside
and appeared in the six-feet—showing that the
sleeper had been thrown over to the other side.
Joseph Livesey, booking clerk at the Wigan station,
deposed that on Sunday night, about half-past 11,
he received a letter directed to the " station master
with speed." It was delivered to him by a man he
did not know, and the limited mail passed just as
he was reading it. He could give no warning to
the driver of the mail, but he took measures to
check the next train which was due in about ten
minutes. This letter, which could not be entered in
the minutes as evidence, ran as follows :—" 22d of
September, 1867. To the stationmaster. Sir,—As
I do not wish to be an informer against any, but
my conscience tells me I should not witness anything
not just. Therefore I tell you to see that there is
nothing on the railway between your stations and
St. Helen's.—JAMES J. HARN." Timothy Harn, a
sharp-looking Irishman, then made a lengthy but
straightforward and connected statement which
brought the offence clearly home to the prisoner.
Witness, the prisoner, and another man whose Chris-
tian name was Patrick, with a woman described as
Patrick's sweetheart, went for a walk in the direc-
tion of Ince on the night in question. The woman
in question left the men near the cemetery, and
the latter then walked along the top of a railway
cutting as their nearest way home. At an opening
in the fence prisoner went down upon the line, and,
calling to Patrick, said they would have a " jump"
with the old engine. • They both went down as far
as a black heap of something, and when they re-
turned witness, who was walking along the hedge,
asked what had been done. They told him not to
mind, but he went down to look, and found three
sleepers, one across the rails, and the others
" doubled on each other in the length." He re-
moved them from the rails, and the prisoner ap-
proached him and threatened him. The two men
then went to the place again, and witness moved
away along the hedge. Prisoner and Patrick shortly
overtook him, and prisoner said to him," You
what has it to do with you ? Instead of three we
have put four on now." When they got into
Wigan they went to the Harrogate Arms and wit-
ness paid for half a gallon of ale, and then went
out and ran away. He wrote the letter at once to
the stationmaster and delivered it himself. Sub-
sequently the witness, who was a stranger in the
town, went with the police over the route taken by
the party on the night the crime was committed,
and his description of Flatley led to his apprehen-
sion. Evidence in corroboration of Ham's state-
ment was given by residents at the Harrogate Inn
and by the person at whose house lie wrote the
letter ; and then Inspector Peters,. of the county
constabulary, proved -the apprehension of the pri-
soner. 11e charged him with the offence, when he
said he new nothing about it. llarn pointed out to
witness where the obstruction was placed by Flatley
and Patrick, and the point was 60 or 70 yards south
of Kay's crossing. The efforts to take the other
man into custody had not been successful. Pri-
soner now asserted his innocence, and called three
witnesses, not one of whom, however, said any-
thing to clear him from the charge, or to throw a
doubt on his guilt. Ile was then committed for
trial at the next Liverpool assizes.

TIIF: ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION.-All persons about
to join this expedition are hereby recommended to provide
themselves with Mori.son's Vegetable Universal Medicine
of the British College of Health, London, which experi-
ence has shown to be the best remedy in tropical climates,
and which, in fact, forms in itself a complete medicine chest.
—LADYT.]