The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-28 00:00:00

THE FENIAN OUTRAGE.

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EXAMINATION OF THE PRISONERS.
-MANCHESTER, Friday.
After our report had been despatched yesterday
the following additional evidence was taken :
George Pickup, brickmaker, of West Gorton, was
re-examined. He remembered the 18th ; was on a
brow near Heywood's works, between the wall and
the cart road. Was there about a quarter past 3.
He saw a few men knocking about, and there was
going to be a fight. Some were lying by the little
hill, some "chucking" stones. Witness waited about
till near 4 o'clock. He saw the prison van come
through the archway. He ran into a barber's shop
before the van came up, and came out just before
the van came up. He was in the centre of the arch.
As soon as the van got through there was a great
many men near, about 26. He saw three with
pistols, who fired at the van, at the horses, and at
the men on the box. They mute from the field and
adjoining beerhouses. One of these is in an arch-
way, kept by a woman named Pennington, the
other beerhouse is close by, on the Manchester side
of the arch. After that he saw about a dozen pistols.
He saw a man with a white slop and greasy trousers.
He had a cap on, and was close to the abutment.
He was at the front of the van. He fired at the
men at the back of the van. He only saw him fire
once. When the shots were fired the men on the
box tumbled off as fast as they could. A man with
a light suit got on the van. He had not seen him.
They began firing at the inside, and got stones, and
were breaking it. The man on the top had a large
stone, which another lifted up to the top. There
was a place where there is ventilation, and a
man fired in ; and a man then got a hammer
and began " wiring in." The man who fired was
Allen. (He pointed him out in court.) Allen shot
at witness twice. He sprung from under the arch,
and went back to the van and fired, and caught a
man in the foot. That was one of the two shots.
Witness was running up with stones to "chuck at
'em." The man with the hammer was Larkin. He
did not see where he got the hammer from. After
Allen fired and hit Sprossen, he fired half a dozen
times through the ventilator into the van. He saw
the door of the van open, and then Brett tumbled
out, and then three women came out. Allen then
went in the van, and brought out two men with
handcuffs on. He heard him say, " Kelly, did I not
say I would die for you, and lose the last drop of
blood I have for you 2" The men with handcuffs
then went towards the fields in the direction of the
Sheffield line. Witness followed, and Allen told him
if he did not go back he would shoot him. He saw
Larkin caught in the Midland yard. He saw him
doing nothing but use the hammer at the door. He
was asked to identify any of those present, and he
identified Coffey as throwing stones. (Coffey here
said, " I have never been there.") He also saw
Glecson throwing stones at the people. He could
not speak to any more.
By Mr. Cottingham—l am as certain about
Gleeson and Coffey as lam about Larkin. lam
equally certain about them all. There were three
of us going up with stones to chuck at them. We
got them off the road on the Belle Vue side of the
arch. They were the stones that had been thrown
at us. I saw the whole transaction from the left
hand side of the arch going towards Manchester. I
stood on the Manchester side of the arch. There was
a shot fired at the door of the van before they began
hammering at it. I was 16 yards from the van with
stones in my hand. The hammer was used at the
door of the van before it was opened. There were
about 26 or 28 people under the arch at the time.
By Mr. Roberts—l have been taken to Albert-
street about five times, and once to Belle Vue. I
identified Gleeson the first day I went down. I was
not certain of him the first time. I had no beer
either at Belle Vue or at Albert-street. I do not
know that Gleeson passed by me three successive
times before I identified him. I think I picked him
out the first day. I was most certain of him the
fourth time I saw him. I told the policeman the
first time at Albert-street that I " owned" him.

The prisoners Allen, Shore, and Wilson declined
to ask any questions ; and Gould said, "I will have
no part in it."
By Mr. Roberts—l went into an hotel where
Coffey was, and said I knew him in a minute, and
sent far a policeman. I bad never seen him before
that day. _ _

Mr. Higgin then said that with respect to Gleeson
the last witness was the only witness he could call
before the Bench to give evidence of Gleeson's being
present at the time, and he felt it would not be right
on his part to press the Bench to commit Gleeson on
the unsupported evidence of one witness. There-
fore, he proposed to place Gleeson in the same list
with the others, and when this case was over he
would be prepared to say what course he would take
with regard to him.
Mr. Fowler—With regard to the other prisoners,
I quite understand that at the end of this case you
will decide what course you will pursue ; but with
regard to Gleeson, you say there is no evidence
beyond what you have already had to connect him
in any way with this charge. I feel that it is only
right that you should at once withdraw so far as he
is concerned. We shall be obliged to discharge
him. He must be discharged to-day.
Gleeson rose in the dock, and giving Mr. Fowler
a military salute, said—Thank your worship.
The other prisoners were then remanded till this
(Friday) morning.
This morning the Court resumed proceedings at
10 o'clock.

The men arraigned on the charge of murder were
placed in the dock. They were brought up as be-
fore in couples, handcuffed. Their names are—
William O'Meara Allen, William Gould, Edward
Shore, and Henry Wilson (undefended—Mr. Er-
nest Jones having thrown up his brief) ; Michael
Larkin, Patrick Kelly (from Galway), Thomas
Maguire, John Brennan, John Bacon, William
Martin, and John Martin (defended by Mr. Cot-
tingham) ; John Francis Nugent and James Sherry
(defended by Mr. Ward) ; Robert AP Williams
(defended by Mr. Brenner) ; Michael Maguire,
Michael Morris, Michael Bryan, Michael Corcoran,
and Thomas Ryan (defended by Mr. Bennet); and
John Carroll, Charles Moorbouse, Michael Ken-
nedy, John Morris, Patrick Kelly (from Leitrim),
Hugh Foley, Patrick Coffey, and 'Thomas Scalley
(defended by Mr. W. P. Roberts, instructed by the
subscribers to a defence fund).

The prisoner M'Auliffe was brought up by order
of the Bench, and at once remanded for a week.
M'Auliffe said, in a full, clear voice—Might I
speak, sir?
Mr. Fowler—Mr. Roberts defends you.
M'Auliffe—Oh

John Griffiths sworn—l am a hairdresser, and my
shop is near the railway arch on the Hyde-road,
about twenty yards on this side. On the afternoon
of the 18th I went out with George Pickup. I saw
the prisoner Nugent standing against the abutment
at the end of the arch, looking along the road towards
Manchester. The prison van had not then come
up. Nugent had a revolver in his hand. I next
saw eight or ten men on the bank near the arch, and
noticed that they all had revolvers. Directly after-
wards the prison van came up, and when it had
gone through the archway the men with revolvers
came forward and fired at the van. The van was
then brought to a standstill. I went back to my
shop and put up my shutters, and, having done
that, [ looked at what was going on. I SAW a man
come to the back of the van and fire at Constables
Shaw and Trueman. The man who fired the shot
was the prisoner Allen. I and others made towards
the van, and when Allen saw us coming he came
forward again, this time with two pistols, and fired
one of them at Constable Shaw, but he hit a man
named Sprosson in the foot. 1 then saw him fire a
pistol through the door of the van, and directly
afterwards the door flew open and Brett fell out.
Some women came out after Brett, and directly
afterwards a tall man, wearing a moustache, dressed
in dark clothes, and having handcuffs on, came out
of the van. I did not see any other man get out.
When the tall man got out the others who had
attacked the van closed round him, and went off in
the direction of the Sheffield Railway. One cf the
horses in the van was shot. 1 saw Brett lying on
the ground. He was not then dead. lie was put
into a cab and taken to the infirmary. Boylan,