The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-21 00:00:00

The Fenian Outrage in Manchester,

FURTHER ARRESTS.-THE CORONER'S INQUEST

The excitement caused by this outrage has begun
to abate, and the prevailing questions now are as
to who is to blame, and whether the sending of 11
unarmed policemen with the van was a sufficient
precaution. Unfortunately the most reliable in-
formation that a rescue was to be attempted did not
reach the a•utiiorities till it was too late.

Between Thursday afternoon, when the magis-
trates examined 30 priioners at the City Police
Court, and yesterday morning four more persons
were apprehended. They g.tve Vie names of Hugh
Foley, of the Royal Marines, in Manchester on
furlough, 28 years of age ; Patrick Coffey, Bon-
sall-street, Hultni-, 26 ; Patrick Toole, labourer,
Stockport, 28 (apprehetried at Preston, on 'Thurs-
day) ; and Michael Kennedy, cane dresser, Cla-
rendon-street, Huhne, 28, isn2.2.rfcctly educated,
in employ. They were locked up on Thur3day
night at the Albert-street police station. Their
removal in the van yesterday afternoon to the Police
Court, and thence to the City Gaol, under the
escort of a troop of the Bth Hussars, though wit-
nessed by a large number of persons, did not pro-
duce anything like the excitement that was witnessed
on Thursday. At the City Police Court, Mr.
Fowler, the stipendiary magistrate, presided ; and
there were several other magistrates present. A
short time before the case was called cn, Mr.
Fowler ordered that the galleries of the court,
which were crowded with men of the lower class,
should be cleared. When the prisoners were placed
in the dock, Mr. Fowler asked Mr. Superintendent
Gee if he had brought the prisoners up on the
charge of taking part in the attack on the police.—
Mr. Gee said he had. Mr. Fowler—Have you
reasonable ground to expect that you can bring the
charge home to them? Mr. Gee said that as re-
garded Foley, Coffey, and Kennedy he had no
doubt , but the other prisoner, Toole, might be dis-
charged. Mr. Fowler said that upon that evidence
he should remand three of the prisoners to Thurs-
day, the same day as the others. Toole was dis-
charged.

The Coroner's inquest touching the death of
Sergeant Brett was also opened yesterday, before
Mr. E. Herford, at his offices in St. John-street.
After the Jury had been sworn, the. Coroner said
that Brett's death ha I arisen out of the outrage near
the City Gaol. He might state for the convenience
of persons present that he did not intend to pro-
ceed with the examination of witnesses till the
magistrates' inquiry, which was going on, was con-
cluded. That was a new arrangement, as to the ad-
vantages of which he would not speak. It was
obviously better not to have anything like clashing
or interference, and it was better also for the ac-
cused that they should not be prejudiced by any-
thing that might take place in their absence. At
the close of the evidence which he proposed to take
he thought it would be advisable to adjourn for
three weeks, by which time the other tribunal would
have completed its inquiry. The following witnesses
were then examined :—Edward Brett said that the
deceased was his brother. Ho lived in Wilson-
street, Oldham Road ; he was in his 52d year, and
has left a wife and three children.

Police-constable Shaw said he was on duty on
the prison van on its way to the City Gaol on
Wednesday afternoon. He sat near the driver,
by the side of an officer named Yarwood. As
they approached the bridge which crosses Hyde
Road, witness observed a number of men. The
name of the person who was supposed to have
shot the deceased was Allen. Witness had already
identified him at the. Police Court. He first ob-
served Allen before the van Was stopped ; in fact,
he was the first man that witness saw, before the
van got through the arch of the bridge. He had a
revolver in his hand, and was upon the footpath.
The van was stopped about 12 or 14 yards beyond
the arch. Witness did not know that Brett was
inside the vehicle ; he thought he was on the step
behind. While the attack was being made, he first
saw Brett upon the floor, after the door had been
opened. While the door was being attacked a num-
ber of men got upon the roof of the vehicle, and
others stood by with revolvers, defending those who
were breaking in. Allen was one of the number ;he
discharged his revolver more than once at the police
and the bystanders who showed any disposition to
charge the mob. Ile fired at witness several
times, when witness tried to induce people to inter-
fere. In firing at witness, Allen shot a man, named
Sprosson in the foot.—The Coroner : Did you see
him fire any shot against the door of the van which
you suppose went through ?_Witness : I saw him
put the pistol deliberately to the van ; I think it
was the keyhole, but I cannot &appositively whether
it was that or the ventilator, which is about 6 or 8
inches above the lock.—The Coroner: Did he dis-
charge his revolver at the time ?—Witness Yes ;
heard the shot fired, and directly afterwards some
one cried out, " He's killed."—The Coroner : Who
was that ?—Witness : It appeared to be a voice from
the inside of the vehicle. Soon afterwards witness
saw the door open and Brett on the floor. After the
mob left the vehicle Brett was found to be shot through
the head, and unconscious. He was taken in a cab to
the Roy al Infirmary.
The hat produced was Brett's.
The hole through the back was caused by the
bullet.—[The production of the hat seemed to un-
nerve the witness very considerably.]—A Jury-
man : Is it probable Allen knew
that Brett was
o inside, except
inside the vehicle ?—Witness : I think he did,
because some one cried out "Ile is inside the van."
It was not usual to place an officer
to hear occasionally what the prisoners said.—The
Coroner : It would be better to leave that matter
till afterwards. It would not affect the legal aspect
and killing
of the case, because firing a bullet under such cir-
cumstances,There is no doubt of that.--Mr. J. R. Woodcock
Wednesday.anybodyw would be murder.
said he was the house surgeon at the Royal Infir-
mary. The deceased
institu-
tion at 4.30 p.m. onWitness saw
him shortly afterwards ; he was unconscious, and
remained so. He died at twenty-five minutes past
Was a 'witted to that
five p.m. By the Coroner's order witness had
made a post-mortem examination of the body.
He found a fracture in the roof of the right orbit,
where the ball had entered the cavity of the skull,
and a second fracture on the right side of the crown
of tie head, where the ball had passed out of the
Ala There was extensive laceration of the brain
between the two apertures. In witness's opinion
death was caused by injury to the brain through
the passage of the bullet. The other half of the
brain was perfectly healthy,
and the organs were
generally healthy. The ball appeared to have been
fired at an angle of 45 de
N o other evidence was
taken, and the inquiry was
adjourned for three
weeks.

The van upon which the attack was m Ide is at
the Albert •street police station,
and it shows fewer
left side
which
ide of the road
marks of violence than current report has hitherto
would correspond
eoOrrnespthod
euletoft sidethe
f the
going in the direction of the City Gaol, there
is a bullet hole, not far from tho driver's seat,
and indicating that the shot had been fired
at the policemen in front of the van.
There are two other indentations on the same side
of the vehicle, which may or may not have been
caused by bullets. The roof has been beaten in to
the extent of about a yard, and in places the hole
is four or six inches wide, but nowhere is it large
enough to admit a person through. The most vio-
lence has been used towards the door. The panel
has been beaten in, but there are no signs of bullet
marks about the lock. Within the vehicle, on the
under side of the roof, and in the direct line of fire
had anyone discharged a pistol through the venti-
lator, is a bullet mark, caused no doubt by the
very ball that passed through Brett's head. The
appearance of the van within is that of a long
narrow corridor, with small wooden cells on each
side. It has been ascertained that Brett was
standing in this corridor with three or four
female prisoners when the outrage to;ok place.
A small section of the ventilator was opened by
the mob, who, seeing the officer inside, demanded
the keys. It is said that Brett replied that he would
not give them up, whatever might be the conse-
quences. A shot was then fired, and the poor fellow
dropped upon the floor. The mob then demanded
the keys from the women in the corridor, and