The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LON DON, TUES IJA V EV ENING, MARCH 26 1867.

6(31 I

101 i I

mine.

1071 i 81

THE JAMAICA PROSECUTION.

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST EX-GOVERNOR EYRE

MARKET DRAYTON, Monday.

The proceedings against ex-Governor Eyre were
commenced this morning before a special bench—
Sir Baldwin Leighton, M.P., Colonel G. T. Hill,
Egerton Harping, Esq., Major Broughton, Henry
Reginald Corbet, Esq., and John Tayleur, Esq.
Mr. Fitzjames Stephen and Mr. T. Horne Payne
instructed by Mr. Shaen (Shaen and Roscoe, solici-
tors to the Jamaica Committee), appeared on the
part of the prosecution ; and Mr. John Anderson
Rose, solicitor, attended on behalf of Mr. Eyre.
The court was much crowded.

At the sitting of the Court Mr. Twemlow, the
senior magistrate, said that having subscribed to the
Eyre Defence Fund he did not think it right to act
as a magistrate. The ordinary bench had requested
Sir Baldwin Leighton to attend, and he would pre-
side.

Mr. Fitzjames Stephen said he had to apply for
a warrant, on the part of Mr. John Stuart Mill, the
member for .Westminster, against Mr. Edward John.
Eyre, the late Governor.of Jamaica, for the murder
of George William Gordon, at Morant Bay, Jamaica,
on the 23d of October, 1865. The learned counsel
was proceeding to go over the same line of argu-
ment as he adopted at Bow-street police-court re
Nelson and Brand, when the Chairman stopped
him, as the bench thought that the. whole of the
matter would more properly be before them if the
warrant was granted. Mr. Stephen had better,
therefore, call evidence as to the facts.

Mr. Fitzjames Stephen then called the following
evidence

Dr. Alexander Fiddes (examined by Mr. Stephen)
said—l am a member of the Royal College of Sur-
geons at Edinburgh. I knew the late George Wm.
Gordon. I believe him to have been condemned to
death on no proper evidence to warrant such an act.
I believe it to have been" illegal, and to have been.
murder in-the contemplation of law, and those who
were connected with it. I believe Mr. Edward John
Eyre was a party to it. Mr. Edward John Eyre
was the late Governor of Jamaica. Gordon was a
civilian.

By the Chairman—Kingston was the residence
of Gordon.

By Mr. Corbet—Gordon's chief residence was at
Cherry Garden, in the parish of St. Andrew, about
six miles from Kingston. Gordon was a patient of

Augustus Walter Lake, who was a reporter in
Jamaica, said he knew the late George William
Gordon, who was hung at Morant Bay on the 23d
of October, 1865. He (witness) saw him hang till
he died. He was tried by court-martial, the court
consisting of Lieut. Brand, Lieut. Errington, and
Ensign Kelly. Col. Nelson was the military com-
manding officer at Kingston.
Dr. Alexander Fiddes, re-called, said Gordon was
arrested by Governor Eyre at Headquarters House.
The Governor said it was necessary to have him
apprehended. Gordon told Mr. Eyre he had come
to meet any charge there might be against him.
Mr. Eyre said it was necessary to arrest him, and
he must not leave unless accompanied by an escort.
Dr. Bowerbank, the chief magistrate at Kingston,
took charge of Gordon.
By Colonel Hill—That was on the 17th of October.
Gordon went away in Dr. Bowerbank's carriage, and
witness never again saw him alive.
By the Chairman-1 think Mr. Eyre was guilty
of murder as an accessory before the fact, as he per-
sonally apprehended him and took him to Morant
Bay, where he was executed.
The Chairman said the Bench thought it was
necessary to have the prosecutor before them.
Mr. Stephen said that as Mr. John Stuart Mill
was not at Market Drayton, he would call Mr.
Shaen, who would take upon himself the responsi-
bility of prosecuting. The learned counsel then
called

Mr. W. Shaen, who said—l am a solicitor, at 8,
Bedford-row. I have good reasons for believing
that Edward John Eyre was an accessory before the
fact to the murder of George 'William Gordon, at
Moraut Bay, on Monday, the 23d of October, 1865.
I apply for a warrant to arrest Edward John Eyre
on that charge.
Caleb King, police-constable, proved that Mr.
Eyre resided at Adderley Hall, and was at Market
Drayton on Saturday last.
After some consultation as to. the mode of proceed-
ing, the Bench decided to grant a warrant, which it
was arranged the chief ;onstablc should serve so as
to inconvenience Mr.
.Eyre as little as possible.
The Court then adjourned till 10 15 a.m. on
Wednesday.

Strike of Engine-Drivers on the Brighton
• Railway.
We are requested to state that in consequence of
the strike of a large number of the engine-drivers
and firemen on the London, Brighton, and South
Coast Railway, the time tables must be considered
as in abeyance. The utmost possible endeavours
will be made to carry
passengers to their respective
destinations, but a large number of the trains must
be taken off, and the speed of those run materially
diminished.

The following notice has been issued by the
company :

The directors were not without hope that the reply
which they had given to the memorial presented by
the enginemen and firemen would have solved the
pending difficulty ; but they must now inform the
public that the majority of the enginemen and fire-
men constituting the staff of this railway have noti-
fied their intention of retiring from the service, un-
less their demands are satisfied. At a further
interview to-day satisfactory explanations took
place, and an agreement was come to as regards
shed days, Sunday work, the number of miles to be
run as constituting a day's work, amounting in the
aggregate to not more than 750 miles per week—all
beyond that number to be counted, and paid for as
extra. The board also, though deeming the demand
unreasonable, and not for the permanent interest of
the men, conceded that each day should be counted
as ten hours, instead of as a tenth of 60 hours ;
although, in practice, the day's work on this line is
limited very frequently to less than five hours. The
rate of wages paid by this company is so liberal that
no permanent loss will result in conceding the scale
asked. The directors were therefore willing that the
minimum pay of drivers should be 65., progressing up-
wards to 7s. 6d. per day, and the minimum pay of
firemen 3s. 6d., advancing to 4s. 61 per day. But the
demand that all engine-drivers and firemen shall be
advanced to the maximum scale of wages, after a
few months' service, without reference to their
e oonsrd c
ability,consent
t is t o
so in principle that the
boa
rd cannot reconllcloleng it with their sense of duty to
such a demand. Should the engine-
drivers and firemen act on their notices and retire,
the directors will at once reduce the number of
trains and the present speed, so as not to exceed in
any case a maximum of 20 miles per hour, and they
will make available all the resources and means at
their disposal for safely working as many trains as
March 25.
ALLEN SARLE, Acting Secretary.
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London-bridge Terminus,
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What took place yesterday on the subject may be
briefly stated. The drivers and firemen waited
the London-bridge
gathaving been come to
tuepromni
ntuhse, Banriguhntodnersbtoaanrddi,n
on Friday week last the notices to leave the service
of the company on the following Tuesday should
not be acted upon, and that the men would con-
tinue to work their trains until yesterday, in order
to give the board time for considering the whole
question of the dispute. It appears that the scale
of wages which the directors proposed to pay to the
drivers was an increasing one of 6d. per day every
12 months until it reached a maximum of 7s. 6d.
per day ; and that the pay was to commence at 6s.
per day. The proposition of the men was that the
increase of 6d. per day should take place every si
months, they stating that they would be satisfied to
receive 7s 6d per day after two years instead of
18 months' service. A very strong objection was
made by the men that the proposed increase of
wages would take place at the option of the loco-
motive superintendent, and that objection was sup-
ported by statements made by them that such a