The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-13 00:00:00

THE ARRESTS.

Well authenticated private accounts from Cork
mention that the Crown case against some of the
Phoenix Club members in that quarter is much more
complete than the public would have been led to
believe from the information which has transpired
through the public journals. The law officers, it is
said, are quite confident of the result,-and it is said
that the evidence against several of the prisoners
is of a nature to leave no doubt upon the minds of
any jury, however disposed they, might be to
regard the prosecution as an excess of Government
.rigour. The. farming classes, it has been ascer-
tained, have carefully stood aloof, and have had
no part in the silly but mischievous conspiracy,
the Jaffiers and. Pierres being in almost every
instance taken from the ranks of shopmen and
mechanics. The clubs, it is added, were more
rapidly increasing towards the close of last year,
and, if left unchecked, might in due season have
become troublesome instruments in the hands of
some yet undiscovered John Mitchel or Thomas
Francis Meagh er.
The following account of the investigation into
the charges against the prisoners arrested in Kil-
kenny is condensed from a local paper (the Mode-
rator). It took place on Saturday, and the report
has found its way into the journals despite the
,attempt to close the doors against the public press :
" The prisoners brought forward were—Martin
Hawe, leather merchant, Kilkenny ; Edward Coyne,
publican, Callan ; Thomas Managan and William
Kavanagh, nailors, Callan ; and Denis Sullivan,
national school teacher, Ballydonnel. The only
witness who appeared to prove anything against
these persons was Patrick Callaghan, a rather
respectably-dressed man, aged about 25 years, who
had filled a place of trust under the Slievarda Coal
Mining Company, as their clerk in the Callan Coal
Store. His evidence chiefly, or it might be said
altogether, tended to the inculpation of Hawe, what
he had to say with respect to the other prisoners
being of a more trival nature. His statement, in
answer to the interrogations of the magistrates,
was to the following effect :
" ' I was returning from mass, in Callan, on a
Sunday before last harvest, when Hawe tapped
me on the shoulder privately, and said, " You are
the man I want." He spoke in a low tone.
I had known him previously. The street was
full of people at the time, and this took place at
the Cross of Callan. I made no reply, but we
walked on together down Mill-street. He said
after some time that he wanted to make me a mein
ber of a society. I asked him of what sort of a
society, or what it was grounded upon. He did
not tell me presently, but afterwards said it was a
secret society, that it was founded on good motives,
and that the greatest men in Kilkenny were
members of it. I asked who the members were.

He replied that he could not tell me that till I
became a member myself. Could not say positively
whether a portion of this conversation took place
in Mill-street or in the corn field into -which we
went from the street. He said he should test me,
.and that I should take an oath. We went into a
corn field, and I there inquired again about the
nature of the society. He said he should swear
me before he could tell. I refused at first to be
sworn. He said he would sacrifice all he possessed
to have me. He then swore me, and said the
object of the society was to make Ireland a free
and independent democratic republic. He swore
me on a book like a Prayer-book, and produced the
form of the oath written out. As well as I can
recollect the oath, it was this :

" I, Patrick Callaghan. do swear in the presence
of God to renounce all allegiance to the Queen of
England, and to take up arms and fight at a
moment's warning to make Ireland an independent
democratic republic, and to yield implicit obedience
to the commanders and. superiors of this secret
society. Finally, I take this oath without any
jnental reservation whatever.' _

I am quite sure these were the words, as well as I
can remember. The oath having been repeated,
I kissed the book. He then gave me the document
of the oath,' and tcld me to write a form of it in my
own hand. I never did so, but tore it up in about
six weeks time. He said that the taking of the
oath gave me power to. swear in nine men. He did
not tell me the names of any of the members of the
society, but said it was a secret club, and he could
not tell. I subsequently spoke to him about the
society, when he made it known to me that the
Bridge-street boys were ' all right.' Before we
separated he gave me no sign or word ; but he told
me that there were ambassadors sent to America,
and that he couldn't tell me anything more till
their return. He was not staying in Callan then,
and I knew he was to go to Kilkenny by the mail
car: It was one month from the time I was sworn
when I next met him. I inquired if there was any
subscription to be paid. He said no, but it would
be necessary for me to procure firearms, a pike, and
ammunition. I never swore in any member, but
.
did speak to a person about who refused to have
anything to do with the society. I afterwards told
Hawe that I intended to retire from the society for
the priest would not hear my confession while I
continued a member of it, but had turned me away.
Hawe said, Don't mind that, but stop as you are.'
Some of the Callan boys were with him at the
time. The conversation took place on the public
car, on which we were sitting. The same day I got
a message to meet him, but we had no further
conversation. I had a conversation afterwards,
and received two books from him, but did not
get them from himself, but from a person he
sent them by. He told me ho would send
me more instructions. I told him afterwards
that I had got the books. When I got them first I
laid them on a heap of coal, and afterwards put
them in my box in the house. (The books were
here produced and identified. They were printed
b W. Kelly of Dublin, and were some of the
Yung Ireland productions, professing to instruct
Irishmen how to arm for the defence of their
country, &c.) He asked me if my number (the
nine men) had been made up. I said. I had made
them up, but that was untrue; I merely said it to
please him. My object was to pass him for the
time. It was at our second meeting that he men-
tioned the firearms and the pike.'
" This was the substance of Callaghan's state-
ment as regards Hawe ; his statement as regards
the other prisoners, as we are informed, merely con-
sisted of observations made by them to him in the:
street, asking him, had he his number made up ;
some of the queries to which he attached import-
ance appeared very absurd, although they might
have a sinister meaning, such as Are you married
yet ?" Did you kill the pig yet r&e.
" This man was cross-examin▪
ed by Mr. Quin
on the part of Hawe, and by Mr. Lowe for the
other prisoners, with the object of leading to the
inference that lie had concocted the story which he
told, but nothing material, was elicited. He de-
clared his sole object in giving i▪
nformation to the
authorities• was that his mind was uneasy, and on
account of the tremendous observations' on the
subject made by Father Salmon, went to the head