The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-05 00:00:00

A Volunteer Charged with Attempting to

Shoot the Prince of Wa'er.

BRIGHTON, Wednesday Evening.

A large crowd assembled this morning at the
police court, to hear the proceedings against a mem-
ber of the London Irish Volunteers, who had been
given into custody by his colonel, the Marquis of
Donegal, on a charge of having used seditious lan-
guage in threatening to shoot the Prince of Wales,
and in having 10 rounds of ball cartridge in his
pocket when searched on the review ground on
Monday last, although on being questioned he de-
nied having any ball cartridge about him.
The accused, whose name is Patrick Butler, and
belonged to No. 8 company of the London Irish, had
undergone a preliminary examination on the previous
day, and was remanded to bring down some of his
comrades who had returned to London on the Mon-
day night to give evidence against him, it being
alleged that the ball cartridge found on him was not
Government ammunition, but had been purchased
by him privately on the previous Saturday. These
rumours becoming extensively circulated throughout
the town on Tuesday caused the intense excitement
above referred to, and the police court was speedily
crowded as
Bigger
as its doors were opened.
Alr.
stipendiary magistrate, and Messrs. J.
Alfree, J. Burrows, Mr. Alderman Algar, Mr. W.
Hollis, and Col. Fawcett took their seats shortly
after 11 o'clock, and the Marquis orDonegal occu-
pied a seat on the bench. Lieut.-Col. Wood and
several volunteer commanding and other officers
were present.

The prisoner, on being placed in the dock, bowed
to the Court. He is in person of slender build and
somewhat above the middle height. He has a sharp
eye and dark hair with a small military moustache,
and was attired in his ,'uniforrn as a private in the
London Irish. The evidence upon which he had
been remanded was, in the first instance, read over,
and wits to the following effect :
James Nicholls Cox—l am a corporal in the 28th
Middlesex (London Irish) Rifle Volunteers. The
prisoner is a private in the same regiment. He had
not fallen in with the corps on its march to the
Race-course on Monday last, but came on after.
When he came on the ground the prisoner was given
into custody by the colonel of the regiment for using
seditious language. I saw the prisoner at half-past
eleven o'clock on the Sunday morning, on the road
from the railway station. He was then almost as
drunk as he possibly could be, and I heard after-
wards that he had been carried home to his brother's
house in Brighton. Patrick Barry, a sergeant in
the same company as the prisoner, took him into
custody, and a packet of ball-cartridge was found
in his pocket. When asked if he had any ball-
cartridge about him, he said he had not. I searched
the prisoner, and found the packet of ball-cartridge
produced in his pocket. It had not been opened.
After he was taken into custody his rifle was exa-
mined by the armourer of the corps, and it was
found not to have been loaded or used. The rifle
was quite' clean.

Corporal Cox again entered the witness-box, and,
in answer to further questions, said—l cannot tell
where the rounds of ball-cartridge came from. The
volunteers buy them for pool shooting. They pay
a little more for them at private shops.
Robert Gillott—l am a private in the 28th Mid-
dlesex (London Irish) Volunteers. I reside in
Clifford-street, Soho-square, London. I am a musi-
cian. 1 saw Butler in a public-home, near the rail-
way station, on Sunday morning, about 11 o'clock.
I think the name of the house is "The Feathers."
He produced some ammunition, which I saw was
ball-cartridge, and talked about shooting some one.
I think he said the Prince of Wales. Prisoner was
half drunk, and I thought he would get into some
trouble, and so I reported him to the commanding
officer. He took the ball ammunition out of his
pocket and placed it in my hand. When he said he
was going to shoot some one, I believe he mentioned
the Prince of Wales. I said " Don't be so foolish."
Then it was that he placed the ammunition in my
hand, and I gave it him back. He did not use the
name of the Prince of Wales at first, and when he
did so I looked on it as a jest, but I thought he
would get into trouble, so I reported it to Corporal
Cox. I left prisoner at the public-house. I heard
from him that he brought the ball-cartridge down
to fire at the range. This was on the Monday, when
he was taken into custody. When his pouch was
examined he had blank-cartridge as well. That was
served out on Saturday afternoon at Somerset-house.

1 The prisoner, on being asked if he desired to put
any questions, said he did not. He was drunk, and
had no recollection of having used such expressions
as those attributed to him. He came down at 8
o'clock, and intended to stop a week with his
brother, who resided at Brighton.
Robert Butler, examined—l am brother to Patrick
Butler, and firsta'saw him at a quarter past 12. on
Sunday, when he was brought to my house in Edin-
burgh-road quite drunk and incapable of walking by
himself. I got him to bed, and he remained there
upwards of an hour. I tried to get him to eat, but
he could not. I expected him before, and he was
going to stop with me. After he got better he had
a walk with me for two hours, and he slept at my
house on the Sunday night. He was too late when
he got up in the morning to join his corps, so he went
on to the race hotel to find them. He was then sober.
He told me on the Monday morning that he had ten
rounds of ball-cartridge, and he did not know
whether to take it with him or leave it behind. He
was quite careless about it. He had the ball-car-
tridge in his hand looking at it, and said he had
purchased it. He was not capable of knowing what
he did or said when he was brought to me.
Corporal Cox recalled—l asked him on the Mon-
day at the review-ground for the ten rounds of ball-
cartridge, and he said he had not any with him. I
searched him, and then found the ten rounds pro-
duced. You can tell it is ball-cartridge by its
weight. I took these cartridges away from him,
and gave them to the adjutant. The rifle was not
loaded. It was quite clean.
The Magistrate wished to know if the prisoner
desired to say anything in answer to the serious
charge which had been made against him, and at
this point a telegram was handed to the Bench from
the solicitor whom the accused had engaged to de-
fend him, asking that the case might be fixed for 2
o'clock, a course the Magistrate declined to adopt.
Having been cautioned as to any statement he
might make,

The prisoner said—l purchased the ball-cartridge
in Long-acre from mere curiosity, as it was, I be-
lieved, different from the Government ammunition,
and as I intended to have some shooting at Easter,
I wrote to my brother about a fortnight ago that I
was not quite sure that I could come down. I went
to Somerset-house for my ticket and ammunition on
Saturday evening. On the Monday I had with me
half-a-pint of Irish whisky, and I had aquartern of
that, and some brandy with other Volunteers, and
then we had some ale at two other publichouses. I
have no recollection whatever of having threatened
to shoot the Prince of Wales. If I did so, it must
have been a mere jest. I had had no breakfast, and
was the worse for liquor. The Lord knows I could
not have any animosity against the Prince of Walesher
or against any other person. I have nothing further
to say.
and then,
and with the Marquis of Donegal, Mr. BIGGE here consulted with the other magis-
trates'received a
turning to the prisoner, said—We
awllisnhoitntgakues
totelvegrutatphhisicemaseessuaffgetiufrohr
ot,yeilsoolcifrkar.
more agreeable to
that course, but one
believe, to everyone
The explanation you have
solicitor,
sh
our own feelings,
else, including yourse
evidence of the witnesses, tends
11 as the
given, as we .as well as, as, we
to show mostasiastidsfialecmtornrilay
btyh aytoyuoru
own
uve follyb rouaguhdt
It would have been a melancholy
that splendid regiment which we saw here
slur upon
dyrouunrskeelef e
et
sos.
n Monday, and which we are always glad to wel-
come
on these occasions, could anyone in its ranks
have been guilty of the intention which has been
imputed to you. We believe that a more loyal
body of Volunteers is not in the service, and in
the conviction that you are not otherwise you are
now discharged.
The decision was received with great applause.
The prisoner bowed and left the dock, and hundreds
waited outside and cheered him, and followed him
as he left the court with his friends.