The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-22 00:00:00


been determined on, by way of intimidating the people ; yet..
such has been the ill-advised course of the prosecutors, that
even a verdict against the defendants will be deprived of all S 17.
moral influence on the nation. Such is the state—sack
spirit of the country. A
~ti6'`
STANDARD.— We have no intention to deviate fr
rule invariably observed in the Standard on similar oc r ,;:„
of refraining flora any comment on the evidence addu • ,A.:•7
Thursday last, on the State prosecutions in Ireland.; d,fr
first witness examined was Mr. Frederick Bond MO
who was upwards of six hours in the box, a
who deposed to what took place at the var 4-4
meetings and dinners he attended from the Ist:3tVry 0 A
October last, beginning with that of Mullaghmast. His * 0'111;0
evidence contained little with which the readers of news-
papers are not already familiar. lie obtained his admission
to the Mullaghmast meeting by means of a card, which he re-
ceived from Mr. Ray, avowedly in his capacity of reporter
for the Government. He was unable, however, to ex-
tract from Mr. Ray the resolutions agreed to at
Mullaghmast, although Mr. O'Connell bad promised
that he should be furnished with them; but he was
informed by that person that they had been correctly reported
in the newspapers. The witness was rigorously cross-
examined by one of the counsel for the traversers, Mr. Hat-
chell, who deemed it necessary to announce that he cross-
, examined on behalf of only one of these parties. Some notion
may be formed of the gratuitous insolence and irrelevance of
portions of this cross-examination from the following sample :
" Mr. Hatchell—As a man of the woild, do you not think
there is very little high treason in a cap?—l formed no opinion
on the matter.
It was stated that the crown was made at White's, in Tho •
mas-street ?—lt was.
" Then any person going to White's could get a crown to fit
his head, or a cap to fit his crown ? Did youbecome Irish enough
during your stay in this country to buy anything of Irish manu-
facture yourself ?—I did.
" Perhaps you bought a tabinet for the lady ?—I did indeed.
..—(Laughter. )
" Then one great advantage that the agitation has pro-
duced is, that it brought you over here to encourage Irisk
manufacture. I suppose if you were disengaged, you would •
have no objection to take a lady for the tabinet ?—Perhapi 1
should.

" Counsel—All I can say is, that the lady would have the
worst of it."

We say nothing of the gross insult to the Court in thus ex-
hausting its time on so important an occasion by coarse imper-
tinence like this, but we may express our belief that if the lati-
tude be allowed to the other counsel to the traversers which
seems to have been accorded to Mr. Hatchell, there is no saying
to what remote date these trials may be protracted. To the wit-
nesses subjected to such gratuitous insult, it must be con-
solatory to know that, did their evidence present any dis-
crepancy which could possibly be converted to their pre-
judice, the Counsel for the traversers would hardly
find it necessary to resort to such modes of annoy-
ance. Mr. Leatham, the assistant of Mr. Hughes, was
next examined, but did little more than corroborate the
evidence of his principal. Mr. Ross, a gentleman long con-
nected with the London press; said that he wont to Ireland at
the suggestion of the Government, and attended the Repeal
meeting at Donnybrook, on the Ist of July. He re-
visited London shortly afterwards, but returned to
Ireland in August, when he attended several
meetings of the Repeal Association. The Court adjourned be-
fore the examination of this witness was concluded. All the
Irish correspondents of the London press concur in their testi-
mony that no feeling stronger than that of mere curiosity ap-
pears to have been excited by these proceedings ; and that
whatever be their result, there appears to be little
chance of the agitation which has been foretold by the pro-
Repeal journals. Even the Morning Cht ()nide, bold in its
predictions of " public calamity," does not pretend
that the interest which has been excited by. there
trials in Ireland is of a nature to warrant its in-
ference. We omitted yesterday, by the way, to notice
the indecent exultation expressed by our Contemporary
at the personal ailments and infirmities disclosed in the appeals
of several of the jurors, who are sitting on these trials, to be
relieved from attendance. The age and rheumatism of one of
these gentlemen have been grossly exaggerated, in order to
afford an excuse for the suggestion that his bodily energies
may be exhausted • during the five or six weeks to which
the traversers propose to prolong their trials ; and it is aliirmed
that, if lie be not wholly incapacitated by illness from the per.
formance of his duty, he may, and " probably will, if particu-
larly game," die at his post ; in which case the proceed-
ings would be brought to an abrupt termination. It is ac-
cordingly hinted to him, that if he have any sense he will
take to his bed, and procure a doctor's certificate, in order that
the anticipations of this zealous friend to the Repeal cause may
be fulfilled. The hint to protract the proceedings to the
longest possible period, en the contingency of so desirable an
event, will not, we dare say, be lost upon the counsel for the
traversers.

THE GADDESBY MURDER AGAIN
RE-APPREHENSION OF MESSENGER.
(From the Leicestershire Mercury of Saturday. )
This atrocious murder, which has been fur so long a period
veiled in the profoundest mystery, has once more come before
the public.
It will be recollected by our readers that Timm and Hyman,
the waggoner, both in the employ of Messenger, were takes
up on suspicion of being concerned in this dreadful tragedy,
and were detained to await the result of the inquest on the
body. On the second examination, however, there appearing
to be nothing which could at all implicate them, and having
given what was, to the jury, a satisfactory account of hew they
were engaged on the day the murder was committed, they were
discharged by the Coroner.
Timson and Hyman were subsequently called upon (as our
readers will remember) to give evidence against their master,
who was, after several examinations, eventually committed to
take his trial for the murder at the last Summer Assizes. The
grand jury, on finding that there was not enough evidence on
which to convict, very wisely threw out the hill—we say
wisely, because by adopting such a step they left the accused in
a position to be again proceeded against, in the event of addi-
tional evidence being obtained. This additional evidence, we
believe, will now be supplied, but as the magistrates conceive
that the ends of justice will at present best be answered by
keeping the examination now holding strictly private, we are
not in a position to give the evidence verbatim. However, the
following particulars may, we believe, be fully relied upon :
Somewhere about the time of Messenger's first apprehension,
he discharged Timson frcm his service, and on the latter being
unable to find a fork belonging to himself, which he had been
in the habit of using on the farm, he told another labourer that
he would take one of his master's and keep it till his own was
found.
On Thursday last, as stated under our Loughborough police.
head, Messenger charged Timson with stealing the fork and
some other tools, and the result was that he was committed for
trial. Being defended by Mr. Bell, of Leicester, Timson, by
his advice, reserved his defence till his trial, and he was even-
tually liberated on bail. Subsequently, however, he made such
revelations in reference to Messenger's connection with the
murder that a warrant was immediately issued and placed is
the hands of the chief constable (Mr. Goodyer) who, accom-
panied by Superintendent Burdett, immediately proceeded to
Messenger's residence at Gaddesby-lodge.
On the arrival of the officers, they found the object of their
search in bed, little dreaming that he was about to be conveyed
to gaol for the third time on the same charge of murder I Of
course Messenger was speedily roused, and shortly afterwards
was on his way to Leicester, where he arrived in the custody of
Mr. Goodyer and his superintendent about eleven o'clock on
Thursday night.
Timson, we are. informed, states that, some time after Garner
was missed, Messenger eame to him while at work, and said
he believed Jeru (Garner) was dead, and in the wheat-field.
At a subsequent period he said he was dead in the
wheat-field. Ile then offered to give him a sovereign, or, in-
deed, anything, if he would bury the body. The principal
cause, however, which induced the magistrates to issue a war-
rant for his re-apprehension was the statement made by Mrs.
Hodges, which will be found below.
EXAMINATION BEFORE THE MAGISTRATES.
The magistrates assembled were C. W. Parke, Esq., M.P. ,
H. Halford, Esq., M.P., E. Dawson, Esq., and Col. Surnalay,
and it will be seen that the evidence adduced was of a most im-
portant character.
Mrs. Ellen Hodges, of 13arkby-lane, shoe-dealer, deposed that
being in ill-health she was in the habit of taking a long walk
every morning, and on the morning in question, June 2, about
five o'clock, slie was on the Melton read, and was overtaken by
some person whom she knew in a cart, who asked her to ride.
She complied with his request, and got up, but rode somewhat
farther than she had intended. When she was set down, at a
distance of several miles from Leicester, she lost her road, and
wandered to the Rotherby Hill, on which side stands Messen-
ger's lodge. 'The witness being alarmed at finding herself in a
lonely place at so very early an hour, she began to cry. While
standing in a field on the hill she heard a whistle, then a
noise, as of some blow being struck by a heavy in-
trument, and immediately after two loud groans. This, of
course, considerably increased her alarm, which was not at all
allayed by seeing a man coming in a direction from the spot
where the body was subsequently found, get over a teak in the
hedge, at a distance of not more than 41) yards. She saw he
had something red on his hands, and distinctly heard him say,
" D—n it, I've done it." She hid herself in the hedge till he
had gone to some distance, and then got over the very flea
which she saw him cross ; and she then discovered that it bad
several marks of blood upon it. On crossing the fleak she came
into a field where there were several trees, and there she saw
an old woman and child picking wool, and she also saw the same
man going up the hedge side. She got out of the field as quickly
as possible, and the woman and child also ran off on seeing
this man, as if greatly alarmed. (This evidence corrobo-
rates that given by Kitty Paget and her chile.) After walk-
ing a little way she met with some person who directed her to
the road, and she then returned home. Shortly after this, oft
a Saturday, she was at the Crown and Anchor, Belgrave-
gate, and was observed to tremble very much on seeing some
man in the bar, whom she had not known before, and she at
once recognised him as the man she had seen in this field
with bloody hands on the day in question. She made no re-
mark at the time, but on some man observing her emotion, lie
said, " That's Messenger," and nothing further passed.
Since this Messenger had been to her stall in the Market-
place, under the pretence of buying some shoes, though be made
no purchases. The first time he went she said to him," You've
got a pretty cheek, Messenger, to come to my stall." He replied
" You are mistaken, my name is not Messenger." This some-
what alarmed him, and something further was said, when a
loud altercation ensued, which was heard by several persons at
the neighbouring stalls, who corroborated her statement. Since
that time lie had been again and had offered her Some induce-
ment to " hold her tongue."
She had not been examined by the magistrates previous to
this time, though the chief constable had privately examined
her upwards of three months since, when the statement she
made was sot of the same character as that now made by her.
The first discovery of her knowledge of the facts now stated
was made by Mr. Charters, Inspector of the Borough police,
yesterday, who communicated them with the most praiseworthy
promptitude to Isaac Hodgson, Esq., and she was ultimately
examined this day. She had, on several occasions, expressed a
wish to Mr. Atkins, who has a stall adjoining to hers, that
she should very much like to see the spot on which tho body
was found. She was taken thither with Mr. Atkins, and
several other persons on Thursday. They stopped in a field at
some distance from the fatal spot, and lett her alone. She
walked in that direction, and came up to the precise spot on
which the body was found.
We were not admitted to hear the examination, it being
strictly private, but we can state that the above may be relied
on. A considerable number of other witnesses were examined.
the majority of whom only proved that Mrs. Hodges had made
no secret of her knowledge of these facts, having talked about it
to a great many persons, so that she had not kept it a secret till
now, in hoi‘e of getting the offered reward. 'I he examination
concluded about half-past four o'clock, the result being that
Messenger was remanded till Saturday. lie was immediately
conveyed in a fly to the county gaol, where he now is.

A greater number of wild geese hare passed over
the fens within the last few weeks than in any former year for some
time past—an indication either that the frost has set in very se-
verely in the North, or that these birds have the wondrous faculty
of prognosticating its approach.—Xerwidi Mercury. ,
GRANTIIAM.—A. fracas occurred at the vicars
annual charity ball which has agfbrded the non-privileged clan
much amusement. A lady, a daughter of a deceased clergyman,
refused to stand up in a quadrille with the son of a tradesman,
which caused this lad's indignant papa to resent the anYelit put
upon his son in "good set terms," there and then,—theft
Advertiser,

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