The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-17 00:00:00

THE CLERKENWELL uITTRAGS.

ADJOURNED CORONER'S INQUEST.—TIIIS DAY.
The coroner's inquiry into the circumstances con-
nected with the deaths of Humphrey Evans and
Martha Evans was resumed to-day before Dr. Lan-
kester, at the Vestry Hall, St. Pancras.
James Wells and Capes, the warders of the House
of Detention, were examined, and repeated their
evidence with respect to the ball coming over the
prison wall on the Thursday before the explosion.
In reply to the questions of a juror,
Capes said there was nothing on the ball when it
came over the wall, and although Ile could not say
he had ever seen a ball come over the prison wall,
he bad often seen shuttlecocks and pieces of wood,
called cats, come over.
Richard Maskell, another warder, spoke to the
exact place at which Burke stopped when he fell
out of the ranks of the prisoners at exercise, to
take his boots off on the day before the ex-
plosion.
A Juror—Would he have been out of harm
at that spot supposing the explosion had taken
place that day?
Witness—Yes ; that is the only place where any
one would have been saved alive.
Inspector Thompson, to the Coroner—The wit-
ness Capes wishes to add something to his evi-
dence.
Coroner—Let him come forward and state it.
The witness then said—On Friday morning, at
a quarter past nine o'clock, we were ordered to ex-
ercise the prisoners instead of the afternoon. At
this time Burke was under my charge, and when 1
went to his cell to tell him to come out he appeared
surprised, and said, " What ! exercise at this time ?"
and I replied " Yes, you must come out." Burke
then went back to his table and began fum-
bling about his papers, and said he must take them
with him. I told him he did not want them, as he
would soon come back, but he said he must have
them, and having selected some of them put them
in his pocket. He was exercised, and then in ac-
cordance with the direction of the chief warder
he was locked up in a different cell. When I
next saw Burke it was about 1 o'clock, and then I
saw the female called Burke's sister talking to him.
I told her time was up. Burke was again shifted
to another cell. I was then posted in the octagon
to guard.
Coroner—To guard against whet ?
Witness—To guard against any explosion. I was
armed with a loaded rifle.
Coroner—Then you expected an explosion ?
Witness—Yes.
Coroner—Were you all within the prison expect-
ing an explosion ?
Witness—Yes.
Richard Maskell—l wish to add something
.to
what I have already stated. On Friday afternoon
Inspector Thomson came with a person to identify
Burke, who was then in 89 cell. Burke was taken
out of his cell, but ou this occasion he also gathered
up his papers before leaving. I said, " You need not
take them, as you are coming back soon," to which
he replied, " I don't leave my papers for any one to
see." After Burke had been seen he was taken
back to his cell, but Chief Warder Moore told me
to put him in one of the cells on the opposite side.
At this time Burke said to me, " I feel so ill," and
he appeared to tremble violently. In a moment
after this the explosion took place.
Coroner—Did you see him after the explosion ?
Witness—Yes ; he was very quiet indeed, both
he and Casey asked what was the matter, but no
reply was given to them.
A Juror—Can prisoners write as many letters
as they please ?
Witness—Yes, provided they find their own
paper.
Coroner—We will now examine Vaughan if he
is in attendance.
Inspector Thomson—Yes, sir, he is here.
James Vaughan was then sworn, and, in answer
to the Coroner, said on the day of the explosion
Timothy Desmond came to my place, and, as he
appeared to have been drinking, I asked him if he
had been muddling it, to which he said no, but that
his son had gone off to sea. He then said he was
going to take a jump, and bid my wife good-bye, and
whispered to me and said it must be done. I asked
him what must be done, and he said to blow up the
House of Detention. I said nonsense. He said
they had found out by sending in Anne Justice
with Casey's dinner the best time for the affair, and
that it must be done between half-past 3 and 4.
When he left me he said if he was not killed
the next place I should see him would be at Mill-
bank. He also told me Bill Desmond and Keefe
would do the trick for Corydon, Massey, and
Devany. The witness then proceeded to relate the
conversation he had in the evening after the ex-
plosion with William Desmond, and also to the
meeting of Nicholas English the next morning
when he was reading the newspaper bill, when he
(English) told him the whole of London would be
blown up after Christmas, and that would be more
" diabolical" than the act perpetrated at Clerken-
well. He next referred to the conversation that
took place in Bove-street between himself and
William Desmond previous to the arrest of the
latter, who, he (Vaughan) inferred from what he
said, had been sent back by the other prisoners
previous to their effecting the explosion because he
was in liquor. He (Vaughan) told him he thought
he had better " hook it," as he had heard he was
being watched by detectives.
By a Juror—My wife is not related to the
Desmonds. I was sworn a Fenian by Timothy
Desmond. I consider myself an Englishman,
born of Irish parents. The qualification for making
a Fenian is that the party must himself be a sworn-
in member of the Brotherhood.
A Juror—Did you know anything of the plot
before it took place?
Witness—Not before the Friday morning, when
Timothy Desmond called on me and told me what
was going to be done.
A Juror—Have you attended Fenian meetings?
Wituess=---Yes. The meetings have been always
called raffles, but it was well known the object of
the collection of money was to buy arms.
A Juror—When were you sworn in a Fenian ?
Witness—ln the year 1865.
A Juror—Do you know the party who fired the
barrel ?
Witness—No, I don't.
A Juror—You positively state that you know
nothing of the explosion before it took place ?
Coroner—The witness has already stated so, and
now you are trying to worm out of him something
that may lead to an opposite conclusion.
A Juror—How do you account for your igno-
rance of the plot ?
Witness—l cannot sly. •
Coroner—l should like to know when Justice
went with Casey's dinner whether he knew he
would not be exercised in the afternoon ?
inspector Thomson—Casey knew he had been
exercised in the morning. He could not say
whether he would be so again in the afternoon.
A Juror (to Vaughan)—Do you know the
" boss ?"
• Vaughan--No. I only know he is the head
centre.
The Coroner said he had bad a communication
• from Inspector Thomson, and from what he had
told him there was further evidence, but that he
was not in a position to offer it on that occasion.
The jury, therefore, would now decide whether they
would again adjourn, or whether they would now
consider their verdict. •lle felt that the jury ought
to be in a position to come to a conelwion on the
subject, simply from the evidence they bad called
before them, irrespective of anything they might
have read ; however, it was for the jury to say
what course they would a lopt. All he could say
was that the result of eTery adjournment had been
to throw further light upon the very melancholy
affair.
Inspector Thomson—lrrespective of -what I have
told you, sir, I should like to ask for another ad-
journment.
The Coroner—Well, under these circumstances,
it will be best not to conclude the inquiry to-day.
. The inquest was then adjourned until Friday,
the 31st. .