The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-30 00:00:00

Austrian 550

Lombard .
North of Spain
Saragossa
Roman

378 k

THE FENIAN PROSECUTION.

BOW-STREET—This DAT.

To-day Peter Mohan, alias Monahan, was again
placed before Sir Thomas Henry, charged with in-
citing soldiers to desert from her Majesty's army
and to enter that of the Fenian Brotherhood.

Mr. Poland attended on the part of the Treasury
to prosecute, and Mr. Roberts defended the prisoner.
The first witness examined to-day was Mrs.
Farrell, the wife of Michael Farrell, a gunner in
the Royal Artillery, stationed at Woolwich, who
stated that on December 27, 1865, she was at quar-
ters with her husband, when she for the first time
saw a civilian named Thomas Farrell and
a man named Conningham, a gunner in the
same brigade Las her husband. Her husband
went away with those two men, and she never saw
him again till 14th of February, 1866, when her
(the witness's) husband was then wearing plain
clothes. He said he had just returned from Liver.
pool. Thomas Farrell was after that sent to prison
by the magistrate at Woolwich.
Cross-examined—She never corresponded with
her husband after his desertion : and inquiries were
made of her about him, but she knew nothing
about him previous to his return to Woolwich.
The officers of the regiment were very kind
to her, and she was allowed to remain in barracks
for some time after her husband left. Her husband
gave himself up as a prisoner in the guard-room for
desertion, and he was confined to the room for nine
weeks before he was tried. He did not give any in-
formation to the officers about Fenianism when be
gave himself up, but he has since. He was sen-
tenced to 59 days' imprisonment. - After that he re-
mained with her until February, 1867, when
he was arrested again on suspicion of being
concerned with Fenianism. During the time
between his release from prison and his arrest he
did duty as a soldier. He was eventually taken to
Dublin as a prisoner and kept there some time.
After he had been there some weeks he was released.
He gave some information about the prisoner before
he was released. Her husband was unable to at-
tend on account of his being at present confined by
illness to the hospital.
Henry Emby, a sergeant-major in the Royal
Artillery, stationed at Woolwich, proved the deser-
tion of Michael Farrell. Neil Conningham and
Thomas Connolly were also deserters from the same
brigade. Farrell and Connolly returned to the
head-quarters and were tried by court-martial, but
Conuingham never came back.
William Lambert, a sergeant in the Military
Train, 12th troop, stationed at Shorncliffe, said in
1865 he was at Woolwich. He knew a pri-
vate in the troop called William Lennon.
He deserted on the 27th of December, 1865.
He never saw Lennon again until the summer of
1866, in Dublin, when he (Lennon) was tried by
general court-martial. He believed he was still in
custody. He was sentenced to five years' penal ser-
vitude for desertion and Fenian treason.
Cross-examined--The sentence was inflicted for
desertion to the best of bis belief ; he had said Fe-
nian treason, but he didn't exactly know what it
meant.

John Cutler, a troop-sergeant in the Military
Train, proved the desertion of a trooper named
M' Keogh.

John Joseph Corydon was then called. He said
—I was a member of the Fenian brotherhood. I
joined in 1862. The object of the association
was to overthrow her Majesty's Government
in Ireland, and to establish in its stead an Irish
Republic. I know the prisoner. I have seen him
in Dublin in Jan. and Feb., 1866, but I had not
known him before that time. I saw him several
times in Dublin in different public-houses, in com-
pany with some Fenian American officers and some
deserters from the Queen's army. I have seen the
prisoner with Capt. Burke, Capt. Deasey, Capt.
O'Brien, and Captain Doheny. The Captain
Burke I speak of made his escape to Ame-
rica. He has never been in custody. Captain
Deasey was the one that was rescued in Manchester,
and Doheny also had gone to America to the best
of my belief. All these officers were members of
the Fenian brotherhood. I did not see the prisoner
sworn in as a Fenian, but to the best of my opinion
Le was one, or he would never have been allowed
with the officers I have mentioned had he not
been. When I have been with the prisoner and
others the subject talked about was Fenianism,
and an early rising was intended in Ireland,
in 1866.- The plan for the intended rising was dis-
cussed when the prisoner was present, and he took
part in these discussions. The rising was fixed for
the 17th of March in that year.
Mr. Poland--What have you seen the prisoner do
in Dublin ?

Witness—Pay men for deserting from the army.
Prisoner has told me that he had done so.

Mr. Poland—How many have you seen him
pay ?
Witness—Sometimes six, sometimes twelve at a
time. The money was given to the men to support
themselves until the rising took place. Captain
O'Brien was executed in Manchester under the
name of Gould. I know the Curran public-house in
Dublin. It is off Leicester-street. I have seen the
prisoner pay money to men in the house.
Mr. Poland said that was as far as he could go
that day, and the absence of the witness Farrell
compelled him to ask for another remand.
Sir T. Henry thought it would be well, if pos-
sible, to complete the case at the next examination,
as the Central Criminal Court sitting would com-
mence on Monday.
Mr. Poland said he would do all that Nci as pos-
sible to complete the case on the next occasion.

The prisoner was then remanded for a week.