The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-26 00:00:00

TRIAL FOR GRIM. CON. IN DUBLIN.

.. _ .
JuBLIN, FRB. 23:--The Court of . King's Bench
is now occupied in the trial of a very singular case
of Ciins. Con, which has attracted a vast degree of
interest here, in consequence of the great novelty. of
the-circumstances. The Chief Justice presides, and
the trial is a special jury, of which Alderman
M'Kenny is the foreman. The following is a brief
narrative of the case, as taken from the statement
of Mr. Sergeant Goold. The plaintiff, Mr. Coffee,
is a calico-merchant, residing on ' Merchant's • Quay.
In 1-813 he married a lady ramed Keane, who had
been educated at Renelagh Nunnery, and by whom •
he had three children, the, eldest a female, almost
'afters old. The defendant, Joseph Joy Magee, is
a native of the north of Ireland, and was born in a
little island called Port Magee. He is the nephew
cf a very respectable Catholic clergyman,- the.
s'sverend Joseph Joy Deane, who is master of
a seminary at Blancherstown, to which place the de-
fendant was sent, at a very early age, for edu-
catifus. At the age of sixteen he was placed as ap-
prentice with an apothecary, in Bridge-street, with
whom he served part of his apprenticeship, when,
with his uncle's aid, he went to Edinburgh, where
he obtained a medical degree. Shortly after his re-
turn he became physician to the Meath-street In-
firmary, and obtained some practice in his profession.
Dr. Magee lodged at- this time in the house of the
plaintiff, who, it appeared, had been very happy in
his domestic state, and enjoyed the affectionate
attachment of his wife. The defendant, too, was
regarded by him with the strongest feelings of
friendship; and when, in April, 1827, Coffee pro-
Peed to visit his elder daughter, who was placed
for educatioi at an Ursuline convent at Boulogne-
sur-Me,., Magee offered to accompany him, if he
could obtain the means of -defraying his expenees:'.
Coffee readily o9aserited to. give any ..money that
would be required, and they both set out 'to-
gether. From -Boulogne-sur-Mer they repaired to
Paris, where-they remained three weeks, and on
their return " to Dublin, Magee pve Coffee a bill for
881; for the money lent; Tharbill, as well as another,
had never been paid, and Counsel deemed it proper to
anadelo them, in Order to shOw that' the kindness
,of the'plaintiff deserved better treatment at the
hands of 4he defendant than the seduction of his
,wife.. Oil the 3d April, 'lB2B, Coffee was obliged
in eOnsequence of the dangerous illness of his brother,
to Proceed to Castlebar ; and during his absence
Magee dined tete-a-tele with Mrs. Coffee, took her
°"t iu the plaintiff's gig to see the reception of a
nun at a convent in the neighbourhood of the city,
and to the Curragh of Kildare, to see the races.
On the last. occasion they stayed out till twelve at
night, when they came home dripping wet. They
remained up some hours after, eating oysters and
drinking launch. On' the Bth of. April-
Coffee re-
turned, and, from the suspicions regarding his wife's
fidelity, communicated to him by a male and female
servant, and his salesman, George Taylor, al-
though be was unwilling to believe that he had
been betrayed by 'his wife and his friend, yet he
determined on strict watchfulness. ON the 30th
June, in the day time, Magee came iu, and ascertaining
that Coffee was out, he went up stairs followed by Mrs.
Coffee
• The rooms of Magee were over the ware-reom,
and Taylor, the salesman, who was in the place,
beard footsteps. over-head, and such a noise as in-
t-410a him to suppose that something improper was
proceeding. Shortly after Mrs. Coffee came down,
,81Vateritly ." very much flushed ;" she was followed
.by the poctor, whose appearance was similar. Tay-
lor then went up stairs, and found Magees bed very
!lineh tossed, although it had been made in the morn-
'7,9l. On Sunday, the 20th of July, at night, aftet
Magee went to bed, Taylor.saw him coming down
starts in his,bhirt and night-cap; he went into the
Parlour, where Mrs. Coffee was. Taylor was in the
D're-rOom,' and through a glass door' he saw the
octor embrace Mrs. Coffee, when they both fell,
sad vanished from his sight. On the Wednesday
—l°lving,, at night,.Taylor again saw the Doctor
ed._
_liter the parlour 112 his shirt and nightcap. - Mrs.
s‘judree. went up to • her -husband's bed-room, and
—uitli _afteiwards came downs and said to the
L'illtivnts "'Upon my word and honour, Mr. Coffee
ititiattasteep, ' Taylor then saw them embrace,
' ' -7144#1_ his further observation, be was quite con-
vineekthat.the act for which the plaintiff sought re-
Parlt, ti,"illa .41 been committed. Coffee then obtained
auttge vita, on. which Dr. Magee was arrested,
and he has.sinee remained in prison. Mr. Sergeant
%old concluded by making a very feeling appeal to
414' Jury,, calling, upon them to show, by their
verdict,. their' detestation of the shameless duplicity
(4 the defendant, and their determination to punish
a MM. whichs fortunately, was of novel occurrence
hi. this Country,
.L George Taylor, and several other witnesses, were
'll
,eifexamined. The statement of the Counsel was
41;borne out by the evidence.
,441 r. GS BENNETT addressed the Jury on the part
Qt the
defendant, who he said, wasprevented by his
Prittonmi- eta from using that diligence and inquiry
.tw,hich would be necessary to rebut a charge, the
;:nh of which he' utterly denied. Mr. Bennett then
erirnviewed the evidence, remarking that the proof of
e • ..
Malay rested solely on the testimony of one wit-
'si, the salesinnn Taylor.
epllis LOansnta then summedup at smile length;
i re tnK n him
si the Jury, after coniulting for about 12 mijiutes,
i and ed.a verdict for the plaintiff,'—t/amages 1001.,
c ' -
tt. -

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