The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-08-24 00:00:00

IRISH JUSTICE AT SIX-MILE-BRIDGE

THE announcement that a gentleman acting as a
Justice of the Peace, together with a body of s

wearing her MAJESTY'S uniforn, and receiving her
MAJESTY'S pay, have been found guilty by one of
the regularly constituted tribunals of the country,
of a series of wilful murders in the open day, is
sufficiently appalling. When, however, it is dis-
covered that the scene of the tragedies was in Ire-
land, that the time was during an election, and that
the condemning tribunal was an Irish coroner's jury,
horror and surprise partly give way to curiosity.
Accustomed as we unfortunately have been to hear
of all kinds of crimes of violence in the "Sister
Isle"—usual as it has been for juries there to trifle
with their oaths for the purpose of shielding the
guilty against deserved punishment—no one could
have been prepared for so audaciously dishonest
and deliberate a perversion of judgment, for the
purpose, not of saving the guilty, but of condemn-
ing the innocent, as is to be found in the monstrous
verdict of the coroner's jury at the inquest at Six-
MILE-BRIDGE. It is altogether unnecessary for
our present purpose to consider whether the soldiers
displayed on the occasion of the recent election riot
all the forbearance and patience which it was de-
sirable to exercise on so critical an occasion, and
whether, in the utmost strictness of law, their con-
duct in firing upon the mob was entirely justifiable,
although in truth there seem to be good grounds
for absolving them from even technical criminality.
But there is a very great variety of shades of
guilt in homicide, and there is a vast interval
between homicide of merely technical culpability
and wilful, malicious murder. The jury at Sex—
MILE-BR IDG E, composed of seventeen men, have,
by a majority of 12 against 5, upon their oaths de-
clared that Mr. DELMEGE, the magistrate, who had
charge of the voters, attacked the mob, and eight
soldiers of the 31st Regiment, who fired upon it, are
severally guilty of six wilful murders.
We shall not trouble our readers by entering
into the details of the case, for the purpose of
showing that there was not sufficient evidence of
the identity of the parties accused with those who
had killed the victims ; or that the firing did not
take place till after orders had been received from a
person reasonably believed to be a magistrate com-
petent to give such orders. Whether the right men
have been selected or not, and whether or not the
party were entirely justifiable, and, therefore, inno-
cent, it is clear that there was not one circumstance
in the case which could give a colour to a suspicion
that the performers in the tragedy were actuated by
malice in fact, or were guilty of that species of un-
provoked recklessness from which the law implies
malice. It was perfectly apparent that the only
issue raised by the evidence was one of justifiable
or unjustifiable manslaughter. So, indeed, the case
was left by the coroner, who laid down the law and
pointed out the duty of the jury in the most lucid
and impartial manner.

Alluding to the contradictory character of the
evidence, that learned functionary remarked to the

What, we ask, is the position of the public with
respect to the matter? It is coolly assumed that
jury—
we have nothing to do but look on whilst these
" However, gentlemen, there is one point clear—that
,
aasnsaailtetdacwkitwhasstomneasLethuaptotnheticieorpeoscraor
w—atshkantoethkeeyd
downwere
us both as respects their charges and the facilities
companies consolidate their monopolies, and place
and severely cut—that two soldiers were violently at.
tacked—that the reins and bridles were cut, and an they may choose to dole out to us, entirely at their
attempt made to cut the traces with knives. If you be.
imnertchye!
ulnfi t
evidre
Kingdom,wish
w,e proceedinu
et
to abney
ee n givensten t p
to
lieve that all these put together, placed the soldiers in •
real peril, you will justify that act, and bring in a verdict
notl oe re
occasionallyo eightnvey a
nncoe tsv.
ofjustifiable homicide." be despatched at whatever inconvenient time, and
On the other hand, the Coroner pointed out, that by whatever roundabout route, they may find most
unless the peril was real, and such as might affect in accordance with their own interests. We may
ourt he
present waggons
place
Britain whole-
provocation, ha
illl ea =
ordinarily brave men, the soldiers were not justi- be grateful if two or three monster trains are not
r esopf
ea
ere:
axt
lied in firing, because there was no real necessity
srmuuain)dsnetiintgutC:te supplyadnfd
for doing so.
01. i if
coal
Throughout a vast portion of Great Br
" If," he said to the jury, "You believe that there was
no such necessity, or that they fired from a wanton spirit,
provocation, or malice prepense, then your duty will be some competition will cease, and the gre
and from a reckessness of human life, without sufficient
to find them guilty of manslaughter."
In concluding his summing up, the Coroner put mated companies will reign supreme. Unhappily,
to the jury the various issues they had to try, saying it is too much to be feared that the Legislature
it was for them to consider whether the verdict will sanction this manifest abnegation of the powers
should be one of manslaughter, or of justifiable originally given to railway boards. That interest
homicide. The professional prosecutor in the case is strong in the House of Commons--too strong
we suspect for any Government or any independent
was not content with this fair statement of the
party to withstand its will. We have, in this town,
question to be decided, but with a kind of dia-
had .recent observe ecent occasion to
that it regards as
"murder" was within the range of the jury's
bolical satisfaction, suggested that a verdict of
nothing the claims upon it of particular corn-
consideration.
munities. To crush a weak rival it is ready to
d
"With respect to ' murder"' replied the Coroner, divert the channels of commerce in any direction
" the circumstances of the case and the provocation re- which best suits its own views. And if these things
ceived, whatever it was, must do away with that; the be practicable, whilst its ambitio is *
provocation has been admitted." n restrained in
its aims, we may readily • •
Nevertheless, 12 out of the 17 jurors, setting
at when those objects shall have
facts, law, charity, mercy, justice, and oaths
been fully achieved.
defiance, declared both magistrate and soldiers to I It behoves the British public seriously to examine
, the tendency of •
be murderers. Since this verdict could not have this important movement, and, if
been derived from the evidence, whence came it ? need be, to call upon the Legislature for protectio.n.
political, I This can
From the prejudices, religious, and social,
only be effected by some very stringent
from the evil passions, of the jurors, perhaps ! But ; enactment or Government surveillance compelling
there was one Father BourtKE, who, if we mistake such a railway monopoly, if it is created, to afford
not, figured prominently in the tragic scene. Can ample traffic accommodation at reasonable rat
he or his holy brethren have aught to do with this But we are inclined to doubt whether 41
Christian verdict ? The Irish papers do not hesitate premiss upon which these great comp;
to treat Mr. COFFEY, who attended the inquest in their proposition to amalgamate be not unsound,
the character of prosecutor, as Father BOURKE'S They say, r 4 ive have been expending ruinous
counsel. But, as the proceedings in which the amounts in Parliamentary and other warfare, and
Rev. Father played so remarkable a part have yet to it is this we wish to put an end to." Our reply is,
undergo more minute investigation, we shall in that the great body of shareholders ought to
charity defer our observations on the share which interfere, if it is found that their boards of direction
he has taken in the whole transaction, and on the are grasping and litigious; and are thus wantonly
assistance he has supplied towards fostering that thowing away the money which ought to provide
spirit which has led to the commission of 59 odious liviclends,

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