The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-11-19
FENIANISM IN ENGLAND.

The Murder Trials at Manchester-scens
in and about the Court House-The Wit
nesses and their Testimony-Demea an o
and Speeches of the Prisoners-The Dealt
Sentence.
A Manchester correspondent of the New Yor
Times gives a long but exceedingly interestin
account Of the recent Fenian trials which cause
so great an excitement throughout the Unite
Kingdom. The speeches of the condemned, 8
true and touching in their simple eloquence, WI
l wake an echo in every Iribh heart:
+, MANCHESTER, Saturday, November g.
Every hour the interest Of this tragedy OF 7, In
murder trials at Manchester has deepeneo. In
gagged in the release OF Kelly and Deasey was o
g-ilty Of the murder OF the policeman Brett as I'll
| one who actually shot him. 1t js constructiv
murder. This was the charge OF Chief-Justlc
Blackburn, and on this charge the Grand Jury ha
indicted the whole twenty-six for murder. NOV
this rule must Work both ways, and 1T follows tina
the man who actually shot Brett is no more gulit;
| and no more deserving of death than any and al
Of the twenty-six indicted, or the forty or nl'y
said by the witnesses to have been engaged IN tn
these men were engaged in q conspiracy for assas
sination and plumber. No one was robbed, no one
except by accident, was hurt, unless it was Brett
and his delth may have been oy what ls caHee
chance medley" 1t was sworn on the part or tne
prosecution that Allen and the rest who had reVof
vers fired at the ground or into the air. to frighter
and not to kill, the police and people, men ane
women who gathered around the prison van
from which they were seeking to release thelr I'M
prisoned chiefs. No doubt it was serious
crime Lnless justified by the Imprisonment o1
Kelly and Deasey, but it was not intended TO DC
murder.
The court room Oh Wednesday was simply full
There were many ladies in privileged places
few, even. on the platform which holds the Judges
bench. Some of the NOBILITY Of Lancashlre-ladie
as we'll as lords-oocupied the grand jury box. The
PROCEEDINGS were orGerly and more duu tnan Is
usual in an American trial. The cross-examlna-
tons are searching, but there ls little OF wnch tne
most sensitive witnesses could complain. Oniy
Oh Wednesday night, when witness sWore 10 the
most dlrect and important circumstances ID re-
gard to Allen-swore that he saw him put his
pistol through the ventilator, stoop down, take
aim, and shoot Brett, not word OF which mad ne
said when he was before the magistrates, and
which he had apparently invented since, w1tn an
Seymour startle the Court with burst OF most
eloquent Indignation.
OPENING TIE CASE.
There was no regular opening Of the case for
the defence, MIR. Seymour preYerrlng to reserve
his forces for the summing up. Then the first
witness, Miss Mary Flanagan was called. pref
tier Irish girl have seldom seen, and that is say
in her language and department, showed that she
had received careful education. Her parents
keep tavern some twenty miles from Mancbes-
ter, and she has been governess IN gentlemans 8
family. She happened to know Gould, one OF the
prisoners, and swore positively to haVlng seen
hlm at time and place which made his part cipa-
tion in the riot impossible-nor could see that
the cross-examinatiou Of the Attorney-General
shook or dlscredited her testimony. Mrs. Leary,
O very decent seeming woman, testified to having
seen him at the same place AMI time. An old
lady, her two sons, and another young man, sWore
clear llbt as to Shore.
sister of Mcguire swore that he never left her
house until o'clock on the night OF the rescue.
Mary Ingham, pale pretty girl, then came upon
the stand. and pale and rigid as statue-a more
perfect Jennie Deans" than was ever seen upon
the stage-told the whole stcry Of her acquaint-
ance with the soldier Magulre when and where
she saw him that day, how he asked II he might
20 with her to party, how he had often asked
her to 90 with him to the theatre, and once she
went. and how sure she WAS that on that fatal 18th
Of September he was al home; and her ulshaken
testimony was fully confirmed by four neigbDors,
whose house almost touched that OF the prison.
er's sister. Here then were three as Gear d'iois
as I ever heard, and the last very strong one,
out Of the FIVE prisoners on trial. No witness was
called as to Allen except policeman to show that
he was bruised and beaten, and his head bound
up when the witnesses came to identify him; and
rome at all for Larkin. Ol neither side was there
any attempt to impeach witness.
CLOSING ARGUMENTS AND VERDICT.
On Friday morning at $50 o'clock, in cold rain
storm, found the barricaded doors OF the Asslze
Courts blocked up by crowd struggling, as an
English crowd always does, TO gain admission. A
few minutes after the doors were opened every
foot Of space was occupied; the jury was called
over the Judges took cir seats, and MIR. Digby
SEYMOUR Queens Counsel, commenced his plea
ON behalf of three OF the prisoners, the two others
Ii L., M,
Mr.. Seymour is atle and eloquent but think he
weakened his case by denounoing Fenianism-
which was really the crime for which all three men
are on trial He had raised the legal point
that Kelly and Deasey were not lawfully IN ousto,
DIV and therefore their rescue was jusalhable, and
the death Of Brett reduced to case OF man
slaughter. The Court ruled that although the
warrant was irregular, the magistrate acted right
fully in his discretion, and that the men we're IN
the legal charge Of Brett. The speeches OF both
the CO lnsel for the defence we're professional and
no more, There was no sympathy, and both earn
estly condemned the cause in which the prisoners
were engaged This was we'll me mt, but 1t would
have come more naturally from the Attorney
General who, on his part, retIalned from any po-
itIcal illusions, and III no way pressed nsrdly
upon the prisoners He fairly aud ba ely stated
tbe case without hetraying the least earnestnt IS.
The summing up of the Judge, though no doubt
intended to be strictly impartial, was harder upon
the prisoners than the colorless speecn OF the
handsome, lnsoucioat Attorney-General.
The extraordinary circumstances OF tho trial
were also commented upon with an opposite ell
fact. | suspect from that intended. Never before
in Manchester seldom Of late years in England
had court of justice been so barrioaied, 80 sur
70 .nded wl4h police, 80 filed with soldiers, who
iostled civilians in the corridors, and the ring OF
hose muskets could be heard IS they e ounded
arms in the hall. Never were hve manacled ,I prl,
soners so guarded, and so escorte to and from
the Court House by the regiments OF horse and
foot. All this preparation this trial in q camp aa
n hv drumhead court-martlal-must have eject
ed the minds of the jury. They. were to save
the county" by their verdict. The policeman at
nv side between mo and the prisoners, had q
.artridge box and Colts revolver at his telt and
pointed out the Fenians he could spot among the
audience. 1,.x, e,,;,h
ed his charge to the jury. He did not tell them
thew were Judges OF TIE law and the facts, as Is
i ne IN America he gave them the law, and Left
them the duty leciding upon tho facts: Inc
INV retired, and for an anxious hour aud twenty
minutes the audience, which had been seated
Since before O'Clock in tue morning, excepting
an interval Of half an hour, ood up an discussed
rhe verdict. / felt sure that Allen would be
found no guilty equally sure that they must acqui:
Maguire The tbi IN his case was strong ano
ooneistent and the Judge arged vlsloly IN his
favor. I was doubtful about tne other cases, but
two acouittals seemed probable. Tho jury came
;o efkar an aDSeQC6 VI Ill AOu1 uno
~ ,,tes The prisoners came up from below anc
too their plqces. The names of the five priso
ners tSSa were were called over. and the usual question
nu n,t n the foreman, and five times he pronounced
pUs Ins terribIe word, "Guityl" ALI guilty OF con
sIrnorys sIv 1i,' murder. man was killed by some
hodv and they With soma scores OF others, ruiet
bv tie Court to be equally guilty, were Presen
aiding and abetting
! THE PRISONERS SPEECHES.
And now commenced the most eztraordinas!
| scene I ever witnessed in O Court OF Jusuce
When asked what they had 20 say WY sentence
| death should not now be passed upon them
miserable and useless formsEty, since whateve
thew had to say should have been said to the jur;
before the verdct-each Of the five prisoners al
dressed the Court, and each IN his way was eio
anent, and four we're bold and defiant. The filth
moor moor Mcguire, sol4ler thirteen years in tn
oneens Service declared, what truly believe
that he never was Fenian, had never been n 4n
way concerned in the rescue, and was quietly
home hon in his sisters house, as was sworn by tiy
nnimpeached witnesses, added to policeman
who Testified to his quiet habits That jur
conid coraemn man to death on such charge
with such d probability of mistaken identity, cal
only be accounted for by tie feet that they we1
| oot;no nndar n strong exciiem mt.