Middlesex Sessions, Satur...
The Times, 1824-12-06T00:00:00

ratrick .Slheehan, a tall athletic lrishman, was indicted for cruelly ill-treating his son, a lad about 10 years of age. AIr. Ai;DnEws 8tated, that the prosecution was instituted by the united parishes of Sc. George and St. Gilea against the prisoner, for one of the most revolting crimes ever heard of. He would ab- stain from detailing the particulars of the case,.lhich were too dreadful to he repeated, but proeed at once to call tSe witnessee for the prosecution. He then called Cornellus Bowcr, one of the parish officers, who stated. that on Alonday the 15th of November, he was passing through Church-street, St. Giles'., where he saw the prl- goner's son standing cryisqg, surrounded by a crnwd of persons; he was nearly naked, his head was bleeding profua4ly, and there was a dreadful cut on his mouth. He took him to the Parish Committee, who ordered him to be examined by their aurgeon. Ar. Burgess. Edward Sheehan, the lad, then stated, that on the above mentioned day, when hc went home-to dinner, the prisoner acpused him of stealing some apples; th1apples were given to h'n by a wo- man namede Nelly Harrington, and he told his father so. He, ho - ever, stripped him naked, and beat him severely with a rope; he then took him up by the ears several times, and threw him to the ground with all his force; after vwhich he placed him on the fire, and held him there uintil his back was completely scorched. Elis mother-in- law, who had been in the room the whole of the time, theni inter- fered, and held the prisoner while he (witnesR) ran into the street. (The child was here stripped by one of the officers of the court, and his back shown to the jury.) There was a mark about an inch in widtli across the back, which appeared to have been burned by the bar of the grace. The prisoner 2sked the foUowing questions:-. Did you not steal a pair of boots from a shop in Monmouth- street ?-No. Did not a man come to my place the dav I beat you, and charge you with stealing apples ?-No. Did Nelly Harrington say she had given them to you ?-Yes, she did; she told you she gave me four. Did you not steal sixpence from a man up stairs ? The child here seemed quite alarmed at the furious lo0ks of the prisoner; he at length; bursting into tears, answered in the niegative. Cornelius Mlalley said, that he lived opposite the prisoner, that he heard the boy screaming, and sav, " I won't do so again, father." The noise then ceased, as if thc boy was stifled. He afterwards ran inLo the street nearly naked. Air. Burgess, a surgeon, said he had examined the boy, and found a scar extending from one shoulder to the other; it appeared as if his back had been laid across a hot iron bar. His body was aovered with bruises, and his ears were much contused as if they had been pulled violently. He considered his lifein danger several days. The prisoner, in defence, sald, that the boy had stolen a pair of boots thie day before from a shop in Alonmouth-street; and that the prisoner on discovexing it restored them. The dav he beat him a man told hini he had stolcn his apples, and for that he chastised him writh a rone; but did not lift him up bv the ears, or pLace him on the fire. He called the woman Nelly llarrington, who denied having given the boy apples. The CHAIRMAN, in summing up, said, that whatever were the demerits of the boy, nothing could justify the dreadful treatmnent he had received. Little doubt could be entertained, even from the pri- soner's defence, that he was the person who inflicted those injuries. The Jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict of Guzilty. The child said he hoped he should not be sent home agaln, as his father would beat him worse than ever. Alr. Bigg, the overseer of the parlsh, assured him he would be taken care of. About two hours after the trial, the man from whom the shoes were stated to have been stoleni (who hbad been sent for by the Chair- man) attended, arid stated that lie missed a pair of shoes on the 14th of November, which were restored by the prisoner, who stated his son had stolen them. The CUATIRMAN said lie should defer passing sentence until Alonday. AIIDDrESEX , rgrNR R n X'n- A