The Sun. — 1846-03-12 (London, England)

CROWN COURT.--(Before Lord Chief Justice Timm.) Two Irish labourers, of the names of Welch and Glynn, were indicted for a rape, within the precincts of the city, on the 22d of August last, upon the person of one Mary, the wife of George Lee, a monstrously dirty member of the gipsy tribe, at the age of about 60. Mr.•D'Eyrcourt conducted the prosecution; Mr. Macaulay defended the prisoners.  It appeared that there was an encampment of gipsies in Greetwell-lane, in or near the city, on the night in question, which, at the dead hour of the night, whilst the tribe slumbered in peace was outrageously stormed by a party of wanton • Irishmen, who remorselessly demolished their tents, and sought to defile the female members of the tribe, succeeding successively in their base assault upon the prosecutrix, whilst her husband was engaged in running after his use, which had made off down a lane with a load of blankets at the outbreak of the engagement. She, with her husband, reposed in one tent, her two daughters, of whom one was a widow, in another, and a kinsman and his wife in another. She bad also a son, twenty-six years old, who seemed to have acted as patrol. The assault opened with an attack upon the tent of the daughter?, which, after they had refused to let the Irishmen go to bed to them, was carried, and razed to the ground ; but the Irishmen being, by recourse to throats and nails, repulsed in their further attack upon the daughters, turned off to the old woman's tent. While Glynn succeeded with the mother Welch held the widowed daughter, after which the prisoners interchanged their positions. There was a party of nine or ten Irishmen behind the hedge. The unhappy aged victim of Irish concupiscence deposed to the leading facts. The parties first began heaving stones. The two prisoners did it. The other nine or ten did not interfere or throw stones. They knew previously that the men wanted to go to bed with the young women, who wouldn't have it on no account. One of the men hugged and ravished witness. Welch began. Welch then threw her down and ravished her. She struggled as much as she could while she had strength, but she was an old woman, and hadn't much strength left. Welch, with the blunt edge of a hatchet, belonging to the camp, struck her under the right ear after both had had connexion with her. They then dragged her about the road with violence. Each held the daughter Susan while the other proceeded with her. Cross-examined—One of those she called her daughters was a wife, and large in the family way, and was glad to rim away in her chemise with her baby tucked under her arm. Had no means of knowing where her husband was while she was ravished. They stoned him away. (The examination of the husband before the magistrates was here put in, which was upon several points very materially at variance with her statement here to day.) Welch used the hatchet. If she before stated it was Glynn it was because she was so frightened. Could take oath that both had connexion with her. They lost blankets and clothes, her husband's hat, and some strops. Her husband went right off towards Lincoln. After the ravishing they struck the daughter a blow, which made her reel across the road. f;tusan Herring, the widowed daughter, deposed to the same story that the old woman told to-day. The men came to their camp, and wanted to go to bed with them. They began to pull up their camps—her camp and another. All the rest but she and her mother went away. Glynn held her so that she couldn't assist her mother. [She then described what was done by Welch to her mother.] They threatened to murder them if they gave any alarm. Welch afterwards dragged her (witness) about the road by the legs, and used her very bad indeed. She row said (having before the magistrates, like her mother, said re to both matters quite the core rary), that it was Welch who struck her mother with a hatchet before he ravished her. The men all went away because they thought they would be murdered amongst so many. The mother and daughter both told their tale with an air of no:who/once, and quite con ornate. George Lee—Was the husband of the old woman. The two prisoners came to the camp and began to stone them.