The Sun. — 1828-07-03 (London, England)

CORONER'S INQUEST.  An inquisition was yesterday taken before Thomas Stirling, Esq., at the Green Man, at Wemley, on the body of John Llearden, better known as " Long .John," who was killed in an affray with a body of Irish labourers, now in custody, on the evening of Sunday last. Henry Racket, labourer, on Sunday night was sent by his master for a loaf, and on passing a field near the Green Mat), he heard a noise as of several persons quarrelling. On looking to the spot, he saw a body of Irish in the employ of Mr. Read at haymaking. Among others he saw ,John Casey, John Cochrane, James Barry, Cornelius Barry, James Shea, Jeremiah Murray, James Hayes, Dennis Burke, Catherine Casey, and Timothy Connor. They were quarrelling with the deceased. The first blow lie saw was given by John Casey, who with a black-thorn stick struck the deceased across the shoulder, and knocked him down. He then knelt upon him, and kept beating him over the bead with a stick till the blood flowed copiously. After a time he desisted, and Long John got up and stripped to tight with his fists. The whole of the prisoners then cattle close up to the deceased ; one of them, James Barry, had a blunderbuss, and most of the rest had pitchfoiks. As soon as they had closed round the deceased, Casey struck him across the loins with the staff-end of a fork, and he fell to the ground and never spoke afterwards. The rest fell on the deceased and struck him with their forks. Witness, and four other Englishmen. named Arnold, Nix, Barry, and Ball, who in the meantime had come up, now ran to the spot, arid endeavoured to protect Long John. Witness had a stick in his hand, with which lie struck Casey on the hand. —The Irish in a body attacked witness and the rest of the English with their forks, and compelled them to run away. When Long John got up after being knocked down the first time, he seized hold of the black-thorn stick which Casey had in his hand, and wrested it from him, and flung it to a distance. Casey instantly seized hold of a fork, and with it struck down Long .John the second and last time. After considerable questioning, it was elicited from the witness that he had interfered when Long John was first knocked dos‘n, and had then struck Casey with a stick he had brought from home. The others fell on witmess, and he was con  polled to run across the field. lie afterwards returned, and saw Casey knock down the deceased with a fork. Several of the Irish jumped upon the deceased after he was knocked down the second time. When they left, witness returned. The deceased was lying on the ground, but was not dead. Elizabeth Reeves—On Sunday evening was with him at a public-house. The deceased drank but little, and was quite soker. There was no Irish in the room. Witness and the deceased left the house together, and got but a few yards when Casey called out, " Here. is an Englishman, let's kill him," and instantly knocked him down. The deceased g'ot up, and called to Arnold to assist him, and at the same time knocked Casey down. Four other Irishmen came up, and were all successively knocked down by the deceased. Casey in the mean time had got up and was again knocked down by the deceased. A number of ether Irish  arrived on the spat almost immediately, armed with forks and scythes. Casey got hold of a fork and knocked down the deceased, dnd four or five others  then surrounded him, and world not let him get up, but beat and cut him cruelly with their forks and scythes. Catherine Casey jumped upon the deceased's face, and John Casey jumped upon his chest, and left him for dead. John Casey returned about half an hour afterwards armed with a scythe and fork. He asked witness whether the man was  dead, arid she told him he was. He said, if he was tiot dead, he had come back to kill hirn.  !fess assured him he was quite dead. Casey then went away. In the course of the affray, witness was struck several times. She heard one of the  ►ish call out,  " Don't kill the woman."  After some further evidence, the jury returned a verdict of " Wilful murder against John Casey, and against James Cochrane, James Barry, Cornelius Barry, James Shea, James Murray, Dennis Burke, and Timothy Co►►nor, of aiding and abetting in the perpetr►tion of tl►e murder.