Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1883-03-31 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

SENTENCES.  At Belfast Assizes on Tuesday Dennis Nugent and five other members of the Patriotic Brotherhood, convicted of conspiracy to murder Robt. Bond hfcGeogh, Henry Gustavus Brooke, and other landlords and agent inCounty Armagh, • were put forward to receive sentence. The Court was crowded, and great excitement prevailed. Judge Lawson sentenced Nugent, Dailey, Kelly, and Watters to ten years penal servitude, Mcßride to seven years, and 0' Hanlon to five years. The remaining batch of prisoners were sentenced to ten years' penal servitude. There was great excitement in Court when the prisoners were put forward. The six men : first convicted were ushered into Court a few I minutes before eleven o'clock. In reply to the Clerk of the Court, they said they had nothiag ' to say except to repeat that they were not I guilty. Judge Lawson said the prisoners bad been convicted on the clearest testimony of being I members of the Patriotic Brotherhood, the obiect of which was to murder landlord's, agents, and bailiffs, and to endeavour by force of arms to overthrow the Queen's authority in Ireland. Nugent, Dailey, and Kelly appeared to be the earliest members of it. They joined when the American Burns, with the wooden leg, came to this country, and, assisted by Mr Sheridan, of Tubbercurry, established this notable conspiracy, the proceedings of which were all in the most remarkable manner exhibited to public view by the recovery of the records written by the prisoner Walters. A more extraordinary case in the history of secret societies never was revealed as this, all the operations of the conspiracy being recorded in black and white. He considered Walters the vary worst of the 'persons in the dock. Walters was a national teacher, and this was the use to which he put his education. He could only say that if the other National Schools in that district were officered by men like Walters he did not wonder at the state of degradation into which the inhabitants of Crossmaglen had fallen. He considered O'Hanlon and geßride were persons who were induced by fear to join the society, and therefore he would make a i distinction n their cases. Re then passed the I sentence already given. The second batch of prisoners—Peter Devlini Patrick Finnigan, James Hanmtty, Peter Coleman, and Bernard Smith—were next put forward. His lordship, in sentencing them to ten years' penal servitude each, ridiculed the proposal of men in the position M small farmers and schoolmasters to overthrow British rule in Ireland. He trusted the result of this trial would act as a warnmg to those who were foolish and criminal enough to entertain the opinions which brought the prisoners to their presens position.  The Press Association is informed on good authority that an important change is either . contemplAted or is now being actually carried ' out in the constitution of Scotland Yard. In the face of recent events, and the development of secret organizations, it has been deemed advisable by Her Majesty's Government, after consultation with the police authorities, to add a section to the Criminal Investigation Department, the fuuctions appertaining to whice are to be strictly political. London, it is well known, is the city of refuge for political offenders and agitators of all nations, and it is generally, -t the head of affairs that a section . . estabi  those