The Sun. — 1852-05-12 (London, England)

PLATT—By all means. Well go into that matter now.  Mr. Cathie, uncle of the prisoner, stated that the deceased was his own sister, and he had known the prisoner from infancy. In 1848 the prisoner went out to South America, but soon afterwards returned, when he exhibited undoubted symptoms of insanity. He was accordingly placed under restraint, and ultimately he became an inmate of a lunatic asylum. He remained there some time, and having partially recovered he was allowed to go at large again. He was, however, never able to resume his business, while from time to time he had renewed attacks of his dreadful malady. One of these attacks came upon him a few days before the murder, and had he delayed his terrible purpose a few hours he would once more have been placed in an asylum, but it was not to be, and he committed the offence of which he now stood charged while in a state of undoubted madness. The insanity was attributed to over-exertion and anxiety in business, for previous to 1848 the prisoner was a kind and industrious man, and the whole and sole support of his mother and family. Since he had been in Newgate the witness had seen him more than once, and he had no hesitation in declaring his conviction that the prisoner was wholly unconscious of the situation in which he at present stood. Mr. PAYNE, who appeared for the prosecution, cross-examined the witness, bat the cross examination only confirmed the assertion that the prisoner was mad. Mr. Jones, the landlord of the house in which the prisoner with his mother had lived for some time past, also gave it as his thorough belief that the prisoner was not in his right senses, nor had he been sane ever since he had known him. He always thought the prisoner was harmless until the day before the murder, when he returned home, raving as a madman would do, insisting that he was going to fight Ben Caunt.  Once more the public time has been occupied, and the public mind disturbed, by the introduction of a polemical question, calculated to excite sectarian animosities among all classes of her MAJESTY'S subjects, and more particularly to fling the firebrand of religious discord into poor unhappy Ireland. It is perfectly manifest that no fairly conducted and bowl fide inquiry into the system of education carried on at the College of A.lisynooth could be brought to a termination during the present session. It is equally clear that a dissolution of Parliament, and an appeal to the country, must take place the moment the indispensable business oan be completed, and it is more than probable that several Members of any . Committee that could be nominated may not have seats in the new Parliament. What, therefore, could be the object of the elaborate motion of the Hon. Gentleman the Member for North Warwickshire in asking for a Select Committee ? What, in fact, could it be, save to excite feelings of bigotry and intolerance, and to get up a "No-Popery" cry, to divert weak-minded electors from the consideration of more important questions. If it were indeed desirable to institute a strict and searching investigation, with ' of education ing the establishment, but of aimviperwo,vninogt othe d destroying the principles sanctioned, no suitable , and rendering it more in accordance inaugurl • on which the grant was originally e opportunity would arise until the motion was after the debsired the improvement forward in no such spirit. :ton of the new Parliament. But It was not of the institution that was so far at least as the withdrawal its total abolition, awal of the Parliamentary grant could accomplish that object. The whole speech of the Honourable Gentleman question was brought forward indicated settled purpose. It was one that that steady, might have elicited ages, applause in bygone on the introduction of some new penal law, when it