The Express. — 1868-05-11 (London, England)

THE CONVICT MICHAEL BARRETT.—Last eveuiug the Governor of Newest& received an official oommucier,tion from the Secretary of State for the Home Department respite's for seven days the execution of the convict Michael Barrett, now under sentence of &fah there for the murders caused be made for it. the Clerkenwell explosion. Tomorrow had been the daLirippointed for the execution, and preparations were t. The prisoner, since his conviction, is understood to bave behaved with much propriety. Being a Roman catholic, he has been attended by a priest of that persuasion from day to day, and has not therefore come within the ministrations of the Ordinary of Menet'. A day or two after matinee the Fenian convict& Burke and Shaw, were removed from Newgate, to the great relief of those charged with the responsible duty of guarding the prison, but the vigilance of the authorities, instead of being relaxed in consequence, maybe said to have been increased, if possible, while Barrett remains there under sentence. Day and night the gaol is surrounded and patrolled, as it has been for months past, by a picked body of the city police, armed with cutleries and revolvers, no two of whom are ever out of sight of each other, not to mention the special arrangements inside for its greater Inca. rity. Newgate, indeed, may be said to be a fortress of itself, and but for the subtle tharacteristht of the Fenian organisation and the affair at Clerkenwell, preceded, as it was, by the rescue at Manchester and the escape of Fenian prisoners from custody in Ireland, it would never, probably, have entered into the minds of the authorities to guard a place so impregnable of itself. Be that as it may, the city police, charged with the special duty of protecting the pH. son, have never for a moment allowed such considerations to weaken their sense of responsibility, or to relax their vigilance, and those who have had occasion, from day to day, to observe them en duty during the recent protracted trials mast have been struck by their untie ing zeal and devotion. Now that the trials are over, not to enter into details, it is but due to the sheriffs and under-sheriffs to state that the precautions they took from day to day to protect the court-house, inside and out, wire as complete lire they Could possibly be, though known to only a few beyond themselves, and those few only were aware of the consequent security from possible danger of outrage with which everyone having business in court, great and small, Wes hedged round.— Times.—lndependently of the doubts have been raised respecting the cogency of the evidence on which Barrett was convicted, the validity of the restriction oe legal grounds was called in question by the prboner's counsel. Mr. Greene objected at the trial that he was deoied permission to inspect the jury pima, end was, thereby precluded from exercising the eight of challenging the array. An application was mad, t,etadays winos to the Attorney•rral to grant hie tto enable the primair t apply to the Court al 's Bench to quash the coovietiolt. After due deli„lbilliadon, the Attorney-General conveyed an inewation to %le prisot.er's attorneys, Messrs. Lewis and Co., that bs to hoar eribeel in rapport of the srplisationt 2:atienbind dal Mr. Greens has beam ins: ratted to eup.port it this day. A.