Widnes Examiner. — 1883-05-05 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

THE STATE OF IRELAND.  MORE ASTOUNDING REVELATIONS. At the Dublin Police Court, the ot!Aer day, Sylvester Kingston, the man who was recently arrested at Bootle, Thomas Gibney, and Thomas Healey, were charged with conspiring to murder Joe Poole, a tailor and Fenian centre, in Dublin. The principal ;witness was Thomas Devine, who was arrested in connection with the murder of Constable Cox, and has turned informer. His evidence was of a very astounding character. He showed that there was a Stephen. its Party, a Council Party,and a Vigilance Committee in the Fenian organisation; and that the business of the Vigilance Committee, like that of the Invincibles, was to remove all obnoxious people. He said that William Lamie, now an informer, was a sub-centre; John Sullivan, a Dublin actioneer, was a centre, as was also Joe Poole and James O'Connor. Joe Dowling was the centre of the Vigilance Circle. Delegates attended from England, and one of these was James Boland, of Manchester. To watch and murder doubtful members of the society seems to have been a distinguishing feature of the organisation. Bailey was murdered for informing about the Fenian arsenal in Cross Kevin-street. Poole and Sullivan were tried by ten members of the society, and when they were sentenced to death Kingston observed that Poole deserved it and was sworn to carry out the sentence. On the night Constable Cox was shot, Poole had to be killed, and it was the unexpected presence of the police that saved him. After Delaney failed to shoot Judge Lawson a meeting was held, and it was resolved that the judge should die next time, no matter what party of protection he bad. Thomas Gibney had to assist Kingston in the murder of Poole; and Kenny's murder was carried out by the Vigilance Committee of the Stephenite Party because he gave information. Devine's evideve is certainly the most astouuding that has ever yet been published in connection with the Fenian war in Dublin, and shows how jealously members of secret societies have watched each other.  The Lord Lieutenant has awas.led compensation amounting to £11,550 to the relatives of persons murdered during the past two or three years in the counties of Mayo, Galway, and Limerick, but chiefly in Mayo. A return published en Monday of the evictions throughout Ireland in the quarter ended 31st March shows that the number of families turned out was 793, consisting of 3,859 persons. There were readmitted as tenants 29 families, and as caretakers 324 families.  Timothy Keeffe was executed on Monday, at Cork, for tbe murder of his uncle, John Keeffe, 12 months since. The farm of the culprit's family had been sold under an execution at the suit of the murdered man, who purchased it from the Sheriff, and this was the motive alleged for the crime. We (Freeman's Journal) are now in a position to state that altogether the benefits of the Arrears Act will extend to about 138,000 holdings, each valued, for poor law purposes, under £3O. The sum which the State contributes is a little over £160,000, which wit wipe out, it is estimated, arrears to the amount of at least two and a half millions sterling..  Conderable interest is being attracted to the Dublin Trinity Ward municipal election petition owing to a doubt as to whether Jas. Carey the notorious informer, was legally expelled from the Corporation. It is stated that the Irish law adviser and the Town Clerk are of opinion that by law Carey is still the representative of the Trinity Ward in the Dublin Town Council.  An action for assault commenced by Mr. O'Kelly, M.P., against Mr. Harvey resident magistrate, has been dismissed by the Irish Court of Exchequer "for want of prosecution." Mr. Harvey had, while in the attitude of dispersing a Land League meeting, put his hand on Mr. O'Kelly's shoulder, thus committing that legal "assault and battery" which has always been so cherished an idea to aggrieved Irishmen both in real life and in native fiction.  ALARMING RIOTS AT LIMERICK : :_'