Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1889-03-13 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

TRIAL. Magisterial investigation into the circumstances connected with the Gweedore murder was opened on ;Thursday in Letterkenny, the prisoners being the Rev. JamesltdeFaddeo, four women, and thirty male inhabitants of Gwoedere. The prisoners were removed from Derry gall, under heavy police and is escort, and reached Letterkenny by special train. The court opened at noon, and trio Crown counsel at once proceeded to state the case on behaif of : the Attorney-General, contending that all I the men in the crowd in which districtinspector Martin lost his Lie were equally guilty of complicity in the murder. Be- , aides, Father McFadden was evading arrest, I and had remained in his house for nearly a week, during which time he addressed from a window an excited crowd which had assembled with lights near the house. On the morning of ' the murder, a boy was seen carrying provisions into chapel as if for Beige. The counsel said a policeman described the noise o 4 the blow which felled deceased as like a ren.n driving his foot through a piece of board. Toe priest certainly, in eye ot the law, broke from arrest, he being placed in legal custody the moment a baud was placed on him. 3o far as he broke from arrest he was implisated. He made no real attempt to quell the excitemeut,as be might have done,and evidence was clear that he participated in unlawful riot , and acted in consort with wrongdoers, but whether as a mere rioter or seinething worse the court could decide. , Counsel spoke an hour, and, before sitting ' down, said that the Crown consented to the discharge of 21 of the peasants in the dock.—Dr Houston, Q.C., instructed by Mr O'DoLterty for the detente, asked how many that would leave.—Mr Ross said fourteen, including Father McFadden and three women. The magisterial investigation into the Gweedore murder was resumed at Letterkenny on Friday, Father McFadden and thirteen others being in the dock. The evidence for the Craiwn was continued, the first witness examined being Constable Farilly, who deposed to the bolting of chapel door on the enorniag of the murder. After three comitsbles who attended mass had left, about two hundred people remained about the chapel grounds and refused to leave when directed by the deceased. Three men went out to reoonuoitre, and on their returning the priest came out and was arrested, and afterwards moved on, the people rushing up behind him. A woman shouted that the officer had struck Father McFadden with his sword, and the crowd rushed up, terribly excited, carrying stones which were thrown. Mt Martin drew his sword and struck some men with the flat of it. The man so struck got a paling stake, and ran first at witness, and then at Mr Martin, who was now bting greatly stoned. Witness identified two prisoners as throwing stones, and two as being in the crowd. The crowd still surged up and some of policemen ran for their lives to the main road. Witness followed, and heard behind him a blow inflicted on someone like the sound of man putting his heel through a rotten board. The officer was now at hall door lyi tg senseless on the doortitsp,when the crowd opened and a man with a paling stake re- , treated a couple of laces and then running: forward dealt tremendous blows on MrMartin's head. Jack Gallagher, one of the prisoners, threw a etone which struck the officer oil the head. The ;man with the paling stake was not in the dock. 'rho main hotly of the police arrived, and Father McFadden shouted to the people to disperse and to the police not to fire. Mr Martin was then dying beneath the window. The witness was cross-examined at length regarding his memory, and wheth• r the chapel door is not usually closed at service. The Court then adjourned for luncheon.  A