The Sun. — 1867-11-13 (London, England)

SENTENCES—EXCITING SCENE IN COURT.  The jury retired at 25 minutes to eight, and returned in ten minutes, finding both prisoners guilty. John Carroll, Charles Moorhouse, Daniel Redden, Thomas Scalley, and William Murphy were brought up to receive sentence along with them.  While a deep silence prevailed, the Judge said : Prisoners, you have all under different indictments, but the same in substance, been convicted of a variety of offence; none of which exceed a misdemeanour. The offence to which the heaviest sentence can bo given is that of assaulting the police and doing actual bodily harm, for which a maximum punishment of five years' penal servitude can be imposed. For the minor offence you can have two years' hard labour. I have considered the cases of each of you, and although the Crown decided not to proceed with the charge of murder which was preferred against two of you, I cannot doubt that every one who took part was really guilty of that degree of violence which, in point of law, would have made you guilty of the murder of Brett. Therefore I have come to the conclusion that the offence is as bad as any ono of this class can be, and I have decided to give the maximum punishment. That being so, the sentence upon each of you is that you be kept in penal servitude for five years. I trust that this will make every one aware that violent attacks on the police, even when death does not ensue, will be severely punished.  As soon as sentence was pronounced there was great commotion in the dock, and in the court some howling from females. Murphy, standing forward, said : " I protest, my lord, in the voice of a liberal British public, that it is not right. I have been made guilty on a charge of treason-felony. The papers handed in (alluding to copies of the Irishman) are a mere myth ; and it is on those grounds, and nothing else, that I have been convicted." The Judge—l cannot attend to that. The verdict of the jury binds me, and I have no power to alter it. Any applications must be made to the Secretary of State ; but I am bound to say as regards you, had I been one of the jury, I should have convicted you. Murphy, as he was taken from the dock, shouted loudly, " I hope the press will take notice that the papers handed in have not been allowed to be read in public. I hope representatives of the press will take notice of the remarks I make." Moorhouse, the ex-letter-carrier, handed in a testimonial from his late employer.  The Judge : It must be sent to the Home Seere tary. Some of the prisoners stood on the benches in the  dock, waved their hands, and called out " Good bye." Women shrieked and howled, and there WAS great noise and confusion before all the prisoners were removed.  The assize then terminated, and the court Was cleared.  A woman, said to be Featherstone's wife, swooned outside; and there was considerable excitement manifested by shouting and screaming, in the vicinity of the court, for some time after the proceedings closed. Out of the 26 prisoners committed for the murder of Sergeant Brett five have been convicted of that charge and sentenced to death, seven have been convicted of riot, and 14 discharged.