The Sun. — 1860-08-11 (London, England)

GUILDHALL.—Patrick an and John Foley, a couple of stalwart Irishmen: were charged before Alderman Conder with the fol lowing brutal and savage assault upon a young woanan of the name of Sullivan :  Julia Sullivan, who appeared with an extensive wound upon the right side of her fonthead, about half-an-inch in width and three inch es in length, said she was standing at her own door, in Unioncourt, Holborn, about seven o'clock an Saturday evening, when the prisoner came up th.e court, and called out for the best Kerry men to come out and fight them. After a while they went away, but returned in a short time, one being arrne d with a shovel and the other with a pair of tongs. Mrs. Shannon, a neighbour, was standing alsa a .t her own door, when Sullivan threw the tongs at 114 a. Complainant, with others, endeavoured to get the tongs from them, and, failing in doing so, she t hen went in search of a policeman, and when she canal) back she found Mrs. Shannon in danger of being asi vaulted and. tried to pull her away from them, upon w lich Sullivan struck her (complainant) upon the for. ehead with the shovel. The blow stunned her for tb Le moment, she reeled, and was near falling, when F. tley struck her on the arm, then upon the shoulder, and finally upon the back of the head with the tongs She was just able to walk down the court togo for a policeman, and on the way she met a man na med Sullivan, who, seeing the blood flowing from her head, advised her to go to a hospital. She accordiin,gly went to the hospital, which she was not able to leave till this morning. •  Mrs. Sha.nnon was examined in corrobo ration of the complainant's story, after which Mrs. Sallivan was called on behalf of the prisoners, and said she had been drinking with them on Saturday night, and took them to her o•wn house in Union-ceurt, to get them a cup of tea. Directly, Mrs. Shannon saw them she sent for all her friends to come and murder them; and young Jack Shannon, her son, threatened to do for them. Mary Shannon had the tongs and struck Foley with them on the head, and he put his hands behind him and said he would never strike a woman. Mrs. Shannon's friends then made their appearance armed. with full ginger-beer bottles, which flew about like cannon balls. The tongs belonged to her, but she could not say how Mary Shannon got them. Julia Sullivan, another of the clan, but no relation to either side, said she heard one of the prisoners call out for the best Kerry man, and Mrs.. Shannon replied that she was a woman who was able to stand up in her clothes any day against the best of them. She then struck Sullivan with the tongs, and although he had got the shovel he did not strike her.  John Sullivan was then called, and although it was stated by all parties that he could speak English as well as anyone, he persisted in answering. every interrogatory in his native Irish, which was, of course, perfectly unintelligible to the ec,u-ct, and he was therefore ordered to leave the wanessbox.  Alderman Conder said this was a most scandalous outrage, and the conduct of the pr'Lsoners in getting drunk and fighting unoffending 7.comen was most disgraceful. They seemed to hrAv eno power over their own actions except to do mSischief. As Sullivan appeared to have acted mach worse than Foley, he should make a difference in. the sentence, and he therefore committed Sunivan for six months, and Foley for three mon the, with hard labour.