The Sun. — 1861-07-03 (London, England)

IRELAND.  On Friday afternoon one of a series of fights which took place in Cork during the day amongst men of the Royal Cork Artillery Militia, who were to be seen throughout the day in all parts of the town drunk and riotous, occurred in Marlboroughstreet. A fellow of the name of Patrick Donovan, in the Artillery uniform, with a comrade similarly dressed, was savagely beating a man in a civilian's clothing, who was almost helplessly drunk. Not alone did he beat him with his clenched fists, but he kicked him in all parts of his body as he lay on the ground. In this Donovan was assisted by two women, one of them named Elizabeth Geany, who with the militiaman beat the unfortunate man about the, head, and dragged handfuls of hair from it. This outrage was witnessed by a large number of people, all of whom were deterred from interfering. The shutters of the houses in the neighbourhood were quickly pat up, but not before Donovan drove his fist through a large pane of plate glass in the shop window of Mr. Walker, tailor, Marlborough-street. After some time Constable Vickers, with a number of policemen, arrived at the spot, and succeeded in arresting Donovan and Ueany, the other militiaman having escaped. Donovan, on being t.a►ken in charge, resisted in a manner that tested the strength of half a dozen of the constabulary. Several ineffectual attempts to handcuff him were made by them ; and ultimately they had to drag him along the streets to the Bridewell, where he was lodged with Geany. During the removal of the prisoners the mob became very great ; and, as usual, being excited against the police, fears were entertained that before their arrival at the Bridewell they would be maltreated. However, no attempt to rescue the prisoners was made. In about an hour after this transaction had taken place intelligence of the arrest of Donovan and his committal to Bridewell was conveyed to Elizabeth Fort Barracks, where the Royal Cork City Artillery are stationed, when some 300 men of the regiment rushed out of the barrack and came down to the city. In their way through Tuckey-street they made an attack on the police-station there, but were resisted by the constabulary, who were under arms. After being foiled at the station they went on to the bridewell, accompanied by a vast mob, the militia yelling frantically, and declaring that they would rescue Donovan. When they came iu front of the Bridewell they demanded his liberation and that of the other prisoner. Here the yelling and shouting again commenced—the mob every moment increasing in numbers ; so much so that the whole space opposite the Bridewell, out in Kryl's-quay, and the entire of Corn Market-street, was thronged with a dense moving mass of people, who seemed driven to the highest pitch of excitement. iiuring this uproar the marshal of the Bridewell, Mr. Howard Rice, came out into the street and endeavoured to pacify the militia, who thronged round the gate, but no sooner had he shown himself than he was knocked down and trampled on by them. A cry was immediately raised among the women who hold street-stalls in the neighbourhood that Mr. Rice was being murdered, and with a courageousness worthy of the occasion they rushed into the crowd, seized Mr. Rice, and after much difficulty conveyed him into a shop close at hand, they standing at the door, defending him against the attack of the militia. A short time after Mr. Rice was taken to the house a number of policemen arrived, and escorted him back to the Bridewell ; but immediately after his getting inside a rush was made at the gate, which, however, was not fortunately closed in time to prevent any of the militia gaining admittance. Stones were theta hurled against it and the building itself, glass broken, and the riot was assuming a very serious nature, when Colonel Wood, with a party of armed men of the same regiment, arrived on the spot, and succeeded to some extent in quelling it. Previously to this a message was sent to the barracks for the military, and after some time a large party of them arrived at Bridewell, and formed a guard before the entrance. A large number of the militiamen still loitered about the place, and owing to their threatening demeanour it was deemed advisable to leave a guard of the military there during the remainder of the evening. A number of the men were accordingly told off for that duty, under the command of Lieut. D. G. Protheroe, of the 6th Regiment, and continued there until a late hour on Saturday night.