THE EXECUTION OF O'FARRELL.

Southland Times, Issue 945, 4 May 1868, Page 3

THE EXECUTION OF O'FARRELL.

It now only remains for ' us, ; 'in connexion with the visit of the Da\e of Edinburgh, to complete the history of the wretched man, H. J. O'Farrell, who attempted to assassinate the Eoyal visitor. His trial commenced on Monday, the 30th March, and occupied two days. No attempt was made" to dispute the facts of the case, and the defence set up by his couusel was that of insanity. The evidence 1 which they adduced, however, while showing that the prisoner had at former periods of his life suffered from temporary aberration — attributed to severe drinking — completely failed to prove that he was not in his senses .at the time of coininitting ths act. The rebutting evidence submitted by the Crown showed that the crime must have been planned with care and deliberation, and that the prisoner while about it had not shown any signs of insauity. None of the evidence tended to inculpate any other party; or to show that the crime was instigated by any -organisation. The jury : found the prisoner ." Guilty," and he was sentenced to death. An address from the prisoner's relatives was presented to His Excellency the Q-overnpr of New South "Wales, praying that his sentence might be respited, and the case referred to the decision of the Queen. His Excellency, on the advice of the Executive Council, declined to accede to the petition, and the ; execution of the' prisoner was fixed for Tuesday, the 21st April. From the time of his conviction the prisoner maintained a quiet and reserved demeanour. A few days, before his execution, he was visited by his sister, and daily received the rninis^ trations of a Catholic clergymau. On Tuesday morning last,. at nine o'clock, the extreme penalty of the law was carried into effect in Darlinghurst Gaol. The doomed man passed the night in his usual manner^add did not appear to suffer from any nervous excitability at his approach-; ing fate. He was attended at an early hour by a minister of the religious persuasion to which he belonged, and to his ministrations and the attention paid to them, may perhaps be attributed in a great measure the calm self-possession with which the unfortunate man met his fate. . Precisely at nine o'clock the sheriff demanded his body, and O'Farrell appeared at the cell door in obedience to the summons. He submitted to the process of pinioning without a murmur, and walked unconcernedly to the foot of the scaffold. Here lie knelb with the priest, and for a few moments was engaged in religious devotion. He then mounted the ladder with a firm step, and before takiug his place under the drop, looked up, apparently at the rope and fatal beam overhead. He then took his place directly under it, and looked up again in a very composed manner; but whether vacantly looking up at the dread engine of death, or making a last appeal to Heaven for mercy, can only be conjectured. He, however, appeared thoroughly resigned to his fate. The cap was then adjusted over his face*; he shook hands with the priest; the drop fell, and the last act of the C l ontarf tragedy was over. A single contraction of the leg was the only visible sign of suffering, and death appeared to be instantaneous. After nauging the prescribed time, the body was taken , do wn, and not being " cl aimed by his friends, was buried in Haslem's Creek. ... ■ - ? . . ■ Before his execution, O'Farrell sent a letter to Mr Parkes, the Colonial Secretary, with an injunction that it should not be opened till after his death. On the evening of the day of execution Mr Parkes was questioned in the Legislative Assembly with regard to the letter, but declined at present to make public the contents. On the following day the letter ; was again asked for and refused, whereupon a member of the House rose, and read the following copy of the letter, declining at" the same time to state how he obtained the copy of it : — " Being now about to appear before my. Creator, I feel it my duty to give expression to my. heartfelt sorrow at the grevious crime I have committed. From the Tery bottom of my heart do I grieve for what I have done. I have hitherto said that I was one of many who were proposed to do the deed had I not done it. I had j not the slightest foundation for. such. a. statement. I was never connected with any man, or any body of men, who had for their object the taking of the life of the Duke. of Edinburgh, neither was lin any other than in an indirect manner connected with any organization in Ireland or elsewhere, which is known by the name of the Fenian organization. I wish, moreover, distinctly to assert that there was not a single human being in existence who had the slightest idea of the object I had in view when I meditated bri, and through the merciful providence of God failed in carrying into effect, the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. I have written to the printers of two Irish periodicals an address to the people of Ireland. So certain was lof the death of the Duke of Edinburgh that I stated therein that which I believed would be the fact;' and I think I have more than implied that I was but one of an organization to carry the same into effect. I need but say that the truth of the latter portion rests upon a slighter foundation than the former ; in fact, that, unless from mere hearsay, I had no foundation for stating that there was a Fenian

organization ia New South Wale». Firm continually thinking And talking of what I may atili be allowed to call the wrong* of Ireland, I became excited, .aud filled with enthusiasm ou the subject, and it was when under the influeneo of tho»« feeling that I attempted to perpetrate the deed for which I am now called uppa to suffer.— H. J. O'-Faurell."