THE WATERLOO OUTRAGE.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 182, 11 December 1886, Page 4

THE WATERLOO OUTRAGE.

CONCLUSION OP THE TRIAL. At the Central Criminal Court on Saturday before his Honor Mr Justice Windeyw, thotria of the prisoners concerned in the Vvalcrloo outrage wns concluded. William Hill. George Putty, William Nowman, Michael Donnelian, Thomas Oserott, Joseph Martin, William Boyce, Hugh Miller, ltobert George Head, George Kecgan, and Michael Mangan woro charged for that they did, on the Olh of September, at Waterloo, ra\ ibh and carnally know Mary Jane Hicks agamht her consent. His Honor, m summing up, pointed out that the hoirible ussaultb made upon the girl precluded the idea ot consent, and, with one exception, the leurned counsel had honourably acquitted her ot any such horrible immoiality. Theie were circumstances in tins case which would cause them to dismiss any idea of consent from their minds. It app6ared that the girl had been assaulted by two diri'eront sets of four each, and William Hill, was accused of having prevented the witness Stanley from coming to ihe girls assistance, by dragging him away bytlic aim. The question for thejuiy to decide was whether Hill's object in taking tho girl awny from StaYiley wns, it not to ra\ ish her himself, at any mte to enable others to ra\ ish her. Both Stanley and tho girl &w ore to Hill's having Uiken the girl in the direilion ot tho s^amp, and then . went away, lea\ iuj, ncr with four others who, she alleged, outraged hor. Hill admitted himself tlnil lie was piet-cnt on the occasion, and if the jury believed what the girl said ot him, whether he actually outraged her or not, then he was the main cause of the outrage having taken place. One witness — Stanley— was positive in asserting that ihll had called to three others to come up and assault the ghl the -very moment | after he hud told the girl lovelj on lug protection. The pnsoncrs weie aimed with knives and sticks, w tide htanlcj had no weapon; so that he v>uo unable, .-ingle-hand -d, to rescue the girl. His Honor lead the e\ idence ot the complainant in w Inch she averted that Dully was one or the tirst lour who assaulted her, and that it was Diur'y who threw her down. According to the complainant's cadence U was Duii'j who made hei take oli ho boots and stockings, and with New man lighted a lire in the bush to dry her ck-lhe?, lht> Honor read the statement which made bj Jmtij wniUtmgaol. It was quite clear fivni the pi isoners statement that ho did criminally assault the girl, and it was equally clear that tho girl was not, as he attempted to make out, a 1011-11111114 party. He was ldentilicd In a nu 'liber ot the down ■witnesses a» one who was piesont and took pait in the out ra^e. lhs> Honor then letened to the evidence called b.\ JJun> in deience, and read the o\ideniiynon by the witness, Matthew Doran. which was to the cltect that at one time he had been on terms of intimacy , with the complainant, w lull on the ollm hand the complainant denial the .lUegutions made, and had stated that tin' h.al never -ten Doiau inlicr liio beti'ie. Tnc wi vus nothing moic tnun a w reck at the present time, in consequent e ot the treatment she lu'd lLceiveU. and no sane person loukl bL ltc\ o that an, iimsuitod to w hat Jiad takt. up ace His Itono^ tl<tp 'Ui through the givator portion oi t'l,* c\ ideate which had been taken, am. (.on< Uided by icnuuding tne juiy that tli'.v cou'd com leione or any or all ot the pnsoiiLid. It vws iiu. nccts^arj m omer to establish ilu ca>c that th(>y ■-houUl he siti^tied in whit orde.the piibounc a-.»aultul tne nn 1, so long us they toaiut ihat tome one had outlawed licr whilst sjuic v.cro [»esei.t aiding and auettmg, The\ Mci call equally SMilt/ wiicthci they outia^cu her 01 not, and thai expkuiat ou might relieve tliem ot some dilhcult\ . The joung woman might, have been aimost in a state ot o'jiimoii when bin was being outraged, but there were othii intelligent witnesses who told ekarl/ w hat took place. Thejuiy letired at S2l p.m., atid returned into I ouitat li\c minutes to 11 o'clock with a \ erdicl of guiltj against the piieoneia William J I ill. Hugh Miller, George Kcegan, Geoige Dutty, W lliiinn Newman, Michael Donnelian, .Jose'pn Jlariin, "William .Hoyce, and (ieoiico Keau. Tne accused peisuna Michael Mangan and Thomas Osciolt were lound not guilt} , and were di*elnnu:< d. The jury recommended the pi isom is to mci cy on account ot their youth. In reply to the usual question, the piisoncr \\ il.kuu Hill said • " Although the ,iui> ha\i found iuc guilty or a enme ror which 1 am to suiter death, 1 am perteetlj innocent, and that gui and the w ltncsbCs tor the Crow n ha\ c »w oni mv hioawaj. 1 saw the gal that d-ij , and < iii'uli'i^mantolici. Mv mernU ord lvlationoutvdc k'inw 1 am innocent, and 1 c. u b o in the ocail'iiid as an nuiocci.t limn." The prisoner, George IJUily, said no had not'iiiij to s ctj . The pn^oner, Michael Donnelian, -,ij • ! '"Gentlemen oi tho Juij.jou luuc lound m< uruilty, but [ am innocent or the el ur.ee. Although the j,-intiv,i)n,n detendm-,' n.o d'd their best. l)i. Maif den's c\idetue couilemncd im_ straight. I have nothing moic to say. lam not alraid to tace death m twelve hours. 1 am innoitnt ot i he chaise. ' The ])iisoncr, Joseph Maitui. ■oaul : * What I did to tli.it urirl was with her eoascnt. That it. ;;- true t is God mm I lc<i\ en." '1 hcpii"soU( i, Wnham Boj co, said . "Althouyb 1 am iuund yiultj ot thib charge 1 am innoceut oi. it." The prisoner Hugh Miller saitl : "I urn quite innocent or the senous charge iikull against me. Tnc In or nine 1 saw that girl wao on the nigh;, of the i)th September, and tho witnesses in this case ha 1 , c been piomptcd by the police to swear mi hrea«aj. lam innocent." The pusoner George Head said : " Although I am luund guillj ot this terrible crime 1 uni liiiiocini. 1 hope God above will rorgh c those "who have, swoin my soul and mj hto iiway. f ha\ c no moie to <-ay." TJie prisoner Georgo Kecgan said : " I wish to saj 1 am not giultj ot this dastaidlj outrage. If the deaTii sentence is not gkw. atcd upon me. and 1 hone it wont bu, I will Invo tho honour to bring beioie } ou my innocent c in luture. ' In pacing sentence of death ti|)ou the nine found guilti ,Hi^ Honoi oaid he»olcmnly believer! that this hoi l Uile crime w us t hooutcomc ot lonncr leniency '-how n to such ofl'cndtus. He added "ihold in my hand a lht of ciimcosinnlar to this which ha\e been peipetiattd dm ing the past few r :. ear-j. The iuot is an outiage that iu>, lommitted by a number of youn^ men upon u gsrl m tho neighbourhood of PartiHiatta-'-ti'eet • but by some mischance a gross iniscarnagc ol justice, as 1 believe, took place in the acquittal ot the men. The dilliculty ot proving sucl casec is often great, and false evidence i? always ready, too ready, at hand to thro\v it Iprotecting bhield around criminals of your das.-.. This outrage was followed by an outrage upon a young woman at North bhoie, and the peipctrators escaped the death penalty on account of their youth. After tins an outrage took place upon an old woman in the neighbourhood of Ultimo, and 1 have not the slightest hesitation in saying that a miscarriage ol justice took place there in the acquittal of the prisoners, young men like yoursehes—an acquittal which amazed mo, as tlio evidence was of the clearest kind. This wa« followed by another, whore the wretched woman was done to death somewhere in the neighbourhood of the locality now made infamous by this crime ;; and, again, as I believe, a miscarriage of justice took place in the entire acquittal of all concerned. This was followed up by another frighiul outrage at Woolloomooloo, where the wretched creature was found lj int< dead, like a dog, naked in the street, under circumstances ot outrage too horrible to mention. Only one of the luflians who outraged her was brought to justice, but escaped with his lite. Ag*un, last year I tried eight men for a concerted outrage of this kind upon an old woman under circumstances too disgusting to rcter to. They escaped the death penalty, too, and the outcome ot all this mistaken leniency, and failure to convict, is this culminating horror. You cannot expect, that those who arc charged with the execution ot the law will hesitate under all these circumstances in handing you over to the death which you most righteously deserve. Be sure no pity will be extended to jou; our pity must be reserved for the homes 'that arc desolated and the victims who aie wrecked fpi life by outrages such as these. 1 warn you not to waste your time in idle protestations of your innocence. I advise you to prepare to meet your Maker ; and if you are capable of understanding the position in which you stand, remember that your time is short. The time has come when a terrible example must be made of those who seem to be restrained by no pity for their victims, no sense of shame, no dread of the loathing ot their fellows. Crimes such as yotus it is too clear can only be restrained by the fear of death, the fate which awaits you. I have now but one duty to discharge, and that is to pasd upon you the last dread sentence of the law. Sentence of death having been pronounced, tl c prisoners, who appeared unmoved, were conducted from the Court to Darlinghurst gaol.