THE MOUNT RENNIE OUTRAGE Particulars of the Crime.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 187, 15 January 1887, Page 5

THE MOUNT RENNIE OUTRAGE Particulars of the Crime.

As a good deal of interest and controverey haß been provoked here, as -vrell as in Sydney, relative to the wisdom and justice of carrying out the death sentence in such a case, a recapitulation of a few of the leading facts connected with the tragedy may be considered timely. These we take from the Sydney *' Evening News," which, in commenting upon the agitation proceeding in that city in favour of commutation, eaid :— " ]> phould be borne in mind by the audi ence "at the meeting, as well as by the speakers, that the evidence in full was by reason of its nature unfit for publication, and none but the press are in possession of the whole facts of the outrage, which may well take rank with the most horrible of its class. The feelings of the public are now being worked upon in the direction of saving the criminals from the consequences of their crime unopposed by any statement of its circumstances. This we briefly present. " It will be remembered that on Sept. 9th information was given to the police that a friendless young girl of 16 had been decoyed out to a waste piece of country in the vicinity of Raudwick, and about mid way betweon the Botany and Bunnerong roads, and there subjected, at the hands of 18 or more larrikins, to treatment of the most brutal and revolting character. Fortunately means for the identification of these cowardly and vile ruffians were available, and arrests succeeded one another with a rapidity that ehowod how thoroughly the police had been put on their mettle. " After two remands the case against the several prisoners was entored into on Friday, September 2-ith, before Mr Addison, S.M., at the Water Police Court. The public appear to have formed an opinion that in the first instance the girl wasa consenting party to illicit intercourse with the cabman Sweetuian. In the witness-box Detective Hoskinson swore that upon his arrest Sweetmau stated that when he met the girl she wanted to go to a registry office, and that instead of taking hor to one ho had given hor a ride in his hansom. At a point on the road he was stopped by a number of larrikins, who pulled tho girl out of his cab and pelted him with stones. He denied any criminal act towards her on his part, and when in the Water Police Courc had identi fied Duffy and Donnellan a? having been among those who attacked him when the girl was seized. It will also be remembered that Mr Canaway was the only one of the counsel for the defence who endeavoured to provo anything ill of tho girl prior to her outrage, and his action was in dignantly discountenanced by tho gentlorcen retained on behalf of tho various prisoners. " Thomas Smith, who witnessed the outrage from its commencement, swore he and two other youths named Joe Evans and Brown were making a short cut ac oss tho country between woolwash and Irish Town,' Waterloo, when they heard a woman scream, the cry appearing to them te come from a clump of bush a quarter of a mile away. Curiosity prompting them, they ran in the direction of the bush, but being seized with a certain alarm, Evans and Brown csiine to a halt when within twenty or thirty yards of the buah, while Smith went forward to reconnoitre. He caw eighteon or nineteen young men, armed with knives, sticks, and bricks, engaged battling with two weaponless men, while two othor larrikins, Miller and Manaan wore leadincr a girl from the melee. The battle was a Miort one. The men tried to defend themselves, but got terribly beaten, and had to run. Three of the accused, Duffy, Donnellan, and Newman, all armed with cudgels, pursued them up isn adjoining hill. One of these men Smith recognised as Stanley, who was the first to give information of the outrage to the police. Meanwhile Miller and Mangan had taken the girl across the bog, and as they approached a patch of low scrub, Smith saw her struggle with thorn, and, waving a parasol «he was carrying in her hand, cried ' cooey,' as if for protection. Miller then tried to throw her down, or, as the witness described it, • toss ' her, and was so engaged when Duffy, returning from his unsuccessful hunt after Stanley, came up, and placing one hand over her mouth, stifled her cries, while with the other arm around her neck, he dragged her into the scrub, the girl all the time struggling desperately to get free. Powerless as she was against her three assailants, she seemed to have done all that lay in her power, for Smith heard Duffy sing out, 'The — bit me !' and he caw him thump her on the chest as if in revenge. The next rainuto Miller had lifted her trom the ground and flung her violently down. Hill then joined them, they one after another proceeded to criminally assault her. Even then the poor creature fought with the cowardly curs. At last the girl appeared to lose all control over horBelf and froth issued from her mouth. Smith up to this time had been standing behind a bush about ten or thirteen yards distant from the spot where the girl lay ; but, being detected by Duffy, who threatened to give him a hoist if he didn't clear out, he rejoined his companions Evans and Brown, who had retired to a more respectful di?tance. Smith afterwards, by keeping well under cover, succeeded in obtaining a better coign of vantage, where he remained unobserved. After the outrage, the gang then moved off in a body, leaving her lying where she was. As they mounted the hill over which Stanley had retreated, he heard Duffy sing out, " Here comes a policeman." The pang at once scattered, and ran off in different directions. This is, as far as propriety will permit, the shocking narrative told by Smith. Smith was subjected to a severe cross-examination, but his evidence was unshaken in any material particular. Stanley, who endeavoured to save the girl from her inhuman assailants, swore that when passing the scene of the outrage, in company with another man, he heard a woman's screams issuing from a clump of bush about fifty yards distant. They at once ran in its direction, and found three young men holding the girl Hicks down. The appearance of Stanley and hie mate seemed for a few seconds to dumbfound the three. Then the man who was kneeling jumped upandran. Stanleyaskedwhatthey were doing, and the girl called out to him in plaintive tones, "For God's sake save me from these men.' Onoof the men replied, * Nothing, air !' and ran away to where eight or nine other young men were standing in a group. Stanley then lifted the girl on her feet, and finding that she was greatly exhausted, gave her his arm and led her away. The group of larrikins, while this was going on, drew to within eight or nine paces of them. After the girl, escorted by himself and the strange man, had moved off about fifty yards, ho received a blow on the back with something he believed 1o be a stone, and heard one of -the crowd singing out to him, " What de you want to interfere ?"' About fifteen or twenty young men, some of whom were ■armed with sticks and tho others with stones 'then gathered round them. Stanley turned round, and and making a

blow at the nearest to him, felled him to the ground. The whole gang then rushed on him and his comrade. The prisoner Hill, who was among the assailants, caught hold of the girl and dragged her away. He contended with the odds against him for a few minutes as well as he vraa able, and unarmed as he was, and then seeing that his companion had taken to flight and that he had no chance of victory, he beat a hasty retreat. In the molee he was severely used, and once knocked down. As he was running away he looked back and saw Hill and two or three others dragging the girl towards some low bushes, and later on saw her about one hundred yard 3 from where he had left her surrounded by the gang. Failing to meet a policeman he kept on until he reached the Redfern Police Station, when he gave information as to what had occurred, The remainder of the evidence tendered by the prosecution was corroborative of that quoted, and during a lengthy crossexamination it was not shaken in any important pointAfter the girl became insensible, she was restored to consciousness by being halfdrowned. Her drees and stockings were torn from her body and the remainder of her clothing torn to ribbone by the fiendish creatures. In their lustful rage they barely gave her time to recover her een&es when fhe was again thrown to the ground, and held there, until the alarm of " police " caused the scoundrels to decamp. From this recapitulation, horriblo though it is, the most revolting details have been unfit for publication. { Constable Begg, who was sent to the rubbish heap when Stanley gave information of the occurrence, described how he found the gM Hicks in the swamp. She was alone, and was crying bitterly. Her hat, belt, milling, and a small satchel were lying at her feet, and her dress was wet and torn. She told him that she had been aesaulted by twenty men. Her purse, with Is 3d, her sole possession in money, was stolen during the progress of the outrage. She swore positively to the identity of Martin, Newman, Miller, Donnellan, Read, Duffy, each of whom had assaulted her. The system adopted by the defence was to prove the men wero not present at the time the outrage was committed. The witnesses in support of the alibis were, in many cases, persons of very doubtful repute, and thore were marked discrepancies in their statements upon oath as to the whereabouts of the men at the time. During his summing up of the evidence His Honour Judge Windeyer reviewed the facts of the case as above, and again and again directed the jury that if thoy had the slightest doubt as to the guilt of any of the prisoners, the benefit of that doubt must be extended to him. The verdict echoed, at this time, through the length and hreadth of tho colonies was • guilty,' and the sentence death. It may be well to reproduce the remarks of the learned judge in passing sentence. He said : — ' No language could express the abhoirence of right-thinking men on a scene such as that described by witness aftor witness in this case, aa this poor, defenceless girl, friendless and alone, ia like some wild animal, hunted down by a set of savages, who spring upon her and out rage her until she lies a lifeless thing before them, and then, when returning consciousness brings with it tho terror of further outrage, she, in frenzy, seeks in such opportunity of death as seems to present itself a refuge from the horrors of her life. I warn you to prepare tor death. There are things more precious to society than lifo itself— the honour of our women and the safety of f ft "iU«e?, wm. pared with which the wi etched lives of criminals such as you are of no account. I hold in my hand a Hat of crimes similar to this which have been perpetrated during the last few years. The first is an outrage that was committed by a number of young men upon a girl in tho neighbourhood of Parramatta-street, but by some mischance a gro3B miscarriage of justice, as I believe, took place in the acquittal of the men. The difficulty of proving such cases is often great, and false evidence is always ready, too ready, at hand to throw its protecting shield around criminals of your class This outrage was followed by on outrage upon a young woman at North Shore, and the perpetrators escaped the death penalty on account of their youth. After this an outrage took place upon an old woman in the neighbourhood of Ultimo, and I have not the slighest hesitation in eaying that a miscarriage of justice took place there in the acquital of the prisoners, young men like yourselves — an acquittal which amazed me, as the evidence was of the clearest kind. This was followed by another, where 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 anothor frightful outrage in Woolloomooloo, where the wretched creature was found lying dead like a dog, naked in the street, under circumstances of outrage too horrible to mention. Only one of the ruffians who outraged her was brought to justice, but escaped with his life. Again, last year, I tried eight men for a concerted outrage of this kind upon an old woman under circumstances too disgusting to refer to. They escaped the death penalty, too, and the outcome of all this mistaken leniency, and failure to convict, is this culminating horror. You cannot expect that those who are charged with the execution of the law will hesitate under these circumstances in handing you over to the death which you most righteously deserve. Outrages such as this are not committed upon the children of the rich, the surroundings of whoso life give tbeir children protection, but upon the daughters of the poor, who in the pursuit of their honest avocations are compelled to go about alone, exposed to the attacks of such gangs of ruffians as choose fco assault them. Under all these circumstances be Bure no pity will be extended to you ; our pity must be reserved for the homes that are desolated and the victims who are wrecked for life by outrages such as these. I 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 reccommendation . to mercy which the jury have made in your favour >t will be my duty to convey to the Executive. Your fate rests with them, not with me. 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, j no dread of the loathing of their fellows j Crimes such as yours 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 pass upon you tho last dread sentence of the law." Meeting for Reprieve. On 29th December last a public meeting was held in the Sydney Town Hall to consider the caae of the, men condemned to death. The meeting, though' large, waß neither enthusiastic nor unanimous, and

the oniv man well-known to the public who addressed the assemblage was Mr John Davies. Each of the other speakers was an entire stranger to the bulk of those present, and no influential citizens or representative men took any parb in the proceedings At the opening of the meeting considerable levity was indulged in, and it waß apparent the majority of those in the body of the hall was not disposed to assist in interfering with the course of justice. The votes which were rained in support of the resolution were tendered in acknowledgment of the eloquent speech of Rev. Ms Gilchrust, rather than in consequence of any pjmpathy with the condemned. Mi' Gilchrist's speech was not directly connected with tho subject, but as an oratorical offort it was excellent. He appealed not to justice, but mercy, and concluded his remaaks with Portia'^ speech, "The quality of mercy is not strained," and coming after the irrelevant matter which fell from the lips of a previous speaker, the utterances of iMr Gilchrist were welcomed by the audionce, who made tho only acknowledgment in their power by voting as he asked them to do, in favour of a resolution for the reprieve of the men. At intervals the interruption was so gr9at that the meeting threatened to torminate in disorder, and the chairman \u\-i more than once compelled to asbist speakers to obtain a h< aring. Dictum of an Outside Authority. A prominent member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, also wellknown throughout Australia, and who has been lately staying in Sydney, in an interview with an "Evening Mews " represents tive, expressed himself as followsinthematfcor of the Mount Ronnie outrage :— " The law of this country provides the punishment of death for a crime of this nature. This ia the maximum penalty forthe worstoffence of this class. The only questions to be decided are two: — (1.) Are these men guilty ? ('2.) Was this the worst offence of the kind ? If these two questions are answered in the affirmative thero is but one logical conclusion." A Condemned Man's Choice. One of the Domain stump orators, who ' has been assiduous in his visits to soino of the condemned mon at Darlinghurst, when conversing with Boyce about the eilorts being made for their repriove, was told plainly by Boyce that, for his part, if he wore given the choico between hanging and passing his life in gaol, he would profor to be hanged. He hus now got his wish, | " For Newman. ! Canon Rich has been in attondnnce on tho condemned man Newman, and seemed to be impressed with the convict's innocence, from certain statements that have been mado to him by Newman to tho effect that he was not concerned in any way in the outrage, and at tho time it was alleged to have been committed he was upon an omnibus in a different part of tho city— that the driver and conductor of the' bus, who knew him well, could have proved this, but did not come forward at tho trial because they did not wish to be mixed up in the affair. Demeanour of the Prsoners. On Sunday, 19th December, the nine Mount Rennie prisoners attended the religious services held in the gaol, and at that time the three men who had escaped the gallows, expecting (though they had not then been informed) that they were on the eve of their departure for Berrima, expressed a wish to speak and fay good-by to the six of their companions condemned to die. Tho governor of tho gaol acceded to tho requost, and accordingly they held their last interview and bad each other th(\\v finnl fire" 70 ]). The tnx condemned men were constantly changing their demeanour. At times when exercising them selves, they would smile and laugh when passing each other ; at others they appeared terribly dejected. Their periods of cheerfulnees were shortlived, and their silence and depressed appearance when alone in their cells indicated that the awfulness of their doom was ever present in their minds. Their Nationality. The following particulars relate to the men whs have buffered the extreme penalty qf the law : — George Duffy was born at Dapto, is 17 years old, a Catholic, and by trade a woolwasher. J. Mnrtin was born at Waterloo ; he is aged 17, is a Roman Catholic by faith, and a woolwasher by trade. William Boyce was born at Redfern ; he is 19 years old, a Roman Catholic, by trade a bootmaker. Robert George Read was born in Victoria ; he is ag3d 19, a Presbyterian, and a labourer by trade. It will thus be seen that all the cul prits are natives of Australia. The rerords of Darlinghurst show that Boyce had been thrice previously convicted of minor offences. All the prisoners are unmarried.