THE MOUNT RENNIE CONVICTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1542, 20 January 1887, Page 4

THE MOUNT RENNIE CONVICTS.

i 1 .. Sydney, January 10. ;Tbe Govern of,'on Thursday, gave his final, dicijionan, thp Mount Bennie outrage. Two ot tne, ''Were reprieved—Hill, fend Wewmak Extraordinary* ifitbrest was'-felt i; in Sydney; ini the 1 cteiej arid thei Governor maS waited upon by.highly influential deputation* . in favor of reprieving all the, prisoner*. Eha ~ deputations were headed by .Bishop Barry, Cardinal Moran, Sir Henry ‘Parkei, Mr Dailey, etc.—The Governor in reply, said that he .accepted 'fearlessly the terrible duty imposed upon him by the Oomtitution, and he,would act without partiality or favor, He continued appears to me that your presbfitl uppllcatioh) :, inTo , lveg'thii : iiiportant constitutional 'difficulty f 'iln am being re* quested*) (AW direct pp,po»iti9n>]to advice tendered to. me by my adyisers to ; exercise'the prerogative of itaefcy as to all these prisoners, on the ground, I understand, tJblat-tbe punishment of 'dsatlr shouldXnofc be awarded for this crime. If in this instance I accede to your application, it seems to me that I would do. so necessarily in all future oaaesj'for a worse cabalhsnthe'present can scarcely id doirigsoshal I not in effect be repealing the present law and setting my own arbitrary action against the j deliberate' decision of the people .of the country as expressed by their own "elVeted' lepreiehtativeS* in'the'Legislative Assembly and in the Legislative : Council as Nell ! 1 It seems to. me that the prerogative of merdy, if extended, should only be eier* eiaed on the individual merit* of' each par* tioulat' Ca»e, upon ground! ’ altogether" dif* ferent from those‘in' the main submitted by' this deputation.’*: .Immediately after the conclusion of the interview a much ; larger deputation, waited.,on the Governor and presented a petiliomtendering to hi* Excellency their support in his present painful and difficult position. The execution of the four condemned— Bead, Martin, Duffy, and Boyce—took place at nine ‘o’clock’ on' Friday ihorning in Darlinghurst Gobi. The event excited unusual interest, add the Sheriff received an j extraordinary number of applications for permission to witness the execution. A large crowd of men and women assembled oat side the gaol gates. Thera ware at least, 140 .persons, including doctors and scientific men,' members. ot the bar, and represents- ' lives,, of the preisj who were furnished with; ticketa of un- ( seemly . before ushered 'ib td'the ecu-' tral'oomdorof the gaol,'' where the rt'ksfctJ tion' waa to take place.* Shortly r after hine c*olock the condemned men' were conducted to the gallows, ' The first to enter the corridor was Martin; a priest being by his'side, who wa*:.praying, earnestly. Then came Read, followed, ,by a Presbyterian chaplain and .two other Presbyterian clergymen, ,one of whpnj, had,,,beep with the, prisoner all through the night It is stated, that, the condemned, youth was in frame of mind,’ and quite resigned to hi* fate. The other two youths, Duffy and : Boyce, then followed, attended by. the Ber,‘ Father Bryne, chaplain to the goal, and Anotherßev. Father from St. Mary’s Cathedral. All the four prisoners were pinidned, their arms being bound tightly ’ i doWh to their sides, but their loose. The Bom an Catholic culprits wore a cross''over'’’' garbi Thby/ were" ranged' ■ under the fatal beam-id 7 the following order■ Bead, Martin, Duffy; and/BdyCe,iße*d 'being placed* on i the left, and Boyce on the right'fluting the spectator*. Boyce/ was, deathly/pale, but the others were hot, and all four had apparently worked themselves; upJio face death;brayely,; Before the ropes were adjusted the Sheriff said Bead had handtcl him d long written statement to be 'held secret until after the execution.’ He, solemnly-declared his inno* oenoe. prisoners . said nothing at all, and no statement was made on their behalf, The execution appeared to have been terribly bungled,, 'and the sight Was altogether too sickening to'describe; Bead’s statement declarihg his innocence has been published since the execution, He says I declare most solemnly that l am entirely inndoeht J of' tfit 'ohaige ! Upbh! which 'I am aboilt'to’Buffbr death. T know ‘nothing of what was going on near Mount Bennie oh the day with any bad intent;' I did’not'outrage Mary Jane Hicks. I took no part in the fighting*)■ I ,did nptbing whateyep to encourage ah outrage' upon rtneogirl. ■.jl .am; very glad that Keegan and Millar" were' reprieved,, and, I am equally glad that Newman and Hillard 1 Reprieved, because from what /little I I have heard the other condemned say, I fully :belidMr,thann.t<l3 bp fi alii; He Bdmitif fearin^4fre*t f #t’be~ police, he left, Sydney with Boyce, and went Btfurk’e’i.far ihthe interior, where thty ! were arrested. ■ ' ■ * ; Newman, whose sentence was commuted ] by the Governor; i has addressed a petition to the Miaister of/.Justice again protesting, his innocence of any participation in the outrage. "Qiiff y ; and, £,ead, .two, flf $e men Who werrf execntedl and’,a, witness for. the OrbWh.'hamed ‘Brown; fahve ‘deblbred New* man’s innocenoe.' The publication .of these statement* has -causied -much’excitement in Sydneyflpnd the question of (the possibilitiy' of the poen's -innocenoe is warmly debated by the, press, It is thought that Newman, who has a life sentence,, may be innocent, but the we.aiinligSid be satisfied of thh'guilt hf been hanged; Strange ,io say, outrage* on’womeh Have not beenropjied'in'New ’South 1 |Wale* h by the example,; made in the Mount Bennie oass. About three weeks ago . five young men were accused of outraging! < a . young girl at a .country place called ,Tamworth, and alter a preliminary. hearing the Whole fire have been committed for trial. Another case is reported from the ‘ Sydney subarbjpf Newtowm; A girl, named Grabs Porter, ebvehtleh Vbbs of Who has been employed lab domestic' servant; and bears ' a good oharooter, has reported rto the police that she was, returning between eleven and twelve o’clock 1 at night along the Cook's Bivef'road'fbWaidv the end df last month, she ran dragged into a shed on the roadside;: and assaulted by seven men, some of whom were ’ (Five,men art in custody, having boon recognised by the girl ss having, been among her assailants. She states that she was afraid to say anything dbout'thc matter until to-day.