THE ASSASSIN O'FARRELL.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIV, Issue 3340, 31 March 1868, Page 3

THE ASSASSIN O'FARRELL.

The Melbourne Argwt of the 13th instant publish* the following particulars with reference to O'Farrell, an abstract of which we received by telegraph from Melbourne on Saturday, but withheld its publication, as the preliminary examination was then unfinished :— Readers will see by the Sydney telegram in another column that the man by whom the assassination of Prince Alfred was attempted is named H. J. O'Fartll or H. F. O'Farrell, and it is stated that he wu brother to a Melbourne solicitor. Some particular! relative to the Victorian career of this man will no doubt now be interesting. The , solicitor, hit brother, was F. A. C. O'Farrell, who succeeded several years ago in making himself a very notorious name in Melbourne, and who decamped from the colony soon after the termination of the libel action Hanify v. O'Farrell, leaving behind him a reputation which subsequent discoveries hare not tended to rehabilitate. His brother, H, J. O'Farrell, is about three years younger, and is at present about thirty- three years of age. Their father was a butcher, a very old colonist, who many years ago kept a shop at the lower end of Elizabeth-street. The family, which was a numerous one, several of its member* being at present settled in different parts oftb* colony, were educated in a manner to fit them for positions higher than the trade followed bythel* father. The subject of this notice, after having been in business for some time at Ballarat, left the colony about eight years ago, and went home to stady^ for the Church. ,He pursued his studies for s6me tune* and in the course of his stay in Europe visited Rome, He came out again to Victoria in 1862, and after continuing his studies for some time, finding his health giving way, he returned to Ballarat, and resumed business as a general storekeeper. While at Ballarat he was looked 'upon «s a leading' member of tut Catholic Church, and, like his brother, took a warm and intimate interest in its internal affairs. Th» absconding of bis brother seems to have occasioned him considerable pecuniary loss', and he determined to go to Sydney, where it appears from thejtelegram that he has been employed as a lawyer's clerk. ; Th°i» who know him well speak of him as Jinan * inan <MgV gentlemanly demeanour, but exceedingly excitably arid of a very violent and misanthropical dMpoi^Oß.* He is also spoken of as one who ha'r|ni atta^Wlmnjett to an idea would pursue it at any "coir^.-tcf A#MW «

to others. One ynt «*«&& V* bh &» faj^ and able to form »coqap«fontbpinioare«pootmg/iim ? ■ays that on out occasion, about twelve monthi^o, I he met him on ihe, tl l£elbgurnfr CJri.okit-gron.nd,. and froia,hV extraordinary manner and conversation be formed the opiilon that he was then of umound mind.' His manner, was' very; abienft and .be <axbibited an extreme, degree jrif exoitabiJity A He would converse with* t^griaseirt warmth ok .aqme, •wjeot% and then tucWßnly: iara to » matter entirely foreign to it. He leemi tp^laye le|kilie limpre«Bion 1 impre«8ion on pneat^eaat. o£s» acauainUnoai-rand^ne who had,knpwn.hun for a%ng time— %bfA ba,yr*» " » *«*J dangerou<,m^n,' Theae indicationi jroul&neem to point to an »pj»rent aberration of intell«ot,M the source of hit attack on the, ate of the Prinoe., Still, even if that proved, it wous remain a queition why meatal aberraiion in thii oase took, the form of a detenmnatiW'to murd^j% -Irtinde of the Royal Family of^ Eng]andUwhofcher ( tfia .motive* were merely in-, diridaal pnei»,.Bt,^ether l he wu wed m an indfcrnment by A^ owHUjJiation. The.,eluoidation of,, tbii quettiqp mutt, (|ome f from thfi direot inTeitiga-) tioni to bf made'at^yd^ey/andatpretent it would be useleis to gpeoulatQ h^e in the total absence of materialior.a deVerpipatibn. . t/l , , , . The following dfiicaiptxqn of O'Farrell,hM ,b«en teleßwpb'edby theiotfce'of Sydney to authon-,, ties here i— He is abon^ 5 net 10 inches hi^h ;, hwr dark brown Vnd wihe^hU a^-the top; walks upn«H>n^ h W 0 "^ buil 4 i flonA complexion,; from ihvFt? to thijfty-fiye yews old ; a^tes.that h« is a native of DubUn, His chin is clean-shaved. , ,{ We haye »lsJJeMian«o Iri9^Ljihat 1 ri9^Ljihat H. " J. ' O'FaweH formerly.reiid^d ift D v ovetqn.street, ißaJlarat ;, that he drank g^erj;hasd &7 and l^as subjects to tih of, delttium ,jQn oft?, oooasion-he Mked^. i an, ac a uaintanbe V> >nd him,* pair of pi»)pU to blow his. brains out. It Is nl whether the f ello,w is the brother or tWe oouwn of Mr.'J?. A. C. O'i'arrell.