THE PHELAN-SHORT TRIAL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5250, 23 July 1885, Page 4

THE PHELAN-SHORT TRIAL.

The trial in the assault upon Phelan in O'Donovan Rossa's office led to the acquittal of Short, the accused. The New York correspondent of a London paper, writing on the subject, says: — When the verdict was announced, the assembled friends of Short broke into a wild yell, which the officers of the Court were unable to suppress for several seconds. They crowded round Short, hugging, him and making frantic demonstrations of joy. The Judge rose from his seat, visibly pale with indignation, saying sternly, • Gentlemen of the jury, I cannot but express my surprise at the verdict you have rendered.' The newspapers generally spoak of the verdict as a shameful misscarriage of justice, but it is difficult to see why the jury should be blamed. They were unusually intelligent men, consisting of three Germans and four Americans. , None had a particle of sympathy with the Irish, or Irish crimes. Phelan was the only witness to his verftion of the assault. Against him were

Beveral witnesses whose character was not impeached, who testified that he went to Rossa'B office in a quarrelsome mood, armed, and under the influence of drink, provoked a quarrel with Short, and 1 was worsted, because Short was too quick for him, seizing a knife which lay on the table before Phelan could draw his pistol. A member of the jury, who is a merchant of good standing, assures me privately that the jury would have been glad to convict both Short and Phelan of any crime by which they might be hanged or imprisoned, but were compelled to find as they did on the evidence. They were obliged to find Short guilty of an assault with intent to kill or acquit; him. There was no middle verdict attainable."

Many-hued birds, sold by a street peddler in Marietta, Ga., the other day, were beautiful, and changed ownership readily. A purchaser of one of these birds placed one of" its bright tinted feathers in some hot water and the paint came off.