THE ROCKHUMPTON CONSPIRACY CASE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 129, 2 June 1891, Page 4

THE ROCKHUMPTON CONSPIRACY CASE.

<Thi Ju\y in the*BwilmpU»V ooVtpltttoy j oaae alter *elnfJ locked tip for eometimej Other defendant* on eaoh and every •omnt, •, They ! ezpreued a- «hAdixaQdi wish ftai:JudgbiHardiog Bhonld.beaß^lenient as poasible, but when "asked for d reason the foreman raifl they had riot bQfaßidered that. His/flonour : So your' recommendation ari«w4 f oi»l7 6dt of tkiert of Oaristian, feeling. You do net like to see the defendant' hurt. I am alwaya glad to have advice, but . unless the jury have considered it, I&lwayd think it better thej Bhonld Btiok to their business and let me Btiok to mine. lam Ohtie^an as well as yourselves, and I wi(l be^r in t mi^4 what you ,^ave Baid, His Honour than discharged, the prisoners Fry ani^ R^an, and in doing so said : Let me give you' a word: or two of advice as from one ra*n to another. M i*very reasonable, - The, law,.reoof oJUes that it is not improper thai; -labourers should, Within legal bounds, be.Vbtt to take their owa part against trfcat» is so oomaoalj called oapitaL It-ifr-not for me here or atty whew cUe to enter intom,«x9r.ejftio,a ;i of nmpathy with one ol»»,,,or. ; aaotw. WUte^er ooune you think, right to pursue in the present dietyeasiqg , oM:oQi»8tonoe8 Unihe colony, take my adviofl, ftnip^sua it with, moderation. , You. appear -to be men endowed with more than general mental ftbiUiy/and with that you shoajd mtke yourselfes a power in the .oojony , without gojiug^i anything approaching, anlni^i vio< lenoe or force. I hope we may never meet again under, these oiroumstanoes, but that join future life' will be BUoh/> that .possibly we may meet again 'under more favourable oirojuafitaaofea. ■ Take, my ad^ioo, and thiuk itover at your leisure. Go your oourie, and do not break the &#; ' .•' • «:■:••.• -

The other prisoners .were then asked if they .had jvnything to ( say, ; All replied in the negative. , \ ', , James Martin Was firuS on the obarge sheet for os.lqg seditious k>3guage at Baroaldine, and he was sentenced to two years' , With hard labour in Brisbane , gtoVaftd ab the eipiration of that time he If m' tft enter into his own.reoognisanoein j MiO^ad find two sureties of Aid eaoh to ; be'of jjfobd behaviour foe a further .term of , Ttrii r sears r or to be imprisoned until Buoh , Burettes were found. ' <••!■■. ■ l.tKe'.Peak Dowqs. lio^rs iwera.nexf oaUed , tb*y,beiog de*U with singly, and Mntenoed as j follows Lqwry, 'Daniel . Jlnrphy, J John. Thomas. ;E(eaih60 L te, three years, hard i ■Ufaptf in. Brfsba^.gwii; Pelfir. Joieph IDwlrVtwo jreaiß j ttffiX #?*& Q*i J*** \ ftad a-Iwlfi . 9««h w^.oxdwi >p entu into j 'ffiMOTJsaofiofl of £dO anpi, ,lo find iwot 'iweTili'of i4o ' eaou ay the eipirttion of the , wkmM "Vp be Ol'good behaViour for IS! oi tp bfllmpriWfitd doriag (hat jew ( rjTO'sHaoneri,- George Taylor, Hogh Oo*. 'tatlaßlaoWeir, WiliUmPothwgUl, WUliam Barnes Bennett, Alfred John Brown r Bobert Prince, WUUmq BaaKton, Julian Alnander, Solomon ainari,- Patrick Joseph Griflin, Henry Charles Smith, Barry, Edward HartSft; ' ttoriiby, > and ; A^xaodtri v FoDteiter, , 4ba^K withvbwipijaWi: ww^awtyuwif Toird Übocr, ana to' ektto into their own .MOgnUanoM in £100 and two sutetUi'Ol £60 each for theit "good behaviour for one; ytti after the expixy of their eentenoe,or to oonllnne in gaol lor that period. I Mr 'JtJitioVHardlng,' in palsirjg Mutenoe, Nii t From the evidence it appears perfeotly Ilitjf tome thai this oompiiaoywhiah has been proved aga|nit, sob, and which >ypu appear lo,h*vj l carried on, or you poppeto, wn planned for the purpose ot dektroying all thinss in thii colony wiuoh aasorf peaoe and) order. >Jhm v • < ?»a^i personal liberty is not| to be buerfered with exoepl bj the due, tonne of the law, and those who interfexe, •rapt io thatooarw, are 4ealt with by the, law. During the proceedings ol this oourtj yon seemed to recognise nothing of the posi-j tioo.iowhi&yeaare plaoed^and of the final, fK4o4rbifih you may oorae, 1 will tell, fcWww'for all, that if I infiioted the; punishment which the law allowed, it; kUPPtbonmwt tot lite. It appears from, Si^eruM'or the j«y, tba * 7 oU ate not tlw i taiymenfh 1 this ooispiraoy. Judging for, myself , from what I have heardi I. should, think .thero i were hundreds, in it, Con- { < aequont& the punishment mUBt be made, such as should have i the 1 effect o2 deterriag, them from oontinuing the oonspiraoy. It; baa appeared durlnfc th.e!oourse of tbM. teial, that some of ,ypn have attained a opnsider-, able position aapngat your deluded loi^j k&mjtai. that 'ft yon were set free by a, nomln&l punishment you would again be, plaoodThibhe^owe't oJ carrying into effect j what you' have Ibegnn. If I thought you] WoalAoarry it iato'fiffetot in a peaoeable and, p'rofiS manner, ollowed under the Trades; Untonfl'iAeti'lv should feel, justified in; *mfog Oftfc , »i lighter pnnishraent than I , am about to do, but I cannot say so, and oonsequoatly I find that eaoh of the objects; loßthe pre'vflntioa of whioh punishment is ; infiiotedjtftqds out in this case and requires. .thesAriofcfdn of this court; I find no con-, aiderationsjin ttjis case which point to a .light I greatly regret it, but, Jwyatjeety of the law must be vindioated.) W^asrkm'oonc^rhed, I wiah it to. be, 'Edd#a tb4t, although in this case I give a oomparajively, light sentence, in all others j Of a like nature whioh may come before me,, th6snnishment will be muoh more severe ; ( and reooileot this, I and other judges of the. Supreme Court have power to punish for the duratidn'of a man's natural life. I amj taking the trouble to addreaß you iv order, f that. what Lhave said may go forth and be .pondered 9y^r, by the other, men who were, ( JLn,the oopspu^oy w|th you."