THE MITCHELLSTOWN RIOT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1874, 21 October 1887, Page 15

THE MITCHELLSTOWN RIOT.

News via America states that at the first en- . ' counter between the police and the Nationalists at Mitchellstown the former were attacked with 3 sticks and stones, and compelled to retreat. On o *£ being reinforced they charged the mob, firing , a j six bhots and killing two of tne crowd instanr _ tauoously and wounding several. Mr Condon had ' previously tried to pacify the mob. Mr Dillon i advised them to treat Mie police with silent contempt, because Home Rule was nearly Won; and then the Irish police forces would be under cona trol ot their own people instead of iv the hands *7 of their enemies. All was quiet throughout w the night of September 10 w the persons who u j attended on the previous day having returned j l to their homes. Fifty-four constables were injured to such an extent that physicians' services were required. One hundred and fifty civilians were also injured. The police assert that the trouble was due to the Nationalist in ' leaders shouting to the mob to hold together. The Nationalists are exultant over the good light they made. A Tipperary man broke through ' a square composed of 12 policemen and fought . them single-handed. The police finally sver- . powered him, but the mob made a rush, so that ' his rescue was effected. At the police parade on September 10 the majority of the men wors , bandages, over their wounds. Fourteen police " officers w.ere so badly injured in the vielee that I they had to be carried to the hospital. There were about 5000 people present, including a large body . of farmers from the outlying districts. The crowd ' was marshalled by the priests and local leaders on horseback. The three English members of Parlia- • ment who attended were Messrs Thomas Ellis (leader of the Welsh Liberal party), Mr Brunner (the newly-elected member for Norwich), and , Mr Henry Labouchere, who all made speeches denouncing the Government for their cour&e of 1 action in regard to Ireland. THE INQUEST. 1 At the inquest Sergeant Keirwin, of the Con3 stabulary, deposed that buckshot was fired from • the barracks windows to defend the police who 1 w» re endeavouring to get into the barracks to 1 escape the showers of stones. They coijld not J get in, the doors being blocked. He then I ordered firing, seeing that his own life and the 3 lives of this constables were cudangered. After two rounds of buckshot there was a! round of • ball cartridges fired. Timothy Harrington, who f was present, denounced the witness as a murderer. Constable Dorn in his evidence said ho 1 fired four times at the crowd, twice with buckshot and twice with ball. ' The first' bullet he ' ficpd prostrated a man. Mr Harringtou, M.P., 1 had quite a tilt with the witness, calljug him a murderer, &o. Sergeant Rider deposed that he • fired three charges of ball from the window of 1 the barracks. He declined to say whether he 1 murdered any one. He simply did his duty, he > said. Mr Harringtou (interposing) : " Listen to i me, you villain." Witness replied warmly that he was no villain, and asked the coroner's protec- ; tion. Harrington said the witness had been there to bully him, and he was hardly able to restrain hiinsflf from kicking the witness then and there. A spirited altercation ensued, the spectator's taking Harrington's side. The inquiry finally had to be adjourned. It was certain even at that date that a verdict of murder will be rendered against certain policemen. AJSi AUSTRALIAN AJ3SOONDEK. The Alta California (San Francisco) says : — " On July 9fch last John H. Stairenghi arrived in this city from Australia, on the steamer Mariposa. On July 18th the British Consul here, Mr Donahue, received a aablegram from Melbourne requesting the arrest of Stairenghi,if he was still in San Francisco, for forgeries aggregating T5,000d01, on the Union Bank of Melbourne. The matter was reported by the Consul to the police, and Stairenghi was soon located by the detectives and put under a close watch pending farther developments. As s dispatch was received that a constable with the necessary papers would arrive by the steamer Alatneda to take Stairenghi back with him to Australia, it was thought best to make things sure, so Captain Lees arrested Stairenghi and locked him up in the tanks. It seems from what is so far known about the case that Stairenghi is a member of the firm of George Synnofc and Co., wool brokers, at Geelong. Stairenghi was manager of the firm, which is one of the oldest in the country, and rated very high in business circles. This standing enabled him to make overdrafts in the firm's name at the Union Bank, Melbourne, to the extent of about £12,000. He is also alleged to have negotiated forged notes on other firms to the amount of £3000. When the bank demanded a settlement Stairenghi, to make such settlement, is stated to have given the banks notes purporting to have been signed by local settlers and. farmeii. These notes were discounted and the amountscredited to the firm to offset the overdrafts. When the first of these notes was presented it was repudiated as a forgery by Alexander Thompson of Exford, 'Melton, by whom it was purported to have been drawn. Adverse speculations plunged Stairenghi deeper and deeper, and at the end of last June he found the game was nearly up, and resolved to leave the country. Sending telegrams to the firms who were .pressing him. the closest; to meet him at a point as far away from

Sydney as possible, he left, for that port and took steamer for San Francisco, leaving there on June 16 y He lived a very retired life in San Francisco^ with his wife. On the flay of his arrest his furniture had been removed to an auction room, preparatory to his departure for the East. Stairenghi acknowledged, that he was in some trouble with his creditors in, Australia, but stated that it could bo arranged on his return there. What money, he had, secured from his transactions in Australia must evidently have been engulfed there, for when arrested he had but a few dollars in his possession. He stated that he only brought some 600dol here with him."