THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH.

Westport Times, Volume II, Issue 213, 6 April 1868, Page 3

THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF H.R.H. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH.

EXAMINATION OP 11. J. O-'fARRELL. (Condensed from the Sydney Mail.) First Day, Friday, March 13. On Friday last, H. J. O'Farrell was brought up in the room over the debtors' prison, at Darlinghurst Gaol, before 11. H. Voss, Esq., W.P.M., eharged with shooting at with intent to murder Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh, on Thursday, the 12th of March, at Clontarf, Middle Harbor. Mr Williams, Crown Solicitor, appeared for the prosecution. A number of witnesses were examined whose evidence was simply a statement of facts similar to that given below:— William Vial: I am a coachbuilder, carrying on business in Castlereagh street, Sydney. I was at the Sailors' Home Picnic at Clontarf, yesterday. I saw the Duke of Edinburgh there. I had been in the luncheon tent, and had lett it and walked down the green. The Duke of Edinburgh left the tent with Wo or three gentlemen. I about twenty or twenty-five feet from them, still looking at them. I saw a man come from behind, at the side, make four or five quick steps, and before I had time to speak he levelled a pistol at his Royal Highness's back and fired. Prisoner was about four feet from the Prince when he fired. The Prince fell, and called out, " Oh ! my back is broken," or something to that effect. Sir William Manning turned round, and advanced in the direction of prisoner, who retreated.

Prisoner presented the pistol at Sir Wm. Manning, and called out "stand back " Ho pulled the trigger, but the pistol missed fire, and Sir Williom Manning fell. Prisoner then levelled tho pistol again in a line with the Prince and Sir William Manning, and as he did so I jumped on his back, and threw my arms around him, and pinioned his arms to his side. He twisted his arms round and tried to point the pistol at me, swearing at me. Finding he could not level the pistol at me he pointed the pistol in the same direction he had it in at first, and as he did so I slipped my right hand down on to his arm and knocked the pistol downwards. This had the result of diverting the direction of the shot from the direction he had intended. I then tried to throw prisoner, but I was seized by the hair of the head by some bystanders. When I extracted myself I was bleeding from the nose and mouth, and received a kick in the chest, but was not much hurt. Prisoner was taken away. When I caught hold of the prisoner first I called out " I've got him." I had a good view of prisoner's face. lam sure he was the man.

Alexander Watson deposed: lam a surgeon in the Royal Navy, now serving on board 11.M.5. Challenger. I was at the Sailors' Home Picnic, at Clontarf, yesterday. I was near the Duke of Edinburgh when I heard a pistol-shot and saw the Duke fall. I went to his Royal Highness's assistance. I had him carried to the tent and caused him to be stripped, and found he was wounded over the ninth rib, about two inches to the right of the vertebral column. I examined the wound. It was a recent pistol-shot wound. I probed the wound for about one inch and a half. I have no doubt the wound was caused by the shot I heard iired when I saw the Prince fall.

The bullet has not been extracted yet. Henry Rawlinson deposed: lam a senior sergeant of police. I assisted to arrest the prisoner yesterday at Clontarf. I saw a pistol taken by senior sergeant Musgrave from the outside breast-pocket of prisoner's coat. I accompanied the prisoner from the steamer to Dai'linghurst Graol. On the HR. N.S.N. Company's wharf, as we were going to a cab, prisoner said : " I'm very much obliged to you for getting my face washed." I had previously caused the blood to be washed off his face. He said, " I don't care for death. I'm sorry I missed my aim. I made a by mess of it." This was said voluntarily and without my having spoken to him. At Clontarf, when I first laid hold of prisoner by the leg, he said he was a " Fenian; may Grod save Ireland." I was about twenty or twenty-five yards from the prisoner when he fired the shots, and seized him immediately. After we got in the cab, and immediately after he said he made a by mess of it, he said, " I can't help it now." Richard Musgrave deposed : I am a senior sergeant of police. I was at the Sailors' Home Picnic yesterday, at Clontarf. I saw the Prince come out from luncheon, and shortly after I heard a shot fired. I run down and seized the prisoner by the hair and the shoulders, and he said, " I'm a by Fenian ; I'll die for my country." I noticed a revolver in prisoner's coat. I seized hold of it, and took it out of his pocket. The pistol produced is the same one. It is a small Colt's revolver. It appears to be a new one, and has the brand of " Challinor, gunmaker, Sydney," on it. I stuck to prisoner till I got him on the steamer, and accompanied him to Darlinghurst Graol. The revolver is loaded and capped in all its chambers.

At this stage the case was adjourned until Monday.

Second Day, Monday, March 16. committal of the prisojfeb. The examination of the prisoner OTarrell was on Monday resumed and concluded, before Mr H. H. Voss, W.P.M., at Darlinghurst gaol. Sir William Montague Manning deposed : I was at the Sailors' Home Picnic, at Clontarf, on Thursday last. The Duke signified to me that he desired my attendance, and walked from the pavilion over the open ground towards the water side, accompanied by myself only. The Duke said he wished to present a donation to the Sailors' Home, and presented an envelope to me. His Royal Highness was conversing with me, and when I heard an explosion as if of some fireworks, close to where I was standing, I thought at the time that it was a cracker. His Royal Highness was on my right, slightly behind the line in which we were walking, but not enough to see anything that was behind us. Immediately upon the report his Eoyal Highness either said something or was talking, but whichever it was, it led me to believe that he was struck. I

• faced round towards the direction where the report had come from, and I saw a man a short distance from me behind the Prince. I behove I advanced in his direction. I cannot be certain whether I went towards him or not. I saw a man corresponding with prisoner now before the Court, but dressed like a gontloma i. After a short interval I noticed him, I should judge at two or three paces from me. He was presenting a pistol at mo in a line with my head. It appeared to mo as if he was in the act of firing at me, and in so doing I lost my balance and fell completely down. I believe either immediately before or immediately after [ had got down I saw the pistol snapped. I was in the act of rising almost immediately afterwards when I saw the man again at a somewhat greater distance, although I could not be sure of it, and presenting what appeared to be the same pistol again. I believe the pistol was pointed at myself, and just at the instant he was about to fire. Very shortly afterwards the pistol exploded, but how soon I could not tell. It was almost immediately. The next thing I saw, after getting up, was a cluster of men where the man had stood leaning over something on the ground and struggling. I observed one or two policemeh trying to pull them off. This was somewhat at my right hand as I was then standing. Almost at the same instant I saw some men on my left hand carrying the Duke of Edinburgh to his tent; and I heard His Royal Highness say something as to the way in which they were carrying him, or to carry him easily. I then followed His Royal Highness, and took no more notice of the person who fired the shot. Prisoner is of the same stamp, figure, and general appearance as the man I saw fire the pistol, but I cannot possibly identify him. I have no recollection when the man was presenting the'pistol at mo of anything being said by prisoner. Mr Voss, to prisoner: Now, O'Farrell, have you any questions to ask ? Prisoner : " No. But I wish to state that if Sir William Manning had not rushed right at me, between me and the Duke, the Prince would have received a second shot, and then I would have shot myself; but I had not time. Of course I had nothing against Sir William Manning." Prisoner then said something about Sir William Manning saving the Prince, anl when asked if he did so, replied : That statement says so," meaning the statement just made

Mr Voss then gave the usual caution and asked him if ho had any statement to make. Prisoner : " I have nothing more to state but that the task of executing the Prince was allotted to me, and I have failed, and I am not very sorry that I have failed." Prisoner also said something about his being sent out to execute the Prince, and on his being asked to tell it over again, said, " I will not repeat it again." Prisoner was then committed to take his trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Court, to be held on Thursday, the 2uth of March. The prisoner was then removed. The special sittings of the Central Criminal Court, for the trial of O'Farrell, commenced on the 2Gth ult., before Judge Cheeke. Mr. Aspinal, of Melbourne, appeared for the prisoner, and on his application the trial was postponed till Monday, the 30th ult.

LATEST PARTI CTTLAES. Prom our Sydney files we take the following latest particulars with respect to the Duke of Edinburgh's recovery:— It is exceedingly gratifying to know that his Royal Highness has sufficiently recovered his health and strength to be able to visit his noble ship and noblehearted shipmates again. Yesterday morning his Royal Highness rose early, and, during the forenoon, proceeded to the upper portion of the Inner Domain, were he remained some time while the marines of the naval squadron in port were being exercised. Shortly afterwards he resolved upon paying a visit to his ship ; and he felt himself so far advanced on the way to convalescence that with the aid of a stick, he was enabled to walk through the Government House gardens to the Government jetty, where his barge and her crew were waiting to convey him on board the Galatea. His visit was entirely unexpected; but as soon as the Sailor Prince was descried from the ships of war lying in Farm Cove, the men manned the rigging, and as the boat passed on her way to the Galatea, the blue jackets gave three hearty cheers, with which his Royal Highness seemed very much gratified. The cheers were taken up and re-echoed by a number

of seamen on Garden Island, and when the Prince reached the deck of his own ship he was received with the utmost enthusiasm. His Royal Highness could scarcely control his feelings, and was compelled to rot ire to his cabin until he felt moro composed. Ho then looked through his ship and examined what had been done in the way of refit! ing her ; after which, between 1 and 2 o'clock, he returned on shore, his departure being made ou the occasion of another hearty outburst of cheering. We are informed that H.R.H. the Prince has stated that ho is sure the attempt made on his life by O'Earrell was not prompted by any personal ill-feeling towards himself; and that it is his intention to intercede with the authorities on the prisone's behalf, so that they may not cairy into effect the capital sentence, which will doubtbe passed on O'Farrell for his crime.

We believe that his Koyal Highness intends to see O'Farrell personally, and to speak to him in reference to his motives for desiring to assassinate him. In reply to the numerous addresses which have been presented to the Prince, the following letter from him appears in the Sydney Government Gazette:—"Government House, Sydney, 19th March, 1868, I have received with sincere gratification these numerous addresses, and desire to return my warm thanks for the expression of sympathy which they contain. The cowardely act of one individual has not, in any degree' shaken my confidency in the loyalty of the people of this colony to the Throne and person of her Majesty, or in their affection for myself; and I shall gladly convey to the Queen the universal expression of horror and indignation which the attempt to assassinate me has called forth from her Majesty's faithful subjects in Australia."

It is highly probable that the Prince will pay his intended visit to New Zealand, and proceed thence direct to England.

One of the ships of war now in harbor will sail for Point de Gralle shortly, with despatches from his lioyal Highness, for England. The wretched miscreant O'Farrellhas been visited in his cell at Darlinghurst gaol by the Colonial Secretary" Mr. Parkes, and the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon. W. M. Arnold, to whom, we understand, he was very communicative. He stated that he intended to have shot at the Prince a second time as he lay on the ground, and then to have shot himself, but was prevented from so doing by the movement of Sir William Manning. He stated, moreover, that a written instrument had been received from the heads (or directors) of the Fenian movement (a Republic) at home directing the execution of the Prince, and that ten persons entered into a solemn engagement to shoot him in the event of the lot falling to him. The lots, the prisoner stated, were drawn by a boy in the presence of the ten men, and it fell to his lot to execute the Prince. This it is stated took place about two months ago. He said he regretted that it had fallen to his lot to kill the Prince; but the killing was not regarded by him, or by the others, in the light of an assassination, but in the same way as they regarded the execution of the three Irishmen at Manchester. He stated that the general design of the Fenian organisation was to strike terror into the English people (aristocracy), believing ti to be the most effectual mode of bringing adout the, independence of Ireland. The prisoner we understand, went on to state that he intended to have shot the Prince on the occasion of his public landing, and had a good opportunity of doing so, having procured a gun for the purpose and hired a room commanding a view of the procession. He was, however, deterred from carrying out his intention on that occasion, as there was a probability of the shot taking effect on the person of his Excellency the Earl of Belmore, who was sitting beside his Royal Highuess. He afterwards proposed to carry out the intention of effecting his deadly purpose at the Citizen's Ball ; and one of the ten men previously referred to wished to accompany him for the purpose of setting fire to the Pavilion, by means of inflammable substances which ho had in his possession ; but he (O'Farrell) was unwilling to sacrifice so many lives when the engagement he had entered into required but one. Subsequently he intended to have accomplished his diabolical design at the Prince of Wales Theatre on the occasion of the Fancy Dress Ball, but for some cause or other was led to postponed for a more favorable opportunity. No determination has been arrived at in regard to the departure of his Eoyal Highness from Sydney ; and we understand that nothing in this directiou will be done until after the arrival of the mail via Panama.