THE ARREST AND PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF FENIANS AT THE WEST COAST.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2658, 7 April 1868, Page 5

THE ARREST AND PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF FENIANS AT THE WEST COAST.

[Condensed from the West Coast Kwes.MarchSO.] Eably on FridaY morning, it was currently rumored in town that a warrant waa out for the arrest of Father Larkin, but this report was afterwards contradicted by his appearance at large, and also by the fact that he personally communicated with the heads of the Government in the afternoon. His arrest and the arrest of his coadjutors had, however, been determined upon, but were delayed to be conducted with greater secrecy after the shades of night set in. At seven o'clock Inspector Broham and Sergeant Hick-son proceeded to Melody's Hotel, and there found Larkin and Melody, vrho were at once attached in the Queen's name. Larkin submitted, But Melody seemed inolined to be restive, but soon quieted down, and both men were removed almost unobserved to the station house. The Inspector then proceeded to the Celt office for Manning, but he was not at home, and a close search having been made for treasonable or seditious papers, Constable Elliott was left in charge of the place, with orders to arrest Manning when he came in. He appeared by the back way, and was immediately pounced upon, and taken unresisting to the camp. They were thus secured without tumult, and the town quartette was completed by the publican Barrett, who, at 11 o'clock, was touched on the shoulder by Sergeant Hickson, and transferred from the back of his bar to the company of his companions in the lock-up. A posse of specials guarded him through the streets. So far so good, and thus encouraged, Inspector Broham resolved to have Clarke, the Waimei | storekeeper and member of the County Council. This really dangerous service was entrusted to Sergeant Wilson, of the Mounted Police, who, accompanied by three troopers, left town in the dead of night, and proceeded to that centre of Fenianism, the Waimea township. The little party arrived at Clarke's store at one o'clock on Saturday morning, and found him in bed, another man of truculent appearence being in the store with him. This individual

B seemed inclined to make a fight of it,, as ha i swore that be had bat to go outside and i whistle, and then " all the men on the Wesfc j Coast should not take Clarke." The latter, > however, adopted a moderate tone, and very i wisely resigning himself to the force of ; circumstances, was accommodated with a . horse, and at five o'clock on Saturday mornt ing was safely lodged in the Weld street 5 camp. While the prisoners were being taken , from the Court-houses back to the lock-up, , after their preliminary examination, a , swarthy-looking fellow was noticed as parti- . cularly demonstrative in their favor. Several , times he was heard to say, " Come on boys," L and at last forced himself into the enclosure [ toseeprisonerLarkin. He was then recognised \ as one Heron, a brewer, residing at Stafford ? Town, and a noted Fenian ; so, thinking it a i pity to disappoint his desire, the police quietly popped him into the logs with the rest. The necessary warrant having been trans- , mitted to Sergeant Blanc, at Stafford Town, ; he proceeded to arrest Hannon, in whoso i house was planned the burning of the Mayo? , j of Hokitika in effigy, and also an attempt to burn the fr est Coast Times office. Deserted , by his friends, he fell an easy prey; to the police, and was brought into Hokitika at '. half-past six o'clock in the evening. Heron and himself will make a first appearance before his Worship this morning. The Peniau prisoners, William Larkin, John Manning, James Clark, William Melody, and John Barrett, were brought; before the Eesident Magistrate at Hokitika, on March 28, charged with riot. The , authorities considered it necessary to exercise caution in guarding against any tumult which might arise, as a great many of the partisans of the prisoners were known to be in Hokitika. Strong bodies of special constables guarded their passage from the police camp to the Court House, which latter building was carefully defended. The. men presented a wearied and careworn appearance, and met with little sympathy from the crowd. Mr Harvey, in conjunction with Mr Button, appeared for the Crown, while the prisoners were undefended. After one witness (Detective Brown) had been examined, the prisoners were remanded until the Ist of April. SEDITION. A second information was laid against; William Joseph Larkin and John Manning 1 , " of Hokitika, printers, that on the Ist, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of November, 1867, and on the 3rd, 10th and 24th, and 31st January, 21st and 28th February, 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th March, 1868, at Hokitika they did unlawfully, wickedly, and maliciously, and seditiously write, print and publish certain false, wicked, malicious, scandalous, and seditious libels of, and concerning our Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria, and her Government, against the peace of our Lady the Queen her Crown and dignity, and against the form of the statute in that case made and provided. The prisoners were undefended. Mr Harvey, for the prosecution, applied for a remand in this case also. The prisoner Manning, addrebsing his Worship, said that the crime with which they were charged was of so grave a nature that he could not be prepared with his defence by Wednesday next, and as his Worship had acceded to the request in a former case, he thought he was entitled to expect that his request for a longer remand would be complied with. His Worship had no objection at all to granting a longer remand in the present case. Mr Harvey said that it was not the wish of the Government to throw any obstacle in the way of the prisoners preparing their defence. He thought, however, that theix object would.be better achieved by letting the remand stand as it was (until Wednesday) and then asking for a further remand on that day, as they would then know the specfic libels with which they were charged!. The prisoner Manning said he wished to draw his Worship's attention to the treatment they received at the lock-up. They had no lights, no chairs — in fact, they were treated like felons, as if they were the lowest in society. Inspector Broham said it was just the reverse of what the prisoner had stated. Manning said he had nothing to say against the police, but the accomodation was such that they thought they had not been prepared for them. His Worship remarked that he could not make a drawing-room of the lock-up, but he would make enquiries into the statements, and would see that they were not subjected to any unusual restraint. Kemanded until April Ist.