South Australian Weekly Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1881 - 1889), Saturday 4 December 1886, page 10


THE MOUNT RENNIE OUTRAGE CASE.

Sydney, November 28.

After a long hearing the Mount Rennie outrage case was brought to a close at the Central Criminal Court shortly before midnight last night. The court sat until half past 3 o'clock yesterday morning, when Mr. Teece replied for the Crown and severely criticised the evidence brought forward for the defence. It then adjourned until 9 o'clock, when the judge commenced his summing up and spoke for 10 hours, not con-cluding until 20 minutes past 8 o'clock in the evening. His address was a most lucid and masterly one. He care-

fully and exhaustively went through and analysed the evidence pro and con., and placed little credence on the testimony brought forward in favor of the prisoners. He spoke strongly in favor of the evidence given by the girl Hicks. At 8.20 p.m. the jury retired, and at five minutes past 11 o'clock returned with a verdict of guilty against Wm. Hill, Geo. Duffy, Wm. Newman, Michael Donnellan, Joseph Martin, Wm. Boyce, Hugh Miller, Robert G. Read, and George Keegan, and of not guilty against Thomas Oscroft and Michael Mangan. They recommended the convicted prisoners to mercy on account of their youth. In answer to the usual question, Hill, Donnellan, Boyce, Keegan, Millar (sic), and Read, protested their inno-cence. Duffy and Newman had nothing to say, and Martin said "That girl was a consenting party." His Honor then in the most impressive manner proceeded to pass sentence of death on each of the nine prisoners, holding out no hope of mercy. Sydney, November 29. At the Central Criminal Court to-day Charles Sweetman, a cabman, was ar-raigned on a charge of having, at Water-loo, on September 9, assaulted one Mary Jane Hicks, with intent, to commit a rape. Mr. Teece prosecuted, and the prisoner was undefended. It will be remembered that Sweetman was the cabman who drove the girl Hicks, the victim of the Mount Rennie outrage, to the scene, and the evidence adduced showed that he had driven her to a lonely spot, and then entering the cab attempted liberties with her, when the other men came up and took her away, whereupon he drove away and did not give information to the police. The jury returned a verdict of

guilty. The prisoner made a statement denying he made any attempt on the girl. Mr. Justice Windeyer, in passing sen-tence, said that had it not been for the action of the prisoner the horrible outrage which had occupied the attention of the court for the last week would not have occurred. He spoke strongly on the cowardly conduct of the prisoner, and sentenced him to 14 years' penal servi-tude, and to be flogged on the 20th of December and the 1st of April next, 25 lashes to be inflicted on each occasion. The prisoner, he said, appeared not to be a strong man or he would have ordered more strokes.

It is stated that a brother of one of the men condemned to death for participation in the outrage has been threatening vio-lence to one of the Crown's witnesses, and that a warrant has been issued for his arrest.