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HMarretesher Laaedease LEE 16
The Casement Trial.
The Casement trial began to-day, as these
famous trials often do, in a minor key... The
interest is likely to work up to something
dramatio towards .the end of the week,
when the nature of the defence, which has
naturally been carefully concealed, is — re-
vealed and the real struggle is entered upon.
is obvious already that an excellent
choice has been made of leading counsel for|
Sir Roger Casement in Mr. Serjeant, Sullivan, |
of the Irish Bar. . He cross-examines with
none of the exuberance and yehemence which
one associates by tradition with an Irish)
lawyer. He is quiet, tenacious, and comes
out of hiskennel, as it were, only when there
is a good bone for which to fight. Serjeant ””
is, of course, an obsolete legal rank in this
country, and I believe there is only one other,
left_in Ireland besides Mr. Sullivan. — His
Trish accent is pronounced, but not at all ob-
scuring to his meaning, which cannot be said
of the Irish: soldiers who have been. giving
evidence of Sir Roger’s activities in Ger-
many. Mr, Serjeant Sullivan is the son ofa
well-known Nationalist M.P., and, like so
many successful lawyers in Ireland and else-
where, has been a journalist. He is related
by marriage to Mr. “Tim” Healy.
Evidence of the international interest of
the case is the number of Allied and American
journalists present, and also the attendance,
by courtesy, of Sir Roger Casement’ s American
lawyer, Mr. Doyle. There has been a good
deal of rather absurd writing about the promi-
nent part Mr. Doyle would take in the trial,
which need not have taken up space in news-
papers if the elementary fact had been re-
membered that an American lawyer has no
right to speak in an English court.
keh Hews. ay. 6. ré
Sir. Roger Casement ‘was ‘yesterday}
placed npon his trial at.the Royal Courts:
of Justice, London, charged with ‘high!
treason. His judges are.the Lord. Chief
Justice (Lord Reading) Mr. Jistico Avery, q
and Mr. Justice Horridge.. He has an im-3
‘posing :array of ‘teal representatives who!
are led by Serjeant’ Sullivan, fhe Irish
K.G.; and a membérof the English Junior
Bar, ‘vith him are Mr. Artemus Jones and |
Professor J.-H. Morgan, who watched: the |
interests of accused before the magistrate
at Bow Street, and a distinguished Ameri-/
can lawyer, Mr. - Michael: Francis’ Doyle,
is present in-an_ advisory. capacity. Fer;
the. Crown | there -appear the . Attorney.:
General (Sir Frederick Smith), the. Solici-,
tor-General “Sir, Georgé, Cave); sand Mr.
Bodkin and Mr, Travers Humphreys, well-j
known representatives of the. Dircetor: of |
Public Prosecutions in cases of lesser im-j
| portance,
The -trial is being heard in the® Lerd|
| Chief Justice’s Court, the largest court in
| the building, ‘hut not- nearly: adequate “to
accommodate all those: members: of, the
general public who. would have, flocked to
| the proceedings.as.1o a public’ spectacle,
tand only ticket, holders steod:a chance of {
approaching the court yesterday. morning.‘
They were placed inthe two galleries at
the rear and sat’the side; the floor of the}
court having been already fully oceupies
by barristers who- desired-to watch: the}
a protract elated wees bat when: they: wero;
finally martial were -iven. seats in
a tempora sa Re erected onthe side’
of the court opposite the ‘dock. So far the}
trial. has followed the . prosaic ‘lines indi- i
cated by the police court ‘proc ceedings.
dramatic eet there have:
Casement, deprived now of ,tho’ fellowship |
in ‘the dock of Bailey, the ex-Irish Tilman, |
who is facing a like char; Ze, 1s 4
A NEW CASEMENT. «:
Debonair and confiden > fashionably dressed
in a. braided m t with. vest slip
and dark tie, his "hair coretuly tended and
his beard trimm: ed‘ once more
the cultured civil servant.
is _sonsitive. faco had. lost its wonted |
air of brooding, and his-entry' to the court |
between the parted green curtains was an |
objec on in careless. grace of move-|
The Master of the Crown Ofc e. in the
place usually occupied. by the clerk, “read
the long indictment, with its curious sure)
Vivals of the legal phrasealozy of the middle
age, and ment Jistened,-one hand in
his trousers pocket, the other holding bis |
chin, apparent]
“Do you pledd guilty or not guilty to this:
high treason?
- Motion. to.Quash Indictment.
“The silence was broken by Serjeant Sulli-}
‘van, who at ouce rose to submit a point of
the indictment “should “slot “be heard” hady
the submitted, heen altered by ‘statute, and
ithe nature, of the present indictment was'\
not the same as that in The st
Lynely."}) ere was not,’
gene. “ anywhere in the’ in
ralle gation of any act done anyw
he King’s; Dominions.” © : /
r othe Lord: Chief, Tusties sail it was open |
ito the Attorney-General to, object to. the |
Imotion to quash, but the Court thought it}
{more convenient that. the motion shoul
jtaken af, the end of the case’ for the pro. 4
isecution. .” This course would’ in. no way
\preindice’ the defence.
Attorney-General assented
Casemont in a loud. voice hey ples aded,
Not guilty.””
‘or the rest. of the day, Casement: sat
thack at ease listening to the concise open-
jms statement of the “Attorney General and |
Joughing occasionally at the “humorous sal-
Hies of the Irish w eindictime nt |
pogainst Casement is in tho following terms:
i. **Sir Roger-Dav ie Casement, otberwisa
ment, Knight, on
int and ‘on divers
days thereaiter, ant between’ that}
day and the 2ist ‘April, 1
“% wit, onthe said Bera d
subject, and whilst on the said seve )
an ° n and public war,was being prose-
ented and carried on by the German -Em-/
peror and his subjects against our Lord the
ae
aid ‘several days traitorously. contriving,
and ‘intending to’ aid and. assist ithe said
enemies of our Lord the our}
| Lord the King and his su rbjects, ‘did traitors|
{ously adhere to and did comfort the enemies
jin parts beyond the seas without this reali
[ot ba Fnglar nd—te wit, in the Empire of Goe-
Casement's trial’ 6n charges"
‘inv -olving lite -or death’ was opened, with
jdue solemnity -yesterday. The’ scenaout-
psidé thé Court’ at an early “hour. showed
‘that there. are yet in London, multitudes
of nen—largely able-bodied and of mili-
tary. age—whd have’ nothing..to doy and)
}that’ thére’are a. still larger. number: of
[Prosperous women whose only visible occu-
jpation is the killing of.time.. Very few
rpeople outside those directly concerned in
fe proceedings and thé members’ of the
y panel secured admitiance.- Sir F.
Smith led for the prosecution, and dilated |
soporoyisly on the! hideous criminality’. esl
Digh’ treason, Perhtps his thoughts: rey
yerted to Dungannon and a cerfain zallap-|
ing incident now, aud® then’ while. the!
\Stlowing perieds”” fell front - his. lips. 4
The “ appearance , of Serjeant > Sullivan |
ag ‘leader? for the ’ defence: was!
pan interesting “feature of the «: pro-)
| ceedings. °
~ The “Téarnéed © Irish. Serjéant)
had not tvuch scope yesterday, as little
j could be done iv the way of cross-exami;
| tiod with’ the soldier-witnesses. who simply
répeated™ thé tales’ already told ab Bow,
Street of the prisoner's alleged visits ‘to |
German: prisoa camps in scareh of Irish
members fora new ° Brigade.’ o Mr.
Michacl FP. Doyle, the. eminent “American
‘}ldwyer, was: present; but he cannot take
@ part in the - work af tlie defence.
Sir Roger: Casement, Ean. told, Inoked
much better than ‘he did, at the. Police!
Court. He watehed the conrse.ef the cass,
Fagainst, him keenly but eaimly. It, is he
‘Vieved the trial-will last during the. week
ec. jurors: were carefully.“ locked up"!
Last night.
emits
THE TRIAL
\
AB iccrrereghnere Gazelle .
OF SIR" ROGER CASEMENT.
Ce earenez Sob by. 6.4.
SIR ROGER CASEMENT,
THE TRIAL AT BAR,
eee,
CHARGE OF TREASON.
| The Trial at Bar of Sir Roger Casement for
high treason opened yesterday in the Lord Chief
Justice’s Court before three. Judges in scarlet
robes—the . Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Justice
Avory, and Mr. Justice Horridge. © Public in- |
terest in the proceedings was indicated by the |
resence of a crowd which assembled at an early |
our outside the Law Courts. At the further }
end of the Court, opposite the dock in which
prisoners are placed in criminal appeal eases, a
jury box' had been ‘pecially ce nstructed fer the
occasion, “Counsel — for ‘Crown are the
Attorney-General, the. So! Helton General Mr.
Bodkin, Mr. Travers Ilumphreys, and Mr.
Branson; ond-the, prisoner is represented by
Mr. A, M. Sullivan (who at the [rish Bar
is’ a Serjeant and a K.C.), Mr. Artemus
, Jones, and Mr, J..P. Morgan, with the assist«
ance of an American lawyer, Mr, Michael
Francis Doyle, who, however, having sno’ locus
standi in ovr Courts, can only act in an advisory
capacity. The indictment. was couched. in the
naint old English phraseclegy of the reign
of Edward I1., whose statute of high treason is
still the law of the land. The Judges having
taken their seats, the. prisoner, who had been
brought from Briston Prison, was placed in, the
| dock, swhere he stood between two warders in
\ uniform. Tie was asked, in the usual formula,
| whether he was guilty or not guilty, but before
Lhe could answer his connsel,. Mr, Sullivan,
| raised a technical legal point to the effect that
} no offence was disclosed in the indictment as
| framed. The Judges conferred together in
| whispers for a few moments, and the Lord Chief
| Instice intimated that the point would be con-_
i sidered at a later stage. The prisoner, a slim
man, with dark hair.and beard and a sallow
complexion; was attired in a black morning coat.
Ife ‘appeared to be nervous, but. when called
upon a seoond time pleaded not guilty in a firm!
voice and w Isfiant toss of the head. The
| empanelling, u tis jury then began. and proved |
to he a long and tedions process, Some were)
challenged by the Crown, others hy the defence,
and this double screening process lasted the
greater part of an honr. At length; however,
the jury was complete and was sworn.
The Attorney-General then proceeded to open
tho ease for the Crown. -.The first witnesses
were officials from- the Foreign Office . and
the - Paymaster-General’s Office,-. who gave
particulars as to ‘the payment of Sir
Roger's pension of £421 13s. 4d. a year.
This pension, it appeared, had to be claimed
quarterly by the recipient, and this he did regu-
larly up to nearly the close of 1914. They were
|followed in the witness-box by a number of Irish
soldiers ‘who were prisoners of war in Germany,
but, being severely. wounded, have - been : ex-
change for German prisoners similarly dis-
abled. .The evidence of the military witnesses
from Germony was concluded, and the Court
adjourned soon afterwards until this morning.
A full report of the proceedings appears on|
4
page 2.
AP. S$. 7
- z art “ve
lan Ho moved: to quash tho indictment, | The trial of Sir Roger Casement on a charge of high treason opened before the Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Jus-
declaring that it had disclosed’ no offence? tice Ayory, and Mr. Justice Horridge in London yesterday. (1) Private J.’ O'Neill, who: was a prisoner at °
as read... The reasons why a motion to quas” Lemberg for several months, is a witness.in the case. © (2).Mr. Michae! Francis ‘Doyle, of. America (in “J
entre), who has been granted special permission to sit with counsel curing the trial, On left is Mr. J. FL °
Le ecw ota: - MacDonnell, solicitor to the soldier Bailey. _ ue ke ener
. ; - _