ANGLO-CELT OCTOBER 19, 1854 COOTEHILL OCTOBER QUARTER SESSIONS These Sessions commenced on Tuesday last before P. M. MURPHY, Esq., Q.C., Assistant Barrister for this county, Col. Henry T. CLEMENTS, J.P., Ashfield Lodge, Edward M'INTOSH, Esq., J.P., Cootehill, Theophilus CLEMENTS, Esq. J.P., Rakenny, Samuel H. MOOREHEAD, J.P., Fort William, and John VEEVERS, Esq., R.M., Bailieboro'. Immediately after the sitting of the Court the Clerk of the Peace proceeded to call the Grand Jury, but only ten answered when called, in consequence of which they were by direction of the court, called under penalties of £6, and a great number fined in that sum; however, on petitions and affidavits accounting for their absence, having been presented to the Assistant Barrister on the day following (Wednesday), several of the fines were remitted. After the list had been subsequently gone over and the jurors called upon the fines, the following persons were empanelled and sworn upon. THE GRAND JURY Patrick HORN, (foreman), John F. ELLIOTT, John BERRY, William MAXWELL, John CAMPBELL, Samuel FISHER, John SHERA, Joseph ADAMS, Edward COONEY, John DAVIS, John JOHNSTON. William MAHOOD, Edward MAHOOD, Charles M'COMB, and Edward SHARP, Esqrs. His Worship briefly addressed them first stating his regret as the thin attendance of Grand Jurors at Quarter Session for some time past; he would therefore impose fines on all non-attending Jurors, to enforce more punctual attendance in future. He then concluded by congratulating them upon the lightness of the calendar, which was he believed the very lightest ever known in that division, which was an evidence of the peaceable state of that district of the county THE SPIRIT LICENCES The application of which there were fourteen served upon the Clerk of the Peace for license to sell spirits by retail within the Cootehill Quarter Session, division of the county, only eight of the applicants attended, to whom certificates were awarded. On the application of Hugh WARD, of Muff, one of them, Mr. VEEVERS objected to a licence being granted to any person for that place, as it was a locality disgraced by scenes of the greatest debauchery, and at the last annual fair, held there on the 12th August, he observed amongst others, a professional gentleman in a disgraceful state of intoxication. Assistant Barrister--I hope that gentleman did not belong to the legal profession (laughter). MR. VEEVERS--No--he belongs to the medical profession. Barrister--I am quite delighted to learn that you did not allude to any of the legal gentlemen, attending the Quarter Sessions Courts of the county (laughter). After some further objections by Mr. VEEVERS, the licence was awarded to Hugh WARD on account of his good character, Mr. VEEVERS admitting that there were no less than sixteen sheeben houses on the neighbourhood, but he added that he would wish the assistance of the constabulary suppress them in a short time. The following is a synopsis of the business to be transacted at these sessions, which on account of their lightness are expected to terminate on to-morrow--92 civil bill processes, 6 ejectments, 14 spirit applications, (8 granted,) and 8 crown numbers. John ROSS, a young boy, pleaded guilty to an Indictment, which charged him with having stolen wearing apparel, the goods of David HALL, of Copenagh, out of his house at that place, on the 12th September last. In consequence of his youth, and that he had never been previously convicted, he was sentenced to only two months imprisonment at hard labour. Mary HART also pleaded guilty to an indictment, upon which she was arraigned, charging her with having at Cortubber, on the 11th August last, stolen a silver watch, and wearing apparel, the goods of George PEATT. She was sentenced to be imprisoned for 6 months at hard labour. CAUTION TO PETTY SESSIONS CLERKS On the prosecutor, George PEATT, making application for an order of court for his expenses, in enumerating and making up which, he stated as one item of them, that he was obliged to pay the Cootehill Petty Sessions Clerk 3s. for informations, and warrant of committal, the Assistant Barrister ordered the Petty Sessions Clerk to appear before him, and enquired from him under what authority he made such a charge. To which the Petty Sessions Clerk replied that he made the charge under the 14th and 15th Vic., cap. 93. His Worship having procured the act, read from the 3rd section of same, the following items of remuneration to Petty Sessions Clerk. "For drawing each information, deposition, or solemn declaration, 1s. 0d." Petty Sessions Clerk--Yes, your worship, but there was more than one information in this case. Barrister--Well, further on the act says: "But the clerk shall not be entitled to receive a greater amount of fees for any set of informations, or for any set of summonses, or for any set of other documents of the same kind, in the same case than 2s. in the whole for each set, unless the justices shall specially authorize a greater amount, but not in case exceeding the above fees." Barrister--I therefore caution, not only you, but all the other Petty Sessions Clerks in the county, not to attempt to exact any greater fees than those authorized by this act, as in every case in which they do so offend, I will order a public prosecution to be instituted against them. POCKET PICKING Eleanor GARVEY, and Bridge MARRON were found guilty of having picked 3s. 6d. out of the pocket of Michael KELLY, an itinerant vender of books, in Bailieborough, on the night of the 15th September last. In consequence of their previous bad character, they being nymphs of the pave, they were sentenced to be imprisoned in Cavan gaol, and kept to hard labour for 1 month each James HANIGAN, an old man who drives cattle for jobbers for hire, was indicted for having sold a bullock, the property of Rose M'KEONE, in the fair of Ballybay, on the 16th September last, for £3 17s. 6d., which he converted to his own use. In consequence of the good character which it was sworn the prisoner possessed--he alleging that he either lost or was robbed of the money in the fair, the jury acquitted him. Both the prisoner and prosecutrix reside in Cootehill. This case terminated the crown business. ______________________________________________________________ County Cavan Newspaper Transcription Project