On the 29th January the prisoner was again placed on his trial for an assault upon a Lascar named Mahomet, by striking him on the eye, in Hobson's Bay on the 6th December. A second count was for a common assault. The defence was that it was only a push, and not a blow, and the prisoner was convicted. He was then brought up for judgment, and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment for the first offence, and two months' for the assault. In passing sentence Judge Therry appeared to be much impressed with the presumption that the prisoner must have been acting, if not by the captain's express orders, yet with his approval, for otherwise such acts as those complained of would have been prevented. Some other charges against the prisoner were withdrawn; and next it was intimated that the Crown Prosecutor did not intend filing any bill against Captain Bauvais. This took the public much by surprise, as the captain was believed to be much the more culpable of the two, and that Dobson had acted according to instructions. Still the public wondered and the public growled; but the Crown Prosecutor was the Grand Jury of the colony, and the oracle remained dumb.
The prisoner, after passing three months in gaol, had the residue of the tyvo sentences remitted by the Executive, on the recommendation of the Judge.
Ruined by Dissipation.—20th April, 1846.
Perhaps in the records of the colony there is not a more remarkable example of the baleful effects of youthful dissipation than was disclosed by the trial of which a brief abstract is subjoined:—
Amongst the recent arrivals was George Brady, a young man with a highly-cultivated intellect, and who had read for the Bar. He was respectably connected, his father, Sir Nicholas Brady, having on two occasions filled the high office of Lord Mayor of Dublin, and this very year (1846) his uncle, the Right Honourable Maziere Brady, was Lord Chancellor of Ireland. With such prestige, there was a bright and promising career opening for the son, George; but he plunged into unrestrained vices, which brought him to degradation, and finally landed him a convicted felon in the common gaol. He used to stay at the boarding-house of a Mrs. Roache, and, after he exhausted whatever means he was possessed of, was not above doing occasional menial offices for the other lodgers. A Mr. R. W. Sutton came to stay at the place, and Brady scraped acquaintance with him. Before long Sutton had reason to think that some person made nocturnal raids on his pockets, for his money used to disappear. On the evening of the 31st March (a race day) he returned home with £43 in his purse, and retired to bed. The next morning he was awoke by some person stirring about in his room, and, on asking who was there, was told it was Brady, who was fetching in his boots. He thought no more of the interruption until dressing, when he missed the money. Brady was suspected to be the thief, and the robbery was reported to the Chief-Constable. Brady was soon in the hands of the police, and a bank-note found on him was identified by Sutton. He was brought before the Police Court, sent for trial to the Criminal Sessions, and convicted, when Judge A'Beckett sentenced him to fifteen months' imprisonment. After he had passed half the time in confinement the remainder was remitted by the Executive, and through the kindness of Mr. Croke (the Crown Prosecutor), the unfortunate young fellow was placed in funds sufficient to enable him to return to Dublin, and Port Phillip knew him no more.
Slayong with a Poker—15th December, 1846.
Jeremiah Connell was indicted for the murder of Edward Martin, at Buninyong, on the 11th November, by striking him with a poker. The prisoner declared he remembered nothing whatever of the matter.
There was a tavern at Buninyong known as Veitche's, and on the day of the occurrence some men were there noisy and drinking, when a religious controversy was introduced. The prisoner was amongst them, and desired a quarrel with some one or other, declaring "that he would never be satisfied until he had the blood of an Orangeman on his soul." He offered to fight several people, one of whom, named Procter, accepted the challenge, but the prisoner backed out, saying he could not think of fighting with a "paper man." A young fellow named Cameron at this threw off his coat, and, introducing himself as a "Scotchman and a Protestant," promised soon to let the prisoner see what a "paper man" could do.
