Gazette Of The United States, & Philadelphia Daily Advertiser

Letter from Omagh (Ireland) April 8.

On Saturday last Thos. Richardson, Esq. and Mr. Ben. Brown were put on their trial for the alleged crime of being UNITED IRISHMEN !! They stood charged upon the oath of Robert Robinson, with a conspiracy to join the Catholics of Ireland, for the purpose of overturning the government and constitution of the country.

Robinson produced swore that he had been worn in for the above purpose, and that he had attended meetings of United Irishmen where Messrs. Richardson and Brown were present--he confessed however, that he had since made an affidavit that he had been terrified by the Orange men, and suborned by Mr. Armstrong of Dungannon, who had promised a reward of 150 guineas to lodge examinations against the United Irishmen and that every word he had sworn in said examinations was utterly false and untrue. On being asked which of the affidavits he would now stand to, he said he would stand by the FIRST.

After a variety of contradictory testimony, the honourable judge (Justice Kelly) ordered him down, and the prisoners not thinking it necessary to produce any witness to refute so ridiculous a charge, so ill supported, Justice Kelly, charged the Jury, who in three minutes, returned a verdict of Not Guilty. Two other persons who had been committed upon the same charge, were instantly liberated without trial.

This being the first attempt made in Ireland, to punish men for promoting harmony among the different religious persuasions, and stopping the progress of that fanaticism which has disgraced the county of Armagh, and its impotence appearing in so conspicuous a manner, caused the most universal joy in every countenance. Should we ever live to see the day when the promoters of brotherly love and affection among Irishmen were punished as criminals ; then indeed it would be full time to say that this is "the land of tormentors—the place of the damned."