In 1868, Prince Alfred, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria was 23 years old, when he
visited Australia.
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| Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900, Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954), Sunday 31 January 1954 |
It was on 12th of March, that the Prince was a guest at the Sailor's Picnic at the harbourside suburb of Clontarf, New South Wales, when Henry O'Farrell, aged 35, came up behind the Prince and fired a revolver into his back.
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| Henry James O'Farrell, author of the assassination attempt on Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, ca. 1868 |
A local coach-maker named William Vial tackled O'Farrell. Immediately
assisted by other bystanders, who outraged and enraged by O'Farrell's actions, came close to lynching him.
The police arrived and whisked O'Farrell away after he had been beaten severely by the mob.
The prince sustained a serious injury to the right of the spine and was in hospital for two weeks.
A period of intense anti-Catholic and general, anti-Irish sentiment, followed, despite religion or affiliation.
After his trial, O'Farrell was convicted and sentenced to death by judge Alfred Cheeke.
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| Alfred Cheeke (10 March 1810 – 14 March 1876) was a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Illustrated Sydney News and New South Wales Agriculturalist and Grazier (NSW : 1872 - 1881), Friday 31 March 1876 |
O'Farrell was hanged on 21 April 1868 in the Darlinghurst Gaol.
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| Darlinghurst Gaol. It's not a bird cage, it's the scaffold. Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954), Sunday 27 April 1913 |
