The defence witnesses were friends and family of the vigilante community, and backed the stories and alibis of each of the members that stood trial. John Purtell, one of the prisoners stated that he was not a member of the committee and had never attended any of the meetings. Instead he was a hired man of James McGrath's and lived with him and never left the house that night. James and his father Matthew backed his story. Prisoner Thomas Ryder said he was a brother of Patrick "Grouchy" Ryder and that he spent the night at home playing cards with his brother-in-law Valentine Mackey, his brother James Ryder Sr., and James Toohey. Those named agreed that they played cards and went home to their own places. Prisoner James Ryder Jr. said that he and his five brothers - William, Michael, Patrick Jr., John and Maurice - all spent the night at their father's house. Vigilante Michael Blake said that he also had spent the night there. Prisoner Martin McLaughlin's daughter, Temperance, backed her father's story that he never left the house. Prisoner John Kennedy said he went to Denis Carty's, along with William Hodgins and James Brien for a game of cards. They all left together about 9:15 p.m. Each testified to the same account, with Brien adding that he visited Kennedy at 2:00 a.m. the same night to borrow medicine for a sick family member.