When the third hearing was opened, Parsons came forward to confirm Graham’s story that the clan-lands were those of freeholders and were not O’Byrne’s. He produced a book written out by himself to prove it, but O’Byrne demolished the invention by giving in evidence the “inquisitions” previously taken under Parsons’ hand. These certified the Chief’s ownership, and proved that the “book” was trumped up. Unabashed, Parsons and Graham fell back on the shift practised by Sir John Davies in 1607 at the trial of O’Cahan v. O’Neill. They reshuffled the cards and argued that the lands belonged to neither disputant, but had escheated to the Crown on the death in rebellion of Feagh MacHugh. In England no escheat without trial and no post-mortem attainder could take place unless Statute authorised it in a special case. There an attainder after death was not tolerated, even against Jack Cade (an Irishman), but Anglo-Irish lawyers disregarded everything that tempered a violent prerogative. Therefore, although both King James and Queen Elizabeth had granted the estate to Felim, and Graham’s pretensions were exploded, the Commissioners adjourned the Inquiry. It was probably in connection with a previous investigation that the “Egmont MSS.” record, under date 20th November, 1612, that Sir Richard and Thomas Graham were fined and imprisoned for disturbing a Commission which sat at Imaal, Co. Wicklow, to inquire into concealed lands of the Crown. They beat the witnesses, calling them “a company of garron-stealers and thieves,” threatened Peter Delahyde, one of his Majesty’s counsel, and drew swords on a gentleman who rebuked them. Years were now wasted over the dispute, and in 1616 St. John succeeded Chichester. Parsons asked the new Deputy to appoint himself and other choice spirits to inquire on behalf of the Crown into the alleged escheat. St. John, as became a pupil of Chichester, cheerily agreed, and on the 4th July, 1616, Parsons made a “return” declaring that O’Byrne’s lands were the inheritance of Feagh MacHugh killed in rebellion. This naked statement was true, but not the whole truth. Its half-truth was equivalent to a finding that the property had escheated to the Crown in spite of the Royal Letters of Elizabeth and James recognising Felim. Zeal for the Crown was the pretext for Parsons’ inquisition; but once an escheat was declared the King’s interest sank out of sight and Graham was empowered to seize O’Byrne’s estate for himself. Once more the Chief appealed to England. There justice was slow, far off, and dear; but he got it; and on the 4th November, 1616, Felim obtained a King’s Letter requiring St. John to regrant him the lands. This command was flagrantly disobeyed. Piety was the badge of all plunderers, and Graham had promised to endow two churches in Cosha to spread the Lutheran gospel. Such love for religion, pure and undefiled, moved St. John on the 24th February, 1617, to give him a Patent for Cosha.