Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698137039716.pdf (Ireland)
1 JOHN MANDEVILLE, M ARTYR.

The Story of His Prosecution, Imprisonment, and Death, With Extracts from his Correspondence on Irish Affairs.

BY S Y D N E Y H A L L I F A X , LECTURER FOR T H E NATIONAL REFORM UNION, T H E HOME RULE UNION, ETC.

T H E H O M E R U L E U N I O N , 17 k 18, P a l i c e C h a m b e r s , 9, B r i d g e S t r e e t , L o n d o n , S .

W .

, AND T H E N A T IO N A L R E FO R M U N IO N , 5 0, H a w o r t h ’s B u i l d i n g s , 5, C r o s s S t r e e t , M a s c h e s i e r .
1888.

Price One Penny ; 6s.

per 100.

TO THE C AU S E OF IRISH N ATIO N ALITY SO FAITHFULLY SERVED BY JOHN MANDEYILLE & HIS DEVOTED WIFE T H IS M EM O IR IS IN SC R IB ED .

C o n t e n t s * T h e K in g s t o n E s t a t e ...................................

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T h e P l a n o f C a m p a i g n .................................................. T h e P r o s e c u t io n o f O ’B r i e n a n d M a n d e v i l l e T h e M it c h e l s t o w n M a s s a c r e .................................. T h e C a s e o f T h o m a s L a r k i n ................................... ................... ' ..................... T h e L e a h y T a x ................................................................. T h e D e a t h o f J o h n M a n d e v i l l e ................... T h e I n q u e s t .
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.................................................. T h e M i d n i g h t A t t a c k .

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H i s G a o l P u n i s h m e n t ................................................ .

T h e M e d ic a l E v i d e n c e .................................................. D r .

B a r r ................................................................................ D r .
R i d l e y .............................................. ................................. T h e V e r d ic t ................................................................. L e t t e r f r o m t h e N e x t o f K i n ................... .
.. ................................................................................ JOHN MANDEVILLE -------------- +-------------- In' a memorable speech in th e H ouse of Commons, Mr. W illiam O’Brien declared th a t so far as K erry was concerned the N ational League was non est,— th e G overnm ent and th e M oonlighters h ad had it all to th em ­ selves, and he added, “ a p re tty A rcadia they’ve m ade of it.
*9 Of th e M itchelstow n district th e converse is tru e : th ere th e only outrages for five years past have been those perp etrated by th e G overn­ m ent or th eir agents, and these have not figured in th e Officiai returns.

On th e K ingston estate th e G overnm ent and th e League h a v e h ad it all to them selves.
Moreover, th e G overnm ent have never stated any objection on th e ir p a rt to having th e ir Irish policy ju d g ed by th e m anner in w hich it has been enforced on th e K ingston] estate, and th e results w hich have followed therefrom .

I t is therefore w orth while to recapitulate TH E FACTS.

T here are 800 tenants on th e estate, all of them leaseholders save one.

Before th e passing of th e L and A ct of last Session, leaseholders were debarred access to th e L and Courts.
Owing to th e unprecedented fall in prices, th e K ingston tenants were unable to pay th e ir rents ; they therefore asked for a reduction of 20 per cent., w hich was refused by the landlord.

A ccordingly, th ey adopted th e P la n of Campaign, w hich was in operation among them from Decem ber, 1886, to F ebruary, 1888.
D uring a portion of th a t tim e, if n o t th e whole, th e CONSTABULARY AND M ILITARY TAXES (Im perial) cannot have been less th an a t th e ra te of £8,000 p er annum , as the following figures will show, th e population being about 2,000 :— salary £64 5 and a horse R esident M agistrate, Clerk to M agistrates D istrict Inspector H ead Constable 3 Sergeants 3 A cting Sergeants £ 6 5 £ 5 4 34 Constables Gaol-keeper 200 400 104 £ 7 6 eachi, 228 „ 195 „ 1,836 35 £3,643 To this m ust be added the cost of m aintaining the two police-barracks and *aol, over w hich th e above are distributed ; also th e cost of the keep, &c., of the men resident in the barracks, of th e horse set apart for the resident m agistrate, and of three horses and cars for the use of the constabulary, w hich together cannot be estim ated at less than another £1,000, bringing the total up to more th an £4,600 ; or, a police tax of more than £ 2 per head per annum .
# C ontrast this w ith th e one policeman per thousand inhabitants allotted .

to sim ilar townships in ru ral England.

In addition to th e above, there are th e m ilitary barracks, also w ithin j the radius nam ed above, comprising a captain, tw o lieutenants, and , f r o m fifty to sixty m en ; th e total of whose pay, &c., m ust equal that of th e constabulary, and is likewise m aintained at th e cost of the j B ritish taxpayer.
r A^ a A ll these forces have been at the disposal o f the G o v e m m e n t - L a n d i o r d Alliance, in th eir united efforts to break down th e P la n of Campaign j and to enforce the provisions of the Crimes A ct. _ In these attem pts the leaders have been im prisoned, and, including the unfortunate D r. Ridley, seven lives have been sacrificed.

WHAT HAVE THEY TO SHOW FO R IT ?
On th e one hand, the L and Commissioners have cu t down th e rents by an am ount w hich is two and a half per cent, more th an th e reduc­ tion asked for under “ The P la n of Cam paign.” # On th e other, th e landlord, tire d of the untenable position into which he has been forced by th e G overnm ent, has voluntarily surrendered on every point, reduced th e arrears to as far back as the date on w hich the P lan came into operation, reinstated th e evicted tenants, and restored to every m an the value of th e property for w hich he had been distrained.
To-day, th e very m uch suppressed branch of th e N ational League a t M itchelstown is stronger th an ever, and is now actively resisting the imposition of the L eahy blood-tax.

The services of this disabled constable have been rated as w orth £1,000 to his country.

Strange to say we have not heard of any like scheme cf compensation for the families of the other victim s of the G overnm ent policy.
* * * I t is just a year ago th a t I stood side b y side w ith Jo h n Mandeville upon the tem porary structure which form ed a platform in the no\* historic square at * * M ITCHELSTOW N. Three days earlier I had learned from the lips of Mr. W i l l i a m O’Brien the precise nature of the struggle th en a t its height on the Kingston estate.
The occasion of w hich I now speak was b u t shortly after a similar gathering on the very same spot, w hich had been addressed by John Mandeville, as chairm an of the m eeting, and by Mr. W illiam O’Brien, as member for the division.

A t the urgent request of John Mandeville, .

who was again chairm an, I had consented to address a m eeting of nearly 2,000 of the tenants u nder th e auspices of the Hom e Rule Union.

I t was a scene I shall never forget.


A t its close m y hands were nearly m angled w ith the pressure of those friendly grips w hich are surely peculiar to a race w hich looks forw ard to an early redem ption from long centuries of oppression.

A nd w h at were THE CIRCUM STANCES under w hich these mass m eetings were held ?
A L and Bill was then before th e House of Commons, w hich if once th e Bill became an A ct would come as a reprieve to stay the hand o f th e executioner ” and relieve th e tenants from the legal obligation to pay rents condem ned by the Cowper Commission as excessive, impossible, and unjust.

B ut there was kt obstruction ” in th e H ouse, th is tim e on the p a rt of the cham pions of “ liberty and p roperty.” The Bill was delayed ; tim e was on the side of the landlord.
One thin# only rem ained to be done— to deJay the execution of th e evictions u ntil th e arrival of th e Q ueen’s w rit not to evict, b u t to unlock to leaseholders th e door of th e L and Court.

A fortnight elapsed ; the Bill had become law, and I had retu rn e d to England.

Two days after m y arrival, I saw by the press th a t Mr. O Brien and Jo h n Mandeville had been SUM M O NED U N D E R THE CRIM ES ACT for urging tenants to resist eviction.
F o r some tim e I naturallv lived in th e expectation of receiving a sim ilar invitation from H er M a je s té s Government ; b u t I waited in vain.

The “ one was taken and th e other left.

F or why ?

“ The other ” was an Englishm an.


It was about this time th a t I received th e following LETTER FROM JO H N M ANDEVILLE M y D e a r H a l l i f a x , S eptem her 2 n d ’ l 8 8 7 ‘ * r te ^ n e-wit.h yoV that a Prosecution or persecution with such a iran as William O’Brien is rather an enviable position Of course, no man likes osmg his liberty, even without the other numerous hardships of a prison life f Tf l Pi?
t that 1 •086 Spf Clies 0f 0lirs W bee“ the means, under Providence, of staying evictions here until the Tory Land Act became law anftí; nRr0r ke®Pin8 numerous tenants in their barricaded houses for another half year, Í can but acknowledge that a small sacrifice such as mine is very largely recompensed.

I look upon the whole thing as a force Two paid magistrates will be appointed to try us without a jury, and give utterance S I have no C h lt 1 wlU ,come out.
rtrong as ever to have another tussle with these rascals when my term expires ; but O’Brien is not a strong man and the Vl M alread-v been pronounced in Dublin Castle.

energ“ harac[er Ul pUniâhment to a I)ers™ of such a ’ nervous, Ireland could not afford to lose his services, and I hope and trust Providence will protect him for us.

The tenants continue firm, and as necessity compels them to continue combination, I think there is no tear.
However, a cheering word from an honest Englishman is always most soothing and welcome to a suffering and struggling people..

I think yourletter might be of service, as I am quite sure it would be gratifying to them.

I shall eagerly look forward to those letters of yours in the Pall Mall.

Some evictions have taken place in Herbertstown ; the police were more than usually brutal there, and the resistance to them fair enough.

No evictions here or in Youghal up to this date.


Several Englishmen have been round here since They appear to sympathise with us.

In order to do us any good, they must first hunt the Tory Government out of office.

Sympathy is, of course, pleasant, and should be esteemed, but it will not put a stop to evictions or prevent petty hired tyrants from sentencing honest men to terms of hard labour for asserting their right to freedom of speech.................... Yours faithfully, JO H N MANDEVILLE.
The mock tria l ensued ; and th e “ p etty hired ty ran ts ” sentenced Jo h n Mandeville and W illiam O’Brien to im prisonm ent for tw o and three m onths respectively.
In the meantim e ANOTHER M EETIN G was held a t M itchelstow n. The same escort of constabulary to protect th e G overnm ent shorthand reporter, b u t th is time^ w ith instructions to “ force th eir way through the crowd.” They did it, and, in the end, th ree corpses lay in th e m arket square ; amongst them th a t of an ex-soldier in th e B ritish arm y, who h a d fought for the Government of his oppressors, and had retired to his native village, on the pension to w hich he was entitled, to end his days in peace ; b u t now “ his grey h a ir is m atted w ith blood.” Shortly after this, I received th e following LETTER FROM JOHN M ANDEVILLE Monday evening, September 12th.
M y D e a r H a l l i f a x , You will have seen all about that murderous affair in Mitchelstown before this, so I shall say nothing about it, but express the joy I feel that some ol vour countrymen were compelled to witness the doings ot those uniformed demons whom they pay and arm to beat and tyrannise over our unfortunate people.

They expressed the utmost horror at the conduct of the police, and woncierea how such things could be done so near enlightened England and m tne Nineteenth Century.
For my part the only wonder I felt in the matter was that educated and intelligent Englishmen, some of them members ot the o of Commons, could remain in a state of blissful ignorance as to the rulers o country which it is their duty to legislate for.

The funeral of one ot tne 7 murdered men.

took pi ice to-day.

Several thousand people walked in.

pro­ cession.

Two bands played.


The leaders of the people promised to preserve peace if the police were removed off the streets ; the authorities consented, with the result that not a single offensive word was used, and everything passed off in a quiet and respectable manner.

I f the people had only been left to themselves on last Friday how different would have been the results, and what a pleasant memory we should have had of the first visit of the English members to our little town !
Another of the wounded men died to-day.

O’Brien has been arrested ; I hourly now expect to be lodged in jail.

have confidence in you being an honest man, above small petty party manœuvres, and that, like myself, you look to something more than the success of Whig or Tory, and I am sure you will exert your influence to English people to do some share of their duty besides sympathising ln5juce with misfortunes that are not of our making.
It is all very fine to preach about keeping within the lines of “ the Constitution.” A t present we have no Constitution such as Englishmen understand.

A paid magistrate is our judge v w a P °^ceman,s baton is the sceptre.

No right of public meeting exists.

JNo liberty of speech permitted unless the numbers of people or their deter­ mined spirit is too great for the armed police force at the disposal of the I t is absolutely necessary that more determination local (.)
magistrates.^ should be infused into the Liberals, a little more fighting spirit should be shown ; for we do not like to be converted into electioneering machines for the^ purpose of placing them in power.

A ll the preaching and advising are on their side ; all the blows and hardships are on ours.
The compact is not fair : they should press on the Government, and condescend to take off their gloves in a contest such as is now being carried on, and for which the people of Eng­ land must be held responsible to God and man..................... Faithfully yours, JO H N MANDEVILLE.

Resident M a g i s t r a t e s !

h ”" 1 6 ° " t l e S“ te“ “ oI PE N D IN G THE APPEAL, I received the following letters from Jo h n M andeville :__ M y D e a r H a l l i f a x , .

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0 cto h er 5 ^ ’ 1 8 8 7 * nAA ?


+ r added to our lists, and we have many applications from remote X e e s llas refused to be suppressed.

Several new members have lipen I woul í you as one ot our members at next mppfincr Tho you?s oLsT«:raT ifiyou r ul* al‘ow me to w S ffiS p iiS J ssr it -1 Td S ï i s S ta T h r r nS °f C iaûging the Wh^le c^ aracte?

ol the police fo^e fo?

the ^nsPectors and District Inspectors.

My opinion is that thiq i í m,Pcf better.


The prison rules are matters which require looking after T you have seen l.ow the poor fellow Larkin died in Kilkennv Gnol K ^ / •■n o Faithfully yours, JO H N MANDEVILLE.

[T his reference to THE CASE OF THOMAS LARKIN is pathetic in th e lig ht of subsequent events.

L arkin was one of a party who forcibly resisted the eviction of Thomas Saunders by L ord Llanri- carde, in A ugust, 1886.
F o r this he was sentenced to eighteen months On 23rd Septem ber, L arkin was seized w ith diarrhoea in Kilkenny Jail, from w hich he suffered for the next two or three days, and for w hich he was treated m edically.

A t 6 o’clock on th e evening of the 26th he was locked up, no t in th e infirm ary, b u t in th e ordinary cell.

N ot only could the prisoner no t get out of, b u t the w arders could not get into, th is cell, the governor alone having th e key.
W h a t transpired subsequently is best told in the evidence of the n ig h t w arder a t the inquest : — “ At two o’clock, a.m., I saw him sitting on the side of the bed.

He was rinsing his mouth with a sup of water.

Told him to go to sleep.

Saw him set in and cover himself up.

A t 2.30 o’clock he appeared to me to be asleep.
He did not speak to me from when I told him to go to rest ; did not speak to him till 4.30 o’clock ; at that time I thought he was rather long about moving ; asked how he was, but got no answer ; I kicked at the bottom of the door, thinking he might be in a sound sleep, and got no answer ; 1 raDg the bell for the clerk, and told him that I wanted to see the governor to see what way Larkin was ; the governor came and unlocked the cell door ; he came at 4.40 o’clock ; I rang the bell for him immediately after pegging the clock at 4.30 a.m. ; when he entered he found the prisoner dead ; the governor said he was dead.”] October 14 th, 1887.
My D e a r H a l l i f a x , J I will have great pleasure in putting your name forward for our Suppressed Branch of National League.

Owing to the many applications we have received, I understand the number of cards of membership have become used up, and have not yet received the supply we ordered from Dublin, but I will put you forward on Sunday, and send cards when we get them.

No other form is necessary, and no subscription is required, as you are a member of Central Branch.
Many thanks for the much too flattering manner in which you have spoken of m*.

I can scarcely recognise the flattering sketch The trial will come off in Middleton, which is a small town near Youghal.

We expect sentence to be confirmed, as the Recorder is a Tory, and a weak man.

We have had quite a number of your countrymen here during the inquest.
All or them said they could never believe such things could be done by the authorities here had they not been eye-witnesses of them I do hope that with Gods If they could o n l y s e e how thing* help thev may be got to understand us.

really are, how we have been mis-represented, I think we could become last friends with your countrymen.................... Faithfully yours, JO HN MANDEVILLE.

On O ctober 31st, the sentences were confirmed on appeal, as John M andeville anticipated th ey would be.
9 WEARY M O NTH S OF IM PR ISO N M EN T passed by, during w hich I received th e following letters from M rs.

M andeville Cork, November 1st, 1887.

D e a r M r .

H a l l i f a x , Long before this letter reaches you, you will have heard the result of tha trial yesterday, and how both my husband and Mr. W. O’Brien have been lodged I need not say how lonely I feel separated from Mr. in the Cork county gaol.

Mandeville.
Mandeville.

He and I were so peculiarly in sympathy with each other in all our views and tastes, that it makes it hard on both of us.

You must not fancy I regret his being in prison.

I could have no sympathy w ith the man that could preach a certain thing and then had not the courage to suffer for his doctrine.................... Yours sincerely, MARY M ANDEVILLE.

November 15th, 1887.

D e a r M r .


H a l l i f a x , As you expected, I am not allowed to communicate w ith my husband, which is needless cruelty, so I only see the papers ; but I heard from an underhand source that O’Brien was poorly.

You, I trust, will keep up the agitation in England as to the treatm ent of political prisoners.

Do they want to murder them ?


You saw how they have neither ink, paper nor pen, are on bread and water every second day, have not got clean linen for a fortnight, were refused “ The Imitation of Christ,” and Cardinal Newman’s books, &c. If they were the vilest criminals could they be treated more barbarously ?

Here they are looked upon as martyrs ; after mass prayed for by our priests ; in every wretched hovel, in every farmhouse, every convent, nightly prayer is offered up for them.
Personally, I feel that Mr. O’Brien is less fitted for privation than my husbanaT^vI feel very anxious and very proud of them both.

Yours sincerely, MARY M ANDEVILLE.

On Decem ber 10, Mrs. M andeville w rote :— I don t think I am likely to forget the Jubilee year, I have suffered so awlully, never knowing what was going on at Tullamore.

December 10 th, 1887.

A t last, on Christm as Eve, 1887, Jo h n M andeville was RELEASED FROM TULLAMORE.
T hat very week the Sub-Commissioners had cut down th e rents on th e Kingston estate 22£ per cent, instead of the average 20 p er cent, w hich John Mandeville h a d asked for under th e P lan of Campaign!

Could he have wished for a more fitting celebration of his release ?

The following letter I received from M rs.

M andeyille :— January 7 th, 1888.

D e a r M r .

H a l l i f a x , I know you can well imagine my joy at having my husband once more at home.
He was very thin and weak ; but, thank God, is daily pulling up.

He suffered much, but I am glad he never either did menial work or associated with convicts.

His eyes have become quite weak, from the white prison walls, and it will, I fear, be a long time before they are as strong as they were pre­ vious to his visit to Tullamore.................... Yours sincerely, MARY MANDEYILLE.

By the kindness of M rs.


Tillyard, of Cambridge, I am enabled to give here extracts from a letter from Mrs. M andeville to herself w ritten about th is tim e :— My dear Jack’s being liberated on Christmas Eve was quite unexpected, and evidently done by the Government to avoid demonstrations at Tullamore and at different stations along the line.

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His cell was flagged and bitterly cold.

I wonder my husband did not go mad.

He tied a rope round his waist which he tightened as hunger grew worse.
Up “knd down he walked saying his rosary sometimes seven times in the day, then singing all the hymns and psalms he knew.

John tells me that on leaving the punishment ceil, after three days there, you were nearly blind from hunger and darkness.

A strange doctor my husband does not know visited him twice, who replied like a brute : “ Oh, you were not half punished enough !

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I was horrified when I saw him.


I had w ritten to Jo h n M andeville asking him to w rite me for pub­ lication in th e E nglish Press an ACCOUNT OF H IS PRISO N TREATM ENT, and I received th e following replies :— January 7 th, 1888.
M y D e a r H a l l i f a x , I had written a long letter on prison treatment, as you wished me to do ; but on second thoughts I came to the conclusion to say nothing on the subject, as my leader, O’Brien, has not yet been released, and he might desire to have the first shot at the prison people.

Things are much the same as when you were here.

Meetings are held in secret, and League branches supposed to be suppressed hold meetings and pass resolutions.
To speak in public as you did on the square would be almost foolhardy.

The Government official is not nearly so dangerous a witness as the ignorant county policeman, with his longhand notes and fertile imagination.

John Cullinan, whom you met at Youghal, is “ out on bail,” for a speech delivered a couple of months ago, and most of your other friends here are in gaol, or, like myself, returned con­ victs.
However, the rents are not being paid, and we have had no evictions here since the barricading of the houses.

Maurice Sullivan’s house has the inscription still over the door,* and the only change is the green bushes in the * “ Evictors, come on !

No surrender !” 11 windows have turned brown.

I think the people in many instances are unable to pay even a portion of arrears.

The country is certainly in a very I fear bad state, and no likelihood of prices of farming produce improving.
you will not be able to push the Tories from power very soon, and that things will go from bad to worse here.

Is there any likelihood of your coming over ?

We shall be delighted to put you up here.................... Yours faithfully, JO H N MANDE VILLE.

February ls£, 1888.'

M y D e a r H a l l i f a x , As so many of our men from the County Cork are locked up, I am obliged to do a lot of work, and am rarely found at home, so you may understand why I delay writing replies to letters.
Well, we have good news here at last.

The agents of Lady Kingston have moved towards us, and offered to yield to our demands of 20 per cent., also to pay all costs (legal), and reinstate all tenants evicted for past year and a half.

There are a few small matters yet.

The town houses (Sullivan’s Castle, &c.) are also to be restored to tenants, but the landlords want us to pay half law costs in those particular cases.

This we refused, but I think they will submit to us in a few days.
The matter is private just at present.

About prison life.

I t is much as you see in news­ papers.

You get punished for refusing to obey prison rules, such as to wear “ convicted criminals’ clothes,” “ clean out cells,” or associate w ith ordinary convicted criminals, such as robbers, and others of this class.

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I have an action at law against the governor of the prison for assault and forcibly depriving me of my clothes.
Punishment in prison is to put a man on bread and water, lock him into his cell, or a punishment cell, for a certain period, and allow him no exercise.

One pound of bread in two and a half hours is the allowance.

A punishment cell is almost dark ; you could not read or see any print there, and no light such as candle or gas is allowed.

Your term of punishment varies from twenty-four hours to three days.

The authorities have the power to give twenty-eight days.
Ordinary men get ill on this treatment before twenty-four hours are over.

Sometimes you are sent to hospital.

I was not, although I suffered from diarrhoea after each sentence..................... Faithfully yours, JO H N MANDE’VILLE.

Since his death Mrs. M andeville has kindly forw arded to me th e statem ents w ritten by h er husband, and referred to in his le tte r of Jan u ary 7.
In forw arding them Mrs. M andeville rem arks :— “ W h en poor Jo h n came out of prison, as you w ill see, his w riting was so bad he found for th e first tim e in my recollection a difficulty in expressing him self in w riting, for w hich he naturally h ad th e greatest facility.
H e seemed to have forgotten how to spell even simple words, &c., all th ro u g h th e effects of th e prison treatm ent.” The following are the letter and extracts :— My D e a r H a l i f a x , 1888‘ Many thanks for all your kind sympathy.

I had intended w riting to you at once on my release from prison, but as I wished to write you a long letter, and as there were many calls upon me, time could not be had until this even­ 12 ing.
I got your telegram, letters, &c., and would like to comply with your suggestion about writing up prison treatment, but find the task more difficult than I could have before believed.

I t seems so contemptible to have to speak of prison food and such matters.

I think you got the prison bill of fare some time before my sentence, so that I really have no more to communicate on that score, only that for an ordinary strong, healthy man such as I am this dietary is not injurious or particularly disagreeable.
For city men such as Wm.

O’Brien and Alderman Hooper it can scarcely be said that it is proper food.

Poor O’Brien got very ill after a short time, but as he was only off punishment diet, consisting of bread and water (one pound of bread in twenty-four hours), I could not say but that he might have held up against ordinary prison fare had no starvation been attempted.

Hooper has not been long in prison.


He is a delicate man, a journalist, of large frame, accustomed to a comfortable home, and I think con­ finement and rough lare are likely to tell heavily upon him.

The greatest sympathy is felt for him here, as he is a most amiable, upright man, and has a large family depending upon him lor maintenance.

Even the Tory bigots regret the cruelties practised upon him.

His “ offence ” was printing and publishing reports of “ suppressed ” meetings of I.N.L.
If he did not publish them people would not consider his newspaper sufficiently interesting to pur­ chase it, and when he did publish what the majority of the Irish people demanded before they would invest their money, the Government have caused him to be imprisoned for two months as a criminal prisoner.

I saw him the day before they discharged me from Tullamore.

He had been deprived of his clothes, and was taking exercise with us in the convict grey.
He appeared to walk with difficulty in the hobnailed shoes provided by the gaol authori­ ties, and tired, and requested permission to return to his cell alter about twenty minutes’ walk.

On that evening he was put upon bread and water for refusing to clean out his cell, and since then he has had two days’ punishment on the same luxuries.

In addition to the punishment of the severe starvation, you are always I confined in a close cell, and all outside exercise or air are forbidden to you.
felt this confinement without outdoor exercise much more than starvation.

The cell, which is generally 6ft.

by 14ft., after being occupied continuously for a few hours, becomes quite stuffy ; and when you do get back to ordinary prison fare, you are so poisoned by the atmosphere of your cell, th at you can scarcely take any food until you have had some outdoor exercise.
During my imprisonment I managed to exercise myself by swinging my stool round my head in the manner of an Indian club, and it served to keep me from falling In a punishment cell you are allowed no stool, and as the away altogether.

cell is flagged, and the prisoner is compelled to wear thin slippers, the sufferings of a rheumatic person are considerable when taking walking exercise.
The ventilation of the punishment cell is very bad (unless what I comes through the large spaces round a badly-fitting door, almost no air).

complained of the cold resulting from this space round the door, particularly under it.

The door is within nine feet of the head of the prisoner’s permanently fixed bed, and I was obliged to muffle my head in order to avert an attack of inflammation of the lungs.

This defective door was remedied on Dr. Moor­ head’s recommendation.
The prison authorities got a sack and stuffed it under the door.

Daylight appears through a narrow window in such a very dim way that ordinary print, such as a Bible or morning prayers in a Common Prayer-Book, cannot be read.

The cell is pitch dark once evening comes until daylight, all gas and candles being forbidden to the unfortunate inmates.

The offence for which I was put in here was refusing to clean out my cell.

I refused on the ground that I was a political prisoner.
I had been punished before by being confined to my own cell without any exercise for refusing to wear prison clothes.

“While confined thus to my own cell I was kept on 13 bread and water, just as if I had been in punishment cell ; but as daylight had a tolerably free entrance here, and as gaslight is also supplied, the punish­ ment or torture is not entirely as great ; besides, the prison stool does not I had also to keep my cell for several make such a bad club for exercise.
days voluntarily rather than take exercise with criminal prisoners.

This was hard upon my health.

My eyes got tender, and still suffer from the effects of the white prison walls.

I can now scarcely read or write by lam p­ light.

I believe poor Hooper refuses to exercise with criminals as well as to do menial work.

He has never had much athletic training and can scarcely manage to take enough exercise to keep his health and spirits up to the m ark in the small space of a prison cell.
The punishment diet always make me ill.

I was obliged to give up taking water with my bread and had to swallow the latter dry or an attack of diarrhoea was the result.

This attack generally lasted for three days, and on one occasion for more than six.
I complained to the Governor in presence of Dr. Moorhead (a J.P. for King’s County), of the unfairness of putting me on punishment dietary as a double penalty of illness after starvation was inflicted upon me, and stated that if the law allowed starvation yet he had no right to injure my health.
His reply was that the medical officer of the prison made no such representation to him, having certified me fit for punishment, and that as I had refused to comply with regulations of the Prison Board he was compelled to punish me in the proper discharge of his duty.

A t this very time I was suffering from a cold and oad sore throat, and being medically treated for the latter, besides being generally out of condition, the doctor must have known, as he saw me daily.
Yet I was sentenced to seventy-two hours’ punishment.

After being fourteen hours on punishment dietary I got a violent attack of diarrhoea.

I complained to the doctor that day.

Yet as some prison test, unnecessary to mention, did not satisfy him, I was kept on punishment for thirty hours longer.
On this occasion I remained twenty-four hours without taking any food, as the dry bread hurt my throat, and I feared to use water to moisten the food, knowing from I certainly felt very ill and miserable, but former experience its effects.

hunger was not my punishment.


I have all my life been able to endure want of food without suffering much pain, such as numbers of people complain ol ; but I consider I was being savagely ill-treated, because the prison physician said I was not ill, and Dr. Moorhead had expressed a contrary opinion.

However, I got so very ill and weak, and the prison physician’s test having been satisfied, I was allowed off all punishment on the evening of the third day and put upon medical treatment.
The only change made in my ordinary prison food was white bread substituted for brown.

Next day I was very weak and tired after a couple of rounds of the exercise ring.

I did not recover my general health for fully a week.

Am ongst other statem ents left by th e deceased, and also addressed to me, occur the follow ing :— So far as taste or palateableness, bread and water are perhaps an improve­ ment on some of the prison dishes, such as suet pudding or vegetable soup.
These are of course very small matters, and I merely make the observation to show you that it is not from an epicurean spirit that my objection to punish­ ment dietary arose.

I think it is a horrible thing to compel a prisoner to live upon food which brings on an attack of illness, and which may prove injurious to his future health, or perhaps have a fatal termination, such as happened in poor Larkin’s case.
On one occasion I was recovering from an attack of sore throat and using a gargle and particularly in other respects, I was sentenced to seventy-two I objected and complained, giving my reasons to the hours bread and water.

14 I governor in Dr. Moorhead’s presence, a magistrate for Kinsfs County.

suffered for thirty hours from sore throat and diarrhoea before the doctor ordered me to be released from punishment.
The doctor had applied a rough prison test, but as I feared to eat the punishment fare of brown bread (bran and flour) after I had got a severe attack of illness, knowing as I did that it was that which caused it, I had fasted for twenty hours, and I could show no symptom but exhaustion.

When he did satisfy himself that I was ill he relieved I suffered for a couple of days me at once, and gave me medicine to cure me.

from weakness.
from weakness.

In justice to the doctor I must say that I complained of being kept on punishment, and stated all these facts to a medical inspector from the Irish Prison Board, who said the prison doctor should act as he did, according to the instructions he received, if he discharged his duty properly, and that if he did not do so he could be dismissed at twenty-four hours’ notice from the Prison Board.
I complained also about being punished by being put on bread and water, knowing as the doctor did that it had an injurious effect upon me, and the only observation he made was that I did not get enough punishment.

A t th e end of Jan uary , W illiam O’Brien was released from gaol ; and th en came the news th at, after all th e bloodshed and needless oppression of the past, th e G overnm ent-Landlord A lliance had fallen to pieces.
The Countess of K ingston had yielded every point asked for under the “ P lan,” and had undertaken to pay all th e law costs incidental to the Campaign.

A lready the infatuated policy of a U nionist G overnm ent had COST FIVE LIVES.

Even Irish peasants “ have m others, and sw eethearts and wives,” and “ if you prick them they will b le e d ” ; and so it was th a t th e shooting of one of the victim s in th e square, by th e shock it gave, caused the deaths of two other members of the same family.
Still th e end is not yet.

John M andeville came out of gaol very ill, as we now know, with an affection of the throat th a t caused his death.

B u t he was too brave and too proud a m an to show how ill he was.

H e continued to take an active p a rt in public affairs, and in particular to resist THE LEAHY TAX w hich was being levied on the people of his district.
received a letter from Mrs. M andeville in w hich she said :— In Ju n e last I As to the Leahy Tax, or, as we call it here, “ the blood tax,” the people are giving every opposition, allowing their cattle to be distrained, &c. .

As you saw by the newspapers, four of our cows were seized, being the first taken for this unjust tax.

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* * * * * * * * I am at M itchelstown once more.


This tim e it is writh slow footsteps th a t we tread, as we keep tim e to the m easured tram p of the horses’ 15 hoofs— for it is a hearse we follow— am idst th e sound of muffled drum s and the music of th e D ead M arch.

I t is THE FUNERAL OF JOHN M ANDEVILLE.

The disease of his th ro at became gradually worse, and on Sunday, Ju ly 8th, as M rs.
M andeville afterw ards w rote to me, “ H e passed away like a child w ithout pain, holding th e crucifix in his hand.” E ven th e little children w ear b its of crape, an d here is th e w ife of a tenant who bursts into tears as she recognises me and exclaim s, i( A h, thanks to him I am in no fear of being evicted to-day.
“ A nd sure,” she added, “ and they were th e m ost united couple th a t ever lived.” A nd “ Sullivan’s Castle,” dism antled of its fortifications, has risen to a th ird story under th e new security of tenure.
N o wonder then th a t every one one sees is carrying cards inscribed, “ W e w ill rem em ber Jo h n M andeville, our first Tullam ore m artyr, R. I. P .” * * * * * * * * I t is a curious fact th a t the m ost ancient court of th e realm should become th e last defence left to the Irish people against “ U n io n ist” oppression.

B ut so it is.

The only m ethod of procuring even th e sm all satisfaction of publicity was found to be by m eans of a coroner’s ju ry .
I t is instructive to notice th e conduct of th e representatives of th e Crown at THE IN Q U E ST .

W h en the C ourt was opened on Ju ly 17, M r. D istrict Inspector Seymour said he was in charge of th e Court, b u t he had provided no seats for the ju ry , or any one else, except th e G overnm ent n o te-tak er— Serjeant Condemn, The forem an of th e ju ry — M r. F itzgerald— said he would provide form s if th ey were sent for to his place.
T he Coroner suggested th a t M r. D istrict Inspector Seymour should send a couple of policemen for th e form s; b u t h e replied, “ I don’t th in k , sir, it is p a rt of a policeman’s duty to be seen coming w ith form s th rough the tow n.” W h en a t last th e proceedings were commenced, M r. D istrict Inspector Seymour said he represented th e Crown, but would produce no evidence.
A nd so, contrary to th e universal practice, th e whole burden of arranging and producing th e evidence was left to th e friends of th e deceased, unassisted and even obstructed by th e Crown.

The first witness called was th e widow.

In THE E V ID E N C E OF MRS. M ANDEVILLE there is b rought hom e to us th e domestic aspect of Coercion.
The political aspect of it has been often enough dw elt upon ; b u t we, in free England, are ap t to forget w hat it means in th e desolation of the home and th e ru in of th e family.

16 On the 17th of Ju ly Mrs. M andeville, exam ined by th e M cDermott, Q .C., deposed— I am the widow of the deceased, Mr. Mandeville.

I was married to him on I had known bim since he was a child.

Mr. the 3rd February, 1880.

Mandeville was thirty-eight years of age.


I always looked upon him as an amazingly strong man, and very healthy.

Between our marriage and the time he was sent to prison, on the 31st October last, he was always a strong and healthy man.

I don’t remember his being in bed for even one day through illness.

He had always a very fair appetite.

He had a good income, had abundance of all he required, and was a temperate man.

I didn’t see him in prison.

He returned from Tullamore on Christmas Eve.


Was his appearance then much altered 1 Yes, his lips were quite blue, and he had become pale and very thin.

His eyes were very sore ; he could not read at all by lamplight, and in the daytime he could only read with difficulty.

He always wrote a fair, firm hand before he went to prison ; for a month after he left prison he could hardly write at all, or only with great difficulty.
He complained of the weight of his overcoat, and complained that he could not walk the mile from his house to Mitchelstown.

Can you tell any incident to indicate his strength, Mrs. Mandeville ?

Witness—he used to carry me upstairs, and he never did it after he left prison.

Did he try to do it ?

He did, once ; and I remember him saying that I had got very heavy.

He told me after he left prison that he never recovered his strength, and there seemed to be always some little thing the matter with him.
A t one time it was his throat, and he complained of his having a bad tooth.

I noticed for a month before he died that he had great difficulty with his throat, and he complained of his throat being sore and of weakness.

After he came out of prison he could not use the same food he always did before, and required more delicacies.

Did he tell you the whole of his prison life ?

Yes ; he told me the whole of his prison life.

He told me more than he told any person in the whole world.
W hat did he tell you of his prison life 1 He told me first of his life in Cork jail, and when he was there the doctor ordered him a flannel.

The morning lie left Cork jail he was not allowed to take the flannel, and consequently his teeth were chattering with the cold going down to Tullamore.

He left Cork, I think he said, at half-past four in the morning, and he complained to me that he got no food until the middle of the day, about one o’clock.
He com­ plained very much of his throat after he came home.

He complained to me that the doctor did not believe him about his throat, and that he frequently certified that he was fit for punishment when he was not fit.

Do you know the doctor’s name 1 Dr. Ridley.

He told me that while his throat was sore he was three days on punishment diet.
He told me that his throat was so sore during that time that he could not eat the punishment diet, brown bread, and could not drink the cold water ; that he took nothing to eat for more than twenty hours because he could not eat the bread or drink the water.

He told me that one, I think, of the Tang prisoners in the jail had given him a rope, and that he tied it round his waist, and as he suffered more and more from hunger he tightened the rope (great sensation in court).
He said to me that Dr. Moorhead said to him that he was seriously ill, yet that Dr. Ridley seemed to think that he could stand the punishment.

Dr. Moor­ head, he said, was one of the visiting justices.

Did he say anything as to the state of his mind ?

He told me that from hunger his mind wandered, and he told me—of course it was in confidence between husband and wife—he told me he prayed to God that he might die rather than go mad (sensation).
Was that the time when Dr. Moorhead certified that he was unfit to bear 17 punishment I certified that he was not fit for punishment.

I am certain that he said that Dr. Moorhead at that time Did he tell you anything as to whether he succeeded about this time in getting a morsel of food ?

After the punishment he said he could not eat.

Did he say anything about a scrap of food he got in prison ?

He told me one incident.


He told me that there was a warder one day outside his cell door—one of the ordinary warders, not a friendly warder—and that the warder evidently was eating his dinner, outside the door, and he said he opened the door, and “ he threw me in a scrap of meat as I would throw it to R over”— that is our dog—and he said he never in his life enjoyed anything so much— it was a mere tiny scrap.
Recurring to the time he was in the punishment cell, and when he said his mind wandered, he told me he was offered to be put in hospital if he would put on the prison clothes, and that he would not do it.

Did he say by whom that offer was made ?


Did he tell you anything about the delusions he was under 1 He told me he thought he was a boy again, lying on Slievenamon mountain, near his own old home, and he also said he thought I was lying dead beside him, and that he was always feeling for my dead body w ith his hand.

I don’t remember that.

Anything about the Crucifixion ?


He said he thought he saw the Crucifixion going on, and that he heard music, and he said to me it was all caused by hunger and weakness.

He said he frequently suffered from diarrhoea, and he complained that the doctor allowed him to be supplied with stirabout, and also some vegetable soup, and that he remarked to the doctor that an old country­ woman would not give such food to a person suffering as he was.
He told me that the night before he was released he was on bread and water.

As to the ordinary cell he was in, he told me that standing in it and stretching his arms he could touch the walls on each side with the tips of his fingers ; he said the light in it'was very bad, and he could not read the small print of the Bible.

That was in the ordinary cell.


As to the punishment cell, he told me that it was flagged, and that a prisoner in it was compelled to wear slippers, and that consequently the cold penetrated the soles of the slippers, so that y on would be frozen up above the knees.
He also said he suffered from rheumatism, and he told me that in the punishment cell the plank bed was permanently fixed, that it was opposite a badly-fitted door, and that only he covered his head with the blanket or rug at night he would get inflammation of the lungs.

He spoke to Dr. Moorhead about the draught from the door, and he got it remedied by stuffing the spaces with bags.
He also alluded to the temperature of the cell, and he said that although Dr. Moorhead, the governor, and himself, were in the small cell, still that Dr. Moorhead when he tried the temperature found that it was under the regulation temperature.

My husband was always a sober man, and he so continued until the day he died.

When dining at my father’s residence on Christmas Day he fell asleep before dinner, and immediately after dinner he asked me to come home, as he ielt weak and tired.

This closed M rs.
This closed M rs.

M andeville’s exam ination-in-chief.

A lurid light is throw n upon th e character of th e tools w ith which th e present Chief Secretary works out his policy by th e line of cross- exam ination taken by th e Counsel for the Prisons Board— M r. M orphy.

H ere is an extract from THE CROSS-EXAM INATION OF MRS. M ANDEVILLE.
Mr. M orphy said— I don’t mean to suggest that he was drunk, but about this time there was an observable change m the amount of liquor he took, or anything of that sort ?

18 He had taken a pledge for two years which expired in January, and naturally that made a change, but he renewed the pledge again the month before he died.

Was that a total abstinence pledge ?

No.

He always took porter, and he I t was simply a would take brandy, or gin, or wine, or anything of that sort.

pledge against whiskey.


He very seldom took Whiskey.

After the pledge ; expired he had a great horror, a natural horror, of falling into drink.

Before he went to prison, he once or twice complained of a sore throat, an ordinary sore throat, but he never consulted a doctor about it.

He always doctored himself.

T here appears not to have been th e sm allest ground for the suggestion here made w ith such refinem ent of cruelty to M rs.

M andeville.
M andeville.

Mr. W illiam O’Brien, exam ined later on on th is point, said on oath— He was one of the steadiest and coolest-headed men I ever met.

I saw him I never saw the slightest sign of on various occasions of frightful excitement.

unsteadiness on his part.


I never heard mention of a suspicion of want of sobriety on his part until I heard it suggested here yesterday, or, rather, until I heard it three days ago, as having been thrown out by the police as a sort ot threat in connection with this inquest ; thrown out by District Inspector Seymour, whom I see opposite me.
W hen M r. O ’Brien’s depositions were being read over, he said— The first time I heard of a suggestion of Mr. Mandeville’s want of sobriety ; was when I heard some three days ago of the threat thrown out by District j Inspector Seymour as a threat to intimidate his family from proceeding with this inquest—a threat that I regarded even as baser than his treatment in Tullamore.
To Mr. Morphy—My authority for saying that the District Inspector made threats if this inquest was proceeded with is Mr. Frank Mandeville, whom he threatened with ugly disclosures if the inquest was proceeded with.

D r. E d. M cC raith deposed : “ M r. Jo h n M andeville was an intimate friend of mine.

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H e was a sober m an.” Dr. W m .

O’N eill deposed : “ I knew M r. M andeville intim ately.

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Mr. M andeville was a very healthy m an, of tem perate habits.” In cross- exam ination, he said “ he did not believe Mr. M andeville took that pledge against w hiskey alone because he took too m u c h ” ; and in re-exam ination b y th e M acD erm ott, “ In all m y life I never saw Mr. M andeville dru n k .” M r. Jam es O’Geran, cross-exam ined by Mr. H arrington, said— For five years Mr. Mandeville dined continually at my house, and at odd times recently, and I never saw him take anything but a bottle of porter at dinner.
Mr. Mandeville was a most temperate man.

During the whole course of eleven years’ acquaintance with him I never saw him under the influence of drink.

Mr. Jo h n K erry, baronial high constable, cross-examined by the M acDerm ot, said : “ I knew Mr. M andeville for a num ber of years, and I never saw him drunk or under th e influence of drink.” N ot a particle of evidence was b rought forw ard tending to show that M r. M andeville was a m an of intem perate habits.
19 In charging the ju ry th e coroner said th e evidence on b oth sides showed th a t th ere was no foundation in fact for th e aspersions sought to be throw n on Mr. M andeville’s habits of life.

Shortly a fte r th e inquest I had a letter from M rs.

M andeville, in w hich she said— Thank God, the coroner’s charge has cleared my darling’s memory from the stain which they tried to cast upon it, and which hu rt me more than all.

W h en M rs.
W h en M rs.

M andeville’s evidence was being read over, some discus­ sion arose as to her statem ents regarding th e holding of an inquest.

Mrs. M andeville th en stated— I objected to the inquest at first because I did not like his poor remains to I dislike the idea' of a post­ be disturbed or the sanctity of death invaded.

mortem examination.
mortem examination.

I disliked, having the body touched, b u t I thought then that if it threw any light on the prison treatment, poor John would like to have it done, and that is my sole reason for consenting.

The second witness called was MR. W ILLIAM O’B R IE N , M.P.

In answer to M r. H arrin g to n , he deposed— after our arrival in Cork gaol.

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I met Mr. Mandeville about four o’clock on the second morning ° T hat is not the usual hour for rising in the prison ?
No, it is an extra­ In winter the usual ordinary hour, and a very extraordinary occurrence.

time for rising is a quarter to seven.

I was called sometime after three o clock, and the deputy governor, Mr. Oxford, and the head warder, unlocked my ceü and entered with a lantern.
The deputy governor said, “ Get up Mr. O Bnen, going.” I said, “ In God’s name, where at this hour of the m orning?” He said, ‘ We know no more than yourself ; we were routed out of our beds I got up, and was brought on the corridor, and I there met Mr. ourselves.

Mandeville.

I t was bitterly cold and dark.

Mr. Mandeville was then dressed m ms own clothes.


Subsequently that day on our journey to Tullamore, Mr. Mandeville informed me that about twelve o’clock the previous night the deputy governor and a party of warders, I think he said four, entered his cell and forcibly deprived him of his clothes which were under him in bed.

Thev lett the prison clothes behind.

I should say he mentioned that, in accord­ ance with our agreement, he had made no resistance beyond protest.
He said when they called him m the morning the deputy governor said to him, « Mr. Mandeville, we have brought you back your clothes.” And they did restore his clothes, and they dressed him in them.
He then said, “ They have now themselves acknowledged the distinction by giving me back my clothes, and nothing on earth will induce me to give them up again without a I said, “ As they have now struggle.” « X you back your own clothes, and as they are bringing us back to Tullamore in a first class special train, they will find it hard to k ill us now tor insisting on the distinction which they acknowledged.” Up to the time we had no idea of where we were being brought, and I remarked to I at last, agreed with him in that.
20 him, “ Did you ever read of anything more like a midnight m urder?” and he said, “ I suppose that’s just what they are up to,” or words to that effect.

The governor of the prison, Captain Roberts, was waiting for us in the dark at the outer gate, and I said to him, “ In God’s name, what is the meaning of all this mystery ?

” He shook his head and said nothing.


I reminded him, in Mr. Mandeville’s presence, that I had requested that the Mayor of Cork, who was an ex-officio member of the Visiting Committee, and the doctor, Dr. Moriarty, should be present whenever any attack was made upon me, and I asked whether they would be communicated with before we left.

One of the prison rules, I said, states that the doctor must certify that the prisoners are lit to travel without injury to health, before their removal to other prisons.
I t was after The governor said, “ I t is impossible for me to do anything now.

midnight when I got orders myself, and the escort is waiting.” The rule I refer to* is Rule 11 of the General Prisons Board.

Mr. Mandeville stated to me that the rule was not complied with in his case, and it was not in mine.

We were taken to the train at Cork also in a close carriage.

Before leaving the prison we got a porringer of what is called tea, prison tea, and white bread.
Mr. Mandeville was then suffering from diarrhoea from the cocoa he had the previous night ; but he only laughed at it and said, “ I t will take a good deal to kill me.” He was one of the most uncomplaining men I ever met—a man of few words, and those always cheeriul.

We were put into a first class carriage at Cork.

That is not the usual mode of conveyance.

I know that they put Mr. Condon into a third class carriage and removed him into a prison van.
Before the train started I overheard, I think, the county inspector say to the officer in charge, You know your orders—Tullamore.” I then said to Mr. Mandeville, “ I know what it all means.

They are taking us to where there will be no witnesses.” I t was an extraordinary scene.

Although it was dark, the blinds were pulled down.

Not a word was spoken.

It seemed from The train did not stop except at one place to take water.

beginning to end a stealthy and guilty-looking transaction.
We reached Tullamore at, I think, ten o’clock, and were taken to gaol in a carriage.

We parted then.

I said, “ Good-bye, God bless you.” He said, “ God save Ireland.” M r. O’B rien th en gave evidence in corroboration of Mrs. Mandeville’s as to the difference in Jo h n M andeville’s health and spirits before and after his im prisonm ent, and then he concluded— I never learned, never guessed, until I read it afterwards in the papers, all the unfortunate fellow had to endure.
The only thing I did learn in prison was of the midnight attack on him.

F o r the sake of clearness it will be well to anticipate a little, and set out here th e evidence cf Daniel Goulding, given on Saturday, July 21st, as to this M ID N IG H T ATTACK ON JOHN M ANDEVILLE.
M r. Daniel Goulding, in answer to M r. H arrington, said — I was a warder in Tullamore prison when Mr. Mandeville was imprisoned there................I was brought into contact with Mr. Mandeville on one occasion—on November 22nd—while he was in the prison.

That was the occasion on which he was stripped of his clothes.

I was present when he was I was off duty at 6.30 that evening, and at 7.30 I was stripped of his clothes.

• 21 called to the governor by W arder Houlihan.


I called W arder Wilson from bed at the request of the governor.

W arder Mooney was also called.

A t 8 'p.m., Warders Wilson, Mooney, Bagnal, and myself, and Chief Warder Bartley were marched into the prison by the governor and formed in line in the parade ground.

He informed us that he had instructions to strip Mande­ ville ; that he expected them to do their duty.

“ I t is very hard,” he said, “ but it must be done.
Lead on now, men.” We proceeded to Mr. Mandeville’s cell.

The lights were out at the time, so that it must have been after eight.

Bartley unlocked the cell door cautiously.

The door was opened and the governor said, “ Light the gas.” The chief warder lit the gas, and I saw Mr. Mandeville lying on the bed, seemingly in a good sound sleep.

He had his cell stool propped under the pillow, which was stuffed with fibre.

There are seven pounds of fibre in the mattress supplied.
Bartley went over to the bed, caught the stool in his right hand and pulled it away, at the same time saying, “ Come, get up out of that.” The man’s head fell when the stool came out.

He lifted himself up and leant on his right elbow, rubbed his forehead and eyes with his left hand, and asked what was up.

The governor said that he should take off the clothes.

Mr. Mandeville was in his own clothes at that time, and they were buttoned on him.

Mr. Mandeville said he would not.


“ If you don’t give them up,” said the governor, “ we will take them from you by force.

I have instructions to do so.” He said he would not without a struggle.

“ Very well,” said the governor; “ men do your duty.” The chief warder, Wilson, McCullough, Bagnal, and Mooney seized him.

Coroner—And what about yourself ?

Witness—I was looking on.


While he was sitting down on his plank-bed, they caught a hold of his coat, opened it, were pulling it off his shoulders, straining his arms, and managect to get off his coat after a struggle, Mr. Mandeville saying that he did not wish to strike them—that is, strike us— that we were too numerous.

They opened his waistcoat and forced that off him.

He had a twisted knitted gansey on him over his shirt, and that was pulled off.
They pulled off the trousers then, Wilson opening the buttons, Mr. Mandeville’s hands being held at the same time.

Then they caught him by the shoulders and pulled off the shirt.

He said, “ For decency sake, leave me my shirt.

I won’t give up my shirt without a struggle.” Those are the words he was saying while they were pulling it off.

Warder Wilson placed a sheet around him to cover his nakedness, and Mr. Mandeville lay down on his plank.
Prison clothes had already been laid in the cell, and on leaving the cell they were left behind.

The governor told Mandeville that they were nice clean clothes, and to put them on.

He said that he would not, and that lie would remain naked.

His own clothes were gathered up by Mooney.

We left the cell and the door was locked, and the light put out............ Cross-examined by Mr. Ronan—While the other warders were engaged in stripping Mr. Mandeville I stood with my hands in my pockets.
Did you take any part in this nefarious business ] You must, sir.

Well, I had an objection to take the clothes off him.

Therefore, because you objected you kept your hands in your pocket ?

Ju st I won’t answer that.

so.

I knew what I was going up stairs for.

Then why did you not refuse to go upstairs ?

Simply because there would be no-one to tell the story.

The officials might give the true account to their superiors, but they would give no account to the public.
I went upstairs to see that the man was not killed on the spot.

I did not anticipate that he would be killed, but many a man might die from the shock.

And you were afraid that he might die there ?

Very likely.
Very likely.

Of the cruelties inflicted on Mr. Balfour’s opponents, w hen they refuse to subm it to the insults w ith w hich he w reaks his spleen upon them , a clear account is given in 22 THE E V ID EN C E OF CAPTAIN FETHERSTONHAUGH, a witness called by the Prisons Board, who, in answer to Mr. M orphy, deposed— I have been governor of Tullamore gaol for the past twenty-one years.

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.

On the 3rd November I asked Mr. Mandeville to put on the prison clothes.
I went to his cell on the 5th in consequence of a communication He refused.

I received.

The chief warder was with me, and he reported Mr. Mandeville, in his presence, to me for not wearing the prison dress.

I sentenced him to bread and water for twenty-four hours.

The sentence was carried out in his own cell.

Between the 5th and 14tliof November I had conversations several times with the deceased with reference to liis refusal to wear the prison clothes.
I advised him to put them on, and told him it would be my duty to punish him if he still refused.

On the 14th of November he was brought to me by Warders M ‘Cullagli and Mooney, and charged again with refusing to put on I then sentenced him to three days’ bread and water in his own the clothes.

cell.

The last day of the sentence was remitted by the direction of the medical officer. '
On the evening of the 22nd November I went to Mr. Mandeville’s cell with the warders, whose names I have mentioned already.

The gas was lighting 1 told Mr. Mandeville tha in the cell.

The chief warder opened the door.

the suit of clothes that were brought up were perfectly new, and had been aired.

He still refused to put them on.

I then directed the officers to take off his own clothes, which they did............

I saw Mr. Mandeville next on the 23rd, when he was dressed in a quilt and sheet.
on the clothes.

in the same condition............

I went in about five o’clock the same evening and asked him to comply with the rules, and on his still refusing I said I would have to get the bedclothes taken away.

They were taken away, but he was left a quilt and sheet until a short time afterwards.

He did not part with them in my presence.

I saw him on the same evening before “ lock up ” (six o’clock) dressed in the prison clothes.
On the 28th of November Mr. Mandeville was brought before me by Warder M‘Cullagh for refusing to clean out his cell, and I sentenced him to twenty-four hours’ bread and water in his own cell.

Afterwards I often spoke to him about the cleansing of his cell, advising him to conform to the prison rules.

On the 8th December Mr. Mandeville was again charged by M‘Cullagh with a similar offence, and I sentenced him to forty-eight hours on bread and water.
On the 20th December Mr. Mandeville was charged before Mr. Smith, R.M., with refusing to clean out his cell.

I t was Warder M‘Cullagh charged him, and evidence was taken on oath.

Mr. Mandeville admitted the offence, and was sentenced to two days’ solitary confinement in the punishment cell.
I again advised him to put I went late on the same day with Dr. Moorhead, and he was THE CROSS-EXAM INATION OF CAPTAIN FETHERSTO NH AUG H revealed two things, (1) T hat p a rt of the punishm ent inflicted on M andeville in prison was illegal, and (2) T hat the punishm ent was inflicted by direct orders from headquarters.

Cross-examined by the MacDermot—Captain Fetherstonhaugh said : Mr. Mandeville was a very fine-looking man, gentlemanly in his manner and demeanour, truthful, and inoffensive.
He did not appear to me to be malingering while in prison.

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.

He came to Tullamore prison on the 2nd November, and I went to Dublin on the 4th.

On the day deceased arrived, I had a conversation with Dr. Ridley about Mr. Mandeville.

Had your journey to Dublin anything to do with the treatment of 23 Mandeville ?

I went to visit the Hon.

Charles Bourke, Chairman of the Prisons Board, in the Castle.

That was before I inflicted any sentence of punishment on Mr. Mandeville.
When I came back from Dublin I inflicted a sentence of twenty-four hours’ bread and water on him.

Does that involve not having two hours’ exercise ?

Under what rule ?

Show it !

Witness read the 56th rule, which stated, “ A prisoner may be punished by placing such prisoner on punishment diet, as well as by the withdrawal of any privilege granted by special permission.” I will show you the rule.

(After a pause.)

I t does.

W hat is said there about taking his exercise from him ?
He was a disorderly prisoner.

You told me ten minutes ago that he wasn’t.

Witness—Any man breaking the rules of the prison is disorderly.

Show me by what rule a disorderly prisoner is deprived of exercise !

Under the rule I read—“ The withdrawal of any privilege granted by special permission.” Is the right of exercise a mere privilege ?

Do you swear that ?

and rules applicable to prisoners ?

There is.

I t is.
There is.

I t is.

Is there a rule binding you to know all the statutes Is the prisoner entitled to two hours’ exercise by statute ?

He is.

Is that a privilege merely ?

W ith regard to prison clothes, is there anything in any rule or statute except the words, “ That the prisoner shall be required to wear prison clothes ” ?

Is there anythin" entitling you to use physical force to compel him to do so ?

Not as far as I am aware of.

(No answer.)


W hy did you on the 22nd take the clothes off Mr. Mandeville ?

a direction to do so.

I received After Mr. O’Brien got these garments ?

Yes.

L et us now consider— THE M EDICAL EV ID EN C E as to th e effect of M andeville^ prison treatm ent on his health.
DR. MOORHEAD, of Tullamore, exam ined by M r. H arrington, deposed th a t he was a m em ber of th e K ing’s and Q ueen’s College of P h y sician s, Irelan d , a L icentiate of the College of Surgeons, and a M agistrate of th e K ing’s County ; th a t on th e 10th of N ovem ber he visited Mr. M andeville in prison, and made the following entry in the visitors’ book :— “ H e com­ plained of sore throat, and his b reath in g seemed em barrassed.

D r. M oorhead th en continued— ?


° te aS t0 visiting tbe Priso11 My note is— I lie light is very bad, and he complains that he could not read the small print oi the Bible, and that his eyes are suffering very much from the Ions B confinement.

His throat is better.” I was of opinion that he should be removed to hospital, as he was under­ the 12th.

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going medical treatment.


Did you on several occasions recommend in your reports that Mr. Mandeville süould be sent to hospital while undergoing medical treatm ent?

Yes, on T Z f ™ca.slons; 1 neve* saw Mr. Mandeville in hospital during the whole term of his imprisonment.

24 During the progress of your visits was it evident to you that his health was suffering and that his constitution was failing ?

Yes, it was perfectly apparent.


I t was my observation of that fact that induced me to make frequent recom­ mendations of his removal to hospital.

These recommendations were dis­ regarded.

On the 14th Mr. Mandeville complained to me that he had been sentenced by the governor to three days’ punishment of bread and water for refusing to wear prison clothes.

My entry that day was— .

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.


“ He complained of sore throat, for which he is using a gargle prescribed by the prison doctor, who, the governor informed me, had given a medical certificate of Mr. Mandeville’s fitness to undergo punishment.

I regard the sore throat as evidence of debility, and I would recommend that Mr. Mandeville be moved to hospital for immediate treatment.” On the 15th Mr. Mandeville was still on punishment diet.
On that day he complained that he was suffering from diarrhœa, which he attributed to the bread and water he was getting as food.

I again recommended his removal to hospital.

Would you consider the continuance of a man suffering from diarrhœa on bread and water diet calculated to endanger his life ?

Most decidedly.

I think it would have a pernicious effect upon any man’s life.
I ask you, from your observation of the effect of the three days’ diet of bread and water upon Mr. Mandeville, was it calculated to endanger his life ?

It was very much calculated to produce a very pernicious effect upon his constitution, though it might not have a fatal one.

On the 17th he complained of being weakly after his punishment on bread and water, and that his I again recommended his removal to the infirmary.

appetite was failing.

He was still wearing his own clothes.


On the 23rd I found Mr. Mandeville walking about wrapped in a quilt and a sheet.

He had no other clothing on him, not even a shirt.

He was barefooted.

He complained that his clothes had been forcibly taken from him the previous evening by several warders after a struggle.

He protested against the treatment, and demanded his clothes.

His legs and feet were perfectly bare, and his chest and one of his arms.
The floor of the cell was flagged, and the weather at the time was the I visited him next day, and he was then attired in usual winter weather.

prison garb.

That day he told me the quilt and sheet were taken from him.

He was leit the choice of going perfectly naked or putting on the prison clothes, and that he adopted the latter alternative under protest.

I think he remained twenty-four hours naked before putting on the prison clothes.
On the 26th he complained of rheumatism, for which he said the prison doctor did not prescribe.

His cell was close and stuffy and offensive smelling, due to the presence of excreta not removed.

He informed me that the governor asked him to clean his cell, which he refused to do.

He was also ordered by the governor to take exercise with ordinary criminals, which he declined doing, and consequently was confined for twenty-four hours in this close, unhealthy cell.
“ A continuance of such treatment,” I added in my entry, “ would break down the constitution of the strongest man, and would probably develop In Mr. Mandeville’s case such a state of affairs fever of a malignant type.

calls for immediate remedy.” On the 29th Mr. Mandeville was .

chilled from the bread and water treatment, and he also had distinct tremor in both hands.

He complained of the confinement to his cell, now four days, without exercise.
I pointed out that the visiting justices and the governor had power, under rule 10 of the treatment of convicted prisoners, to relax the strict observance of prison rules.

I recommended that they should be relaxed, as they were injurious to him, and that he should have open-air exercise, which was essential to his health.

That recommendation was also I vi>ited it continuously, disregarded.

In the interval between the and made entries which are in the visitors’ book.
date and December 21st he complained of diarrhœa.

I should say he com­ plained only when asked, for he was a man who seemed very loth to make any I visited the prison almost every day.

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25 complaint at all.............On the 21st December I found him in the punishment cell, a special cell for special punishment.

This was within two or three days of his release, and he was the only prisoner I have ever seen in that cell.
The cell opened on the yard by an iron door ; it was flagged and furnished with a permanently fixed plank bed opposite the door, at a distance of about nine feet from the door.

The cell was very badly lighted, the door fitted unevenly, and in consequence the cell was extremely draughty ; the ventilator also admitted a draught.

Mr. Mandeville had spent the night in this place.

He was then on bread and water, sixteen ounces of bread for the twenty-four hours.
He was then undergoing a punishment of forty-eight hours of bread and water and solitary confinement............ Mr. Mandeville complained of cold and draught, and that his rheumatism was worse in consequence, and he said he complained to the prison doctor that it was no place to send him.

The )rison doctor, he said, did not examine him, or prescribe for him.
He said iis feet were famished by walking on the cold flags in slippers, and that he lad been ill on each occasion after punishment from three to six days.

W hat was the effect of all that punishment ?

I think, with regard to the treatment, that it was calculated to undermine the constitution of the strongest man, and I have no doubt it undermined Mr. Mandeville’s constitution.

DR. ED .
DR. ED .

McCRAITH, a physician and surgeon, after giving evidence as to M andeville’s condi­ tion after he le ft prison, and shortly before his death, deposed — He died from failure of the heart’s action, arising from diffused seiptic inflammation, amounting to poisoning of the blood.

The swelling of the throat was so intense on Saturday night that I punctured it, and a mixture of blood and matter came from it.
W hat was the cause—not the immediate cause—of the death of Mr. Mande­ I should say that the cause of his death was the lowering of his ville ?

nervous and physical system by the treatment which, it is stated, he received in prison, but of course I don’t know anything of that treatment.
In the natural course of events from what I knew of Mr. Mandeville before he went to prison and since he came from prison, and the circumstances of his death, I am of opinion that the probabilities are that he would be alive now if it were not for the treatment he received in Tullamore Prison.

In my opinion the germ of throat disease first originated in Tullamore Gaol.
DR. CHARLES RONAYNE, a physician and surgeon, a m edical inspector for th e Board of T rade, and for tw elve years a visiting prisons’ justice, deposed— .

.

I visited Mr. Mandeville on the 15th November; he was then undergoing another term of punishment of bread and water for the period of three days.

Never during my twelve years’ experience as visiting justice had I found before a prisoner undergoing the punishment of three days’ bread and water.

.
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I turned to the governor, and, in Mr. Mandeville’s piesence, asked, “ By what prison rule or statutable authority did you punish Mr. Mandeville for three days, as I am sure you have exceeded your powers?

I am aware you have only the power of giving twenty-four hours’ prison punishment.” The governor said he had power, and that it was according to the prison regulations, and pointed them out on the wall.
We looked through them, but the rule could In the office, and not in the presence of Mr. Mandeville, I said, not be found.

26 I can’t say whether it was “ This poor fellow’s case is very distressing, and it is very sad to see this fine, able man in this condition.” I told the governor that I suspected that they were going too far with him, and to take care there would not be a sudden in a report I made or in this collapse.
that I said, “ Take care you don’t have a repetition of conversation I referred to the case of the boy Larkin, the scandal of Kilkenny Gaol here.” who was found dead in his cell in Kilkenny Gaol.

I think it right to say that the governor seemed to feel the responsibility of his position very keenly.

He struck me as a man who was honestly trying to carry out a duty which he thought very dangerous and very irksome.
I alluded then to the fact, either in conversation or in my report, that Mr. Mandeville’s health would be under­ mined by the treatment he was receiving.

1 had a consultation that night with Dr. Moorhead about Mr. Mandeville.

I formed the opinion, even before I heard the evidence given in court, that the treatment he received undermined Mr. Mandeville’s constitution and permanently damaged his health.
The repeated punishment on bread and water, added to the general treatment of a prisoner in gaol, with violent taking away of clothes and covering in a flagged cell, would lead to the serious impairment of the vital state of health of any man, especially in the case of a man who had been living under very opposite I t would render him more susceptible of a disease and less able to conditions.

resist it, especially the disease—the suppurative disease—to which lie after­ wards succumbed.
DR. WILLIAM O’NEILL, an M.D.

of E dinburgh U niversity, who has been in practice for th irty years, stated on oath :—■ “ I attribute the disease from which lie died to his treatment in prison.” THE E V ID EN C E FOR THE PRISO N S BOARD, w hich, as we have already pointed out, was assisted by the police, added nothing to th e facts already set out, and, w ith the exception of th a t of D r. Barr, did not im pugn any of th e previous witnesses.
THE CROSS-EXAM INATION OF MAJOR ROBERTS, who was present w hen Jo h n M andeville was stripped, is, however, instructive.

In answer to The M acD erm ot’s question : “ D id you approve of the treatm ent he (M r. M andeville) received ?

” he said— I don’t know what you mean.

The MacDermot—Don’t mind your officers.

Did you approve of the treat-* ment according to the rules of the prison 1 Witness—I do.

The MacDermot—Do you approve of it as a humane man ?

Witness—I ean’t answer that.


The MacDermot—Do you refuse to answer my question ?

Witness—I don’t know anything as far as I am concerned.

The MacDermot—Again I ask you did you approve of the treatment ri Witness—I am bound to approve of it (loud laughter).

The MacDermot—I pity you.

DR>« BARR, who continually made suggestions to th e counsel for th e P risons Board during his cross-exam ination of th e previous m edical witnesses, m ust be an official after Mr. B alfour’s own h e art.
H e roundly accused m em bers of his own profession of incom petence and of sw earing falsely, n o t as to specific facts, of w hich he alleged him self to have been a w itness, b u t solely on th e ground th a t th e sym ptom s th ey described on o ath “ could •not,” in his opinion, as a m edical m an, “ have been observable so soon a fter he had exam ined M r. M andeville.” H ere is an e x tract from his cross- examin ation— The McDermot—You don’t believe one word of Dr. Ronan’s evidence about I consider it is untrue, and false, and the symptoms he saw in Mandeville ?
unfounded.

I t was stated by Mrs. Mandeville that when her husband came out of prison, as a matter of fact she swears, that he was thin, bluish on the lips, w ith a tremor in his hands, so that he could scarcely write for the first month, and weak in the sight.

In your opinion, could that have happened between the date you were there—the 14th December—and the day he went home—the 24th December ?

I t could not.

Then you consider that she also swore false ?

I consider those statements are false.


door of the doctors’ treatm ent ?

As a matter of fact, do you consider the death of Mr. Mandeville lay at the I say that he did not get a chance for his life.

You are an official of thirteen or fourteen years’ standing.

Do you under­ take to say to the jury, humble individual as you say you are, that Dr. Cremen, of Cork ; Dr. M‘Craitli, and Dr. O’Neill, of this town, all holding important positions, gave their patient no chance for his life ?
I do, and I arrived at the conclusion after a very careful consideration of the case.

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Then, in addition to accusing a large number of persons, including medical gentlemen, of absolute falsehood, you accuse three medical gentlemen of absolute incapacity ?

I do.

H ow m uch th e J u ry believed of his evidence is show n by th e ir verdict.

H is anim us is shown by th e following question and answ er :— The MacDermot : Now I ask you another question, and take time to recollect, if you wish.
Did you say to any gentleman in Liverpool that Mandeville was a great scoundrel, and did not get half enough or deserved I may have used words to that effect (sensation and murmurs what he got ?

in court).

H e confessed th a t he was sent to Ireland a t th e instance of Mr. B alfour ; th a t he visited Mr. M andeville in prison th ree tim es ; and th a t, by a “ singular coincidence,” M r. M andeville received punishm ent im m ediately after each of his visits.
W ith reg ard to the assertion repeatedly m ade b y witnesses for th e Prisons Board th a t M r. M andeville made NO COMPLAINT OF H IS TREATM EN T IN PRISON, I will refer to the following extract from th e evidence of Mr. W illiam O’Brien :— Mr. Mandeville never spoke of what he suffered in prison, chiefly because of the base use made by our adversaries of all reference to the subject, again and again.
He fifty times referred in a most indignant manner to the use made°by Mr. Balfour of topics of the kind, and told me distinctly, again and again, that one of his troubles in prison was what reply to make to the visiting justices as to whether he had complainte, inasmuch as every word of ours might be tortured by the scoundrels into a whine.
D uring the w'hole of th e inquiry no t only did th e next-of-kin receive no assistance, b u t rath e r opposition, from the police authorities, b u t the Coroner him self repeatedly had to complain of TH E IN SO LEN T TONE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PR ISO N S BOARD tow ards himself.

B ut perhaps the m ost striking illustration of th eir baseness is to be found in th eir treatm ent of the suicide of th e unfor­ tun ate D r. Ridley.
In the m idst of the inquest into the death of John M andeville, on the 20th of July, THE SEV EN TH VICTIM OF M ITCHELSTOW N LANDLORDISM perished b y his own hand.

I t is obviously impossible to disconnect D r. R idley’s suicide from th e facts proved in th e inquest on M andeville.
I will content myself w ith setting out here the verdict 011 D r. Ridley’s d eath given on A ugust 17 :— AVe find that Dr. James Ridley died on the 20th July, 1888, at Fermoy, from wounds inflicted by his own hand with a razor on the same day, whilst labouring under temporary insanity produced by the apprehension of dis­ closures at the Mitchelstown inquest, and that he was compelled to act in his official capacity in contravention of his own humane and considerate views.
We beg to add our expressions of deep sympathy with Mrs. Ridley and Mr?.

Mandeville in their affliction.

We condemn the reckless and unfounded* charges made by Dr. Barr against the medical men and poor Mr. Mandeville.

We are of opinion that the charges made against Dr. Moorhead are absolutely unfounded, and that his reports and visits had a beneficial effect.

T he verdict was unanimous.


M eantime, before this verdict was given, the Counsel for the Prisons Board, th e agent of “ th e brave Mr. Balfour 99 in the M andeville inquest, sought to shift the blame upon th e unfortunate D r. Ridley, as soon as he was safely out of the way and unable to defend himself.

On Ju ly 27 he stated th a t he would ask the jury to say .

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that if there was anyone guilty of misconduct it was Dr. Ridley.
The ju ry in the inquest on Mandeville were certainly not prejudiced in favour of the N ationalist cause.

T hey were selected by the Con­ stabulary, and included Conservatives and Liberal Unionists, besides the 29 sexton of the P ro testan t church, y et on Saturday, Ju ly 28, th ey unani­ mously b ro u g h t in th e following VERDICT ON JOHN M A N D EV ILLE’S D EATH .
We find that the deceased, John Mandeville, died on the 8th of Ju ly of diffused cellular inflammation of the throat, as defined by the doctors, brought about by the brutal and unjustifiable treatm ent he received in Tullamore Jail.

We enter our solemn protest against the system of the present Government in awarding similar treatm ent to Irish political prisoners as to common criminals, and the cruel method by which the rules are enforced.
We condemn the vile aspersions of Dr. Barr on the doctors who attended John Mandeville in his last illness.

Since the verdict I have received A LETTER FROM THE NEX T-O F-K IN , in w hich th e follow ing passage occurs :— I t was I that first called for the inquest, on my finding that the Irish Police (who represent the British Government in Ireland) were openly and by underhand ways trying to prevent the inquest being held, and to intim i­ date the family of the deceased against holding it.
I suspected that the Government was trying to stifle the inquiry because it was guilty of a crime.

Fortunately I was "the next-of-kin, and I had ample power from the other relatives to act for them, or there would have been no inquest.
My relation­ ship to the deceased, and my prudence in calling for an inquest were all questioned by the Government, and they said and did everything that they could to discourage me, but I knew more about my brother than they did, and I defied them to say or do their utmost, an inquest I would have.
I t is especially w o rth y of note th a t, in referring to th e verdict in th e House of Commons, M r. Balfour, as th e representative of th e “ law and o rd er” of th e Irish G overnm ent, stated th a t it should be “ treated w ith contem pt” ; and yet, as one of m y correspondents a t M itchelstow n has tru ly said, “ th e ju ry , as constituted, was the selection of th e Con­ stabulary, and th e very last th a t a N ationalist would have chosen.” * * * * * T here is little need for me to dwell a t length upon th e personal characteristics of m y friend.
I t was perhaps n o t u nnatural th a t those who were the instrum ents of hi3 death should have endeavoured to screen their g ilt by defam ing his character.

T h at despicable policy, however, is now played out, and I have found th a t the m ere th re a t of an attorney’s letter has been quite enough to silence some of his calumniators.
Jo h n M andeville was, above a ll things, A M AN OF PEACE, and this was never more clearly shown th an on th e occasion w hen we learned by telegram from M r. Condon, M .P., th a t th e G overnm ent had 30 announced in the H ouse the intended proclam ation of th e League.

“ H ow ever,” said Jo h n Mandeville, “ shall we be able to restrain the fellows now ?

” B ut, although naturally of a peaceful disposition, he would never stand idly by and see his weaker neighbour wronged.
H e was himself under no necessity to take any p a rt w hatever in the agrarian agitation, not being him self a tenant of th e Countess of K ingston, and it was only th e deep resentm ent of th e injustice w rought on those who were too weak and too poor to stand alone th a t inspired him to sacrifice his life for them .

I am prepared to prove th a t for a long tim e previous to his conviction, th e Governm ent had been W AITING TH EIR OPPORTUNITY to entrap and to im prison him.
D uring the w inter of 1886-7, they had almost nightly posted constabulary in th e neighbourhood of “ Clonkilla,” his p retty little residence some tw o miles out of M itchelstown.

On the occasion of my first visit to M itchelstown, after taking supper a t his house, I found th a t I too was tracked by constabulary, who returned to m y hotel to rep o rt to a detective, there stationed, w hat our movements h ad been.
T h at very n ig h t inform ation had been received to th e effect th at a raid would probably be made upon some of th e tenants’ cattle.

I t was Jo h n M andeville who, a t m idnight, sent a message of w arning to the victim s of the unholy G overnm ent-Landlord Alliance, and by this means some a t least of th e tenants’ p ro p erty was saved to them .

Speaking of H IS PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS, M rs.

M andeville says :— Few people knew what a cultivated mind John possessed.
While a boy he had the run of a very fine collection of old English authors.

He knew by heart cantos of Butler’s “ Hudibras,” Montaigne’s “ Essays,” Milton’s Poems, &c. He was a good Latin scholar, and to the last kept up his knowledge of it.

He had some very fine old editions of the Classics, which he prized greatly.
Horace was his favourite : his views of human life, his genial philosophy, the loyalty of his friendships, his biting sarcasms when he lashed the vices of his age, were all sympathetic with John’s own feelings.

In religion, John was a sincere Catholic, though allowing to each man his own free judgment.

He thought the highest ideal of life was preached by our Divine Lord, in His Sermon on the Mount, in an earthly as well as a spiritual sense.
A little before he left me, I remember his saying that Our Lord had been a great social reformer as well as being God ; that he went about among the poor and lowly, preaching his views, and so should every man that wished to advance the cause of humanity ; the work was to be done among the ^oor—not the rich.

The Bible and Thomas â Kempis’s Imitation of Christ were John’s favourite religious works.

While at Tullamore jail he was refused the latter book, though I fail to see what treason it contained.
The last month of his imprisonment he got a volume of Cardinal Newman's sermons, which one I don’t know, though 31 John frequently told me how he enjoyed reading them.

They were, strangely enough, on preparing for heaven.

He was so anxious I should get them, and repeated things that struck him, he said, when reading them.

One was that a certain amount of suffering was necessary to refine our coarser hum an nature, or we could not be refined enough even in our feelings for our heavenly home.

.
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The last earthly message he sent was his love to his poor old mother, and that she was not to fret for him.

# * * * * .

.

The letters and th e evidence I have set out in th is pam phlet convey som ething of th e character of Jo h n M andeville—brave, honourable, k ind and sensitive.

H is memory is cherished in th e h earts of th e whole Irish peoj)le.

B u t th e evidence a t th e inquest proves also th a t his death is to be laid at th e door of th e present G overnm ent.
H e was done to death by his political opponents for political reasons.

M ore th a n this, th e facts here set out dem onstrate th e u tte r failure of th e G overnm ent to attain th e ir own im m ediate end.

T he rents on th e K ingston estate have been reduced 22£ p er cent, by th e operation of law , instead of th e 20 per cent, dem anded by Jo h n M andeville, under th e P la n of Cam paign.

Y et th e unsuccessful efforts of th e G overnm ent to serve th e landlords have COST SE V E N LIVES.
“ Unionists ” m ay still object to H om e R ule, b u t, if th ere be one spark of th eir professsed L iberalism left in them , th ey m ust feel some tw in g e of shame w hen they th in k of th e slow to rtu re of Tullam ore. E ngland o.an no longer pride herself th a t she is not as A ustria or Russia, and th e m an who has inflicted th is indelible disgrace upon h e r is A rth u r Balfour.

B ut the tim es give no leisure for vain regrets.


T here are T E N THOUSAND EV ICTIO N N O T IC E S now out in Ireland, and in th e cold of th e coming w inter fifty thousand persons will be turn ed out of th e ir hom es to perish on th e bleak m oor­ land.

There are m any E n g lish m e n and women now visiting Ireland, witnessing the m isery th a t exists, and expressing th e ir sym pathy w ith the victims.

But sym pathy is a fter all b u t cold comfort.

WHAT CAN WE DO ?

! "


lC WOrd.s of Jolm M andeville, w ritten in his letter of Septem ber 2 1887, are ringing in m y ears, and his voice speaks to us all from an Irish grave : “ In order to do us any good,you m ust first h u n t th e T ory Government out of office.” HOME R U L E U N I O N .
OBJECT.—To support th e Irish Nation in its dem and for Home Rule, and to securel such a solution of th e question as m ay satisfy the Irish people w ithout im pairing thel Rights of th e Crown, or the In te g rity of th e Empire.

Ii)íce=l>rc0ífcent6.

THE MARQUIS OP RIPON, K.G.

THE EARL OF a s h b u r n h a m .

THE EARL OF CAVAN, M.P.

THE EARL COMPTON.

LORD CLIFTON.

LORD HOUGHTON.

LORD NORTHBOURNE.

LORD MONKSWELL.

LORD BRASSEY, K.C.B.

The R t. Hon.

JAMES STANSFELD, M.P.

The R t. Hon.


Sir WILLIAM HARCOURT, M.P The R t. Hon.

J. G. SHAW-LEFEVRE, M.P.

The R t. Hon.

JOHN MOSLEY, M.P.

T he R t. Hon.

S ir U. KAY-SHUTTLEWORThI _ _ B a r t., M.P.

m Chairman—VROF.

STUART, M.P.

| Hon.

Treasurer—T.

ECCLESTON GIBB.

Secretary—E.

J .

C. MORTON.

JOURNAL OF THE HOME RULE UNION.

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