The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-12-18 00:00:00

SOCIAL LIFE IN MEATH.

"A Meath Megistrate" tin dee tloi following ab-
'street of a addreesi ii ti the Lord Lit-tits-paid
of Irelotei by (went) tar magidedis who recently
met ill K,IIS
" Within the last twelve months one farm- r has baen mur-
dered. 'll red nrigistra-es have le en shot a', 0. liII
dty In the ri tempt t our ler theoi lao iii-Aca have been
o unded—one seriously—and the c. aelimati 01 one meek-
trate has been killed. The steward if uneteer gentlenian
has Men twice ttrert at, and on the fln-t 01-CAdoll, severely
injured. Several magi,trates have to Tired threatening
tutees. in Troia, of thioe Cases, owing to the undisguised
sympathy of the population with the cr,minals, does there
seem Coy pr. Alpedt. of the vindication of the Ito. the
otowed inject of the Ritinon I. dace in this migh,ourhood
Ii to wrest trout the legislature what they call tenant-rig' t
by I oath red assassination. The small farmer or labourer who
is not a oronber of a R. Liam, lodge is loo.ed tip 10 iirat rug-
picion and dislike Mmy well-d,po-eil persons are tempted
to Hu the roomy larder to got p isseasion nit their pass-
words ass protection fros,a limit MA violence."
The wtiter explains that the outrages referred to all
, occurred within is few mil., of the town of Kells :
' Since the triernotid was cent to the Lord Lieutenant
a landlord ham received a thri atening letter for chemise-
Mg a gardener whom the welter ordered hint to teke
hack on pain of death. This letter so terrified this I
gent'. insn'il this he bat been obliged to remove
with her t ,Dablin. Our of the snort popular l'indlords
in Meath ha-s been in the hablt for marry yeare of let.
ting a portion of his detneene by auction, for grezlng
purposes mily. This year his auctioneer received a
thri atoning fetter on the morning of the auction, Wing
him to prepat e for death, if he proceeded with the sale ;
for though, if an exception to the rule that grata
lands Wire no hewer to be lot by the year could be ,
allowed in any (fess it would be in favour of the land-
lord is flue-ton, the society had deternAued-that there
could be no exception at all. The land Was put up to
auction, nevertheless. The bidding Wan tame compared
with that of beerier yearn, though the bidders, of course
knew nothing of the threatening letter ; but the
different lots were oi.posed of to three tenants. Two
of them have been ordered by sowe armed men they
met on the road to :brow up their lots and they have
done so, forfeiting their deposit& A Meath landlord
told tie y.sterday that a man had been in the
hattit of taking erase land from hiin every year had
informed him that the Rdibontuen had otelered
him not to take any this) ere. He ditended, hows ver,
to do so, provided the landlord kept his preputial
secret He should not want to stock the land tiq
spring, alol before then he hoped that the Habeas
Corpus Act would be teal:untied. This morning INM
a threatio,ing letter, received yesterday by a Protes-
tant farmer who lives within four miles (rime who had
a die, Site with he neighbour—a Roman Catholic—
tab rut a pass which the Protestant refused to let him
have through his land. It was as followe : " John,—
, If you do rut quit you contrarnem before this day
week I will blow out pm- brains—if you hail all the
Piece is Virginia. So I give you this to take Notice to
• keep your tongue quite." Hem follows the figure of a
coffin.