The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-12-10 00:00:00

THE AGITATION IN IRELAND.
ALLEGED PLOT AGAINST LORD
HARTINGTON.
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The Dublin correspondent of the Morning Post,
referring to the visit of Lord Hartington and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to that city, said, in a
despatch, dated Sunday evening: Our distinguished
visitors have now gone, and it is but right that ere
the record of the Past week's work is fully
concluded, I should place on record the
indebtedness which all the Unionists in Ire-
land feel towards those guardians of the peace
whose watchfulness and careful forethought have
made any proceeding of a disturbing or disastrous
character utterly impossible. To Mr. David Harrel,
the Commissioner of Police, and to Mr. John Mallon,
the chief superintendent, the warmest thanks of all
those connected with the demonstrations are
undoubtedly due. That is so Will be seen from
the following details which I can now supply, but
which for obvious reasons it was not desirable to
make public before. Notonly did the secretly organised
and elaborately concerted efforts of the Parnellites to
get up a demonstration of popular hostility to Vie
Marquis of Hartington and Mr. Goshen conspicuously
fail, but a still more serious plot happily miscarried.
Hardly had the announcement that the Marquis of
Hartington would visit Ireland been made than the
Parnellite allies of the Fenians began to urge them to
prepare such a reception for that distinguished states-
man as would " prove to the world the desperate and
deadly hatred of the Irish to alien rule and to those
who sustain it." To put the thing plainly, it was
more than insinuated that if, like his lamented
brother, the Marquis were assassinated conse-
quences vastly beneficial to the national cause would
ensue, and would fully justify the atrocious deed.
But the Fenian leaders rejected the suggestion
with scorn and loathing. They protested that they
would no longer permit their organisation to be used
as of old in performing "dirty work "for the League,
and that so far as their influence extended they would
prevent any attempt to in any way molest the Mar-
quis and his companions. No means were left unturned
to change their attitude, and a great deal was made
of the fact that it was during the period of the
Marquis's tenure of office as Chief Secretary in 1870
that the amnesty meeting in the Phcenix Park in con-
nection with the release of the imprisoned Fenians
, was broken up by the police, and the people tasing
part in that demonstration attacked and batcned by
the guardians of the law. All this, however, was of
no avail; their attitude remained unchanged. Re-
course was then had to the American branch of the
Fenian organisation with much more success. No
difficulty was found in enlisting a number of Irish-
Americans in the vile enterprise. These men, sup-
plied with money, began to arrive on the Continent
a fortnight ago, and some, it is believed, reached Ire-
land. At all events, it has leaked out that some
Transatlantic) " patriots " had, in concert with a few
of the least reputable members of the 1.R.8, in Ireland,
arranged a plan by which the train that carried the
English statesmen to Dublin from Kingston should be
thrown off the line at a particular point, in the expecta-
tion that the lives of both would be sacrificed in the
same way as it was hoped Mr. Forster's life would
have been taken. This was to be done by removing
the rails at a point of the line where the most disas-
trous effects might be expected to result. A number
of men were to be at a point between the Merrion arid
Blackrock Stations, and when the train was brought
to a standstill the carriages were to be fired into, the
belief being entertained that general passengers would
not travel with the distinguished visitors, and that only
those who were connected with the demonstration
would be liable to injury. This scheme, however, fell
through when it became known that the visitors
wotild arrive on different days, and that the Marquis
of Hartington' instead of at once proceeding to
Dublin, would be driven to Mr. Power's residence
at Leopardstown. It was thought at first
that, for safety's sake, Lord Hartington would
pe entertained in one of the squares of Dublin. Then
another design was hatched. The American despera-
does held that nothing would be more simple or easy
of accomplishment by a few really determined and
resolute men than to attack the carriage which bore
the Marquis at almost any given points along the
long and in early morning exceedingly lonely route
from Kingstown to Mr. Power's place, and to either
murder him or carry him off to some secret place not
easily accessible in the fastnesses of the Wicklow
mountains, to be held there until Mr. William O'Brien
and the other "political prisoners" were uncondi-
tionally released. They referred to the rescue at
Manchester 20 years ago of two Fenian leaders by
a handful of Irishmen in the broad light of day and
in a populous thoroughfare as proving that to
lay hold of the Unionist leader on his solitary
route was, in fact, little better than child's
play. The project, it is believed, was fully
matured, but, at any rate, it miscarried, as
has frequently occurred. The men who devised the
plan and at all events those who were to conduct it
failed to put in an appearance at the appointed time,
though it is known that they left their hiding-places
on the Continent in good time to enable them to reach
Ireland at the place and hour arranged. Possibly
they had intimation that the scheme had got wind,
and that the exercise of the discretion which is the
, better part of valour—which is the guiding motive of
the modern Irish conspirator, secret or open—would
best become them; for it has also become known that
had the attempt been made it would have been to a
moral certainty defeated, and every man engaged in
it made a prisoner.
The attempt to disturb the great demonstration of
last week by sending to the hall over 400 emissaries
with forged tickets also proved a conspicuous failure.
The plot was divulged in every detail in the after-
noon. The 400 were to be scattered over the building,
and at a given signal—a shout of "Remember '67
—the disturbance was to commence by the singing of
"God Save Ireland," started from various points. It
was anticipated that noise, confusion, and chucking
out on a large scale would ensue, but this was the end
In view—to warrant the statement that the meeting,
instead of being an immense enthusiastic and unani-
mous gathering was a rowdy assembly, much divided
in opinion. The holders of the forged admission
cards were allowed to pass the main entrance gates,
but were then handed over to special stewards, con-
ducted through a passage which surrounds the build-
ing, and there quietly ejected.