The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-24 00:00:00

THE IRISH JOURNALISTS.

There was some excitement in _Dublin on Saturday, that
day having been fixed for awarding judgment upon Mr.
Alexander M. Sullivan, proprietor of the Weekly News,
and Mr. Richard Pigott, proprietor of the Irishman news-
paper. The attendance in court in Dublin was somewhat
larger than usual. The bar seats were fully occupied,
and in the galleries a number of ladies (amongst whom
was Mrs. A. M. Sullivan) were accommodated with seats.
At twenty minutes past ten o'clock Mr. A. M. Sullivan
entered the court and took his seat at the traversers' bar.
He was accompanied by Alderman Plunkett, Mr. James
Fitzgerald Lombard, J.P., Mr. John Martin, Mr. Donal
Sullivan, Mr. Scallan, solicitor, Mr. D. N. C. Whyte, city
coroner, and other friends. Shortly afterwards Mr.
Richard Pigott arrived, and seated himself between Mr.
Sullivan and Mr. John Martin. Mr. Justice Fitzgerald
and Mr. Baron Deasy took their seats on the bench at half-
past ten o'clock.

On the learned judges taking their seats,
Mr. Smart (deputy clerk of the Crown) informed their
lordships that Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Pigott were in
attendance to receive the judgment of the court.
Mr. Justice Fitzgerald : Send for counsel for the Crown.
In a few minutes the Solicitor-General, Dr. Ba 11; Q.C.,
Mr. Charles Shaw, Q.C., and Mr. R. H. Owen entered
the court.

The Solicitor-General said : My lords, we pray the
judgment of the court upon Alexander M. Sullivan and
Richard Pigott.
Mr. Justice Fitzgerald then addressed Mr. Sullivan at
some length, concluding as follows : That you be impri.
soned for six calendar months from this time ; that at the
end of that period you give security, yourself in £5OO,
with two sureties in £250 each, to be of good behaviour
for a period of two years, and that in default of such
security you be further imprisoned for a second period of
six calendar months.

Mr. Baron Deasy next passed sentence upon Mr. Pigott,
sentencing him to be imprisoned for twelve months, and
at the expiration of that time enter into recognisances to
be of good behaviour for a period of two years—himself in
£5OO and two sureties in £250 each—or, in default, be
further imprisoned for six months.

Mr. Crean: I have to ask your lordships whether you
commit the prisoners to the city or county prison. You
have power under the Act to name the prison.
Mr. Justice Fitzgerald : The offence being committed in
the city, but tried in the county, I believe the Act gives
us a discretion as to what venue we shall direct the
sentence to be carried out. What is your application,
Mr. Crean?

Mr. Crean : That they be imprisoned in the city.
No opposition being offered on behalf of the Crown,
Mr. Justice Fitzgerald said : We direct that the sen-
tence be carried out in the city, and accordingly the pri-
soners are committed to Richmond Bridewell.
Mr. Sullivan : As far as the court is concerned I w:311
to say I consider that I have had a fair trial.

A number of persons, including sevtral Roman Catholic
clergymen, here came to the front of the (lock and shook
hands with Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Pigott.
Mr. Philpotts, deputy-governor of Richmond Bridewell,
then took the prisoners into custody, and conducted them
to the cell beneath the court. In their progress, a crowd
which completely filled the passages leading to the court,
shook hands with them, and they were loudly cheered
until the cell door closed upon them.
Shortly after one o'clock Messrs. Sullivan and Pigott
arrived at Richmond Bridewell, where they were received
by Mr. Boyd, the governor. The records of their convic-
tions were handed in and entered in the usual form. A
record was made in the governor's book of their reception,
together with the general details of their ages, religion,
occupation, &c., as in the case of ordinary prisoners.
Cells were then allotted to them, and they were soon
after removed. Some members of the board of
superintendents of city prisons met in the course of the
day to consider in what way the prisoners should be
treated. After a consultation it was determined that, as
prisoners receved on Saturday are not " classed" until
Monday, no step should be taken at present, but that a
special of the board should be summoned for Monday to
take the subject into consideratiol. Under the General
Prisons Act for Ireland it is stated that all prisoners,
whether felons or misdemeanants, must conform to the
prison discipline in all respects, except that in regard to
the latter class a discretion is vested in the board of super-
intendence to relieve them from the operation of the
regulation respecting the compulsory wearing of prison
uniform.

The Weekly News and Nation of Saturday published an
address from Mr. A. M. Sullivan to the readers of these
journals. In this address Mr. Sullivan says :—" Fellow-
countrymen, the dictates of justice, the conclusions of
judgment, the emotions of the heart, arc beyond
the coercion of man. England may send us to gaol,
but she cannot force us to praise or worship that
against which our heart and conscience are in
revolt. She may get verdicts as she pleases from
permitted juries, well trained in treason-felony
trials ; but she cannot change the verdict of the world
upon that hideous scene in Manchester. As for myself,
from the moment the Crown came upon me with a double
prosecution I knew my doom was sealed. I knew that
on one in,lictment or the other—or on both—my
incarceration was to be achieved, in the vain hope
of silencing or terrorising the journals which I have
conducted. Then I resolved to meet the ordeal
• • plainly and directly; fully conscious that, come what
might, the verdict of my fellow-countrymen would be
with me. To exchange home and family for the
rigours of a prison may be hard ; but brave and good
men are now daily consigned to severities far more pro-
tracted than those awaiting me at Kilmainham. The
spirit of sacrifice was never stronger in our race than it is
to-day; and never since first Ireland had a press that she
could call her own have the national journalists been
missed from the roll of those ' fallen at their post.' Fel-
low-countrymen, I will not haul down the flag. Neither
will it fall to the ground when I am struck down by the
foe. Other hands, true and tried, will bear it onward
still, till I once again can take my place at the post of
responsibility."

The Irishman of the same day thus referred to
Mr.
Pigott's conviction and the future conduct jour-
nalofthat
::-` All we
can say is, that these 'prosecutions and
convictionsr will not break the spirit of the national press.
i\ o matter what may be the period of Mr. Pigott's
incarceration, he has friends who will bear the
lamp he has lighted, and keep this journal
worthy of his suffering and his name. It would be
senseless bravado to say that they will defy the
law even as administered by Green-street juries,
but within the-limits of the libel law—arbitrary and there-
fore tyrannous as it is—it is possible to advocate the
national cause and animate the national heart. Neit week
we shall have something to say of the restrictions which
these extraordinary convictions place upon the liberties of
the Irish press. To-day we will content ourselves by saying
that, whatever be his punishment, Mr. Pigott will en-
dure it like a man. There is one privilege, of which neither
prosecutions, nor juries, nor judges, nor gaolers can deprive
him. In his dungeon cell he can utter the aspiration which is
now, it seems, branded as the watchword of sedition,
God save Ireland.' "

A mlrriage is arranged between Colonel Bart-
telot, M.P., and M'ss Bolder°, only child of Mr. Boldero,
of South Lodge, Horsham. The marriage is to take place
early in April.