The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-09-07 00:00:00

THE POISONING CASE
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TUESDAY MORNING,

SEPT. 7, 1552

THE HISTORY OF AN IRISH ELECTION.
ON reviewing the proceedings of the Roman
Catholic Priests during the recent elections in Ire-
land, the English public may well exclaim in the
well known words of CICERO to CATILINE ;
QvouPque tandem, abutere patientid nostril ; quamdiu

nos etiam eluclet furor iste tuns

recent ad finem sese

effrenata jectabit tea audacta
Although we have on sever
called the attention of our readers to this too-
interesting subject, we cannot, even at
being somewhat tedious, refrain from once more
pointing out an illustration of the practical opera-
tion of I-liherno-Roman Priestcraft which has been
afforded to the country in a letter addressed by
" A Landed Proprietor and Magistrate of the
County of Longford" to the Editor of the Morning
Herald. The narrative of the late election in that
county contained in the letter, gives the reader a
very distinct and vivid idea of the manner in which
the Romish Clergy bring their influence to bear
upon their vassal flocks in the exercise of their
political rights. It would appear that the Hon. L.
H. KING HARMAN, son of Lord LORTON, at the
instance of almost every landed proprietor and
magistrate of the county, came forward as a candi-
date for its representation on ministerial principles,
in opposition to two nominees of the Priests. The
reverend fathers, disgusted at finding so formidable
a competitor in the field—especially when they dis-
covered that most of the Roman Catholic free-
holders had promised him their votes—eagerly
looked out for a pretext which might be used to
inflame the passions and religious prejudices of
the mob against Mr. HARMAN. The Stockport
Riots served the purpose admirably. Placards were
forthwith printed and posted throughout the whole
county, and especially upon the chapel walls, to
the following effect :

al recent cccasons

he risk of

" Catholics,—The rights of your holy church are
in danger—the liberties and privileges of your
priests are at stake ; your reverend bishops have
been staked at the mercy of the common informer.
Will you save your chapels from destruction ? Will
you be true to your church ? Will you protect
from insult your priests, who are true to you from
the cradle to the grave ? Will you save your
bishops from the felon's dock and prosecution by
the common informer ? If so, if you arc true sons
of the old Church, you will vote against KING
HARMAN, the friend of Lord DERBY, who is the
friend of assassins, burglars, and sacrilegious ruf-
fians of Stockport. To the poll, to the poll, for
your country and for your creed."
Following up their advantage, the reverend
fathers proceeded on Sundays and holidays to pro-
claim from the altars of their chapels denunciations
of no gentler character against every Roman Catho-
lic elector who should vote for Mr. HARMAN. One
reverend neighbour of the obnoxious candidate
declared with vociferous fury that he would turn
every man who dared to vote for him into a " he-
goat: Another recommended every voter in his
parish, if his landlord should ask for a vote, to
answer him by "a kick and a box." In spite, how-
ever, of all this amiable activity on the part of the
"clargy," a considerable number of the Roman
Catholics remained for a time true to their pro-
mises. It was therefore found necessary to adopt a
little of that organised intimidation in the manage-
ment of which the Irish clergy are such admirable
tacticians. Accordingly, great numbers of persons
under priestly command, of whom many were
members of the Ribbon or Assassin Clubs, were sent
forth, in bands of from 10 to 50 men, accompanied
by local leaders, with orders to attack by night the
houses of every Roman Catholic tenant who had
promised his vote to Mr. HARMAN.
The forces of the reverend fathers seem to have
been worthy of their chiefs, and the incidents which
ensued afforded very pretty specimens of guerilla
warfare. From the instances selected by the cor-
respondent of the Morning Herald we shall men-
tion one or two by way of specimen.

Twenty freeholders baying been brought by night
for protection to the offices of Mr. IlarurA.N, at
Newcastle, a large band of ruffians forthwith
attacked their houses, dragged their wives and chil-
dren out of their beds, and vowed with dreadful
imprecations that if the men were not at home at
the same hour on the following night, the houses
should be burnt down and the inhabitants but-
chered.

At Cranlamore, five tenants were visited by an
armed party, their windows were smashed, one of
them was severely beaten, and all of them were
commanded on pain of death to vote as their Priest
directed.

JAMES DOONER, a tenant of Mr. HARMAN, had
his doors and windows broken ; he and his wife
were inhumanly beaten ; and he received orders to
vote against his landlord, or his life would be taken.
EDWARD SHERIDAN, a respectable Roman Ca-
tholic tenant, got warning that he was a marked
man, as it had been reported he had been canvass-
ing for Mr. HARMAN ; and he was told it would be
a sad thing if he were to have his arm broken, or to
receive some bad injury. He afterwards received
not only a violent blow on the arm, but other severe
wound and injuries.

Four Roman Catholic voters on Mr. EDGE-
WORTH'S estate had their houses attacked by night
by armed parlies, and their doors and windows
broken in; and they themselves were compelled to
take oaths that they would vote for the Priest's no-
minee, and not for Mr. HARMAN, to whom they
had previously given their promise.

" These men"—we quote the words of the letter
in the Herald—" declared solemnly that the fear of
death obliged them, however reluctantly, to obey this

order."
A Roman Catholic shopkeeper of Longford,
named KENAGH, had taken an active part in favour
of Mr. HARMAN. On the second day of polling,
he had a slight attack of indisposition. The mob
assailed his house, tore him from his bed, and, with
sanguinary threats, forced him to vote in violation
of his principles and his promises. Ere another
sun had risen, KENAGH was a corpser-We need
give no further details. For several days before
the election, says the writer of the letter,

a reign

of terror, worthy of the days of ROBESPIERRE,
pervaded the county." And further on he declares,
" the history of this election is but a type of what
took place in every other county and borough in
which the malign influence of the Romish Priest-
hood prevailed."
Praiseworthy efforts have already been made to