New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-01-08
C.u.es of Crime In Ireland-Assass'h"" o"
Msjor Nah0u.

u.L.v. met with occssp,nsl remarks IN con
temporary journals. charging the irisn peoPe
..sI...nss. and cruelty. and the killing oil MsJo'
u,bon recently was followed By some such inie''
ences-
wasrs ,urs they are entirely unfounded ana
-slnr,nious. the Irish are a wsrm-hesrted geher'
ou,. kindly race some of whom have been driven
mad by unbearable oppression.
We wish to do Justly by all and that those eo''
tor, rho are horrorstruck at hearing OF tue sssa'
nation Of wealthy Irish andlords would read the
solloxine account Of the late Ma. Mahon oondu'~
Sir Bepi,min Hall and Lord Fsrnhsm having as
.s,,ss !, Parliament. that the Rev. MICHAEL NC
Dvsvorr. uarish priest Of Strokestown, had sane,
o. Maj. Mahon IS worse than Cromwell and ye' DC
lives Mr.. McDermoti, In letter woich we nou
IN the D.Ain Erening Post Of the llth ult after
giving the assertion an unqualified denial ana
challenging the mos, rigid investigation INTO DIS An
puage and conduct proceeded TO 500" tna' MI
Mahon's wanton cruelties. exercised against MS
tenantrv. were the probable cause OF bis untlmeiy
end
AsNr McDernott's letter throws food OF lignt
upon the causes Of crime in lrelsnd' We ask io'
the following extract the attentive Perusa II de-
serves.
have now TO assure the public, by the most
solemn ssseverstions a clergy man can utter thas
the late Maj MahOn was never denounced nor
even his name mentioned, from any Cnspei aes
10 Strokesto~n. within twenty Mules Of otroses-
town. in any direction, on any Sunday before DIS
death. can under the same sacred pledge, de-
clare that single sentence was never spoken irom
ths altar which by misconstructiOn or otherwise,
could tend 20 stimulate the peasantry 10 toe atlo
cious murder which has been perpetrsted Ineln'
famous and inhGman cruelties which were "ah'
touly and unnecessarily exercised against tensn-
try whose feelings were already wounn up 20 "o
ful and yengefu evaporation by the loss OF their
exiled relatives as well as by hunger and pest1'
leuce. which swept so many victims into a untme'
| Is grsve-in my opinion may be assigned as tue
sole exciting cause Of the disastrous event "nch
has occurred. -
Isaxno necessity for the idle display OF large
! force OF military and police, carr>in outside 50
| many rounds OF ball cartridge, and inside some
| substantial rounds OF whisky, bacon and bakers
| bread surrounding the poor mans caoln' setting
6,a IN m, root while the half starved, halinaSed
| children were Fastening away from the flames
! with wells of despair, while the mother lay pros
trate on the threshold writing IN sgony' ana tue
heart broken father remained supplicating on n's
! knees saw 10 need for this demonstration OF
rb,.ical force nor did | see any need for brutal
triamnh and exultarion when returning after these
| oars were nobly performed. Nor can 1 conceive
! tina. the feelings Of humanity should permit any
man 20 send his baihs ~ revisit those scenes OF
horror and hagrstion with order they found
a hut built OF lire lighted 10 the murky RUNS, u
| demolish the one aud extngulsh the otner, mus
! leaving the wreched ou.cssts no alternative Dus 10
| perish IN a ditch.
In nv opinion these scenes, Of which can only
draw avery inefficient portrait, had more TO DO WIN
the murder OF MsiOr Mahon than all the numbering
dauuncstons of the Vatican could effect bad they
been rolled on his head Itel therefore, the Orange
oress and tell Sir Benjsm Hall that they nave
/ ASSERT groundess aud an egregi0os issenOo''
and that shelr fabricated charge OF denunciatioh
against the Catholic clergy is a monstrous outrage
| o1s aud hagitious cslumny.
lis not true thstthe extermnated tenants OF the
! late Major Mahon have been ali sent To America
! There are hundreds as yet who survived the'i eA
pulsion after seeing their crops carried away ro'n
their doors and safely deposited WITHIN tue ls"u
| lords hagssrd-let 10 slbsist on the precarious
alms of their neighbors, rowing about rs nouseless
wanderers without a friend 10 console, or resting
| place whereon to lay their aching bones
| Is il not then easy 10 imagine that persons Ia
| boring under such prlvations and aiiiictons-ns'
| ing no food or shelter and hoding no refuge, not
| even ia the Union WorkhOuse-shOuld tecom1
| frantic from despair. and lose all reasonable con
| troll over the bad passions of our nature II Sir
| B.niamia Hall would for experiment sase' ex
| change his comparatively high and exalted post
t,on for the trodden.dow condition OF those mis-
cradle outcasts perhaps the feelings and passions
| which actuate them-though In HIN they mohers
| ted by a moral and religious education-mlgn'u'ee
him to turn upon his oppressor and 10 seek revenge
| even tthe hazard Of an existence, which is only
| dragged on in wetchedness and restitution.