The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-10-26
Irish Preparations for Mr.. Brisht's visit.
lErnm The Dublin Evening Mail Oct 10


From the Dublin Evening Mail, Oct l0.l
How intense the excitement Is among the working
men OF Dublin in anticipation OF Mr. Brghts visit the
public may Judge from the fact that ct meeting OF the
trades Other evening" receive the agi,aors reply
70 letter Of invitation TO then projected but now
abandoned, pabc meeting OF operatives on the morrow
the big dinner Eve persons In all attended There
was, we believe great enthusiasm among this small
company and address resolved upon TO DO pre-
scented to Mr. Bright his arrival In Dublin, In the
name Of the workingmen of Ireland.
As pertinent illustration OF the manner In which
manifestations OF workngmen are originated this
fact may usefully be mentioned. An advertisement
from the BrRht banquet Committee IN yesterday morn.
ng's papers intmates that the tickets be mad, In
any quantity by Post 0co order from the most distant
parts Of the country
Political Prisoners Humanity and
Treatment of the Convicts of rs and '66.
To TuK EDITOR MANCHESTER GUARDIAN
Of crime,S read al the Social Science Congress while
inveghing against the treatment OF the Irish p0t cal
PRISONERS used the following yOrds:-The mprisson.
which Vii R had been = custom in this country.
Permit mo correct the Rreat into which Mr..
Hennessy has fallen OF the treatment Of Mr. Hunt his
imprisonment having been before my time, cannot
speak; but OF my own can assert lhat II was IN nowse
less than that Of the Irish prisoners Of the present
was kept FOR moro than two years in separate con-
0nement the silent system, most rightly enforced, 80
rzdly that for involuntary smile sent for three
days to dark CELL on bread and water l was CON-
PEELED 10 wear the rcolored prison garb For the first
nineteen months was kept without books. pen, ink
or paper, and had to spend that time In cell twelve
feet by seven feet locked up in solitude and silence,
and without table or chair To this cell-the
day cell-there throe windows two without glass,
but with rough wooden shutters, through which the
wind and snow and rain OF winter blew all the
place; my night cell was OF Ear smaller dimensions,
being only nine feet by four feet; its window un
each other by one inch two inches. There
aperture my bed eighteen inches by twelve inches
through which the snow and mist and rain came over me.
as slept saturang my clothing with moisture 30 that
often the drops Of drpped from as put IL 1he
bed itself sack OF straw and piece Of carpetipg
From this bed had to 60 when Ia the morning,
at i've O'Clock across Two yards to wash dress in
the open air. in shirt and trousers only often getting
wet II, tho rain and snow VIII 10 dressing and sitting all
day in wet clothes my elcss cel for during tho first
twelve months was allowed no ire in my day cell.
During the intense frost Of the winter OF lS49 we had to
compelled to wash in tho same water, for, strange to
say the separate system not carried out in the dress
ing time; but word OF look towards OF the other
prisoners visited with the dark cell and bread and
water The diet poor and Of so Hflg Kind,
and the hss a. hast sn
nor fork was allowed meals, and had to tear my
food with my fingers Bent to the ground with rheuina-
TO have re but this was denied until the second win
Of my imprisonment Then was weak that had 70
crawl all iou sought to reach the door Of my cen
TO knock for assistance On OCCASION while trying to
- ts fsinted, fell against the crate, and had mar
recoeceS s IL sarnas $40 70 "a, death aa % ee
fcsrfuly in London that day 10 -~any as four
OF the plague, while suffering from bowel complaint,
sent TO dark cell bread and because did
not pick the oakun which brought me my days
task Such the treatment Mr. Hennessy calls enient
and considerate-but tins was. to me- its most enient
part During ali this time J was after the FIRST four
weeks allowed 70 hear from my wife and children only
every three months and once because though
asked by me, Of the desire OF severa members OF Par
Lament, Sir J. Walmscy and the late Mr. Wakley got
order TO visit me- not allowed 10 my wife
for six months, and ts In the height of the choora
plague, ard Will four hundred aud seventeen died,
stated, in one day; and though mplored them 10 let
me know whether my wife and children we're still alive,
even that denied me-
Out OF the four other political prisoners who
scatcnccd simultaneously with myself, two Alexander
Sharpe and John Williams died in prison after abou, six
months endurance Of this treatment and the
jurics in their ycrdics attributed their early deaths
the sulerngs they had undergone censured the
mcnt and recommended its dsconinuancc; but II was
continued unaltered notwithstanding. The third John
Vernon died af,cr his release which granted
him six months before the completion OF his sentence
that f. after eighteen months Imprisonment.
ask you In justice to myself and the others who
suffered with me- to insert this statement Of facts and
have revealed but p0rtion--a small poron-of the
sufcrings inflicted. have paradcd this never
spoken Of It or written about u; but do think ii s
rather hard that after having undergone all these things
should be held up as examples of cnient and
sidcra,e trcaimant Am, sir, your obcdent servant,
ERNEsT JONES
Al PRINCESS STREET, MANCHESTER, Oct 10, 1896.