American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-11-07
Tremendous Meeting at Jones's Wood;
ADDRESS OF JAMES STEPHENS.


Jones's Wood was the Fenian rallying
point yesterday, towards which all Irish
men from far and near came in almost
countless thousands. The crowd there
was never exceeded, or even approached,
by ally public gathering of the masses in
this city, unless we except the grand
Union demonstration in the early part of
the war. Across the lots and down the
unpaved streets leading to the ground
came the tramping of myriad feet, and
the moving Of an endless procession in
one direction. The cars running up
town each carried a triple load of pass
cngers and then left an immense number
behind who looked long and anxiously
for standing room only" In all this
surging body of people who passed into
Jones's Wood not one person was to be
seen drunk, and this probably accounts
for the little disturbance that took place,
for such "steady big crowd" as Mi
lesian who was present forcibly termed-it
There was an entire absence of any po-
lice force, Superintendent Kennedy not
desiring to recognize any political meet
ing held on the Sabbath, but largo de-
tail was koptin reserve in the city for
any trouble that might occur. About 2
o'clock, close carriage drove in from
the avenue, from which four occupants
were let out at the hotel steps. The first
to alight was medium sized, squarely-
built man. wearing blue overcoat and
black silk hat. He was received by a
committee, and it soon become known to
the crowd that James Stephens, Chief
Organizer of the Irish Republic, was
among them, and he was that noted in,
dividual who had just gone from the car
riage up the stairs. The cheers which
greeted his arrival continued for some
minutes, and were as loud as they were
long. After short rest the great Fen
ian chief proceeded to a stand erected in
the middle of the large.feld from which
he was to address the mass meeting. His
passage to that point was like that of a
national ovation given to an Emperor af-
ter victory. On every side he was met
by fervant wishes, and by many hands
eagerly held ovt to grasp his own. I'm
mediately on reaching the stand he com
menced speaking to the vast and COM
pressed crowd before and behind him,
which wss estimated at $4,000 people.
SPEECH OF STEPHENS.
In beginning his address he greeted
those about him as'the friends of liberty
from all lands. lie saw before him he
said, the representatives of all the strug-
Cling and down trodden nationalities of
the world, as we'll as those who, living
happily under Independent Govern ments,
desire to see the day when republicanism
shall prevail throughout the earth. All
such were watching anxiously the pro
gress Of Ireland in her struggle for in,
! dependence. They had been told of late
by the merccnary press of England and
Ireland aud America that the Fenian
movement was stamped out and dead
He would assure them to-day that this
was not true that the Fenian cause had
never gone backward from the hour of
its inception. This immense gathering
Of enthusiastic Irish patriots proved it.
The cause co uld never die in America or
in Ireland any mere than the spirit Of re-
publican liberty would die,and those who
discouraged and decried She Fenian work
were not true to the republican prinei-
| rles they pEofesscd to cherish; he had