The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-03-08
The Late Fenian Demonstration at
Chester Castle.

Chester Castle.
The Fenian movement in Ireland was
very serious and alarming affair, underta-
ken after deliberation, and carried to the
verge of completion with rapidity and skill.
The London Times, of the 18th February,
ult., has the following in reference to what
happened in the vicinity CT Chester:
Chester Castle was not actually
attacked, but it was seriously threatened,
and the inhabitants Of the city were in great
, anxiety. 1t was, indeed, a strange pic
ture OF CONSERVATION which Monday tele
grams presented, and enc which suggested
singular "reminiscences. The old border city,
which in its time has witnessed many raids,
and has played an important part in many
civil struggle, was suddenly startled will the
apprehensions that scene from Its former
history was about. to be repeated. Hun
dreds of strangers poured into 1t with an
ominous air of mystery, and dispersed
silently through It's quaint streets. The
magistrates, the volunteers, the soldiers,
and all the guardians of the peace that
could be enrolled were preparing, as in old
times, to watch all night, and were on the
alert for sudden attack.
|
the two Houses Of Parliament, as well as
from our correspondence. We possess to-day
a sufficiently clear knowledge of what oc-
Cured; and it is plain that the danger had
been in no degree exaggerated. Notwith-
standing some idle expressions ofincredullty
let fall in the House of Commons last night,
it is impossible to doubt that the attempt
was due to deliberate conspiracy of the
Fenians. The chief police officers, both of
Liverpool and Chester appear to have
received conclusive information on this
point, for the invaders were not without the
general Fenian characteristic OF having a
traitor in their camp. Our correspondent
adds some significant pieces OF clrcumstan-
tial evidence aud the mere look OF some OF
the strangers was sufficient to indicate their
character, if not their purpose. We must
certainly give the Fenians credit Tor forming
bold plan, and for having put 1t into exc
cu,ion with considerable promptitude. 1t
it had not been for the inevitable traitor,
there is too much reason to fear they would
J have had at least partial success. They
f began to arrive from different quarters, but
principally from Liverpool, about two
O clock on Monday morning, and before the
l break of day several hundreds of them were
in Chester. At this moment the castle was
protected by a single company of the Fifty.
. fourth regiment. The Fenians seem to
have entertained belief that the regiment
would not offer them very strenuous re-
sistancc But, however staunch the troops
might have been, it is probable their mum
Der would have been quite insufficient tC
resist an attack by two or three hundred
men in place almost indefenslble, and II
the first arrivals from Liverpool had march
, ed promptly upon the castle they woud
scarcely have failed to obtain possession Of
it. In that case they would, according tc
our correspondent, have secured 1905
stand of arms, 900 swords, 900, 900 round:
of ammunition, besides powder IN bulk ano
: the arms of the militia.
Still the Fenians showed nc
signs of dispensing, and the Mayor wa.
obliged to send to, London a still more ur
o clock on Monday night, Mr.. Wapolt
resolved to accede. The first battalion o.
Scotch Fusileer Guards was summoned al
halfpast one, was ready to march at two
and left Euston square station at forty five
minutes past two, At a quarter to clever
Yesterday morning they reached Chester
Before they had arrived, however, the
strangers had begun rapidly to iisperse, anC
before evening they had disappeared. BY
an examination Of the railway tickets il
seems that between 800 and 400 haC
arrived by the train, and it is worthy of no
tice that they all disappeared, chiefly
, towards Birkenhead, on foot
Such is the narrOwDeSs with which WE
have escaped an outbreak, which, though
it would have been of course promptly sup
pressed, might have cost much loss of life
The government last night adopted rathe,
a tone of apology for having thought il
necessary to take decided measures. Or
the contrary, if fault is TO be found with
them, it is for not having acted with more
promptitude. OF course, it would be IDLE
to complain that Chester was insufiiciently
garrisoned. 1t was protected as much as
any other provincial clty-in other words
} not at ALL But it is also clear that if the
Fenians had been little more resolute the
troops would have arrived too late That
Chester was saved from piagei is due main
ly to the people of Chester themselves; and
) the energy, the courage and the patriotism
they displayed merit the warmest recogni
ton. As MIR. Wapole according, to his
own statement, had good reason to fear on
Monday morning that matters had assumed
a threatening aspect, it would surely have
been only prudent to augment the made,
quate force in Chester and its neighborhood
1t is not probable that any similar attempt
will be soon repeated, but it will obviously
be desirable that an additional number OF
troops should be maintained for some time
in the neighborhood of Liverpool and
Chester.
REMARKABLE--The Yorkville (South
Carolina) Enquirer says that on Saturday
last lady living near Rock Hill, in that
district, gave Dirt h to daughter, and A