The Irish republic. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-18??, 1867-05-04
Specimens of British Liberty in Ireland.
NUMBER ONE-CORK JAIL.
ST. LOUIS, No., April, 1857.

The EDITORS OF Inc irish Republic:
GENTLEMEN-Hayng very recently arrived in this country
from that rather wellknown depot of Irish rebels Mounoy
Government Convict Prison. Dublin PROPOSE with your per-
mission and subject to your approval recording the pages
of the IRISH REPUBLIC of the incidents and of the
features of political prison life in Ireland they exist just
may be to premise that fancy shall have moth
ing whatever to do with these personal
collections of dark and bitter albeit unregretted experience
being their only inspiration.
To begin then 1t is sad, wretched and a forsaken
sensation, which creeps ones faculties when left
alone prison. Silvio Peico felt it, expressed beauti
fully in his Imprisonments" But will not let this feel
crush him. particularly when it is for his country he is
there No. that submest and hottest of that
suffer for his spirit with heroic resolve to endure all
that the tyrant infct, for love of Motherland.
Thoughts idea sensations such the rushing
whng through my brain when, the first morning my
imprisonment turnkey" cashed his keys my door,
opened it. and ordered This Cork Jail 80
famed for discipline, whitewash, tread-m and starvation
1t bleak, frosty morning in March, 49, with plenty of
the ground and it scarcely daylight About
of were led into small yard, and ordered wash" in
large trough the which frozen about two
inches After interval Of about half hour from
exit from the cells ordered back again and told
"pck oakum and at breakfattme small tin plate, capa.
bic Of holding about pint brought each CELL
ly filed" INTERCHANGEABLE cold "stirabou" made of
mixture of materials which would puzzle the ceveres
yst Europe don't include the Yanks classify but to
all appearance the most abundant ingredient real
right corporeal mud This delicious accompanied
bya "pint" of filthy fluid something like dirty soapsuds
which the turnkey denomnated by the quaint old sobrquet
Milk But if that was milk save me from being caught
drinking anything but water while I live.
Well gentlemen that breakfast and then again the
order rang out Pick oakum" Yes, "pck oakum" all day
long, all alone in cod damp underground CELL with
flooring, in the frozen air of March, pick oakum" till dinner
time.
WE'LL dinner Here is the "bl of fare" "a brick
shaped and brickszed but brick coored oaf
of Bread weight ID nomnaly really about
If the breakfast would puzzle chemist the dinner"
would make him commit suicide before he could in
resolving its component parts But the breakfast"
also in this mud was the only discoverabe article This
also accompanied by of the nondescp fud which gave
such exquisite relish to the g strabout"
After dinner another halfhour little yard then back
again to the cells and pick oakum again. till there
light "pick" any Then remain in the dark till the
in the goold band" around unlock and peep
into cells with his bulseye lanthorn" then bango
cell doors again about ten O'clock 90 sleep
best could, in the dark, bag damp straw and
couple of itchnfeced old caso horse coverds
There supper al aN We expected live and get
fat what the meanest curdog in all Great Britain
"itte Ireland" woud refuse aM This is no exaggera-
on Scores who in Cork jail at this time testify
its naked truth Thus did the preacher obery all the world
treat those whom she only suspects of racing preac
ing Yes, got food VIGOROUSLY insufficient quantity and
too inferior in quality for dog and just got hour out
Of the twentyfour in which breathe the air of heaven
After short time effected considerable change in
matters We demanded treatment something in accord
with human nature did in spite of all their vigilance
communicate friends outside the state of the ps
ons interior and this circulated till it entered the British par
lament and before the whole world and so the auho-
ties constrained to modify their regulations somewhat
After this oakum picking" done away with, something