The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-05-21
THE CONDEMNED FENIANS IN IRELAND
SPEECH OF COL. BURKE.

| IrlaI OF CuC Il ellldu SOl l. L. ''uihO
and Patrick DOran, in Dnblin, the finding
of the verdict of guilty of high treason, and
the sentence of the Chief Justice that they be
hanged and their bodies decapitated and
ouartered on the Goth of May. Colonel
Burke's speech to the court, just previous to
the sentence, in which he justified Irish revo-
luton for independence, and offered his life
for the cause, commanded universal atten-
ton and was considered quite as eloquent as
the now historic address of Robert Emmett,
delivered in the same city under similar cir
cunlstanceS.
Among the witnesses brought forward by
the English law officers against Col. Burke
and Patrick Doran, was Col. Massey, an
Irish American who alleged that he had
served in the Confederate army. He made
full disclosure of the plans of the American
Fenians. Colonel Burke, (who represented
himself as reporter of the New York Tri-
bune) in his speech to the court said:
1t is not my desire now, my lords to give
utterance to one word against the verdict
which has been pronounced upon me, but
| fully conscious my honor as man never was
impugned, l can go into my grave with my
name and character unsullied. I can only
say this that these parties, actuated by
desire either for their own aggrandizment, or
to save their paltry, miserable lives, have
pandered to the appetite, if l may so speak,
of Justice, and my life shall be the forfeit
l am fully convinced and satisfied of the
righteousness of my every act in connection
with the late revolutionary movement in
Ireland.
have done nothing that would bring the
blush of shame to mantle my brow. My
conduct and career here in America, if you
like, as soldier, are before you, and even in
this, my hour oftrial, feel the consciousness
of having lived an honest man, and will die,
| believing that have given my life to give
freedom and liberty to the land of my birth.
have done only that which every Irishman
and every man whose soul throbs with the
| feeling of liberty should do. l seek not the
death of q Martyr, but if it is the will of the
Almighty and Omnipotent God that my de-
votion for the land of my birth should be
tested at the scaffold, am willing there to
die in defense of the right of men to be free;
to give the right of an oppressed people to
throw off the yoke of thraldom.
| feel should not mention the name of
Massey. feel should not pollute my lips
With the name of that traitor, whose ilegiti-
macy has been proved here-the man whose
name is not known, and who, deny point
blank, ever wore the star of Colonel in the
Confederate army. l shall let him rest.
shall pass him, in the words of the poet
I" May the grass wither from his feet the woods
| Deny him shelter! earth home the dust
A grave! the sun his light, and heaven her God.'
! Let Massey remember from this day forth
he carries with him serpent that will gnaw
his conscience, carrying about with him in
his breast living hell, from which he can
never be separated.
lam an Irishman by birth, an American
NV olortiop b1,; ~. of fraoflop,
and an enemy to that power that holds my
native land in the bonds of tyranny. 1t has
so often been admitted that the oppressed
have right to throw off the yoke of op-
preston, even by English statesmen, thatI
deem it unnecessary to advert to the fact in
a British court of justice Ireland's children
are nOt-never were-and never will be-
willing or submissive slaves, and so long as
England's flag covers one inch of Irish soil,
just so long will they believe it to be di-
vine right to devise means to hurl it from
power, and erect in its stead the God-like
structure of selfgovernment.
know that am here without relative
without friend in fact-three thousand
miles away from my family. But 1 know
that am not forgotten there The great
and generous Irish heart of America to-day
feels for-to-day sympathises with, and does
not forget the man who is willing TO tread
the scaffold-aye, deiantly con-
scious of no wrong-in defense of American
principles-in defense of liberty
have ties to bind me to life and society
as strong as any man in this court. I have
a family love as much as any man in this
court. But can remember the blessing re-
ceived from an aged mothers lips, as 1 left
her the last time. She spoke as the Spartan
mother did go, my boy; return either
with your shield or upon it." This recon-
Giles me. This gives me heart. I submit
to my doom, and hope that God will for
give me my past sins. I hope, too, that in
asmuch as He has for seven hundred years
preserved Ireland, notwithstanding all that
tyranny to which she has been subjected, as
separate and distinct nationality, He also
will assist her to retrieve her fallen fortunes
to rise in her beauty and majesty-the sister
of Columbia-the peer of any nation in the
world.
The latest accounts state that the sentence
of Colonel Burke has been committed to i'm
prisonment for life at hard labor
ORGANIZATION OF A REPUBLICAN PARTY
IN TExAs.-The Republicans met at Austin
on the 27th ult The Convention selected the
following officers: Leander Brown, Presi-
dent; George G. Reeves, Jacob Ramey (color-
Oo.) fiOO-l iooloOhCS1 SdpG. w ILL., ~. fTlC0,
Andrew Scroggin (colored,) Secretaries.
Committee on Resolutions-Wm Alexander,
Chairman; ]. G. Mowinekle, Henry Stensy,
Judge H. Nancy of Seguin, COL Thomas II.
Baker, G. H. Fox, Major H. B. Moore of
San Antonio; (colored) Henry Madison,
VIM. E. Kicker, Thomas Merry, James
Wright, Frank Dawn, sen. Letters were
read from Judge Paschal and E. Degener,
DIR. Baker, Judge Nancy, Spencer Hardwell,
a negro, and Judge Gray of Austin addressed
the gathering. A Union mass meeting is to
be held at San Antonio for the purpose of
organizing Union Republican party for
Bexar County.
A Landholders' Convention is to be held
at Houston on the 9th of June The Hous-
ton Telegraph says: "There has not been
more important movement in the State, in
the direction of procuring immigration labor
and skill, and procuring the introduction of
capital into the State'