Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-06-02
THE FENIAN RAID.
A Letter from st. Adams.
AN INTERVIEW WITH GEN. SPEAR
ACTION OF ST. ALBANS CITIZENS
WHO is BOYLE o'REILLY-A

AN INTERVIEW WITH GEN. SPEAR
ACTION OF ST. ALBANs CITIZENS
WHO is BOYLE o'REILLY-A
VISIT TO GEN. o'NEIL AND
HIS STATEMENT.
ST. ALBANs, May %.
Your correspondent held an interview
this moraing at the fremont House with
Gen. Spear, Secretary of War of the
Fenian Brotherhood. He says Gen.
O'Neil got up this movement on his own
responsibility against the better Judgment
of the leading officers of the Brotherhood,
and that if the other officers wished to go
on with the movement it would be impos-
sible, because he had kept his plan of
movements all bound up in himself and
he had no doubt but that there was twelve
hundred stand of arms within three or
four miles of this place, but no one knew
were they were that had authority to dis
close the fact. He said I supposed that
had found where they were hid, and got
four or five hundred men together and
marched to where we had been informed
they were, but could not find them and
had to march back like pack of c. d
fools, and if O'Neil had not been so afraid
that some one else besides O'Neil would
do something he would have sent me dis
patches giving me plans &C., so that we
could go on with the movement which
had commenced so foolishly and ended in
a fizzle, | intended to have taken these
men and marched them through the
woods out of the way of all travelled
roads, on to Canadian soil, and formed a
camp, waited until force enough arrived
to insure perfect success and then give
them H, but instead of that here / am
unable to do nothing after cost of
thirty-seven thousand dollars to the
Brotherhood all lost, and in his opinion it
was all I'M with them at Malone and
further West, in fact it was nothing but
blunders from beginning to end.
Some of the prominent citizens of the
town held a consultation this morning at
the Weldon House, and came to the con-
olusion it was not best to feed the Fenians
any longer, and see if that would not
make them leave town or at least exert
themselves to get away, at this meeting it
was announced that telegraphic dis
patch had just been received from Repre-
sentative Worthington G. Smith, that 60
vernment would not furnish transporta-
ton home for them.
Major Daniel Murphy of Bridgeport,
Conn. was brought before Commissioner
Jasper Rand and was put under one thou
sand dollars bonds, and committed.
1t is reported that Gen. Donnelly is
dead, which think is mistake as he was
alive and somewhat easier at four o'clock
this morning.
I made call on Gen. O'Neil this after
noon with several other reporters. We
found him in consultation with prominent
Fenians of Burlington, who were making
arrangements for his release on bail or
Aa5eas, corpus. He seemed very much
pleased to see US, and especially J. Boyle
O'Reilly, who was one of our number.
Who is J. Boyle O'Reilly?
This is a question that has been asked
me great number of times. I will en-
deavor to answer it now, as the time has
passed, when in my opinion, there is any
danger in disclosing who he is. Begging his
pardon, if there is anything wrong in So
doing, will commence,
Boyle O'Reilly was the accredited re-
porter of the Boston Pilot.
In 1866 or '66 he was arrested in Ire
land for organizing and drilling troops,
convicted and sentenced to transportation
for life at Australia. He escaped from
there after being in prison three years,
and took to the bush. And lived on nuts
roots, &c, seventeen days, and then took
a boat and put to sea, trusting to the ship
of some friendly power picking him up.
He was at sea three days, and was picked
up by an American Whaler homeward
bound and arrived in Philadelphia the
22nd day of last November, and perhaps
our readers will remember the great Fen
ian demonstrations of joy at his escape at
that time.
He still holds the rank of Maj. General
and the office of Adg't -General-in- Chief
of the Irish Republic Army in Ireland.
Gen. O'Neal turned over his command on
the hill to him at the time he left for rein
forcements.
There is price on his head and if ever
found on British ground he will be hung
without judge or jury.
Gen. O'Neil at the request Of one of our
number made the following statement:
81 never was in battle before that I
was SO utterly ashamed Of I have been
in a great many battles and where there
was panic, and rallied them at once, and
in fact never failed before of rallying my
men. saw they were perfect towards.
They were not of the material that sup
posed that they would be made up from.
| had been guaranteed 500 good picked
men from Vermont on Monday. When I
got into camp on Monday night there
was just 90 men; Tuesday night $50 men,
| had began to feel nervous, and knew
that had got to get on British soil be-
fore the next night, or should not have