The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-03-31
O,DONOTAN R0SSA.
British Barbarity to Feninn Prisoners
The Celebrated Letter F8oiise" 40
esLa Mnrscillaise."

The following is the text of the-etter written
nv the Irish patriot, O'Donovan Rossa' anu pup-
,,s,ed IN late issue OF Rochefort's paper, La
Marseialse:
Ihave Did YOU OF the hypocrisy Of these Eng
,sh mas .ers, who, after having placed me IN q
position that compelled me TO resi- upon my @ hneee
and elbows in order to take my loou nan ssars :
me. deprive me Of light, and give me chains az anu
a Rihle. make no complaint OF the penaitles
which my masters require me to endureLmy iaee :
Ia to suffer: but maintain that nave tne ItgIs
to acauaint the world with tne ~, snnnreSs
ana Subjected and that 1t IS Illegal 10 supp[rSss r
INV letter which speaks Of that treatment. anT
minute precaution taken by the Plison ora 90
ties to prevent nc from Wrlllns I % osr @ ont
ridiculous Us they are abhorrent Ine inoS'
rareous proceeding was to strip me naAea onSS S',
day during several months, and 70 eAaMne ,s my a
arms legs, and all parts ol my 1G Eebrnary and up
TO Nav 1867. One day Iressted, anu lhen InG InGre
came Ave officers who assaied me viii aS naSwo
and tore or my clothing Once was enao,re ne ~ y
send outside letter, and that procurea, me- tro
visit from Messrs. Knox and Pollock, IVY
police magistrates What mocheay ~ ~
was. to send two government GihciSss ,so,s J
ascertain the truth concerning SnSY gota of what
had of importance to tell them. When ap-
nroached subject which did not suit thenl lney
TSe Prison they had nothing to do: IS not IS tnls
trne. Me,srs. Pollock and Knox VIII ' ,s1nr eolu
Won that had been forced to oatne IN tne Ts,
iha. had already been usea oy ymsa Ms 70 tsSe notice
Of nv complaiutp AT Chatham o sertaln qua'ti oa
tity OF oakum was given 10 nae 10 piTH hon az NOT
was told that would have 10 @ las. ..perSans I
comnlefed the task by certain hour "feFuais,
said + "you will punish me in the same mannsI, s,,
II do not complete my task, that mas aifeaan !,
occurred to me at Ml6ank; no =, WIS Siro how
on the 4th Of July, having. finished my TASK
ten minutes before 1.-THE fixed period, TOOK up
a book. The ofacer saw me, accused me @ OF
idling and 10 ofeaE es a 5or fartv
eight hours. One day ] perceived my lriend,
Edward DuGy. He was very pale: soon al
forwards heard 1t said that Du1y was serl-
see me2we had been very intimate In Ireland. l
solicited from the Governor OF the prls0n permls.
sion to visit him. he laty refused. Ihat was
about Christmas, 1861 anu some meeAy s,a a,ra ro,
Ing of my CELL "Duny Is dead" II sucn tnlng
had happened in Russia, what palmetto, st1Ty
the English would have conslderea H. II on,c ,r,
Gladstone had been present at such death scene
at Naples, what O picture he would have painted
of it. All smooth.spoken Pharisees, tratlcEing
In hypocrsy-the Bible on your lips, the aeTll 10
Lynch. In the month Of March, 1866, found my
self with him In the exercise yard. we were SO
closely watched that he could hardly say sil tnese
few words to me. 1.-The cold IS Hinlng
removed US to London the day before Christ
mas Arrived at the prison, we were de-
priyed of our nannelS, and We were ielt lor
months shiyering With cold in our cells. YES
they cannot deny It; they assasslnated Jonn
Lynch, but at The inquiry, nevertheless, tnere
was no lack OF officers forthcoming 10 prove tnat
Lynch and Duffy had been very tendery tfeateu.
The lying OF our English rulers eXceeus ail tile
limits of the Imagination. II am to die In prison.
/ conjure my family and my friends not 10 De-
lieye word which these people say ABOUT me.
Let 1t not be supposed that am innuenceu Dy
any personal rancor against those VINO nave
puTsued me with their falseh0ods. l accuse cllly
the tyranny which renders necessary the mamie
nance OF such n system. Many times clrcuni.
stances have reminded me OF these words OF
Machayelli, .tnat tyrantS have an especlal inter.
est in the circulation OF the Bible, in order tlat
the pcople may learn Its precepts and Submit 10 Pill
lage without resisting the brigands." While slav
ism people practices the morality and obedience
which their priests preach 10 them, tyran!s
will have nothing to fear. II this letter snOuld
reach nay couutrymen, have right TO demand
that they shall raise their voices to insist tat JUS
tce should be done to their suffering orothers.
r,n;; these words stir the blood which now cur,
dies in their veins. ! have been harncssea " u
small cart, with kpUtted cord around my nech,
The knot was connected with long poe, ana !
two English prisoners were orucrcu ~ pIeIent
the cart from rcboundine: but they released iuel.
mold the po,e snrdug up In the ar, anu tue knU,
gave way II the knot had held ilsnt snoulu
have been dead man. affirm that IL Was not
pended npon the acts Of others. ray Oh ilelt
penetrates through the bolts and bars OF my PIT
son. II is the recollection OF day passed at New
bonmen who had forgotten their hgotry.
O'DONOvAS ROSA. Poitlcai ConVict.