Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-03-30

magistrates. What mockery it was to
send two government officials to ascer-
tain the truth concerning English
prisonsl These gentlemen refused to
take note of what had of Importance to
tell them. When / approached subject
which did not suit them, they stopped
me by saying that with the discipline OF
the prison they had nothing to do. Is
not this true, Messfs. Pollock and Knox? ?
When | told you that | had been forced
to bathe in the water that had already
been used by half dozen English pris-
oners, did you not refuse to take notice
of my complaint2 At Chatham GER
tain quantity of oakum was given to me
to pick, and was told that | would have
to fast if had not completed the task by
certain hour Perhaps, said |, you
will punish me in the same manner il |
do not complete my task that has al
ready occurred to me at Millbank2
How was that?' asked the Governor.
Then | related to him how, on the 4th of
July, having fnishyd my task ten min
utes before the fixed period, | took up
book. The officer saw me, accused me
of idling, and | was sentenced to bread
and water, and was confined in dark
cell for forty-.ight hours. One day |
perceived my friend Edward Duffy. He
was very pale. Soon afterward heard
it said that Duffy was seriously i'll, and
that he had expressed desire to see
me we had been very intimate in
Ireland. / solicited from the governor
of the prison permission to visit him.
He fatty refused. That was about
Christmas, 1867, and some weeks later
prisoner told me, in low tone, through
the grating of my cell, Duffy is dead.
If such thing had happened in Russia,
what a pathetic story the English would
have considered it. If Mr.. Gladstone
had been present at such death scene
at Naples, what picture he would have
painted Of i'll Ali smooth-spoken Phar-
isees, traficking in hypocrisy--the Bible
on your lips, the devil in your belly. |
owe word to the memory of John
Lynch. In the month of March, 1866, |
found myself with him in the exercise
yard. We were so closely watched that
he could hardly say these words to me /;
The cold is killing me. But these Eng
lish, what did they do? They removed us to
London the day before Christmas. Ar
rived at the prison, we were deprived of
our hannels, and we were left for months
shiyering with cold in our cells. Yes,
they cannot deny it; they assassinated
John Lynch, but at the inquiry, never
theless, there was no lack of officers
forthcoming to prove that Lynch and
Duffy had been very tenderly treated
The lying of our English rulers exceeds
all the limits of imagination. If am
to die in prison, | conjure my family |
and my friends not to believe word
which these people say about me. Let
it not be supposed that am influenced
by any personal rancor against those |
who have pursued me with their false
hoods. | accuse only the tyranny which |
renders necessary the maintenance of
such a system. Many times cireum-
stances have reminded me of these |
words of Machiavelli, that tyrants have
an especial interest in the circulation of
the Bible, in order that the mass of the
people may learn its preeepts and sub
nit to pillage without resisting the |
brigands.' While slavish people prac-
tices the morality and obedience which
their priests preach to them, tyrants
will have nothing to fear. If
this letter should reach my countrymen,
| have right to demand that they shall
raise their voices to insist that justice
should be done to their suffering broth
ers. May these words stir the blood
which now curdles in their veins. have
been harnessed to small cart, with
knotted cord around my neck. The
knot was connected with a long pole,
and two English prisoners were ordered
to prevent the car from rebounding; but
they released their hold, the pole sprang
up in the air, and the knot gave way. If
the. knot had held tight, | should have
been dead man, ! affirm that it was
not right to place me in position where
my life depended upon the acts of others.
A ray of light penetrates through the
bolts and bars of my prison. 1t is the
recollection Of day passed at Newtown-
ards, where | met with 0rangemen and
who had forgotten their
bigotry. 0'DoEovAH Rosa,
Political Convict