The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-04-22
TORTURING TIE FENIANS.
THEIR MIND EROUs TRFf TwENTBY TIE
BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
Life In the Prisons ~ Grcnt britain Men Sc
orrtly Imprisoned solitary Confinement In
Icy Cells Innocent Men Driven Mad.

Pam n, N,c Io,k Tm.
DUBLIN, April 2--The force OF the Irish
contingent in politics is directed TO the convict
prison system. am inclined to think that very
few Of your people have any fixed notion Of
what n convict prison in Great Britain really Ia.
Ii will be better if ! postpone d iscription of
the system. and set down here tho circumstances
which have stirred public opinion not only In
Ireland but in England.
Every county in Ireland has jail. board
Of sIperintendencc. composed Of selected coun-
try gentlemen. look to its management the dis
cipline being carefully SGT down for them in
black and white. The Governor Is usually an
eX-nilltary man. and therefore n man likely TO
regard discipne as SYNONYMOUS with heavens
nfst law. lie has great deal OF discretionary
power. ana II is not too much TO say that he IL to
the fullest extent armed with supreme and un-
.nnh E auIH3ry inrss PRISONS nr IRE nnn ~,
locality. The Lord Lieutenant makes ull the
appointments. and the country gentlemen
all the e.Ommcnd'tions. Now the Gov
eminent wish to change this system in
AT ALL The plan IL 10 hive the prisons IN the
hands Of tho authorities and to manage them
without reference Ia populhr opinion us eN-
sscd in the press or ia Parliament The
Home Secretary has pushed the bill with great
Vgor IN tie House ui Commons. and Eng lsh
members are not unwilling that the bal shall
become n law. Several of the clauses touch
upon The treatment of prisoners VINO. bong
untricd. are. oi course. unrOnvirttd. and. IA
untrled prisoners are. unfortunately. common
IN Ireland, the Irish members and the
Irish people are very anxious TO have
these clauses amended. | need hardly
say that al the dis u-sions here turn upon
Of the Government in the Fenian troubles.
And certainly the facts are dead against per
inside prison walls. | think shall be ahlo 10
prove this completely. Or the l7th OF T ,hruary,
1866. biz for the snsp nsioq Of the Habeas
Corpus act was passed through the three read
ings 10y the llOus, = Of Lords and Commons. and
received tn" royal ass mt. The sittngs were on
saturday on which day the Houses never sit.
The proceeding WIS unparallelrd bat the osca-
SION was unparalleled. Ia. HiSh PeOple news
papcr had Just been seized James stephens had
Just escaped from prison. the KEYS Of the maya
Emo IN Clonmcl iad Just been handed over
70 the local Head Centre. the last ol the State
trials had Just terminated ia the conviction OF 80
prominent rebels OF the order, one or two most
mysterious murders had Just been pcrprtrhted
"a the streets " Dublin. and the occupants Of
Dunlln Castle were IN daily fear Of an outbreak
IN the capital. In this conjunction Of momrn-
ious dangers ,he Lord Lieutenant. Lord kim
barley. tslrgraphed to Lord Russell. then Prime
Minister, that h. could no, govern Ireland un-
less the llnbeas Corpus at was susp .ndri ON
the receipt OF this telegram the Houses were
through in three hours. The news arrived in
Duhhn nj o'clock ON the saturday afternoon,
and At 80 10 OF the most notable Fcnans and
snspects w"re lodged IN the city lails
There Is now no manner " doubt that inno-
cent men were arrested; bat IN Is need not bc
say. IN March 1867. the Frnian rising nj Tai
lasht. that gourd II folly. took place. II was
spu"ch"d 10y the consiahulury. But the FrniHn
spirt WAS only in lis infancy. When the attack
on Chester, and the blowing up Of Ctrkcnweil
prison and he tearing W Of the rails in many
paris ~ EnglHnt, and the explosion near the
royal palace a. Osborne, aud tle attrk On the
police van IN MHnch STR shocked, and. it must
boz said. fright ned Eusli-hmen. there arose a
storm OF s'iNaE" hate ANA drt"suu on that Tor "A
TIM" rgIrudu 'rd the horrors ui IA. Middle Ages.
rou-y trratsd the convicted were prosecuted
and the uncOnvictcu We're tortured. and in
nnni cas.s tortured a. death. Tlrre Is no
atrocities of the Turk IN Bulgaria. II has been
repeatedly proved 10y unllnp 'hchabl. testimony,
ana WIN nA4.ar Ani perhaps uu.Nampi.i
cnndor admitted 10y the Government Itself. Al
these proofs have be"n hddu aed now To- support
~ opposition 10 the Home Secretary = BAL. or
rather % That portion 90 II VII. h proposes TO
train Mt of untrlei pr >, nrr-. II he gain this
power b. Will have ~ terrible grip over the evil
. SiNs'N ana though IN : t. not Objectionable.
i = MOST nil' tinnuhe that %, should have the
disposal Of his fellow men IN hs hand prior TO
hll lrlH. all "Aamiult IN MO the ALI ed OF nee
AMI any chance of proving ones Innocence.
That the clauses are specially aimed NJ Ire
Suspended in England, untried prisoners cnn
"a, hnrdly ex II. ie.lnss OF rae and LEGISLATION in
cr in l,, o ins mli IN inls ana there i no
iihbras Sorpus at 10 always IN suspense: the
nra.e Ir.se r,"ii N az, under which "" live
and put him 10 any lall IN the island. and keep
MN ihrrr Will ui Dommuhi a on with the
moment man in Jail under this at for more
thun TWO years and his wife has no more
AnoWlgdse oil his plHs Of .t"ntion than
You have. II may boa he is dead and
buried there Is no certainty. This slavery aw-
lui state ui things, ami Il j. very hard Ia tnd an
n 'l,', i,r It, H. H. ran"ly hnri TO eNplaIin
letd. lsG7 and lsGS. There were altogether al-1ut
'"u m d IA the ~ sprs OF the o"untry. More
not sum lcnt eN llrurn against them They wore
liberated some Of Them WHEN mad-somo were