The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-05-11
Lord Leitrin.


scene of the Leitrim murder, writes:
William Sydney Clements, third Earl
of Leitrim, succeeded his father in 1854,
and within few years of his accession
to the title and to the estates in Done
gal. Leitrim and Kildare his name had
become symbol of terror over his vast
possessions, which comprised nearly
10000 acres of territory An attempt
was made upon his life at Manorham-
llton many years ago, and ever after
ward it was the habit of the unhappy
Earl to travel armed, and even to keep
loaded weapons lying on his table while
he was at meals. For many wears he
never appeared on his estates in Donegal
unaccompanied by constables armed to
the teeth. He first became notorious
in the North by his evictions in Camel
ton and Milford, when Mr.. Lavens, the
Rev. Robert White and others were
the victims of his arbitrary rule. His
name added for time a new word to
the language, for when tenants in Dom
egal were causelessly evicted from their
holdings on any estate, the popular eX-
preston was that they had been "Lei-
trimed." This one word was understood
to express the last measure of injustice,
harshness and desolation. All through
the decade from 1857 to 1867 he reigned
in undisputed power in his own portion
of the barony of Kilmacrenan, for no
one on his estate chose to enter into
conflict with the man who had made
such short work of recalcitrant tenants
in Ramelton and Milford.
A.
power, and Lord Leitrim was no indif-
ferent spectator of the reforms which
that statesman proposed in the land
laws of Ireland. He raved against the
Land bill in the House of Lords, and,
when it became law in spite of his
protestations, he at once set to work to
compel his tenants to sign agreements
which would have debarred them from
making or sustaining any claims under
the provisions of the act. These agree
ments were set aside by the Court for
Land Cases Reserved, on the suit of
the Rev. Mr.. Stevenson. From the
year 1871, and onward, Lord Leitrim
has never been out of the Land Courts,
and, though he was generally worsted
in the encounter, so far as compensa-
ton was concerned, he had the salts
faction of turning the tenants that re-
sisted out of house and home. In one
case tenant recovered forty-three
years rent as compensation for his con-
tiscated interest in his farm. His lord
ship paid the money, and next half
year set to work for new crop of evic-
tons. He had one remedy for the pee
nahi of 20
they took seaweed-eviction. If they
refused to give field which he capri
ciously wanted to give somebody else
eviction. If they contested his right
to take the pick of the family into his
domestic service-eviction If they con-
troverted his decision about an easement
or right of way-eviction. 1t was not
any sordid love of money which led to
his dispute with the tenantry, for had
they been content to be slaves he would
have given them their slavery at
cheap enough rate. An inordinate
love of power was the one quality
which dominated all his actions. He
spent in law on fishery case with Mr..
Stewart, of Ards, a thousand times
more money than the fishery would be
worth till the crack of doom. His
form was as familiar in the law courts
as that of the Chairman of the county,
for he was always present to superin-
tend the conducting of his own case.
When he thought the lawyer employed
by him was too yielding or too amenda-
BILE to reason and law, he would take
up the cudgels himself and browbeat
all round until the Judge called him to
order His treatment of Mrs. Algoe in
1876 created widespread indignation,
and in many homes dismay.
Rackrenting was not his foible, for
the rents on his Donegal estate are
rather under than above the average of
rents in the county, but morbid love
of domineering over human beings
! seemed to have fairly eaten him up.
He thought nothing of spending E200
or f300 to spite and ruin tenant who
had taken a cart of seaweed in viola
ton of his estate rules. He represented
County Leitrim several years in the
| House of Commons. In the House of
Lords he never spoke except on Irish
questions, and his brief speeches were
generally made in moving for returns
of one kind or another respecting land.
During last session of Parliament he
was a frequent visitor to the room where
Mr.. Lefevre's committee was sitting to
take evidence on the operation of the
Bright clauses of the Land act. That
the horrible crime which has brought q
troubled life to close is of an agrarian
character can hardly be doubted. His
relatives could, if they chose, make q
serious demand upon the local rates
under the provisions of the Peace Pres
ervation act. ..... &C.,.