Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-10-09
FREE MEN AGAIN.
Condor and Melody, the Released Fe-
+ mans, Relate the Story of their Impris-
OnInent.
New York Workl;Sept. 80.

q. New York WorAdiSept. 80. -Nf4 !
Among the passengers of the North
German Lloyd steamer MoseI, which
arrived early yesterday morning, were
OMeagher Condor and Patrick
the two Fenians who were re-
Gently released. They went on board
the vessel at Southampton, and soon
became favorites with the passengers
and crew. Their,ignorance Of the Ger
man put them to some inconvenience,
but they managed to get along with a
few phrases they picked up. When
they were met upon the deck Of the
Nosel by a World reporter, off Quaran-
tine, they were in the best Of spirits.
Both wore green neckties. Condor
has q soldierly bearing, is of spare
build, with clear-cut face and let
black hair. In conversation Condor is
pleasant and to every one he gives a
smile and shake Of the hand whose
heartiness there is no installing for
some time after the shake. He speaks
with quick utterance, but with no &C
cent. Melody is his exact size in build,
but in features he is younger looking.
He has red mustache, but his hair is
entirely white and this sets out his rosy
complexion. He is but thirty-fveI
years Of age, and on the trial he was
contemporary alluded as "the red
headed Irishmap." The prison life
soon caused his hair to turn white.
Like Condon,i he is spare and has
pinched look, which was probably caus-
ed by the prison life. -3L ID
Going to their room off the main
saloon Condor and Melody said they
were delighted to have an opportunity
of speaking freely. 81 hardly know
what to sayI feel best for, said Condor.
1--WE have had slow, but towards the
last very pleasant voyage indeed, after
our twelve years of enforced silence,
and nobody can appreciate the pleasure
of voyage like this more than we who
have been lying in prison, forced to as
sociate with the. lowest class of English
criminals and that for no crime what
ever on our part, for when one man is
punished for a crime it is unreasonable
that another man should be convicted
and punished for 'tke same otfense. To
tell you the truth, 1 am mighty glad to
get home. You see-let me tell you
how it was. When the writ Of habeas
corpus was suspended in Ireland after
our ill-success there, dozen years ago,
it was. our safest policy to, leave the
country. We were all known, and any
old woman could have us thrown into
Jail by q mere complaint. We'll, we
went to Manchester, whole company
of us, where, we were living quietly
enough until q the police arrested
Kelly and Deasy. They
were walking along when the
police grabbed them behind Selling the
pockets in which their receivers lay,
and Juggling them off to prison on false
charge about robbing some old clothes
shop 1T was some time before we
found out what was going on, and then
we resolved on a rescue. When the
prison van with the men In it was going
down the road about ten of us made an
attack on it. There were five or six
constables upon it, but they soon gave
in, and there were eight or ten detec-
tives on another van close behind. Well,
the long and short of it is that the p1 is
oners were released and got away, and
Sergeant Brett was killed in the ,scrinn-
mage 1t was an accident, / believe,
but [ was not guilty of it. However,
some. Of the men escaped, am glad to
say, but Mike Brennan and L got separ-
ated, and a day or two after I was ar
rested in Manchester. Well, there was
a sort O. trial, but it twas really court
martial. There were twenty-seven or
tWenty-eight magistrates on the bench,
and we were brought up in couples hand
cuffed together. Mr.. Jones, of our
counsel, opposed this sort of treatm ent,.
and demanded that we be placed at the
bar with the legal presumption that we
were innocent m en- until we ere PROV
ed guilty, and that we should not be
treated as felons until we were shown to
be such. The. Fifty-frst regime nt was
in Manchester at the time, but there
were a good many. Irishnen in it, and
they sent down to Aldershott for other
regiments to come up. ' We We're
tried by a special commission, and
Blackburn one of the most unscrupulous
men that ever sat on bench, was sent
down to do the dirty work. There
were lots Of with esses, most of them
paid. They were men who had been
in the van, and they were promised
pardon if they would swear as they
were told. Twenty-seven of us were
tried for the same ofense,e and they
kept on proving that everybody fired
the same shot. Ten swore that [ did it,
and as many more that, Allen didit
and SO on until five Of us were SEN
fenced to be hanged on Saturday, May
3. Some of the poor devils were sen
fenced to prison for Ire, but I was glad
that escaped that. On the Friday be-.
fore the Saturday word came that I
was respited. The Queens messenge
came and told me that Her Majesty
was graciously pleased to remove the
death sentence. There had been
cabinet meeting on the case, and of the
twelve ministers six were in favor and
six opposed. Charles Francis Adams
was urged to do something, but he was
in doubt whether our offense was a nom
political one or not He put the ques-
ton to the authorities and they could