Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-10-09

entirely white and this sets out his rosy
complexion. He is but thirty-five |
years Of age, and on the trial he was
contemporary alluded as "the red
headed 1rishman." The prison life
soon caused his hair to turn white.
Like Condor, he is spare and has
pinched look, which was probably caus-
ed by the prison life.
Going to their room off the main
saloon Condor and Melody said they
were delighted to have an opportunity
of speaking freely. II hardly know
What to say l feel best for, (" said Condor.
"We have had slow, but towards the
last a very pleasant voyage indeed, after
our twelve years of enforced silence,
and nobody can appreciate the pleasure
ola 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 crime it is unreasonable
that another man should be convicted
and punished for the same offense. To
tell you the truth, 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 mere complaint. Well, we
went to Manchester, whole company
of us, where we were living quietly
enough until 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 rescue. When the
prison van with the men in it was going
down the road about ten of us made an
attack on ii. 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 pi is
oners were released and got away, and
Sergeant Brett was killed in the scrim-
mage. 1t was an accident, l believe,
but l was not guilty Of it. However,
some of the men escaped, lam glad to
say, but Mike Brennan and got separ-
ated, and day or two after was ar
rested in Manchester. Well, there was
sort o. a trial, but it was 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 treatment,
and demanded that we be placed at the
bar with the legal presumption that we
were innocent men until we we're prov
ed guilty, and that we should not be
treated as felons until we were shown to
be such. The Fifty-first regiment was
in Manchester at the time, but there
were a good many Irisimen in it, and
they sent down to Aldershott for Other
regiments to come up. We were
tried by u special commission, and
Blackburn one Of the most unscrupulous
men that ever sat on bench, was sen,
down to do the dirty work. There
were lots Of witnesses, most Of them
paid. They were men who had beer
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 offense, and they
kept on proving that everybody free
the same shot. Ten swore that did it
and as many more that Allen did it
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 life, but / was glat
that escaped that. On the Friday be
fore the Saturday word came that
was respited. The Queens messenge
came and told me that Her Majesty
vas graciously pleased to remove thu
d. ath sentence. There had been ,
cabinet meeting on the case, and of tn,
twelve ministers six were in favor ant
six opposed. Charles Francis Adam
was urged to do something, but he Wa
in doubt whether our offense was a non
political one or not. He put the ques
ton to the authorities and they coul'
not answer. You see l "as an Amer
can citizen all the time. 1 was save'
from the gallows, but l had an awfu
prison experience. / was in Militant
, prison nine years and then was put il
Portland prison. At first l was on tn
road-gang breaking stone, hut the labo
was too hard and the danger of esca p
was too great, so / was taken to tn
book-bindery, where / was ever since