Connecticut western news., 1878-09-26
AN INTERESTING LETTER.
IRELAND-THE FENIANs-A VERY BAD OLD
 LORD, AND HIS WICKED DEEDS.

''I saw the other day." says l.. J. Jennings, writing of conversation he had with large landowner in Ireland, that Fenianism and Home Rule were quite dead"
 "Where did you see that?" asked my acquaintance.
 "In the Times"
 "The ZSmaes," said he, "was always very ignorant about Irish affairs, and is more so than ever now. If you were to come into my town, and see the fine stout fellows marching and drilling, with band of music, and with serviceable arms put away where they know how to find them at any moment, you would not say that Fenianism is dead. They call themselves Sons of Harmony or some such name, to keep out of the clutches of the police, but they are really Fenians, or Home Rulers, for it IS all the same thing. Rely upon it, sir, the feeling which produces all these movements, one after another, is not dead, and will not die in your time or mine."
 Do you think" said I, "that the country would be more prosperous under Home Rule?'
 I expected ready answer of yes to th1s question, but to my surpr1se this gentleman (who made no secret of his predilections for Home Rule) looked down and hesitated. Presently he said: "It is hard question to answer. I told you to begin with that Ireland is getting more and more prosperous every year, and so she is. Whether 8 total upheaval of everything would increase that prosperity or not is difficult thing to say. Frankly, I should be half afraid of the experiment.. But the people are not afraid of it. It is the peasantry who will have to decide the question some day, not the prosperous classes.
 The want of capital is cry which l have heard in many other places besides Ireland, but people who have capital are apt to ask for good security, and there is 1 common prejudice that in the Emerald | Isle you cannot always get that. should not be afraid to trust my money there, if I had any to spare, but some | people are. In wild and solitary part of Donegal, on an equally wild and stormy day, I fell into talk with the man who was driving the car, and who was 8 native of that county. There was nc l fun or laughter about him-he was g gloomy and saturnine looking man, and | it took me some time to draw him out. It was delicate and scientific piece ot work to do it. At last, we passed de- serted cabin standing at some distance from the road The roof was off; doors and windows were gone; the walls were half broken down altogether, it was g forlorn and sorry sight.
 The dr1ver, whose name was Joe (and not Pat), saw me looking pretty hard at this object. He motioned towards ii with his stump of whip, and said: 1 'sThat was one of the old Iard's doln's."
 What, old Lord Leitrim ?" said I, l more by token that we were then in the very county where 8 certain tragedy took place not long ago.
 "Just that" said the driver.
 "Who lived in that house ?" asked. | "As honest man as ever breathed But where he and his family are now nc one knows. Wandering over the face oi the earth somewhere"
 ''I have not heard very good account of the old lord," said land indeed had not quite the other way.
 He was divil,'' replied the man. quietly, but he gave an ugly lash at the horse and shut his teeth.
 "Turned people out at a moments notice, I believe,' put in gently.
 "Bedad, that was not the worst of it If man planted Q tree or a shrub whlcE the old blag'yard did not like, and he would not pull it up, out he went-an6 that wasn't all, either. If any tinant had pretty daughter, and he saw her he would order her to be sint to his l father was mighty soon evicted, and any of his relations who had farms or houses on the estate. But very often the gir was sint, and after that she was very likely packed off to Dublin, or else the old lord looked out for husband among the tinant's sons. He would say. Yor must marry Mary So-and-so, and I vii give you money enough to take you te America if you like to go there Sure enough, the tinant would sometimes re fuse, for Eho wants to take the leavin's of the ukes of him, or anybody else Then he would be turned out, too, anc not one of his family would be left upo1 the land. That is what he had beer doin' for years and years, and everybody in Donegal will tell you so.'
 The truth is that everybody had tolt me so-in some cases with names, dates and places all ln the story I heard i from dozens of persons-sometimes iron landowners themselves, who only won dered that Lord Leitrim had not beer shot before. In some other countries am half inclined to think that he would have been.
 We presently passed 8 police bar racks, on which big bill was stuck III offering Reward" I could just reat that word and the figures '" 955O" as passed.
 els that for the men who shot him ? said I. " It is, your honor," said Joe. "And they have not got them yet ?