Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-17
iMURDER IN 4 BRITISH PRISON.

Three Sundays ago, We took occasion to
mention the sudden death of Sergeant Nc
earthly, the Fenian prisoner. He had Just
been released from seven Years imprison-
ment. Mccarthy had been soldier in the
English army, served in the Crimea, and In
dia, distinguished himself in battle and re-
turned, about eight years ago, from the
East, the color bearer of his regiment. He
joined the Fenians, was arrested tried and
condemned to be shot, but his sentence was
committed to imprisonment from which he
had just been released when he died, broken
IN body and mind, the victim of torture.
An inquest was held before jury of bust
ness men and political enemies, and the
testimony shows, that the unfortunate man
was murdered in cold blood. The immediate
cause of his death was heart disease. This
had been produced and aggravated by cruelty
and torture in prison. Suffering from heart
disease. his life dependent upon quiet and
rest, it was shown by the evidence that he
had not, of late years. had a single half hour
of unbroken rest. He was subjected to the
I" rousing process, the guard knocking at his
door every half hour during the night. He was
compelled to carry heavy burdens up hill.
his food was the poorest fifteen ounces of
meat in a week, with sswithered cabbage in
stead of potatoes. He lost his teeth, and
asking for a little cocoa to moisten the hard
bread, was told by the inhuman doctor ssthat
he would allow him pint of water, and he
thought water was too good for him.
And now comes the refinement of torture
in this professedly Christian and civilized
land. We must condense the the testimony,
as published in the Dublin papers. His cell,
black hole, feet by 4, with a closed win
dow and with no ventilation--with no posi-
blllty of fresh air, with perforated iron
plate inside the glass through which the
only light was admitted-total darkness
morning and evening. There was an air hole
at the bottom of the door, about inches
deep on the corridor and to this hole, in the
months of August and July, the poor prisoner
dragged his filthy pallet, to lie painting, and
to keep from suffocation.
Two years ago Mccarthy said to fellow
prisoner, slack, feel very bad. If I die at
Chatham that man, the Doctor,) is nv
murderer" This mans offense was political,
participated in by thousands of his country
men at home and abroad. It was the same
ofense for which Emmett died, and Cornell
lived. But it matters not what the offense was.
There is no justification for such torture.
No wonder that these facts have excited in
Ireland intense indignation and thrilled the
people with the fires of revenge.
1t is time that there should be an Interna-
tional Prison Convention of civilized nations.
The coming Convention or Congress, at
Stockholm, should appoint Board OF Com
mittee to visit the prisons of every nation,
and be authorized to publish to the world all
the crnelties and barbarity of man to his fell
low man. Let the loathsome cells be opened
that the whole earth may, in this day of pro-
fessed christianity, know mans inhumanity
to man:
And what man seeing this,
And having human feelings, does not blush
And hang his head, to think himself a man.