New Ulm weekly review., 1878-07-17
An Irish Test of Innocence.

During riot, known as ''the battle of
Magheracloon,' was suspected of hav-
ing killed a peasant upon my estate,
when, in reality, the police had shot.
My wife happened few days after, while
driving in a pony carriage, attended only
by single servant, to pass the chapel
where the riot had taken place, and being
a stranger there, and ignorant of the roads,
she stopped near the chapel yard to in
quire the way to Carrcikmacross. Alady
driving herself in a pony-phaeton was
not very common occurance in those
unfrequented quarters, and as she con.
versed with the people who lived near
the chapel, crowd soon collected
around her. Having mentioned that she
was my wife, the recent battle became
Immediately the subject of conversation,
and she, anxions to calm their feelings,
entered into the whole case, and allowed
them to tell her the whole story from be-
ginning to end; ana she expressed deep
sympathy with them at the death of the
unfortunate man who had been shot.
They seemed gratitied by her sympathy
and general kindness of manner. and by
her trusting herself alone in the midst OF
crowd of rather wild looking men at
such time, and at length one Of the part
ty said, ''Maybe your ladpship would just
come yourself into the chapel yard: and
see the place where the dead man lay /; it
would be kind in you to do SO. as we are
sure you feel tenderly for the poor man
whose blood has been spilled by the po-
lice" She was naturally unwilling to leave
her carriage and go into the chapel yard
amongst the tombstones and graves, es-
corted by the wild-looking crowd Of
stranges, but they evidently wished for
and pressed it so much that she felt I'M
willing to disappoint or refuse them, and
having naturally a high courage in any
difficulty or danger, she at once got out
of her carriage and walked with the peo-
pie to see the spot where the dead man
had lain. There was a little heap of
straw lying where he died, and both the
straw and ground under it were saturated
with his blood. Her courage came to her
al, and she was able even in the midst of
the somewhat excited crowd to look
calmly down upon the sickening spec
tacle; and having again heard
them recount all the circumstances of
the battle, she quietly left the spot, look
ing steadily at the blood and straw as
she left-a secret though underlined feel
ing coming over her that she ought not
to quail even at this painful sight, lest
it should appear to the people that her
husband had been guilty of having spill
ed the blood. The peasants watched her
closely and attentively talked rapidly
amongst themselves in Irish for awhile-e
and then followed her silently from tn
chapel yard, with softened, respectful,
and altered manner. They assisted her
into the carriage, crowding anxiously
around to show her any little attention
in their power, and just as she was leav-
ing, cne of them said to Der, in an earn
est voice, We'll, Mrs. Trench, am glad
ye came to look at the blood; ye never
could have looked at it as ye did, if you
or yours had any hand in the killing of
the poor boy that's dead and gone. We
all acquit ye of it now. The blood would
have welled up in your face if it had been
ye that had done it!' Mrs. Trench drove
quietly away, the people all exclaim-
ing, "Safe home to your honor, safe
home" And never once did she receive
an .unkind or uncivil word from any of
the people of Farney. -zronch's Reali-
ties Of IRISH Llffe.