The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-04-07
THE POLITICAL PRISONERS.
GREAT AMNESTY DEMONSTRATION IN LoNDo1

don assembled on SATURDAY nlght, Diarcu Sen,
in st. James Hall, for the purpose OF hearing
lecture from Mr.. Davitt, and passing resolu-
tions asking for an unconditional amnesty to
the remaining Irish political prisoners, and q
for political offenses in the future. Although
admission was by paid tickets, the body ana
galleries of the large hall were completely I'LL
ed, and nearly every available spot in the large
hail. which is estimated to seat 2 500 persons,
was occupied. Mr.. OConnor Power, M F., pre-
sided. and ives accompanied by the following
members of Parliament - Messrs. Mitchell
Henry, g. g. Parnell, E. Dwyer Gray; F. a.
ODonnell, j. D. Hutchinson, Hopwood, r.. D.
O'Shsughnessy, W. A. Redmond. Chevalier
O'Clery. DR.. Ward, Richard Power.
hood Suffrage League, and branches of the
Laborers Union. Tne district Home Rnle Az
sociatiops marched to the hall with their bands
and banners.
political prisoners, occupied seats on the front
of the platform.
Mr. Michael Davitt came forward, and
met with a most enthusiastic reception
the whole of the vast audience rose en- masse,
waving hats and handkerchiefs, and rails
ing hearty cheers.
When silence had been restored Mr..
Davitt proceeded to read long statement
of his experiences. He commenced by
remarking that he wished he could have
delivered his statement without reference
to man 1scEipt, bnt he had grave charges to
the government of this country in regard
to the manner in which they had been
treated-himself, Chambers and O'Brien.
He desired to stand by the consequences
of those charges and to be correctly re-
ported. Immediately after sentence he
was deprived of his own clothes and put
in convict uniform, his hair and beard
being cut close at the same time. He
remained in Newgate but eleven days
after receiving his sentence, and in that
short period he was being initiated into the
reality of penal servitude. On the 29dh of
July be was removed to Millbank. Chains
were fastened on his ankles in stocks in a
manner that he could only stretch come
twelve or fifteen inches when walking, and
to insure his offering no resistance he was
compelled to hold the end of the chain by
which his feet were bound. Thus manacled,
and guarded by a couple of warders, he
was driven from Newgste along the Thames
Embsnkment to the Millbank Penitentiary.
To relate every incident of his ten months
Incarceration at Millbank would, he OBJ
sery ed, be only tedious repetition of each
days experience, 80 uniform was the sys
tenn of punishment. A description OF the
cells would suffice to convey some idea of
the punishments in what was termed "pro
baton class" The cells were some nine
or ten feet long by about eight wide. There
were the stone floor and the bare white
washed walls, with neither table nor stool,
and of course with no fire to warm by it's
cheerful glow the expressing chillipess of
such place. His bed was made of three
planks laid parallel to each other at the
end of the cell, and raised from thel stone
door only three inches at the foot and at
the head. The only seat allowed to him
was a bucket, which contained the water
supplied to him for washing purposes, this
bucket having cover so as to answer the
double purpose of water-holder and stool.
The height of this sole article of furniture
allowed to him was IA inches exactly, in
cludDg the lid, and on this repentance
stoor he was compelled to sit at work ten
hours at least every day for ten months
(cries of "Shame!"). The punishment
this eetailed a tail man could be
easily conceived. The recumbent posture
and bent chest, necessary while picking
oakum, with nothing to lean ones back
against to obtain a momentary relief, was
distressing in the extreme. The effect
upon him, in addition TO inducing weak
ness in his chest, was singular, but noS
surprising. On entering Milbank his
height was exactly feet, but 10 months
later he measured only feet l05 inches.
His description of his treatment in the
Dartmoor convict establishment provoked
frequent outbursts of indignation on the
part of the audience. The food was really
insufficient and it was quite common oc-
currence for men to be reported and pun
ished for eating candles, boot oil, and other
repuleive articles, notwithstanding that
highly offensive smell was given to the
prison candles to prevent their being eaten
instead of burned. Men were driven by q
system of half starvation into an animal
like voracity, and anything that dog
would eat was nowise repugpant to their
taste. He had seen men eat old poultices
found buried in heaps of rubbish, he was
assisting in casting away, and had seen bits
of candle pulled out of the prison cesspool
and eaten after the human soil had been
wiped off them (sensation.) After giving
an account of his various employments in
Dartmoor he went on to show that polit-
icai prisoners were treated with exception
al harshness. Among other proofs in sup
port of this he mentioned that from his
arrival in Millbank in 1870 until his dis
charge from Dartmoor in December last,
he was classed and associated with the
ordinary prisoners, placed on the same
footing with regard to diet and work, and
had in every particular to perform the
daily task of penal servitude as laid down
L Al.