, 1880-10-03
SMASHING a TOMBSTONE.
ANo1 SUFFICIENTLY GUARDED IN EXPRESSING
= his RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS"

"No1 SUFFICIENTLY GUARDED IN EXPRESSING
BIS RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS"
Nftv. York Observer
A letter from Canada, daied Ottawa. Sept Il,
makes mention Of the cause Of the murder Of a
young Orangeman, an Irish Protestant, who was
found in deserted spot dead, with number
Of bullets in his hcad." The cause OF his assas-
inadon Is thus graphically and cautiously stated:
,s'It was thought by many that he was not
sufficiently guarded in expressing his religious
convictions
This is certainly cool and suggestive. Theim~
portance Of being guarded In expressing
your s' religious convictions is very clearly
disclosed by the nurderof this worthy Protestant
youth. 1t seems that just overthe line. in Cam
ada, where the law Is supposed to be admins
tered with more rigor and vigor than In these
loose States Of ours, even there the Roman
Catholics hnye established such despottsn1 Of
their" own: within the civil government, that q
mnn must be guarded in the expression Of his
religious convictions or there is reason to cx-
pect be will be found n deserted spot with a
But this Is not the end of the story. This re-
Iigious murder was perpetrated two years ago,
and the victim. being buried by bis friends, was
justly honored With a marble monument~ We
say Justly, for. he died q nartyr,-hrst, to Tree
speech; and, secondly, to the religion Of Christ
He deserved monument: But even this silent
the heroic devotion of the young man to the
truth as 1t is in the Gospel, aud the bitter hate
OF tho KOHhnfSt3 WIS reused 10 crush
the stone as it had slafl the man. The writer Of
the letter already quoted says:
j. '| It wns hoped that his grave would at least
be held sacred from the dcsecratng touch OF
his enemies or murdcrers. but 1t was discovered
to-day that tho large monument erected to his
memury has been pried over and broken into u
thousand pieces with sledge~hammer. This
dastardly Outrage will again revive that bitter
feeling of enmity between Catholics and Or
angernen here. which has given rise TO So much
bloodshed in CANADA, but which for the past
year or SO had been dying out.
There may be some parts Of the United States
where such outrages US these might be perpe-
tratcd without being punished. But, VIC doubt
it. We have learned the true principles OF re-
ifgiors liberty, US they are not yet understood ia
England, Ireland. or Cannda. We let every man
bold what religion he chooses, and he may be
" guarded - or free rs be pcascs in expressing
his .' conyictions"; but when sect or society
undertakestu put bullets into the head Of an OPP
poncnt, or to smash his gravestonc. because his
- fnith is not agreed bic. then we give that sect
or snciety a taste of Fourth of July, free and
equal, hail Columbia. nnd storm. Just law. Our
fathers came hero to enjoy the liberty of speech
and worship which we accord to Roman CatAo-
lies. But shooting Protestants and smashing
their grayestoncs will not help the Pope In
AmerIca. Still it IS very we'll to know that If
you are "sutfclently guarded in expressing
your religious convictions" you may avoid hav-
ing half-dozen bullets put into your head.