New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-11-23
FATE OF THE JOTCES.


The snecial-iu clauses OF the Coercion Act
ara working admirably in Ireland. The first
murderer to be convicted was Francis Hynes,
who was sentenced to death about the middle
of August. A large number of moOnlighterS"
were subsequently found guilty OF murdeIons
assaults upon tenants, baIlls and soldiers,
and sentenced 10 penal seTvtude for zen, fifteen
or twenty years. A second murderer was also
condemned to death. The November term OF
the same court in Dublin has been occupied
with the Joyce trials. On August 10, few
DAYS after Hynes had been sentenced to death,
the family of poor peasant was nassacred IN
one.of the widest and most secluded quarters
of County Galway. A party Of eight or ten
men broke into the cabin of John Joyce at mid
night and killed him, his mother, wife and
daughter, and one of his sons. The only sur
vivor was the youngest Joyce, lad under ten
wears, and lie was manned for lie. WITHIN ten
DAYS eight of the murderers have been con-
yIcted and sentenced to death. Several OF these
were Joyces the name being II common one III
County Galway. The evidence in each case was
so conclusive that tue jury were only ont of the
courtroom % few minutes in agreeing upon the
verdict, and five Of the prisoners con-
The eight convicted murdcrers have been
sentenced to be hanged on December 10,
four months almost to Il day from the commits
sion of the crime. The desperadoes were
tracked to Joyce's cabin by three men on the
night of the murder and several other wit
nesses have positively identified thom. SO far
from attempting to screen these murderers, the
people of the district seem to have been eager
to convict them, having lived in mortal terror
of them for a long period.
The rapidty with which these miscreants are
getting their deserts, and the facility with
which evidence ha, been obtained against them,
are most encouraging signs for lrelanl. JUS
tice is no longer paralyzsl. 1t is administered
without fear The country people, finding that
the officials are discriminating sharply between
criminal and political acts. and waging what
Mr.. Trevelyan has described as IAN undying
and unrelenting war against outrages, have
been impressed by the vigor and efficiency of
the new tribunals and are lending aid in con-
victing notorious despcradOes of whom they are
anxious to be rid. The murdered Joyces were
suspected of having given information to the
Authorities respecting the ASSASSINATION of two
baiiifs. and, consequently, were marked out
slaughter
murdcrous JOyces expected to have the SYM
patty OF the district when they planned this
lideous crime, for the iniurmer is universally
detested in the island and no fate il considered
too bad for him. But the district in this in
stance was Mortified by the atrocOus butchcry
of helpless women and children. Public opinion
even in that secluded and Inaccessible valley
has supported the witnesses who wero encour-
aged by the authorities with promises of
adequate protection to tell what they had seen
and heard The Joyces have been hunted
down and brought under the shadow of the
gallows, and apparently their neighbours in the
district once dominated by them heartily
anproye of the vigorous acton Of the authori-
ties.
This feeling may not be shared by the lawless
classes throughout the island. When Hynes
was hanged in September Limerick jail WAS
heavily garrisontd, owing to the sympathy of
the masses with the condemned murderer.
Shops we're closed, badges of mourning wero
ostentatiously displayed, and popular sub
scription was opened for the murderer's family.
HIS crime was one OF long series of outrages
which had intmidated the land-holding class
and substituted lawlessness Tor The law of the
land, thereby giving an impetus to the Land
League movement. The only distinction be-
tween his crime and the other outrages lay in
its detection and punishment. This was
discrimination, which in the estimation of the
mass of the population entitled him to sym
pathy and respect rs an unfortunate patriot
rather than guilty murderer. Probably when
the next hangman's day comes around the
Joyces and their associates will have sullen
apologists and secret sympathizers Even the