Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-12-26

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Irishman to kill the wretch who had
sworn away innocent lives and enticed
honest men to the gallows. His
silence remained thereafter unbroken.
Who was responsible for setting up
the theory of struggle and the plea
of selfdefense2 Not O'Donnell.
Not his London counsel. As soon rs
the news reached London the Irish
felt that nothing should be left undonc
to prevent the throwing away of
O'Donnell's life for Carey's. A. M.
Sullivan was requested to make the
necessary arrangements for the trial.
He determined to defend O'Donnell
on the simple theory of irresistible
impulse. Sullivan actually believed
that he could save O'Donnell by fill
ing the minds of an English jury
with the horrible details of the career
of the monster who planned and car
ried out the assassination of Lord
Frederick Cavendish and then be-
trayed his dupes to save himself. He
expected to lay bare transactions in
Dublin castle which would expose the
administration of justice in Ireland
as more corrupt and more infamous
than that of Russia. IL may be
doubted whether this defense would
have saved O'Donnell, but it would
at least have been just to him.
But when the preliminary examine
ton was held O'Donnell's Australian
friends set up the plea of selfdefense,
and it became part of the legal
record of the case. There was no
alternative for the London counsel
except to make the best of it. AS
surances were sent from the Cape
that witnesses would be forthcoming
who would sustain the plea. Seven
hundred pounds was asked and obtain
ed for their expenses.
They proved utterly worthless.
From the beginning there was scarce
ly a hope of saving O'Donnell. What
ever hope existed lay in cultivating
English public opinion for the pris-
oner. In this the counsel were thor
oughly foiled by the insane folly of
some of the Irish in America, whose
silly but vicious defamation, impotent
for good, was powerful for harm.
The threats of retaliation reused no
fear in those at whom they were aim
ed, but they aroused british hatred
toward the brave man approaching
his trial. The height of criminal
folly was felt to be reached when the
announcement came over that some
Chicago Irishmen were about to send
to London, as if he would be admitted
to the courts, an Irish lawyer well
known as having been in O'Neil's
raid into Canada, and as having lived
on the treasury of the Fenian organ
ization, of which he was paid or
ganizer. The Irish in London cannot
understand how any Irishman with
such record should have been will
ing to jeopardize O'Donnell's slim
chance by connecting himself even in
rumor with his defense. Had he
come to London there would have
been prompt change among O'Don-
nell's counsel. Counsel we're embar-
raised also by the pretended claim of
O'Donnell's American citizenship.
No authentic record of it was for
warded, and ODonnell himself could
not remember when or where he was
naturalized, if he ever was. Presi-
dent Arthur deemed that he had
served in your war sufficient to enti-
tie him to the benefit of citizenship,
and instructed Lowell to act as if the
fact were established. But Harcourt
knew that no papers had been obtain
cd, and that the prisoner was not
legally an American citizen. An i'm
portant fact concerning expected tes-
timony is of curious interest. Before
they testified at the Cape, young
Carey wrote in his mothers name a
letter to Carey's brother in Dublin
giving an account of the shooting
wholly different from that which they
subsequently gave under oath. The
production of this letter in court would
have impeached mother and son,
whose testimony was fabric of false
hood. Extraordinary and even roman
tic efforts were made to steal, beg or
buy the letter, but 1t had been de-
troyed or was in possession of the
crown.
No human being saw the shooting
except O'Donnell's companion. Not
being his wife she was competent to
testify, but her evidence would have
shattered the defense, deduction
greedily seized by the crown counsel
and the judge.
1t is certain that no defense would
have saved O'Donnell before an Eng
lish judge but it is regretted that the
defense of irresistible impulse could
not have been set up for the honor
Of O'Donnell and the truth of his
torv "