The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-08-01
CAREY THE INfORMER.
A sketch of His Ltfe-A Remarkable
Tale Of Political Conspiracy
and Wretchcd Betrayal.

wretched man himself. has followed with
such rapiditv in the footsteps OF his trcach.
eIv rs 70 awaken renewed interest in the
history of this principal actor in what Is
called the "Ph9niX-Park tragedy" the
final act 81 which may be said to have
closed with his violent death. Save the
admissions made by Carey himself In cross
examination during the recent murder
trials in Dublin but little has been ascer-
tanned Of his earlier history. The Phila-
delphia Press says:
The boyhood and youth OF James Carey
present no special features OF interest. lie
received the limited education impaired in
Irish national schools forty or fifty years
ago, and At fourteen years OF age was ap-
prenticed 10 a bricklayer. lie displayed
no extraordinary genius at his handicrait,
and when he reached the coveted position
of iull-blOwn iourneyman he was gen.
orally considered by his brothers OF the
trowel 10 be q "dufTer." For some years
after he emerged from the chrysaliS state Of
an apprentice into the butterfly existence
OF a tradesmln his life was uneventful
enough.
CAREY AS A FENIAN.
The Fcnian movement. however, was
destined to develop his peculiar talents and
10 secure for him notoriety which, even
il doomed 10 be eyauescent. has been uni
yeTsaI while il lasted. In 1865 Carey was
an active. energetic, and trusted b" or
lieutenant. in the Fenian Brotherhood,
then under the control Of James stephens.
The seizure OF the Irish People. the arrest
OF the leading spirits OF the conspiracy,
the revelation OF Nagle, the first Fenian
traitor. and the consequent flight OF many
who were implicated in his evidence, left
vacant the centTeShip OF the brtckiayers
and stoncmaSons' circle, to which Carey
was attached. and he stepped into the gap
and took up the post.
That he hhorcd strenuously in the
"cauSe" was subsequently proved in the
abortiye iiaSco Of 1861, when 5000 or 1000
Dublin FenianS turned out with no other
weapons than nature had provided them
TO face the British garrison. On that Occa-
sion James Carcy'S circle furnished the
largest contingent TO the "risinS' OF any
circle in Dublin. Carey headed his men
i'm person, and when the enemy was en-
countered and commenced peppering his
unarmed squad he ran away; OF, to
quote his own words, Ietreated" along
with them. The result Of this insane
attempt at rebellion was a fresh crop OF ar
rests, Jenal sentences and flights. Carey,
however, seems to have been singularly
fortunate IN escaping the network spread
by English spies and Irish inionncrs to
capture the conSpirators. Although these
auXiliaries of the British Government in
Ireland were counted in battalionS, none OF
them seem 10 have known Carey, and he
was neither imprisoned nor compelled to
seek safety in exile.
HE BECOMES A TREASURER.
For some months after the failure OF this
ATTEMPT TO strike a blow Fenianism was
dormant in Ireland, the rank and file dis
beartened and disorganized, and the Off
GERS Disguised and apJthetic. The rescue
OF Colonel Kelly and Captain DeaSy from
an English police force in the heart OF an
English city Manchester by handful OF
Fenians, the subsequent conviction and
the execution OF three OF them, Allen,
Larkin, and O'Brien, galvanized the
revolutionary movement into new life,
and when the work OF reorganizing
the disrupted circles and reforming the
broken ranks, commenced IN England
spread to Ireland, Carey, who had taken
back seat for some months, again came to
the front and assisted in rebuilding the
shattered Dublin organization so yigor-
ously that in 1876, when the treasurershlp
of its directory became vacant he was
unanimously elected to it. Handling
money in an Irish society invariably
appears TO be followed by suspicion.
Stephens, O'Mahony, Colonel Roberts,
O'Donovan Rosa, Ford. Pat Egan,
and in short every man who has ever
had control of the ''sinews OF war"
havehad TO suffer. not only from yelled in
inn l.
rect accusation OF msapprOpriation. Ca
rev shared the common lot. When Carey
accepted the place Of treasurer OF the Dub
lin DIRECTORY of the |. II. b. he was an or
binary brickayer, performing days work
for a days wages, and apparently in no
better financial circumstances than his fell
low-workmcn. Soon aftcrward he aban-
doned the drudgery Of bricks and NOR
tar, and started IN business as con-
tractor. He commenced to build cot
tages for himself, and in a year or so was
comfortably IL not alllucntly situated.
Ugly whispers began to he heard that the
treasurer was manipulating the eXchequer
TO his own benefit. They grew louder and
more frequent, and at last an audit OF the
accounts was demanded. The demand
was conceded. No flaw could be found in
the items Of receipt and expenditure, but
vague feeling OF distrust remained even
among the auditors, and Mr.. Carey resigned
his charge of the money bags.
ADVOCATING HONE MANUFACTURES.
After this he seems 10 have given up his
revolutionary ideas, and his next role was
that OF a champion OF the Irish working
classes. an advocate for the adoption OF
home manufacture in preference to English
impOrted goods, and an all-rOund social re-
former. LIN this character he earned an
,npleasan, reputation for himself by accu-
sing 4 Scotch firm, who had received from
the CORPORATION OF Dublin the contract for
paving and sewering that city, OF using in
ferior material and poor Workmanship,
and failed 10 prove the truth OF his
charges. He had the pavement taken up
in several streets and the sewers ex-
amined, with the result that defec-
five masonry and wretched skill were
exnosed. but the cross-eXamination OF
some OF the witnesses produced by Carey
himself left an impression on the public
mind that these witnesses had been act
ing IN collision with Carey, and had
.'botched'' the work purposely, with the
object OF running the Caledonian contrac-
tors. However, the popular voice WAS
with him, and when, few weeks subse-
quently, he appeared as an aspirant for
municipal honors, backed by the approval
OF Pat Egan, the Land-League treasurer,
and supported by the powerful aid Of viii
liam O'Brien, VI. T., the editor OF the
Land-Leaguc organ United Ireland, his
victory was assured. lie did not long en-
ioy his seat in the Town Council.
1t must have been about this time that he
entered into the +" lnvincible " conspiracy.
His history in connection Herewith has
been told sofrequently and so recently that