Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-14
EGAN LANDS In AMERICA.
THE IRISH SITUATION EX-
planned AT LENGTH.

/ Convictions, Not Justice, the Object Il
/ the Trial of the Alleged Murderers-
No Crookedness In the Land Leagu
Funds = Miss Hyland's Breach o
Promise Suit.
NEW YORK, March 13.APatrick Egan
the former Treasurer Of the Irish Nationa
Land League, arrived in this city to-da,
and is now stopping at the Grand Centra
Hotel. When he was asked BY a reporte
the name of the vessel on which he al
rived and the port from which he sailed
he asked 10 be excused from answering
as to do so would be to give clue to pri
'vate matters which he did not wish mad,
public.
In a long interview Mr.. Egan explained
the causes of his departure from ireland
as follows: 1.-THE chief purpose of NV yisi
is commercial. have been long Wantins
to visit Chicago, st. Louis, st. Paul an1
other large -four exporting centres in
connection with the business O
my firm in Dublin, as W.
deal largely in American flour. and
my desire to do so was FASTENED by the
urgent request of Mr., Sheridan that
should give evidence in the eXtraditior
proceedings now pending against him, and
also by strong letters received from Mr.
Mooney, President of the American Land
League, and other friends, who pressed
me to come to America to give the leaders
of the movement here such information
as is in my power regarding the situation
at hOme."
''Then there is no truth in the state.
ments that you fled from Dublin in dis.
guise and in order to avoid arrest?'' asked
the reporter.
mo; not word of truth"
would you have any objection to stat
ing generally what your opinion is regard
ing the situation in IrelandS" again ven-
tured the interviewer.
"Wel, | have no hesitation in saving
that although at this moment the nation
al cause is surrounded by some difficulty,
the prospect is entirely hopeful. have
always held with John Mitchell, that the
more England is obliged to coerce us, the
more tightly she is obliged to put on
the screws, the sooner will we attain our
Independence. The brutality practiced
during the past years by the Liberals, or.
as Mr.. OCOnnell truly called them, 'thta
base, bloody and brutal Wings; has WIDEN
ed the gulf between England and Ire
land one hundred fold. am firmly con-
vinced that the present state of things
must result before longin the attainment
by the Irish people of some measures of
national self government"
"What IS your opinion regarding the
prosecutions in connection with the al
legged assassination conspiracy in Dub
limp
''As matter of course the government
would be wanting in its duty if it did not
do everything possible to break up such a
conspiracy and convict its members, pro-
yided that it acted fairly and squarelv,
but the whole course adopted toward the
men now under arrest has been,
to my mind, simply atrocious.
Every established rule of law
as regards identification. and in many
cases as to the reception of evidence, has
been set aside. A private investigation
was held at the Castle. The crown Off
cials eOaXed and bullied by turns the
witnesses, and, believe, in some cases
refreshed them with whisky. They
dangled before the eyes of the people,
who never in their lives possessed five
pounds, enormous bribes to induce them
to swear to what they required. They
arrested number of men whom they be-
lieyed to belong to the Fenian organiza-
ton, and marched them in the Castle yard
before window, behind which were a
number of wretched people, who were by
that means able to arrange their identi-
ties and their stories. The prisoners
had been kept in close confinement
without any opportunity Of communicate
ing with their families or arranging for
their defense, and every means has been
used to spread terror. The result is that
the defense has been a mere scramble,
provided in some cases by private sub
scriptiOns, and in others by money
scraped up by their unfortunate rela-
tiOns. 1t is currently rumOred in Dublin
that certain Magistrate who took part
in the Investigations will receive 920, 900
and the GovernOrshIp of colony if his
labOrs secure ten convictions"
at has been charged that Land League
funds were contributions toward this
conspiracy"
''That is most certainly not so. Not
penny of the Land League money was
ever supplied for such purpose. On the
contrary, the money was expended i'm
preventing Outrages to the extent of send
ing men to localities where there might be
danger OF attempts against landlords. BY
that means very many crimes were pre-
vented. Among those who owe their pres
ervatiOn to the Land League, is Lord Ar
dilaun, formerly Sir Arthur Guinness. But
for its protection he would have fallen
victim to his harshly treated tenants. The
game Of the Castle officials is to connect
the Land League with the commission of
outrages, and thus to damage the National
party. To accomplish this they will
black. am informed that one
Of the conditions on which they accepted
the evidence of informer Carey was that
he should incriminate me and through
me the Land League. He failed to come
up to this requirement, and suppose that
his bribe will be cut down. / am inform
ed that leading Castle official said that
they would spend 100000 to hang Egan."
Mr.. Egan said that il was absolutely
certain that Hynes, Myles, Joyce, Walsh,
ron and Barrett were innocent of the
crimes for which they were hung. He
said that one of the Castle officials had
acknowledged to him (Egan) that they
knew the real perpetratOr of the murder
for which Hynes was hung, bnt
having made mistake they would
not reopen the case. The charges
against Sheridan, he said,
were simply ridiculous. In regard to
Lady Florence DiXie's charges, Mr.. Egan
said: Lady Florence Dixie has been led,
through her craving for notOriety, to be-
come the mouthpiece Of Richard PiggOtt,
whose own statements would receive no
attention. of course her charges are alb
sOlutely false. My accounts have been
thoroughly audited by John Dillon,
Rev. Father Shelby and Mathew Harris.
No complaints have ever been made by
actual subscribers to the Land League
fund. The balance of the fund on hand at
the time of the National Conference in
Dublin in October last was G31, ,900."
''Is that money still on hand?" the re-
porter asked.
sit has been increased by some small
amounts received afterwards, and out of
it there has been sent to the Lord Mayor
of Dublin for the Mansion House Com
mittee for the relief Of tie evicted tenants
$4,000. There has been expended by the
committee, composed ofMr. Parnell, John
Dillon and Arthur 0.Conor, g., 800 for the
relief of evicted tenants. Some other
small amounts have also been expended.
There Is now on hand between f25, 900
and f26,0O0, all of which is invested in
American securities in the names of the
FIVE trustees.y' g.
Mr.. Egan was then asked about the
action for breach of promise brought by
Miss Hyland against Mr.. Biggar, but It
was subject on which he did not care to
speak at any length. His acquaintance
with the Hyland family in Paris was
merely a casual one. They were people
of the highest respectability. He had not
wished to become witness in the case,
but if he had testified he was certain that
Mr.. Biggar would not have permitted his
counsel to ask him any question relating
to the Land League funds.
a Pullman SIeeping-Car Burned.
Itl,o