National Republican., 1883-11-06
The Slayer Of Carey Explains How and Why
He Did It
Denying EmphaticalIy That He Was
Sent to Do It.
The Numerous Opportunities He Had for Putting Him
Out Of the Way Quietly if He Had Wished.
Tho Quarrel, the Life and Death Struggle,
and ITS Bloody Result.

soribed by the interviewer as simple and
straightforward man Of great intelligence for
one unable to read or write. He appears to
have slight terror of hanging, and indeed
slight fear that he will be hung, but is much
excited at the idea that he was put up to do
the shooting by anyone. He says that young
Carey has deliberately inverted in after
thought the most important points of his evil
denoe. THAT boy is as cunning as coyote"
he says, "and too old and too deep for his
years" He declares that until after they
touched at Cape Town he knew nothing about
Carey's identity, "no more than theman that
never was born"
Didn't you hear him talked about in Ire
land?"
"Oh, a hundred times, and said about him
what everyone else was saying. l heard SO
much about him that / knew the Phoenix
park affair was only o small part of the mur-
ders he did or had hand in, and l used to
say hanging would be too good for him."
at was no idea about him which carried you
to South Africa ~
"That can be proved, for had told my
friends soon after l came to Ireland this year
would give up America and go to the Cape
or Australia 1 would not go in the same ship
with Carey for hundred thousand dollars.
Sure if knew of il l would expect the ship
to sink"
Had you no suspicious on the voyage out?"
mo; the thought of his being Carey never
occurred to me but once or twice. I'll
own 1 noticed things that would made me
think he was detective or man on the run
for something"
"For a crime?"
"Yes; but then / used to say to myself
again twas dreaming was against the man."
you got to be friends with him ?"
"Very soon. There were not a great many
on board and he and / soon found we were
y, Iwsa l,ls
five on board that were Irish, and except a few
times he would get moody and black-like,
and when he was in a dispute with anyone,
he was agreeable, and he would make up to
anyone; in fact, he would force his company
on you. He forced himself often on me, and
got somehow to feel for the family. They
seemed poor, and liked the children"
Did you not talk ON politics?"
We did, or rather he did. l am not pol
itician, and don't mix much in them things,
even when maybe l ought. If you write
home you can I'd that the day of the Land
League meeting, or some meeting while
was at home, didn't go to it, but took my
brothers gun and went out fowling on the
mountain. 1 think the police could tell that,
for suppose on account of me being an Irish
American tho seemed to be watching me
having the gun"
''Then Carey sometimes talked politics?"
Whenever ne did he used to be cursing
anu uauulnB bne EupllSI. IN IacU, ne USED
to get into rows over it,"
Didn't you ever talk of the Carey affair
in Dublin?' H'. f'ir'i
"There was twice we mentioned about the
Phoenix park business but somehow we got
away from it. To tell you the truth, he
would give you to think he was on the run
for some of those murders in Ireland. and L
would say he was man who would take q
life as soon as he would shoot rat"
well, you heard the evidence given by
some of the witnesses, that while you were
quietly sitting down you shot Carey in their
presence, and said you were sent to do it ?"
O'Donnell (very angrily)-"But you don't
mean to tell me anyone believes that? My
God, mustn't they ali know that if / was sent
to do harm to him, or wanted to do harm or
hurt to him, had a hundred good chances on
the voyage out, and any of them can tell you
that. Many dark aud stormy night we used
to be alone, smoking and chatting in hooks
and corners on the deck till IL o'clock at
night. Ask any of the ships people about
that. 1t was terrible rough passage out to
the Cape, and If any one that was after Carey
was on board, God help us, he could have
been shot and pitched overheard twenty
times many of those nights without anyone
seeing it, Why, I'll tell you what the very
night Saturday we sailed from Cape Town
it was bad night, stormy and dark, and
Carey stopped late with us in the second class
cabin, as they call it. When he started to go
off to the steerage for tho night he said he
was afraid to go alone, because he thought he
might be washed overheard, and asked me to
go along with him, which did.
ODonnell says that long before he knew
that Powers was Carey he had come to be his
"chum" and had been persuaded by him to
go along to Natal with him. When he heard
that it was Carey he said, "hed rather have
been under the sea-" If he had wanted to
shoot Carey he could have done it easily the
Il .s..l,N
Town. He was terribly disgusted, he said, at
the thought that he had been 'chumming"
with "the greatest monster on EARTH" and
then he could hardly believe that man so
strong about religion and so fierce in cursing
the English could be Carey. Every two
minutes" chat Sunday morning he changed
between thinking Powers was and was not
Carey. He tried to think how he could get
away from him, after being so intimate, with
out row. He knew that Carey was dan
gerous and violent and that he was armed.
He rarely, and for long time never, touched
drink; but he took some with Carey that af-
ternoon. He says he Uried to avoid Carey
that Sunday, but he followed him about and
clung on to him. He made some excuse to
shake him of on deck, and was going below
when Carey told him to order some ale for
him and to call him down when it was
ready. Carey came down soon after, and in
good humor and asked for his ale and sat
NOWu w AS buey baU AT Lne Table
Carey, decidedly excited with liquor or else
some way nervous, noticed O'Donnells man
ner to be strange, and seemed suddenly to
suspect something.
"What did you do with your pistol-haye
you got it said Carey?"
A" sold it at the Cape" replied O'Donnell,
evasively. why do you ask 2'
Because can tell you, it might have got
you into trouble. You alarmed people when
you fired ut the flying fish"
1t alarmed np.one who had not cause TO
fear in his heart" replied 0'Donnell.
Carey started as If stung, and went of, re.
turning in while After standing a moment
moodily he suddenly taxed ODonnell, in a
challenging tone, with his changed manner.
O'DOnnell most earnestly asseverates that at
this instant. g as far as he ever was afraid of
any man, which was not much" he
realized he was in tho grip of a
bully and murderer who would
fasten a quarrel on him if he found out
he was discovered. Carey, on the other hand,
according to ODonnelPs description, fulfilled
the sentiment that "the thief doth fear each
bush an officer" and appeared as if no ex-
pected that any Irishman who found him out
was surely sent TO kill him. Scarcely had
ODonnell uttered the bitter observation as to
the rumor about Carey" (Which, if the man
were Power, could not offend HIM, than "in
the clapping of your hands," or, he SAYS,
"while you would be marking NJ" the two
men were on their feet, and in grips, each
with their pistol in hand. O'Donnell, with