The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-14
He Says His Business Is of a Commercial
Nature, but Declines to Say at What
Port He Embarked,
The Tighter the Screws Are Turned
the Better Hope for Ireland.
But, Notwithstanding, Mr.. Egan Expresses
Strong Disapproval of the Course of
the British Government.

NEw York, March 13.-Petrick Egan, for
mer treasurer of the Irish Land League, ar
rived to-day. When asked to name the YES
sci on which he arrived and the port from
which he sailed, he asked to be excused from
answering, as to do SO would give a cew to
private matters.
Mr.. Egan says the publications here re-
specting his escape from Dublin are entirely
without foundation. In answer to aquestion,
he said
The purpose of my visit is commercial
have been long wanting to visit Chicago, st.
Louis, st. Paul, and other large -four exporting
centers in connection with the business of a
New York firm in Dubli n, as we deal largely
in American flour, and my decision to visit
America was hastened by the urgent request
OF Mr.. Sheridan that l should give evidence
in the extradition proceedings pending, and
also by strong letters from many resident
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 regard
ing the situation at home. Although at this
moment the national cause is surrounded by
some difficulties, the prospect is entirely
hopeful. l 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 screw, the sooner will we attain
our Independence The brutal practiced
for the past couple of years by the Liberals,
or as OConnell truely called them,
the base, bloody and brutal Wings,
haS xxiIa +lo
land and Ireland one hundred fold.
l am firmly convinced that the present state
of things must result, before long, in the at
tainment by the Irish people of some meas
ure of national self-government.
"As matter of course, the government
would be wanting i'll its duty if it did not
do everything possible to break up the nssas-
sination conspiracy and convict its members,
provided it acted fairly and squarely; but the
whole course adopted toward the men
now under arrest has been, to
my mind, simply atrocious. They ar
rested number of men whom they believed
to belong to the Fenian organization, and
marched them into the castle yard before
window behind which were a number of
people, who were thus able to arrange their
indentifications and their stories. These
persons have been kept IN close confinement,
without opportunity of communicating with
their families or arranging their defense.
Every means has been used to spread terror
The result is the defense has been a mere
scramble, provided in some cases by private
subscriptions and in others bv money scraped
up by their unfortunate relations. 1t is
currently rumored in Dublin that certain
magistrate who took an active part in
the investigations will receive e., 600 and the
governorship of a colony if his labors secure
ten convicts
Not penny of Land League money was
ever supplied for the purpose of conspiracy.
On the contrary, the money was expended in
preventing ouJrages, to the extent of sending
men to localities where there might be dan
ger of attempts against landlords. Amongst
those who owe their preservation to the Land
League is Lord Ardlann, formerly Sir
Arthur Guinness. But for its protection
he would have fallen victim to his
harshtreated tenants. 1t is the game of
the Castle officials to connect the Land
League with the commission of outrages. and
thus damage the National party l am in
formed that leading Castle official said they
would spent f5o,oOoto hang Egan."
THE JURY SYSTEM.
OF the packed jury system, Mr.. Egan says:
"In capital cases. the prisoner has twenty
challenges; the crown has an unlimited right
to challenge. The prisoner soon
Catholic, Liberal, Presbyterian, Methodist
or Quaker is called, the Crown orders him to
stand aside, and by this process selects a
jury of twelve Tories. With jury of this
kind, the prosecuting judge and a we'll
coached battalion of bribed testimony, the
Castle authorities can, if they SO desire, con-
vict with perfect certainty Cardinal McCabe
or Bishop McIvely. 1t is now admitted at
the Castle-one of the officials made the ad-
mission to myself-that Hynes was hanged
in the wrong; that they now know
the real murderer, but that hav-
ing hanged Hynes for it. they do not
want to open up the cases again. Beyond
doubt four others, Walsh, Myles Joice Paff
and Barrett, were innocent of the crimes for
which they suffered.
1.-THE charges against Sheridan are abso-
lutely ridiculous. Forster repeated in the
Commons that Sheri Ian was constantly 60
ing back and forth from me, in Paris, to the
outrage managers in the west of Ireland. AS
a matter of fact, Sheridan left Ireland
for Paris in October, 1881, and has only
returned there once since. That visit
was made in December, 1881, when he was, of
course, disguised. as warrant for his arrest
had been issued. His object then was
to investigate and harmonize cer-
tain alleged difficulties in connec-
ton with the Ladies Land League
l then gave him f100, half of which he gave
to Rev. Mr. Lawler, of Valencia, for relief of
eVlcted tenants IN great need. He also gave
other sums to evicted tenants, and gave the
vouchers for all expenditures.
THE CHARGES AGAINST HIMSELF.
''In April, 1881. Richard Pigott wrote me
that he had been offered $500 by the Castle
officials to publish a statement in his paper,
The Irishman, alleging misappropriation OF
Land-league funds. He said he needed money,
and threatened to accept the offer unless
sent him $500. OF course, I refused and de-
fed him to do his worst. Subsequently a.