New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-26
pDpEJ4R GRIMES.


ing how far the assassin ODonnell misjudged
his countrymen when he professed to believe
that the staying Of James Carey was the most
popular murder since the shooting Of Police
CONSTABLE Talbot" 1t is quite true that to kill
an informer is regarded by certain class OF
Irishmen rs q deed hardly less meritorious than
killing landlord. The informer Is more cor
daily detested in the Green Isle than any
where else in the world. With contempt for
his mesnness il united a savage rancOr Mt his
treachery. He Ia not only despised for selling
his friends, but there is always popular feel
ing that In giving evidence Of murder he is
somehow betraying his country.
And vet we doubt whether there is any coun-
try where the trade of informing tiourishes as
it does Ia that unhappy land where the in
former is so bitterly hated. One is tempted TO
wonder whether the Irishman's animOslty
toward traitor is not inspired by conscious
meas that traitors are so dangerously common !;
whether conspiracy is not, after all, rather less
popular fern Of crime than selllng-out. AS q
matter of fact the British Government has never
had much difficulty in buying up Irish con-
spirators and often it has been able, as it was
in the Burke Cavendish case, to pick out what
much in excess of the demand. lie who de-
spiscs his own life" said Seneca, |" is the master
OF another's.n Irish conspirators and nsur-
gents have hardly learned that principle. The
hest of their leaders have exhibited fortitude
and mobility of mind in the presence OF the GAL
lows but the great body of them have never
shown that contempt for death which makes the
Nihilists so formidable. They have been sell
ing out 10 the English for about three hundred
years.
After the suppression of Desmonrs ebellion
in the 'xteenth century, pardons were offered
to the submitting chiefs OF condition that they
wonld entrap their obstinate brethren, and we
read that they brought in the heads Of rebels
by the sackful." Similar scenes were witnessed
after the rising of Tyrone against Queen Eliza
beth and the failure of that enterprise was
largely owing to a thrifty patriot Jf the Geral-
cine family, known as the White knight, VINO
sold out another patriot called the Earl OF
Straw for thousand pounds and pardon.
The Earldom of Westneath was the reward or
noble informer a few years later. Tho
secrets of the United 1rishmen, at the end OF
the last century, were always for sale. inc
solicitor OF the organization ut Belfast was
bought by the Government for E1 ,45O down.
and pension OF { 80 year. Darrlster VINO
appeared for the patriots in Crown prosecutions
sold himself to the Crown for $500 year A
member of the provincial and county COM
mittces in Ulster was an intormer so was
Belfast bookseller who had often been in jail
with the patriots and there was large gang
of needy gentlemen who joined the society
| for the purpose OF botraying it. Thomas Adds
Emmett was sold by an infamous informer
named Reynolds, a connection by marriage OF
Wolfe Tones; this rogue received from the
government $4,000 in cash and pension OF
fl, 900 a year. The conspiracy Of Robert
Emmett was betrayed to the police, 10y several
of the sworn conspirators, five months before II
broke out. Lord Edward Fitzgerald was be-
trayed by the Editor OF The Dublin Freeman's
Journal. As soon as tue Government found
clew 10 the Phenix Park murders, there was
mad rush OF nformers eager to save their own
uecks by hanging their friends.
The frequency of such instances OF 'treachery
may lead us to inquire whether it is not owing
to some defect in the national character that
Irish rebelions have so little vitality. tThe
patriotism that is not proof against the tempta-
ton of money or the terrors Of the cell and the
halter is not a force to shake thrones.