New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-07
THE ASSASSINATION CIRCLE.

THE ASSASSINATION CiRCLE.
The disclosures recently made in the Dublin
Police Court respecting the Irish ASSASSINATION
plots are of critical importance to the Drl'sh
Government 1t has long been suspected that Il
secret organization having for Its oOJece INC
murder of officials connected with the Castie,
and of Judges, jurors, detectives, witnesses III
criminal cases, and informers, was In existence
in Dublin and IN other parts OF the lslanu. Inc
Government is now making Systematic al
tempt TO upmask that dastardy conspiracy
About thirty men have been arraigned as ac-
tive members of an inner circle composed OF for
mer members of the Febian Brotherhood, and
evidence has been disclosed connecting as many
as fifteen of them with the terrible crimes com
mitted within q year in Phoenix Park AMI the
strests of Dublin. Three Of them have been
nosiively identified as Juror Fields assailants,
and two others are implicated in the same plot.
Three of them have been identified by four Wit
nesses as being the men who were lurking
under the trees in Ph@nix Park few minutes
before Lord Frederick Cavendsh and Mr..
Burke were assassinated; one Of them has been
recognized as the driver of the van; another,
Councillor Carey, is shown to have rented the
loft where the knives with which those murders
were committed were concealed; and several
others have been implicated by an informer's
testimony as having previous knowledge OF the
terrible work that was done on the afternoon OF
Nay @. Others, again, are charged by the ZANE
nformcr with being concerned IN severai
abortive attempts to assassinate Mr.. Forster. III
this evidence can DO cOrroborated by su0se-
quent disclosures and the gnlt OF these mem
lers of tho Assassination Club" can be estab-
lshed unrquivOcally the Government will sue
coed in bringing TO light one of the most for
midsble conspiraces ever formed in Ireland.
FarrelTs testimony of which we find COM
plete report in yesterdays foreign exchanges,
is tainted with the suspicion which is naturally
attached to an iniormer's disclosures; but 1t is
of intense interest as unfolding the form and
methods of a secret organization which has
baiiled for many months the vigilance of the
detectives The Assassination Committee, or
inner circle. was formed for the express pur-
pose of numbering Government officials and
doing any other desperate work which might be
required. Farrell joined 1t about eighteen
months ago, being introduced by Daniel Curley,
whom he had previously known as one of the
leading men in the Fenian organization. Far
rel testified: " He told me that the persons at
"tacled to this inner circle would not know one
@another. They wonld only know who was oil
their light or on their loft. He told me no was
my right and gave me the privilege of in
PRODUCING another TO be my left II this
were the form OF organization. an informer
wonld naturally have htlle to tell. for his ac-
quaintance with the members would he confined
to the man above him aud the man below him
OIL the list Farrell did not profess to know
anything about the central powers. He merely
received directions from Curley, or some one
else to he on hand at II certain time and place
for work. and then did That he was asked
TO do On two or three occasions he was told
OF to stop Mr. Forstors carriage, once he
was armed with revolver and placed on
guard when n juryman was marked ont for
attack, and although he was not directly
concerned in the murderous assault upon
Mr.. Juryman Field, he gave minute account
OF the plot. IL seems probable from his testi-
mony, as well as from the remaining evidence,
that the inner circle employed spies to watch
those who were ordered TO do any dangerous
work. The murder of the iDiOrmer Bailey gives
emphasis to Farrells words that he was afraid
of being shot if he neglected to he on hand
when any work was required OF him.
The majority of the prisoners who have been
arraigned are represented as having the APP
peaIance of decent artisans. Among them are
stone cutters, carpenters, coach builders,
shoemakers, tailors, compositors pnhlcans
and clerks and they profess 10 be indus
trious men who have had difficulty IN
making a living in an honest way. The most
conspicuous prisoners are james Carey. mem
Der of the Corporation of Dublin. and Whelan,
neifirc of whom has vet bpCu directly imnlica-
ted in actual crime. The Government have not
succeeded as yet in establishing any connection
between the Assassination Circle and the Land
Organization. The closest approach to such a
connection was in Farrell's testimony relating
to John Devoy's movements in Dublin in the
early part OF 1879.