Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-12-21
The True story of O'DonneIrs Grin

killing of James Carey. It-Swas not to be
told so long pc shadow of chance re.
manned 10 preventsthesssacrif of pa
triot's life for that Of the infamous wretch
whom p. 20. "S.sfo,rperatery swept on the earth.
For Patrick O'Donnell did deliberately
kill James Carey, and he deliberately
killed him because he was James Carey
There was to struggle. Carey made no
attack Htt 6'Dunhtlr U'Dohfleit- never
set DIP the plea OF self-defense. Had he
been permitted to tell the truth the fiimsy
subterfice Of ,seif-detense would never
have detracted from an act ne considered
meritorious in the sight of God and man.
He knew the consequences of the act and
he would have manfully accepted them.
Had Judge ,Dennian permitted him to
speak before p,cn6uncihr sentence, as he
was bound. by the law to do, O'Donnell
would then have told the whole truth and
vindicated himself. His savage denuncia-
ton of the Crown while the officers of the
court stifled his words and dragged him
from the docks to his cell, were not the
furious whining of a coward but the
frenzy of baffied and honest man, who,
having deliberately done what he consid-
cred a duty, and for which he was per-
fectly indifferent to death, had been com
PEELED, against his will, to occnpy an igno-
Bile sttitI:de, and who burned 10 escape
from mistaken advisers. convey to the
Daily Netrs, on the highest possible au-
thority, the true story of the killing of
Carey and the events which have made up
the train of its consequences:
o'toASErr %As SoT ~ INftxcirtE.
O'Donnell did not know Carey on the
voyage from England to the Cape. He was
not a member of any society. He was
merely rolling stone. He had wandered
restlessly over many parts of the Anseri-
can States, incapable of peaceful residence.
He had moved about in Ireland, and speiit
some time in England. With no definite
aim he was going to Australia. Nervous and
restless, almost to the verge of insanity,
Indifferent to natural ties, and reckless of
his actions, he took with him for COM
panion an unfortunate who was neither
maid nor wife, fact sufficient to show
that he had net gotte en- commission of
vengeance whose fulfillmeiit would fill the
world with his name and turn the fercest
glare of notoriety or his character and
habits. He had an unascertained consti-
tutional disease which at times deprived
him OF some mental faculties and all but
paralyzed his will The circulation of his
blood was so uneven in his left side that
the left arm was frequently palsied, and he
had learned the use of an electric battery
which, when found in his possession after
the tragedy, was promptly thrown over
board as an internal machine. SO unstrung
was bis nervous sNsteth that it was alb
solutely necessary for him to abstain
from alcoholic liquors, which he had not
tasted for two years. He was a Donegal
peasant, tall and strapping, but feeble
nervously, rude and unable to read or
write. But he had learned the truth that
every peasant in Ireland knows-the truth
of the ruin of his native land and the de-
gradation OF its people by England. He
knew that the latest instrument of that
ruin and degradations was the monster
James Carey. He had no suspicion that
the man with whom he had played cards
and drank an occasional glass of beer was
| this monster. But the news was ahead Qi
| the ship, and local paper at the Cape con.
tanned an article denouncing the govern
ment for pollhting Australia with the
wretch. O'Donnell heard this article read
and was shown wood-cut of Carey
whom he at once recognized. He instant
| ly resolved to kill Carey, out of sheer in
stinctive sense of duty as an Irishman
| On the impulse of the resolution he sale
to the man who had shown him the wood
cut, II will kill him." as was sworn on the
trial. ODonnell forgot the man and Incl
ueut, anu Suuitl . appedIdiCe was sur
prise.
THE FATAL SCENE.
From the moment he formed his pur
| pose he never wavered in it. But he knew
it would not be easy to kill Carey, and ht
could not afford to make the attempt anC
fail. Carey was well armed, yigilant anC
suspicious. O'Donnell determined to shiI
with him to Port Elizabeth, go win hin
to the farm Carey had told him he wa.
going to take, and then, withost conceal
ment of purpose or motive, show tha
there was no spot on which an Irish in
former would be safe. O'Donnell becam,
nervous and excited. In reckless hope
of calming himself he drank, the morning
of the fatal day, a glass of whisky. i
robbed him of self-control. He was no
intoxicated, but his discretion was gone
Finding himself suddenly alone will
Carey and his travelling companion HI
could not resist the desire to kill him a
once Carey, with lightning quickness
perceived his danger. The two Irishmer
glowered at each other. Carey Missed
"Do you know me?" O'Donno1 hisseC
back; 81 do. You are Carey, the in
former. To hell with youW The bulle
sped with the words, and the deed wa
done. Carey clutched his own revolver
but it was too late. O'Donnell discharged
a second shot and third to make sure o
his work, and Carey rolled to the deck
No human eyes saw the encounter excep
O'DonnelFs companion, who threw he
arms around him and filled the ship will
her cries. He had weakly told her tina
morning his determination to kill Carey
and that he would be hanged for it. Whei
Mrs. Carey reached the scene O'Donnel
said to her: 81 had to do it." meanin
simply that he felt it to be his dut,
as an Irishman to kill the wretcl
who had sworn away innocent live
and enticed honest men to the gallows
His silence remained thereafter unbroken
WRONG PLEA AND BAD ADVISERS.
Who was responsible for setting up tn
theory of a struggle and the plea of sell
defense? Not O'Donnell. Not his Lon
don counsel. As soon as the news reache,
London the Irish felt that nothing shoul,
be left undone to prevent the throwin
away of O'Donnelrs life for Carey's. \
NJ. Sullivan was requested to make tn
necessary arrangements for the trial. III
determined to defend O'Donnell on tn
simple theory of irresistible impulse. Sui
livan actually believed that he could saw
O'Donnell by filling the minds of an En-
glish jury with the horrible details of tn
career of the monster who planned an,
carried out the assassination of Lord Fred
| erick Cavendish, and then betrayed hi
aupes to save himself. He expected +
lay bare transactions in Dublin Castl
which would expose the administration O
justice in Ireland as more corrupt an,
more infamous than that of Russia. !
may be doubted whether this defens
would have saved O'Donnell, but it woul.
at least have been just to him. But whel
the preliminary examination was hel,
O'Donnells Australian friends set up tn
plea of self-defense, and it became a par
of the legal record of the case. Their
was no alternative for the London counse
except to make the best OF it. Assurance
were sent from the Cape that witnesse
would be forthcoming who would sustai
the plea. Seven hundred pounds wa
asked and obtained for their expenses
They proved utterly worthless. From
the beginning there was scarcely here c
saving o'Donnell. Whatever hope cxist
ed lay in cultivating English public apir
ion for the prisoner.
THE EFFECT CHICAGO BLNrHERskirrs PRO
DUCED.
The counsel were thoroughly foiled b
the insane folly OF some OF The Iris
in America, whose silly but vicious decls
nation, impotent for good, was power
full for harm. The threats of retaliation
reused no fear in those at whom the
were aimed, but they aroused brutisl
hatred toward the brave man approach
ing his trial. The hight of crimina
folly was felt 70 be reached when the an
nouncement came over that some Chicag
Irishmen were about to send to London
as if he would be admitted to the courts
an Irish lawyer well known as havin
been in O'Neill's raid into Canada, and a
having lived on the treasury of the Fenial
organization. of which he WAS paid o,
ganizer. The Irish in London cannot un
derstand how any Irishman with such
record should have been willing to leop
ardize O'Donnell's sim chance by con
meeting himself even IN rumor with III
defense. Had he come to London ther
would have been prompt change amoni
O'Donnls counsel.