The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-29
THE rENIAN INNER CIRCLE.
How Members who Betray the Brotherhood
Are Disposed OF.

Row members VINO Betray tne bfOlileEtioOu
Are Disposed Of
A Leader Of the Brotherhood in Pail Mall Gazette.
Up to February, 1866, the Fenian conspiracy
was carried in such way that even its
fiercest enemies and calumniators could not at
tribute to any of its members any overt act in
connection with it, such as murder or attempted
murder During the closing months of 1863,
however, an inner circle, or wheel within
wheel, was formed having for its object the do
ing away with spies or inforners, such as the no
torieus Pierce Nagle, Power Schoield and
others whose evidence was consignlng so many
of their brothers to penal servitude for life For
some time l knew nothing of the inner circle-l
was not even aware of its existence-and the
other responsible leaders of the movement We're
in the same state of Ignorance as myself.
Subsequently | was informed that 1t was
composed of desperate men who had taken an
oath to be loyal to one another in the extreme
projects they contemplated carrying out. Many
of the members did not know their chiefs; the
strictest measures of precaution were taken
against detection, and signs and counterslgns
were resorted to on every occasion on which any
important step was to be taken. This society
was not long established when it commenced its
operations In February, 1866, three or four OF
its members were told off to Slay q Fenlan
brother named George Clark, who was reason
ably suspected of having supplied the authori
ties with information which led to the discovery
OF the Fenian arrnory at Dublin and the SEIZURE
OF arms and ammunitions which were kept there
awaiting the insurrection The secret emissa
ries met the doomed man on the banks of the
Royal canal, Dublin, late at night and dealt
him several reveral revolver shots, leaving him
almost lifelesS on the roadside Shortly afterward
policeman arrived on the scene, and, with the aid
of few bystanders, Clark was conveyed to the
Master Misericodi8 Hospital, where he expired
from the effects of the wounds and injuries he
had received. l remember well the night in
question. A few of the other leading men of the
l. r. B. who had not yet been arrested were
closeted with myself, discussing the prospects of
the coming revolution. A rumor was in circua-
ton that Clark was to be victimized, as he was
suspected of being an infOrmer. told the mem
beers present that such a crime, if carried out,
would be as impolitic as it was odious-impolitlc
because it would probably bring Ireland under
TIE suspension of the habeas corpus act, and I'LL
the jails with men whose presence shortly on
battle fell was imperatively necessary, and obi
Gus because the killing of Clark meant the exc
eution of a man whose guilt was not proven sat
isfactorily enough to warrant such a punish
ment. At that very moment, however, the deed
was being done, and in a few days atteward
what | anticipated had taken place. The British
Lords and Commons suspended the habeas
corpus act with edifying speed and unanimity,
and the Irish American officers and others whose
services were needed in other quarters were
thrown into prison and left there on suspicion
for many weary month.
The more tyrannical the government of the
country became, the more active became the OPP
erations of the Inner Circle. Schofield Ger
man American, who was q member of the Fenian
society in America and had wormed himself into
the confidence of the late John O'Mahony, only
: to betray the movement to the British consul In
New York and swear in Green street Court
house, Dublin, to the connection existing between
: the Irish and Irish American Fenians was the
next obnoxious person destined to pay the pen
atty of treachery. Immediately after the trials
in which Schoheld played a rather prominent
part, side by side with his associate Pierce Ma
gle, his as well as Nagles removal was decided
on. Schofed was the first to fall He was
stabbed to death III Dublin and his body, having
been literally cut to pieces, was flung into an in
glorious grave The public never heard of this
Iced. nor did Miss Schoield and the Inner Circle
mad every reason in the world to keep the
affair quiet as possible. And so
we'll has the secret been guarded
that this is, believe, the first time in which an
account of the transaction has found its way into
the columns of a newspaper. Power, another
paid spy and informer of the British government,
met the same fate at the hands of the conspira
tors who, on the whole, used to execute their
plans with such rigid eXactitude. and impenetra
! BILE mystery, that, in my opinion, they may be
aptly compared to those picked henchmen who
were accustomed to carry out the dread unwrit-
ten laws of the Carbonari surely and so
swiftly in the dead of night at the point of the
dagger.
The name of Warner the Cork informer, was
next put ON the black list 1t was however, ex-
eeedingly difficult to discover his whereabouts.
At length he was detected skulking through one
of the by-streets of Dublin by Mr.. w. s.,
one of the conspirators, who afterward went to
America returned to Ireland on the .Iaekmel ex-
petition, and was lodged in Jail, where he died
from the effects of the harsh treatment to which
several of the political prisoners of the day fell
victims. So great was SIS indignation on
seeing Warner that he fell Immediately on him,
and a tussle ensued, in the course of which one
of the informer's eyes ANONYMOUSLY
kicked out. and his aggressor was fortunate
enough to escape. Apropos of this incident an
1anecdote may be not appropriately put on rec
ord to show the animus of the Irish people against
the betfayers of their brethren. S., after
having acquitted himself of his task to the best
of his abilities, paid his respects to an old and
patriotic lady a friend of mine, who had a vivid
: recollection of the rebellion of '98, and who
were making to revolutionize ireland. Il have
good news to tell you, madame, said S., with
a chuckle. What's thatl she quietly asked
I'm after kicking an eye out of Warner" he
calculated 'AhW cried the aged dame with
bitterness, 'ah! the d was in your foot that
you didn't kick the other out too" Shortly af
terward Warner was attacked by an l. r. B.
man, a Mr.. Nee, q sergeant in the British
army, who met the informer in Howth and
stabbed him so severely that | do not think that
the wretch ever recovered from his wounds
Sergeant Nice himself related the entire
story to me several years ago in the United
States, but l do not remember whether he told
that Warner met or did not meet tragic
end there and then. If Warner survived the as
sanlt-and doubt very much if he did-he was
so far as am aware, never heard of afterward
Human Life in Mexico.
Letter in Springfield Republican.