The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-15
oLEvELAND,s DEFENSE OF THE rENIANs.

OF 1nleiugenco IofD1dS It's proDaDlllty.
0LEVELAND's DEFENSE OF THE FENIANS,
Another very pretty but very untruthful
Democratic campaign story has been utterly
ruined, and that, too, by one of the characters
put into the plot by its imaginative author.
The story, as kindly given to the readingpub-
lie, was to the effect that at the time the
Democratic convention assembled at Chicago,
one Captain Donahue, delegate from New
York, hunted up Congressman Finerty, and
found him one evening at the rooms of the
Irish-American Club, in company with Will
lam Fogarty, T. P. O'Connor, Michael Keely,
John Dewey and Mr.. Kennedy, a mutual
friend, formerly resident of New York, but
now living in Chicago. Captain Donahue
soon began to recite incidents from their mu-
tual adventures while invading Canada in the
Fenian raid Of 1866 After recounting the
way the expedition was captured and conveyed
to Buffalo, Donahue addressing Finerty,
continued:
"Do you remember the morning when
you and / with the others stood before the
bar of a criminal court at Buffalo, without a
friend or counsel to defend usg We were a
sorry lot rash band Of young men resting
under grave charge. While in this friend
less and helpless condition do you remember
the young man, an obscure lawyer at the
time, who stepped up and volunteered his serv-
ices in our defense9 He defended us per-
sistently, and consistently and successfully.
When we afterwards raised purse and pre-
sented it to him he refused to accept it, say
ing he was glad to serve us, unfortunately
situated as we were, without reward. That
man was Grover Cleveland, the man just
nominated by the convention for President of
the United States"
Now, it will be conceded that this is very
thrilling and pathetic, and how noble it was
in the chiyalrous Cleveland to come to their
aid without money and without price. But
there are two men who We're represented as
present who insist on knocking the story to
smithereens. Congressman Finerty declares
that the party were neither penniless nor
friendless; that they had the sympathy
Of all the people Of Buffalo, and
only the United States officials, in the
discharge of their duty, interfered with
them. Mr. John Dewey, also represented as
present at the time the story was told at Chi
cago, acknowledges that he was there, but de-
clares that the published account twisted it
out Of its natural shape for the purpose of
winning Irish votes for Cleveland. Here is
what Mr.. Dewey has to say:
II was sitting in the Irish American Club
with Congressman Finerty, Mr.. Fitzgibbon,
and few other friends, when Assemblyman
Donahue, of Buffalo, and three or four others
came in | did not hear a word of the state
ment about Mr.. Cleveland defending the
Fenian prisoners, but did hear Donahue adj
NIT that he had come to Chicago to oppose
Clevelands nomination., that he had worked
hard against him, but was Democrat, and
would support the nomination. The only
personal conversation Donahue had with me
was to ask me when would call on him to
get for publication the full particulars Of a
story he had previously given me representing
that he [Donahue) had led the charge 1t
Ridgeway. have since consulted other men
who were in the fight and found that scarcely
any of them remembered him at ALL and all
denied positively that he led the charge
AhOJ aloo uOulcu buo SJ1tU6I1enG CuaICl0YelanQ
had defended the Fenian prisoners without
payment, and pronounced it campaign lie.
Cleveland, according to those who know the
facts, was employed as any other lawyer, re-
ceived his fee, and, it is alleged, when General
Starr was on trial Cleveland failed to appear
in his defense because there was no money to
pay him. The publication Of my name as one
OF those present while Donahue made the
statement in the IrishAmerican Club necessi-
tates this explanation"
In this way Mr.. Clevelands remarkable love
for the Irish patriot is blown out Of sight. He
defended those who could raise the money to
pay him, and failed to appear when one Of the
accused was unable to raise the necessary
amount Mr.. Cleveland is not the kind of
man to let money get away from him. Just
twelve years ago he hanged two men; rather
than let deputy or any other man do it.
The fees for the work amounted to 81, 800.
Lsl1. nj. fn11