Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-02-13
oILHooLY ARRESTED.
Another Member of Parliament Brought
Under the Coercion Act
LONDON, Feb. |

LONDON, Feb. IL.
The sensational events of yesterday and
last night in Westminster are the absorbing
topics of the day. Scarcely anything like
them has occurred since the efforts of Charles
l. in that direction. The arrest of Mr.. Cox
NJ p, was an affair by itself, though a re-
minder that the soil of England is no longer,
for Irishmen at least, haven of safety for
political offenders. The arrest of Mr.. Pyne.
NJ. p, within the precincts of the House of
Parliament, is an altogether different matter.
and. if il be condemned. the last shred of the
old. still universally held pretence, that MEM
bers of Parliament possessed an immunity
from arrest Within the walls of Parliament,
will be finally swept away. did not witness
the arrest of Pyne, but all accounts concur
in the statement that he had actually entered
within the precincts when he was vic lently
dragged back and showed into cab, without
being shown Il warrant, and the outrage is all
the greater because Mr.. Pyne might have
been arrested at his lodgings. The outrage
is not so great in the case of Mr.. Gilhooly,
for he was undoubtedly arrested outside the
precincts of the House of Commons; but
even in this case the circumstances attending
the arrest constitute an outrage in them
selves. The manner in which every ap-
proach to the houses of Parliament, whether
by the street front or the river, was guarded
all day yesterday by scores of detectives, was
simply unprecedented Members were scru-
tinized as they passed in and out of the build
ing, as if they were all criminals on the run
and more than one of them was followed
when they passed into the street, for some
distance, by half dozen detectives each
The scene, OF rather scenes, in the House il
self before Mr.. Gilhooly left, were unpre-
cedented. II became generally known that
the police were on the watch for him, and in
the division lobbies of the House the men,
Der for West Cork was visited and
talked to by scores of English and Scotch as
well as Irish members. The utmost sympa-
thy was exhibited, especially by the English
and the Scotch, and when Gilhooly did at last
go out bent on challenging arrest, he was
ianked ON one side by an Englishnan
and on the other by a Scotchman, and fol-
lowed by at least hundred Enlishmen.
Scotchmen, Welchmen and Irishmen. II was
a most exciting march from the members en-
trance across the palace yard to the gate and |
suppose no one was ever eyed SO intently by
SO many eyes as was the detective Who the
moment the crowd with Mr.. Gilhooly in the
centre, started from the House, got imme-
diately into the midst of it near his intended
IL "ds an tAitofulaty RatueiiHS
and included Teries as well Liberals, police
men in uniform, as well civilians,
and, among the rest, MIR. Parnell him
sells, who patted Mr.. Gilhooly on the
back. The arrest of Mr.. Patrick O'Brien,
NJ. p, in mistake for Mr.. Gilhooly, was,
of course, n more fragrant outrage than
any. The three events taken to
gether, are very serious, and will probably
on Monday form the subject of a whole
nights debate in the Commons. No immed-
late advantage to the prisoners will be
gained, but the discussion, if it does nothing
else, will be the means of directing general
attention to the acute nature of the Irish
crisis. Mr.. Parnell himself will lead off the
discussion, if he does not change his mind in
the mean time, and he will afterward lead off
also the debate ON his own amendment to the
address. He has a splendid case, and the
speech of Balfour last night shows that the
government is about as rotten as il can be.
But for the arrests, however. interest would
not be concentrated so much just now on the
work in Parliament as on the elections out
side. So far these latter promise, one and
all, a victory for the Liberals, but in every
case there will be desperate fight, and the
issue in the two London constituencies at
least is doutful