Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-02-22
A GREAT DOCUMENT
The Exhaustive Report Of the
Parneli Commission Is
Submitted.
The Fac Smile Letter a Forgery
and Other Charges Sus-
tanned.
A Large Number Of ParneIIite Mem
bers Found Guilty OF Conspir-
acy In Participating in
Boycott.


LONDON, Feb. lA-The report OF
Judges Harmon, Day and Smith, the
special commission appointed to inves-
tigate the charges made by the Times
against the Parnellite members of the
commons, VAS laid on the table yester-
day by Mathews, secretary of state for
home affairs. The report occupied 1872
pages, Each member Of the house
against whom charges were made is
treated separately. The judges find
that speeches made by many of the Par
n~ellites were intended to bring about a
separation of Ireland from England
and that speeches of others, in view of
the state of the country, were calculated
to foment crime.
The greatest interest centers in the
fAial conclusions which follow:
4. We find that the respondents, mem
berrs of parliament, were not members of
"a conspiracy having for it's object to estab-
bsh absolute independence in ireland, but
find that some of them, together with
Davitt, established and joined "A lane
league with the intention by its means to
bring about the absolute independence of
Ireland as "A separate nation.
2. The res pondents did enter into n con
spiracy by IA system Of coercion and intim-
idation To promote agrarian agitation
against the payment of agricultural rents,
for the purpose of impoverisbing and ex-
polling from the country the Irish land.
lords.
B. The charge that after denouncing GER
tain crimes in public they afterward led
their supporters to believe such denuncia-
ton was not sincere, is not established
We entirely acquit Mr.. Parnell and the
other respondents of the charge of insin-
certify in their denunciation of the Phoenix
park murders, and we find the fac simile
letter upon which this charge was chiefly
based against Parnell is u forgery. The
respondents did disseminate the news
papers tending to incite sedition and the
commission of other crimes. The re
s~pondepts did not directly incite any per-
son to the commission of crime other than
intimidation, but did incite to intimida-
ton, and the consequence was that crimes
and outrages were committed by the
persons SO melted. As to the allegation
that the respondents dill nothing to prevent
the crime, and expressed no bona fde
disapproval of the crime, some of the
respondents-in particular Michae Davitt
did express bona fde disapproval of the
crime and outrage; but the respondents
did not denounce the ystem of intimidation
which led to the crime and outrage, but
persisted I'm this abstention of denuncia-
tion with the knowledge of its effect. The
respondents defended the persons charged
with agrarian crimes and supported their
families, but IL did not prove they sub
scribed TO the testimonial or were inti-
mately associated with notorious criminals.
As to the allegation that the respondents
made payments to compensate persons
who had been injured in the commission of
crime, We find that they did make such
payments. As TO the allegation that the re-
spondent invited the assistance and co -oper-
alton of and accepted subscriptions of
money from known advocates of crime and
the use of dynamite, we find the respond
ents did invite the assistance and co opera
ton of and accept subscriptions of money
from Patrick Ford-known as an advocate
of crime and dynamite; but IL has not been
proved the respondents knew that the
Clan-na Gael controlled the land league or
was collecting money for parliamentary
funds: but it has been proved the respond
ents invited and obtained assistance and
the cooperation Of the physical force party
ia America, including the Clan ma Gael,
and in order TO obtain that assistance alb
stained from repudiating or c~ondemning
the action of that party. Besides, there
remains three specific charges against
Parnell personally, namely: A
That at the time of the Kill
mainham negotiations Parnell knew
Sheridan and Boynton had been organizing
outrnges and therefore wished TO us them
TO put down The outrages. Not proved,
B-That Parnell was in innate with the
leading invincibles; that he probably
learned from them what they were about
when he was released on parole in April,
1882, and that he recognized the Phpnix
.--A ~
nod there is no foundation for this charge,
and that the invincibles were not a branch
of the land league. Chat Parnell, by
an opportune remittance, enabled II.
Byrne to escape from Justice TO France.
We find that Parnell did not make any
remittance to enable Byrne to escape from
justice.
Regarding the two special charges
against Davitt, that he was a Fenian ami
assisted in the formation of the land league
with money contributed for the purpose of
outrage and crime; hat he was in close
and ultimate association with the party OF
violence in America, and was mainly in
strumental in bringing about an alliance
of that party and the Parnellite and home
rule party in America, we find it proved
that Davitt was a Fenian and received
money from the diminishing fund con
tribute for the purpos Of outrage. This
was not, however, for formation of the
land league itself, but for the promotion OF
agitation leading up TO it. We also fnd
that he, in such close and intimate associa
ton witE the party of violence in America
was the man mainly instrumental in bring
ing about the alliance referred to.
In the opening Of the report the judges
refer to the unprecedented character o.
the inquiry. The history of the actor
Of the leaders of the Irish party from
1877 is recited. The relations were
traced that existed between the found
ers of the land league and the Fenian,
and Irish Americans. Referring to boy
cotting 1t declares that instances ad
duced before the commission proved
that it consisted of a system of intimi
dalton of a most severe and cruel char
acter. A boycott combination is illega.
both in its objects and the mean!
adopted to carry it out. 1t was an elab
crate, all pervading tyranny, aiming
to injure the landlords as q class anc
drive them out of the country. Thi.
action of the league far exceeds the linn,
its of the just force of public opinion
and created we'll grounded terror
In those minds suffering under
it. The commission comes to the
conclusion that this was the
intention of those devising and carry
my out the system. In our judgment
the leaders of the league thus combin,
ing to carry out the boycott were guilty
Of criminal conspiracy. We consider
this charge established against Parnell
Dillon, Biggar, Sexton, 4. p. O'Connor
Matthew Harris, w. O'Brien, Il. ID. Sui
Ivan, T. M. Healy, II. Harrington, Il
Harrington, A. O'Connor, J.. K. Kenny
w. Redmond, j. r. Redmond. justin
Mccarthy, j, O'Connor, Y. j. Condor, j,
j. O'Kelly, Cummins Cox, Patrick Hea,
j. ID. Chehan, l.. Lehy, f. Lemy, j.
Barry, C. X. Tanner, Maurice Healy, 7,
Quinn. Daniel Chilly, j. r. X. O'Brien,
r. Lalor, T. Name, j. Deasy, j. G
Flynn, j. Jordan, w. b. Lane, ID
Sheehy, ID. Sullivan, q. N. Burn and
Michael Davitt.
Under the charge Of disseminating
newspapers tending to incite crime the
report lays stress upon the fact that
Parnell did not produce the report o.
any speech wherein he denounced the
use Of dynamite, also no denunciatior
by Parnell of the action of tho physical
force party In Ireland or America had
been given in evidence. Parnell ad'
mitted that he was unable to say he
had, by speech or action, found any
fault with the Fenian organization,
The statistics Of crime for 1880, 1881