The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-12-13
MANCHESTER RESCUE.
New and Interesting Light
on a Notable Historic
Event.
HISTORIAN C0sTELLo'S STORY.
Who Shot Sergeant Bret--The Mar
iyrs aud Their Share in IL
Facts Cleaned From Eve
Witnesses.
HISTORIAN cosTELLo's STORY.

Augustine e. Costello, the author Of the
History Of the Jersey City Police recently
! published, made an address In which be
revolutionized all the accepted ideas
regarding very notable event in
Anglo-Irish history. The Fenian cause
was at low ebh everywhere after the
disastrous emeute OF 1897. The Irish lead
ers were discredited and the people were
disheartened. At this conjuncEnre the
rescue Of Colonel Kelly and Captain
Deasy from the prison van Of the Man
chester police took place.
IL made tremendous sensation. The
English Tory Government made the pre-
posterous mistake of hanging three of the
men engaged in the rescne. This gave
the irish revolutionary party ralIying
point, and they were not slow to take adj
| vantage Of it. 1t may De said that the
home Rule movement dated from the
hanging of the three men named above.
| Mr.. Costello has been good enough to
commit TO writing his account OF the
Manchester affair." and to furnish 1t to
The NEWS for publication IL will be
read with the special Interest by Jersey
| citizens, who have come to know Mr.
| Costello 80 well through the literary ser
vice he has done their own city. Here is
the story
10 me Ensio5 OF TIE Je73eN Cftv Aefcs-
James stephens had failed 10 keen his
| pledge 10 the irish Revolutionary Broth
erhood and the Irish people everywhere.
that at a given time Ireiand's flag of
| green would be unfurled TO the breeze on
Ireiand's hills. The organization was
fast losing ground and Irish patriots
/ were fast losing hope In the success of
the movement Numbers of the leaders
had been arrested in IS. 80 and '67, and
/ not few had been sentenced to death
4 while others were transported beyond
seas. Stephens himself had been arrested
and rescued. He came to this country
\ and preached war to the knife. but did
nothing to redeem his pledges. It was
/ therefore deemed advisable 10 place a
man at the helm, Of a military training.
l and Colonel Thomas J Kelly. Stephens
deputy chief organizer, and an ex- Union
! officer, WAS placed ia command. He
went about rallyfng the scattered forces
and reuniting the broken ranks and soon
confidence began 10 be restored His
operations were confined principally TO
tile North OF England. Manchester con-
tanned a large IRISH population ana there
he found d promising field for his labors
The officers OF the law tried various
methods TO entrap him, but he was too
old bird TO be caught by Scotland Yard
chaff.
At last accident did what design and
detective skill failed to do. at an early
hour in the morning. September IL. 1857.
I q policeman saw four men who by their
actions excited his suspicious He took
! them for burglars or footpads, and SO
went about arresting them. Two got
away but the pliceman took the other
two 10 the station house, not without a
4 scuffie, however. They seemed to be me-
cnanles by their dress anu appearance.
When searched revolveSs were found
upon them They gave fictitious names
would probably have been discharged
only thai il entered the head of some 50
pient official to remand the men until m
formers could have been bronghv. for
ward TO identify them, as 1t had I.ayned
upon the police that these r.Ssterions
characters might be feniaes in disguise.
Corrydon, tbs informer was brought
over From Dublin anu be Instantly
1 identified the TWO men as
Col. Thomas j. Kelly, the CHEZ OF
the l. r. B., and CapIein John Deasy.
bis chief OF staff. Tnis was great news
for the British Government and there
| WAS great rejoicing tnereat in govern
meni circles. james Stephens had
recently slipped through their hands. his
| successor in Office. Colonel kelby the
bold llish American Fenian chief. would
| be held fast with stout string The
I gaol and the court house were separated
by about three miles. by road that run
TIA W. u q ~ SNAC0 ScLtAQu III 1ahIGHteleE.
The rescue was planned To take place on
the 18th Of September, as the van Was IN
the act of conveying the prisoners from
the court house to the gaol
The Government had received warning
/ OF this medirated rescue and took un-
usual precautions TO thwart any such
scheme Sixteen armed policemen formed
| an escort to the van-eight of whom took
outside passage on the roof, one on the
/ rear step. one inside with the prisoners,
while the remainder followed close be-
hind In TWO buses. The van itself con-
tanned twenty-two prisoners. all OF whom
except Kelly and Deasy being the CON-
mon run OF iailbirds
As against this formidable escort eleven
| men were told of to rescue the Irish pa
| triots. Captain O'Meagher Condor was
In command and the men were in waiting
at a spot on the Believer road near a
| railroad bridge. One side of the road was
occupied by private houses, the other side
! of the road was NOT enclosed but opened
| into brick fields that stretched 10 the rail-
road tracks These tracks were separated
from the brick fields by a wall twelve
| fee thigh.
These are the names of the men who
| formed the rescuiug parity
Peter Rice, William Allen. Joseph
Kelley, Daniel Rsdden. john Stoneham,
\ James Cahill. Peter Ryan. James Dcran,
4 Patrick Bloomfield, John Mearie and
Thomas Buiger.
\ Besides this attacking party a crowd of
some fifty Irish Nattoualists followed
after to see that their colleagues were not
overmatched by superior numbers Ii
needful, 500 volunteers could have been
( found as Z silly as eleven
As the van approached the railroad
arch the eleven men suddenly sprang
from their ambush and before the par
alyzed guard could regain their wits the
1 two horses were shot dead la their tracks.
/ The police guard surrendered uncundf-
| tionaly without strikinga blow--they ran
! for their lives. The van was captured.
but that was the least of the trouble The
sledges and hamtne and other necessary
/ weapons 10 demolish the vau which
should have been on the spot were no.
1 where to be found. Some one had
| blnndered.'' Well, that van must come TO
! pieces somehow or their efforts so far
+ would be ia vain. Men mountad Oh the
1 roof and with heavy rocks rainesl blows
| upon ii. but It budged not from its fas-
/ teninzs. A great row like this soon coli
/ lected u big crowd, every man or whom
was hostile 20 the small band OF rescsers
| Bus tue latter were armed with resolyefS
/ and the fear Of these kept the
constantly increasing crowd at n
4 safe distance TIE van s<outiy
| witnstood sll the blows tiat had been
rained upon it. Sergeant Brett. who
/ held tue fort on the Inside. refused all
ap;IeaIs and threats to hand ont She keys.
1 He was locKed In IS q precaution with
4 the other prisoners. aud 40 one could
! procure the keys which be possessed ex-
| cept with hrs consent or BY force. While