St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-11
Famishing Islanders Robbed
Of Their Only Means of
Livelih GOD,
Summoned to the Mainland.
in Retaliation for Offer
ing Resistance,
And Compelled to Place Their
Lives in Jeopardy to
Crafty a Whim.
British Miners Determined to
Cease Work to Prevent a
Reduction.

LONDON, March 10.-A story has
reached here that has caused many ex-
pressionS of deep Indignation by the
English papers. To the westward of
county Mayo. Ireland, there lies in the
Atlantic small patch of land known as
Clare island. The inhabitants are
mostly fishermen and are miserably
poor. A number of them ran into debt
and their creditors took legal proceed
lngs against them, and sent bailiffs to
seize the few cattle owned by the debt
The islanders resisted the bailiffs, and
as result eighty of them were sum-
mOned to answer at Louis5urgh, the
nearest town on the mainland,in county
Mayo, for resisting officers OF the law.
The islanders obeyed the summons
and presented themselves before the
magistrate. They all appeared to be in
a starving condition, and their thin
garments afforded them little protection
from the inclement weather. The mag
istrate listened to the testimony of the
bailiffs, and then calmly ordered that
the further hearing of the case be held
the next day IN the court house in
Westport, thirteen miles distant. To
reach Westport in time for the hearing
it was necessary for the islanders to
start that night.
PerIshing for a Whim.
They had no money to pay for convey
anceS and were compelled to walk the
entire distance over road that is none
too good In fine weather. That night a
binding snow storm set in. The road
runs alongside the ocean and the poor
people, stumbling along in the darkness,
were exposed to the full fury of sting
ing gale that swept inland from the sea.
Many of the poorly clad islanders,
weakened by their long abstinence from
nourishing food, fell by the roadside,
unable to proceed and would have
persisted had it not been for the kind
hearted villagers along the route who,
when they learned of their Sutferings,
went to their assistance and succored
them with food and shelter.
OF the women in the party not single
one had strength enough to drag her
weary limbs to Westport. The men
who reached the town at once proceed
ed to the court house and presented
themselves before the magistrates there
sitting to hear the case. Many islanders
were almost completely exhausted by
their long and toilsome journey, and all
of them famished and half frozen.
When the magistrates learned that all
the persons summoned were not present
they were incensed at what they were
pleased to term
Disrespect of the Law.
They held forth at great length upon
the strong arm of the law, and how all.
rich and poor alike, were amenable to
its provisions. Then they spoke of the
great goodness of the crown, how it u
tempered justice with mercy, and after
dwelling upon this subject to the pain
full edificatlon of the Shivering Wretches
before them they announced that as the 4
defendants had pleaded guilty to the
charge against them the crown would
extend Its clemency to them. The
court then ordered that the men be lib
Grated upon giving bail for their good
behavior.
The dispatch does not state whether
the bail demanded was furnished, but
as the islanders were not known in
Westport, and as they have nothing of
value of their own the probabilities are
that the bonds were not furnished.
Many of the Clare islanders, though
ostensiDly fishermen. have neither boats
nor nets to follow their vocation. All
the male defendants in this case have
been enabled to earn little money by
employment OH relief works, the en-
pioyment being given to them as mat
fer Of charity