St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-08

one of the most hideous on record, the
motive for its commission was unusual
and extraordinary, and the parties in
VOWED included men of high Standing,
The influences brought to bear to Sc
cure immunity from punishment TO the
perpetrators were tremendous-far out
of proportion to the social, political or
business standing of those concerned
Money flowed in streams TO their cause.
| The ablest legal talent in the country
was employed to defend them. Jurors
were Dribed; witnesses were threatened,
intimidated and purchased: perjury
open and fiagrant. was procured in be
halt or the prisoners. and every influ-
ence potent to sway human action or
legal procedure was exerted to the ut
most. In spite of all this, several of the
lesser eonspirators were convicted; yet
II has ever been the universal conYie-
tion that the chief instigators of the
deed went unwhipt of justice, aud are
To-Day parsuing their customary ayoea-
lions without fear of exposure OF pun
lshment. Yet no proof of their cem-
pilcity sufficient to convict has been OBJ
ever be presented.
r There is, no doubt, some truth in the
theory of the defense IN the Coughlin
case that Mrs. Foy is monomaniac on
I the subject OF the tragedy. Both she
and her husband were in close relations
TO some of the chief actors. She UNI
doubleday had strong suspicious of the
guilty parties, aud by constant brooding
over the CHASTITY details of the conspir-
acy those suspicious deepened into con-
Victlens. Under these circumstances it
was easy for her TO find circumstances
that seemed to lend confederation to the
facts she already knew, but it does not
necessarily follow that they would con-
vince others who were disinterested. or
lead to legal conviction.
One of the weakest parts of her testi-
moDy is the statement that the lives of
Mr.. Finerty and Judge Prendergast
were threatened by the Clan-na-Gael.
Both OF these gentlemen have been
among the most conspicuous champions
OF Irish freedom in the country. They
have been radicals among the radicals
IN demanding, not only home rule, but
emancipation from English domino
ton for the Irish race. Mr.. Finerty,
In congress and upon the rostrum,
has lost no opportunity to demand
that Ireland should be made free. He
is hater of all things English, and
would cheerfully meet martyrdom If he
could thereby promote the cause to
which he has devoted so much of his
life and energy. Judge Prendergast
has 6een no less earnest than Mr.. Fin
erty, although not quite SO conspicuous.
He is nationalist of answering fidel-
ity,>not always discreet. but ever enthu-
siastic. No Irishman of common sense
has ever questioned the fidelity of either
OF these gentlemen, and il requires
great stretch of credulity to believe that
either of them was marked for assassi-
nation by any organization pretending to
have the cause of Ireland at heart.
The promised revelations of Mrs. Foy
may be interesting to the morbid and
sensationally inclined; it is not proba-
bic that they will add to the fund of
knowledge already possessed by the,
public concerning this famous tragedy,
or lead TO the punishment of any of the
guilty who have thus far escaped.