The advocate., 1894-01-17

ing SlghC' AngereQ DeyOnQ repression,
I instinctively put my hand into my
pocket and cooked my pistol; and, just
as the wretch was about to deal the
woman murderOus blow on the head
and as her arms went up to avert the
assault, pulled my old reliable, and
pointing it dead at him, said: You in
fernal Irish brute, drop that, or I'll
drop YOU
"SWiftly changing his club to his
left hand, he whipped out his gun and
was drawing it on me when / fired and
instantly killed the ScOundrel. The
discharge of my weapon caused two
other Irish policemen to rush out Of
saloon and run at once to the scene.
After making a few hasty inquiries,
they called assistance to take the dead
man away, and then, swearing at us
and violently jerking us-my weapon
having been seized-they took the
woman and myself to prison. To my
great delight, someone in the crowd
had, while the two policemen were
bustlirg and swearing, spirited the
little girl away, and she was no where
to be found. was locked in a cell,
and from that moment till three years
ago never knew liberty again. have
never since seen the woman, nor, for
twenty-five years after that evening,
did | hear what became of her.
''My trial came on quite speedily. If
it had been just a plain, unadOrned,
everyday sort Of murder, my act might
probably have passed unnOtiCed, as in
New York in those days many muir
derS did. But | had killed policeman,
and in this country, to be a policeman,
and especially an Irish policeman, is,
as it once was to be Roman, greater
than to be king. These Mickies con
stantly whine about the oppression Of
Ireland's people by the British con-
stabulary; yet the first thing an Irish
man hunts after, when he lands on our
shores is a job of playing the star
spangled tyrant over the poor of some
American city.
"Well, they made it highly un-
pleasant for me in jail. Quite sultry.
They had cOroner's inquest at which
all Irish Officialdom glared at me in
concert. Then they yanked In an i'm
partial jury, specially selected by an
Irish bailitf, and tried me for keeps.
An Irish judge, contrary to all prece-
dent, refused to allow me to conduct
my own defense or to address the jury
in my own behalf-knOWing l could
not appeal, no matter what he might
do, but assigned some fool of indefinite
nationality to play lawyer for me, and
l had been ground out tirSt-ClaSS can
didate for the galloWs tree before had
fairly got my bearings. | remember
that the Mickie judge threw special en-
phasis on the be hanged by the neck,
as if he feared / might misunderstood
the sentence of the court and get the er-
roneous impression that | was to be
hanged by the heels.
"SOme comrades, still lingering in
New Y ork at that time, CHANGED to hear
Of my tribulation, and succeeded in
bringing to bear some sort Of influence
which, at the last moment, saved my
neck by securing the Communication OF
my sentence to simply holding down
life time job of hard labor in prison. l
once heard an old cOlored woman say,
on being sentenced to the penitentiary
for life: Seems like powerful long
time to stay dar, jedge.' After my
neck had got used to feeling comfort
able again and my sleep had become
more profound of nights, sympathized
with the old aunty's remark, and l, too,
thought it "a powerful long time to stay
dar.'
"And had done nothing but what
any manly man ought to have done un-
der the circumstances, and nothing
more than, after all l have suffered for
having done it, would just as readily
do again to-day were the same provoca-
tiOn presented"
Kate took the old mans hand in
both of her hands as with flashing eyes