The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-04-09
FOR irish PRISONERS
Enthusiastic Amnesty Meeting
in Hoboken-John Par.
nell Speaks.

A melting was held last night in st.
Mary's School Hall, Hoboken, under the
auspices. of the Irish societies of that
city, in aid of amnesty for the Irish and
Irish-American political prisoners. The
meeting was called to order by Commits
sioner John C.. Skelly, who introduced
Mayor Pagan as the first speaker. The
Mayor was received with loud applause,
and thanked the audience for their hearty
reception. His address was very short,
he merely stating the object of the meet
ing, and then giving way to Mr.. James
F. Eagan, who was the speaker of the
evening. Mr.. Eagan confined his talk
chiefly to the prisons in which he and
the other political prisoners rave been
and are now incarcerated. He said:
1.-THE cells in which the Irish are placed
are one hundred times worse than the
cells of the other prisoners. They call
our cells the punishment cells. In winter
time they are so cold that we nearly
perish. They keep the ventilating win
dows open all the time, and in summer
they are kept closed so that we nearly
suffocate. We are compelled to lie on
boards, instead Of in a hammock, like
other prisoners. Instead of a portable
SkO0t 10 A vi We nave a Ufunk OF a
tree, and year after year we are COM
PEELED to sit in the same position. Over
head in the cells are trap-doors. which
are Kept continually banging. so that if
anyone is at all nervous 1t is only a
question of a few months and he is a raw
ing maniac.
1T was those t~rap-doors which drove
Dr. Gallagher, Whitehead and Flanagan
now confined there, five or six of them
are insane, and they are treated the
same as the other prisoners. Often they
are put in straight jackets and kept there
for several days. l cut my hand once,
and when Ewent to get it bandaged up
the Keepers would not let it be done,
telling me that | could bleed to death.
THE food they give the Irish is often
tainted, and many a time can not be
eaten. On the Easter Sunday before I
was released they gave me some bread.
Wnen | PIT 1t open saw two large,
to spit it out. That night one of the
prisoners who had eaten some of the
bread was taken with commissions. and
would have died. None OF us were ever
ever allowed to see visitors for fear we
would tell about the food and how
they tried to poison us.
'McGrath, previous to his death, was
compelled to work up until the last mo-
ment, and 1t was only when he fell from
exhaustion and repeated blows failed
to arouse him that they took him to the
infirmary: Three-fourths Of an hour later
he was dead"
The speaker then appealed to his hear
ers TO get together and help their fell
low countrymen. who were suffering in
a good cause. He said he had received
several donations from sympathizers
who could not get there and had been
told thai he would hear from others.
Just then q representative from Michael
y Coyle stepped upon the platform and
handed Chairman Shelly $40. from the
Boulevard superintendent.
Following Mr.. Eagan came Mayor simon
Kelly. When he stepped to the front nf
the platform, the applause from ire
handful was deafening.
Thanks Weehawken,, said the Kline
Why ii this meeting had been held mn
there the people would have been llDon
the roof looking in"
Mr.. John H. Parnell, M. p. brother az
the late Charles Stuart Parnell, made an
address, in which he said he was merely
IN this country on business and to see
his mother, and meeting Mr.. Eagan Tues
day, ne accepted an invitation to be
present at the meeting. He said that
ne could never do enoug for his fell
low countrymen who were now in prison.
and hoped the time would soon come
when they would all be liberated. BY the
help of the Americans and other svmpa
thetic nations, he said he thought the
English. Government could be induced to
liberate them.
During the evening a short entertain-
ment was given, at which Mr.. Joseph
Sheehan sang several songs and an or
chestra played several selections Tho
meeting concluded by all singing Odd
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