The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-11-14
HUMBUG OR SPY.
New York ITishmen Tell
What They Know Of
Thomas Merrick
Jones.
WROTE INFLAnMAToRY ARTICLES
The Shamrock and Nally Clubs
Said to Be Non-secret
Organizations.
WROTE INFLAMMAFORY ARTICLES

| NEW YORK. Nov. IA, 1S96-The story
| Of the spy William. alias Thomas Mer-
| rick Jones, who testified In London yes
| terday against Edward j. Ivory, giving
! particulars of Irish secret organizations
here, was the subject of much discussion
| this morning among Irishmen prominent
in the national movement.
II knew Jones while he was in this
country" said William Lyman, President
of the Irish National Alliance, this morn
ing. II never became intimately ac-
quainted with him. I used to see him
occasionally at Amnesty meetings and
| meetings of the Alliance. AS he testi-
fies, he may have met me in company
with Boland, though 1 do not remember
the occurrence. While here he seemed
very fiery against England and was al
ways talking of using dynamite. He
contributed good many articles to the
Irish Republic" but none of them was
suitable for publication on account of
their infiammatory nature. Most of them
went Immediately into the waste basket.
Those that didn't may probably be found
| around the publication office now in
manuscript form.
"As far as his association with Irish
societies here is concerned, this man
Jones may have belonged to the Irish
National Alliane, and the Shamrock Club
and the Nally Club. The Irish National
Alliance is not a secret organization. It
was formed at Chicago in September, 1925.
when we found that no progress was
being made by Parliamentary agitation.
It has for its avowed object the liberation
of Ireland by any civilized means, by
striking at England's commerce, by or
ganizing against her, or in any other
fashion not unlawful. But we have
never countenanced anarchy, or dynamite,
or any other such foolshness.
tAt the time of the organization of the
society Its constitution was published in
almost every newspaper in the country.
1t is not secret organization, and never
has been. Jones is an Orangeman, but
in the Alliance no distinction is made son
religious lines. The idea is to unite all
Irishnen in one cause.
He may have been member of the
Shamrock Club. but that is not secret
organization 1t is not even a political or
ganizatscn, being merely a social and lit
erary club of young men mostly Irish
men. The Nally Club is a somewhat sinst-r
lar organization. Neither IS secret and
neither is political. All his testimony re-
garding members, signs, pass words. dis
trict orders and so forth is made up OF
whole CLOTH No such things existed and
he knows it. As far as I konw there are
no secret organizations in this country.
There are certainly none in this city, and
his story of having belonged to them is
purely false. His documents are fakes,
as he is himself
Jones Is an ordinary British informer,
and not a particularly brilliant one at that.
They have good many better and bright
er ones IN this country, and if they had
anything of an incriminating nature
against Ivory they would be on hand 70
produce it.
Since this matter came up have made
q personal investigation of Ivory's stand
| ing here and have discovered that he is
not a member of the Irish National Al
lance. / notice that Jones has not testi-
| fed that he was; if he does he will be tell
ing q falsehood.
ST know also from personal investiga-
tion that Ivory's trip abroad. was for
pleasure only. He had no mission either
| political or private. The charge against
| him is a trumped up affair and the teSti-
mony manufactured. So far the prosecu-
tion has blundered dreadfully. They have
not proved his association with any poll
tical movement. even upon paid testimony.
Ivory is, besides, an American citizen,
! and the Government will not see him sent
| to prison on any charge not proved be-
| yond the shadow of a doubt OF course.
! all IriShmen in this country will stand by
| him. not on account of any political mis-
/
| sion, but because he is an Irishman and
| in trouble on account of his nationality
| 1t is possible that someone from here will
| attend the trial to testify in Ivory's fa-
yor'
Messrs. Bali, Gallagher, Kearney, Ty-
nan and other Irishmen prominent in
Irish society circles, who have been ap-
preached by reporters of the United
Associated Presses to obtain their views
with regard to Jones testimony against
Ivory, all agree that there is nothing for
Jones to tell that would be of the slight
est use to the Scotland Yard detectives
At the same time they believe that 1t will
materially operate against Ivory in his
forthcoming struggle.
THE American people have no idea how
easy It Is to cook up case against an
James F. Egan, the Amnesty delegate,
who served nine years in prison. So
called evidence that would be thrown out
case of Informer Jones | do not see a
single statement that could convict Ivory
with the charge of being. concerned in
any dynamite conspiracy.
Secretary c. O'C. Mclaughlin. of the
| Alliance. who is editor of the Irish RE
public, referred to in the informer's tes-
him articles which were so violent thai
he I'd dared not publish psoI.. them. me1
Of days, and during that time Jones
managed to get in an article. 1t got me
into a lot OF. trouble with Mr., Lyman
in the strongest terms. As a matter of
fact ] understood the same article was
responsible fer the paper being sup
pressed in England and Ireland for weeks
afterwards"
Jones was one of the secretaries of
the Amnesty Association, and was also
one of the secretaries of the big amnesty
meeting held in the Grand Opera House
last spring. He was one of the members
who greeted Dr. Gallagher on his ar
rival, and it Is remembered by him now
that on that occasion, when he saw Gal
lagher's condition, he went into a frenzy
ard called down maledictions ON the
English Government. In that he was re-