The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-11-20
FOR THE LAND OF HIS NATIVITY
Speech at a Banquet in the City
of San Francisco.
ESCAPED FROM BANlSHMENT
He Was a Leading Member of the
"Young Ireland Party"

After the escape of John Mitchell from
Van Diemen's Land. to which he was
transported In lS4S by the British gov
| crnment. he came to the United States.
A banquet was rendered to him in San
! Francisco on Oct. rs, 1858, the tickets
being $40, and the speech made by him
on the occasion has been found in the
| Alta by III. J. NJ" who gives it to the
San Francisco Nation, with the follows
| ing introduction:
| 1t may be asked by other than Irish
men who was John Mitchell and what
did he ever accomplish that tempted
four Or five hundred of the gallant plo-
necrs--amongst whom were men Of
| every hue In politics and shade in relI-
| gion-to publicly bid him welcome to
our shores and to tender him Il banquet,
ut which the governor of this state pre-
sided. and the mayor Of the city occu-
pied tho vicc-chair Irishmen knew full
we'll Of his principles and the gallant
stand he took against the tyranny of
| England. But even to our countrymen
the following facts will be interesting:
| John Mitchell was born at Camnish,
Derry, Ireland. on November 3, 1916,
His father. who was II Presbyterian
| clergyman, had intended him for the
ministry. but Tho best laid plans Of
mice and men aft gang aglee" Young
| Mitchell was educated nt DR.. Hender-
sons school ut Ncwry, where he became
acquainted with his lifelong friend,
I John Martin. He matriculuted ut Trim
ity college. Dublin, In 1890, and subse-
qucntly entered the office of John Quinn.
solicitor. ut Ncwry. He was admitted
to the bar iii 1910 and commenced prac-
| ticc at cambridge. In lS42 he became
acquainted with the young and gifted
Thomas Dnvls. "by far the greatest man
OF the day, of his own or any other
party in Ireland" and he 1t was who
first filled Mitchel's soul with the pas
sion Of u great ambition and IL lofty
purpose. In 1S,2 Mitchell joined the Re-
peal association, and two years later
he abandoned his profession and a most
lucrative practice and accepted posi-
tIon on the staff of the Dublin Nation.
which was then the organ OF the Young
Ireland Party" whose grand object 1t
was to lift up the Irish cause high
above both Catholic claims 1nd Protes-
tant prctcnsions, and unite all sccts in
the one character of "Irishmcn" to put
an end to English domination. He took
Il lending part in the discussions on the
moral force Tor pcncc) resolutions in tho
| Cancellation hall, Dublin, and seeded
from the Repeal association with Thom-
rs Il. Mcaghcr. Smith Ol}rien and the
rest of the Young Ireland Party" on
that memorable 2Sth of July, 1S4G.
| EAaspcratcd at seeing his fellow
oountrymcn starving in Il land of plenty.
Mitchcls views became still more adj
vanccd, and at length finding himself
unable any longer to agree with tho
moro cautious policy of Gavin Duffy,
who was editor of the Nation, he retired
from it's staff in December, lSl7.
On February 12. 1913, he issued the
first number of the United Irshman, a
] weekly newspaper published in Dublin,
in which nc wrote his wcll-known letter
to Lord Clarendon, then Lord Lieuten-
| ant of Ireland and openly invited his
! fcllow-countrymen to rebellion.
On the 18th Of May Mitchell was ar
rested and charged with "trcason fcl-g
ony." He was tried at the Commission
court, Green street. Dublin, before Baron
LEROY and Justice Moore on the 25th
and 2Gth of May, 184S, and was sentenced
| to fourteen years penal scrvitude.
He was conveyed on the "Scou1ge" to
Bermuda where he was confined in the
hulks, but his health having become
completely shattered he was removed
to Van Dicmen's Land, whence, having
surrendered his parole. he escaped in
the summer Of 1853, and arrived in San
Francisco In October Of that year on
board the schooner Julia Anne. Captain
Davis master. At the banquet, in res
ponsc to Governor Bigler's toast. John
| Mitchell and the Independence of Ire
land" Mr.. Mitchell said
| Governor Bigler and citizens of San
| E'rancisco: You will not Wonder-you
will indulge me little, me captive Of
years, after five weary years of living
death, immured in dungeons by land
and sea, or eating the bitter bread Of
penal exile in the depths of the forests
OF convict colony-if my senses are
somewhat overpowered by the thunders
of your welcome to a free land. seem
like one slowly opening his eyes to the :
light of the outer world after a long