The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-11-27


charged by the Fenians. which had the
effect Of making the Englishmen again
fall back in confusion. These shots,
discharged in the air, were for no other
purpose than that of frightening the
crowd.
while this had been passing around
the van, more tragic scene was passing
inside it. From the moment the report
of the first shot reached him, Sergt.
Brett seemed to have OWNED the nature
and object of the attack My God, it's
those Fenians!' he exclaimed In the
midst of the tumult Brett heard himself
summoned to give up the keys. Brett
refused. The next instant he fell heav-
lily backward, with bullet wound in the
head. A shot fired into the keyhole. for
the purpose of blowing the lock to
pieces, had taken effect in his temple.
"a voice which had been heard before
called out to give up the keys. One of
the women prisoners who was in the
van took them from the pocket Of the
policeman and handed them out through
the trap. The door was unlocked, the
terrified woman rushed out and Brett
rolled out upon the road. Then young
man entered the van and unlocked the
compartments in which Kelly and Deasy
were confined. The trio hurriedly joined
the band outside. Then the man who
opened the door, selling Kelly by the
arm, helped him across the road and
over the wall into the fields beyond.
Here he was taken charge of by others
Of the party and hurried with him across
the country, while similar Office was
performed for Dcasy. The main body
of those who shared in the assault oc
cupied themselves with preventing the
fugitives from being pursued, and not
until Kelly, Deasy and their conductors
had passed far out of sight did they
think OF consulting their own safety"
Such was the famous Manchester res
cue. Needless to say all England was
in a rage when the news flashed
through the country that few Irishmen
had bearded the power Of Great Britain
on British soil and in one Of the most
populous of British cities. and carried
off two Irish rebels from the clutches
of the English law. Vengeance was the
cry on every side, and for several days
the Irish residents OF Manchester had IL
hard and bitter time OF 1t. Scores Of
n6
suspicion, and out of the number five
were ultimately selected for trial on
the capital charge of murder. And the
five were convicted and sentenced to
death, yet 1t was very soon proved and
admitted by the crown prosecutors that
one Of those men-Thomas Mcguire
had nothing whatever to do with the
rescue; that he was, In fact, sitting in
when the rescue took place. A few
days after the trial and ''verdict" Ma
guire was "pardoned" and discharged
from prison a frer man. Another of
the five who were convicted and SEN
fenced to death was Capt. O'Meagher
Condor. What saved Capt Condor was
his American citizenship. The British
government did not care to risk the ex-
pertinent of hanging an American citi-
zen on the strength of a ''verdict" which,
In the case of one of the convicted men
(Maguire), had been demonstrated to he
false.
After the verdict of guilty" had been
pronounced the condemned mon, being
asked in the usual form if they lad
anything to say" each delivered an adj
dress-eloquent. touching impressive.
No man In this court" said William
Philip Allen. regrets the death of Ser
geant Brett more than l do.
I'll die, as many thousands have died,
for the sake of their beloved land and
In defense Of 1t. will die proudly and
triumphantly in defense of the liberty
Of an oppressed and cnslavcd people. u
l am fearless, fearless of the pun
ishment that can be inflicted upon me-"
Michael I4arkin, after expressing his
sorrow for the death of Sergeant Brett,
said: Il do not want to deny that |
did go to give aid and assistance to
those two noble heroes that were con-
fined in that van. l did go to do as
much as lay in my power to extricate
them out Of their bondage but did
not go to take life"
Michael OI3rien made a spirited
speech, IN the course of which he point
ed in energetic words tho contrast be-
tween England's professions of sympa-
thy with oppressed peoples in other
lands and her own despotic rule in Ire
land. "The right of man" said he, lis
freedom"
Capt. Condor was the last to speak,
In concluding his address he used the
words E(IO1 cave Irala pdr--wnrflu MI, oh