The record-union., 1897-08-13

punishable with death.
But the 'squireens' were not fright
ened or deferred by these threats and
warnings. So long had they enjoyed
immunity that they fancied they could
continue TO run away with whatsoever
girls they pleased. But in this they
were cruelty mistaken. A determined
Lord Lieutenant was at the helm, and
he had no sympathy with abduction
clubs.
THE KENNEDY SISTERS.
In 1913 two young ladies made their
appearance upon the Irish social hori-
zon, who combined in themselves the
rare attributes of considerable wealth
and great beauty. They were Rather
inc and Anne Kennedy, daughters of a
County Waterford Squire of large es-
tate, Mr. Kennedy of Rathmeathan
Manor. A meeting of the South Lem
ster abduction club was called, and lots
were drawn for the heiresses. The
lucky (or, as it afterward proved, hid
eously unlucky) members were Lieu
tenant James Strange, brother to the
Baron of Dunkitt, and collateral an
cester of the present Lord Below, and
Gerald Byrne, cousin of the Earl Of
Ormonde. Both were of excellent fam
lilies and exceptionally well connected.
Mr.. Byrne was an easy-going, rather
stupid person, renowned as hard rid
er to hounds and a fine athlete. Mr..
Strange pronounced Strang), on the
contrary, was a young man of violent,
headstrong disposition, endowed with
a fair share of brains, and an eX-offi-
Ger in the French service. They were
both % years Of age; and neither had
laid eyes upon the young ladies who
had fallen to them by lot
The abduction clubs had spies in
every parish; and it was soon ascer-
tanned that on a certain day, the
Misses Kennedy would drive from Lord
Desart's country place (where they had
been staying) to attend a performance
in Kilkenny given by the famous Sam
uel Foote. A meeting of the conspira-
tors was held in Kilkenny, and on the
appointed day the approaches to the
theater We're guarded by over one hun
dred gentlemen, armed with swords,
and by twice that number of peasants
with shillalahs The fair Kennedys
attracted great attention as they sat in
a stage box during Mr.. Foote'S per-
formance of "The Mayor Of Garratt'';
and there, for the first time, Strange
and Byrne saw their destined heiresses.
The result was an immediate voluntary
exchange on the part of the young men.
Strange, to whose lot Katherine Ken
nedy had fallen, fell in love with Anne
at first sight; and Byrne became equal
ly smitten with Katherine. In the
theater they agreed "to swap sweet
hearts,"
As the ladies left the theater they
were escorted by their cousin, Mr.
Loughnan (whose sisters abduction has
been alluded toy, Sir Charles Cuffe, and
Colonel Helsham. They were in the act
of stepping into a coach, when four
gentlemen with wizards over their faces
attacked them. Colonel Helsham and
Mr.. Loughnan instantly drew their
swords, but the first-named gentleman
was struck down with a shillalah, while
Mr. Loughnan fell pierced through the
shoulder with a rapier Sir Charles
Cuffe attempted to seize the girls, but
the mob swarmed down upon him, and
he was finally stunned by a blow from
the butt end of pistol Then the
Kennedys were carried rapidly to the
other end of the Parade "a fashionable
street,, where two coaches, each with
four horses and positions, were in
waiting. Crack went the whips, round
went the Wheels" and away through
the dusk Of a summer evening went the
unfortunate heiresses, one in each
coach, and guarded as carefully as
though they were desperadOes.
The first stop was made at Knocna-
doge, the shooting lodge Of a Mr.. B.
Strange's cousin. in the Castlecomer
hills. Here the young ladies We're al
lowed to alight. Two peasant girls in
the pay of the abduction club, were
assigned to them as maids; and during
the night their own half brother (whO
curiously, was a member of the club
and bound by its oaths) introduced
Byrne and Strange and Informed his
sisters that they must marry those dar-
ing swains.
Katherine Kennedy was of a gentle,
timorous nature, and soon consented to
wed Byrne-whom, indeed, she seemed
to like very much. But Anne Kennedy
held out resolutely, and only the threat
of being imprisoned in the darksome
depths of one of the neighboring coal
mines caused her to give way Event
ually a clergyman, real or mock, made
his appearance, and the weeping girls
were forced, at the pistol point, into
matrimony Then the madcap flight
was continued with fresh horses across
the hills. Toward morning the coast
of Wexford was reached, and the en-
tire party embarked on a fishing smack
with the intention of making for
France.
But in the meantime a courier had
reached Dublin, and the Lord Lieuten-
ant was moving heaven and earth to
capture the abductors. A fleet sloop-
of-war put out of Dublin Bay and sped
down the Irish Sea An unfortunate
delay on the part of the abductors
skipper gave the pursuing vessel its
opportunity, and in midchannel the
fishing smack was overhauled. Byrna,
Strange, and their servants We're all
captured. heavily ironed, and taken to
Waterford, where they were transferred
to Kilkenny jail.
Katherine Kennedy positively refused
to give evidence against Byrne, but the
other sister, whose affections Strange
had not succeeded in gaining, went on
the witness stand and swore her hus
bands life away. Both the young men
were found guilty and sentenced to
death-the forced marriages being at
the same time declared null and void.
Then began an earnest struggle 70
save Byrne and Strange. The machin-
cry and influence of the abduction as
sociations were set in motion. Every
available string was pulled. Petitions
for clemency poured in upon the Lord
Lieutenant from every quarter, the
Prince of Wales afterwards George