The Irish standard., 1897-12-04
THE IRISH JOAN OF ARC.
She Failed to Appear at the Lyceum
Theater.

The Lyceum was filled Thursday even-
ing with an interested audience, hopeful Of
hearing the Irish Joan Of Arc. Miss Come.
whose devotion to the cause of liberty has
made her beloved of the Irish nation. Miss
Come did not appear. but James Egan.
formerly a political prisoner in England,
proved a worthy attraction. There was a
long delay in beginning the program. but
the audience endured with good nature, and
phtlosOphcally received the news that Miss
Come was detained in Omaha with illness.
Chris A. Gallagher offered the words of
regret at the common disappointment, and
when he said the Irish heart was used to
osappointnients and had learned to bear
tnem ne touched the sympathy and interest
of his hearers
z. d. O'Brien, Of St. Paul, who presided
over the meeting. was then introduced. He
spoke OF the privilege of hearing a martyr
10 the Irish cause who had spent nine
years IN prison for daring to affirm his
Egan's appearance. John f. Gehan, of St.
raul sang THE Minstrel Boy" with such
touching pathos that he was recalled and
gave The Wearing of the Green most
enectlvely. In introducing Mr. Egan, Mr.,
OBrien said 1t would be hard for the audi
ence to realize the terrors which would be
reiated, but they ought to thank God each
oay that they live in land of freedom.
:, Mr. Esan announced his mission as en-
nsting sympathy with the amnesty moye-
ment set on foot for the relief OF the irish
poltlcal prisoners and their families. He
said in part AAo
our members in parliament have been
ASKING day by day for the release of the
prisoners, but they are still behind the
,'a mans; we thought when the great jubilee
was, was held IN our land. the queen Will re-
lease our Prisoners but it was not done.
on the occasion of the recent royal visit
10 ireland the world thought our prisoners
1se Mou,a be released. but they are today in
English cells. N"' ~
10 realize how they came to be there
you must know that in 's2 and so there was
d scare IN England raised in part no doubt
~ .ie government to stop the Irish move
. naen. whlch was SO strong it had to be
stopped or led on by <Parnell until there
cnange Then many of the leading nation
ailsts were arrested in all parts of tha
country, l among them, and cast in prison
When true charges could not be found tha
government employed spies, 1 am sorry to
say some of them Irish. who were willing
10 sen their country for what England
would give. eAAo
Every means had been used to crush
the irish movement but when it would
not yield to force. Irishmen were arrested
an over the land to show the English that
wherever 1rlshmen were they were plot
that as the most unjust charge ever made
against my countrymen. We were not
working against people but against the
English government, which had treated us
so that wonder that God has not punished
them ere this. We Nationalists had he
lteved that organization such as prevailed
throughout Ireland was not enough and
had banded together secretly to plan for
such force that when England should he
embroiled in any European war we might
strike for liberty. So secret was our or
ganization that the government could get
no proof of the movement, and NATIONAL
lists were arrested on false charges"
Mr. Egan described how spies persuaded
a friend of his to keep package for them
and then Informed the government officers
that 1t contained dynamite. The package
was never opened. but the man was CON
victed of the charge of having a bomb
ana was sentenced to life Imprisonment at
hard labor. and he (Mr. Egan) was con-
Victed and sentenced to 20 years for having
harbored this man previous to the trial
against him. Similar charges were pre-
ferred against rs men. and the tale of their
suffering and brutal treatment at the hands
of prison officials was sickening. Three of
the men died in prison, six within 12 months
Of their release, and seven went insane
1.-THE British government has never vet
spoken the truth in regard to Irishmen
and never WILL" continued Mr.. Egan 1.-THE
amnesty movement Is to provide for the
wives and children of the prisoners and to
help reestablish them in life. If when they
are released they retain their senses and
are not like Dr. Gallagher. recently return
ed to this country. hopelessly insane. do
not forget your '9S men,"
Mrs. 8. B. Harris sang Erich and Rare
Were the Jewels She Wore," after which
DR.. Shutter addressed the audience He
was greeted with prolonged applause anu
said: Wherever two or three Irishmen arc
gathered together. there am also in the
midst of them. When 1t comes to the ouey-
ton. Of Irish soil belonging to Irishmen.
am an 1rishman; when it is question Of
home government for Ireland I am an
Irishman. 1 am just as Irish as If I had
made my advent into this world with a
green flag IN one hand and a shillalah in
the other.
what Mr.. Egan has said ought to
awaken sympathy in the hearts of all
lovers Of suffering humanity. 1t is some.
times asked when will this Irish question
end? 1t will end, but not until Justice Is
done to Ireland. There are two possible
outcomes of the question, that all Irish be
driven from their country, and that the
Irish people shall unite and carry all oppo-
sition before them. 1t is due to the ire
pressble nature of the Irish people that
they are not crushed out. Crime over
crime, blunder out-reaching tlunder has
characterized the English government
of the Irish. The spectacle Of absolutism
and royalty at the end of the ninetrentn
century Is an anochronsm and imperti-
nence. The Irish movement will succeed
because 1t Is consistent with the moremenr
of the times 1t is not a battle the Irish
people are fighting alone 1t is in the trend
of events. believe that the spirit of free
dom will shake loose the grip of the Span.
lard from the throat of Cuba. will drive
the butcher of the Bosphorus from the
city Of Constantine. and strike the shack
les from the wrists OF the Irish. l would
echo the words of O'Connell, Gods thun-
der-bolts are hot. The day Of your redemp-
ton draweth Nigh
At the conclusion OF DR.. Shutters re-
marks Miss Millie Pottgieser sang, Come
Back to Erin"
Try Anthony. the tailor, for pants,
$3.50. Suits dyed. S2.5A. cleanaa II %