The Irish standard., 1897-11-06
ONE HUNDRED YEARS SINCE
Another Stupendous Crime of the
British Government.
THE MEMORY OF WILLIAM ORR
The HerO'S Death Is COnnmem0ra-
ted This Centenary Year.

| submit to the public the report Of the
trial OF William Orr exactly as it met
| the eyes of the citizens Of Dublin q
few days after his conviction and sen-
tence to death, on Sept. 10, 1897 for ad-
ministering an illegal oath, writes
Swift Mcneil, Nj. p, in the Dublin Free-
mans Journal. Orr's execution in Carr
rickfergus was originally fixed for Oct,
Z. The execution was, however, respited
till the 10th, and afterwards till Oct.
IA. The circumstances attending these
respites will prove that the authorities
in Dublin Castle We're fully conscious
of the cnormity and probable conse-
qucnccs OF the crime Of shedding inno-
cent blood. l think 1t better to lay be-
fore the public the story of Orr's murder
as IT appears In the contemporaneous
records, giving explanations only when
they are absolutely necessary to secure
Il knowledge of the situation.
The Dublin Evening Post of Oct. 10,
1897, gives the following account, taken
from the Belfast News Letter of Oct. 16,
or Orr's death upon the scaffold, on
Saturday. Oct IA, 1897:
"On Saturday morning early Rev. Mr..
Stavely and Rev. Mr.. Hill. visited Mr..
Orr, by his own desire. in the prison.
They remained with him all the forc-
noon, and at about 80 o'clock Mr.. Orr
left the prison and went into a chaise
with these gentlemen. considerable
number of the military, consisting Of
part of the INifcshirc Fcncbles Ca corps
to which Whcatly, on whose evidence
Orr was convicted. belongcD, the Mo-
nnghan militia (whO had wrecked the
Offices of the Belfast Northern Starr,
the ltcny Fcnciblcs, IL party of the
Twenty ysccond Dragons and the Car
rickfcrgus Ycoman cavalry. us also part
of the artillery with two pieces of can
non, were attending. The high sheriff
on horseback preceded the carriage, and
the sub-shcriff. also on horseback. fol-
lowed II. The whole proceeded In SOL
emn, slow procession from the Jail to
the place of execution, about three-quar-
tcrs of II mile from Carrickfcrgus. Mr..
Orr and the two cergymen then alighted
from the carriage and the prisoner, hav-
ing asked permission of the high sheriff
to allow a few Of his friends to be near
him, 1t was instantly granted.
About an hour was spent in devo-
tionnl exercises, In which Mr. Orr Joined
with much fcrvcncy, and during tho
whole period of time, and amid the aw-
f.ll solcmnty, he preserved a great de-
gree of calm forttude, and when the
fatal moment arrived he drew from his
pocket few printed papers, to which
his name was annexed, containing his
dying declaration. These he read and
distributed to the persons near him.
This done he shook hands with his sur
rounding friends. and very affectionately
bnde them farewell. He then mounted
the scaffold with a firm STEP and the
apparatus of death being adjusted, he
was launched into eternity about
o'clock. After hanging three-quarters
of an hour the body was taken down
and delivered to his friends, by whom
it was conveyed away in hearse"
The dying declaration read by Orr on
the brink of the grave, just as his soul
was about to appear in the presence Of
the Most High, may take Its place
among the noblcst records In the litera-
turc of the martyrs of Irish liberty.
give it in full for many reasons, chiefly
because Orr, with his last breath, as
serted his innocence and thus demon
stralcd that his death was a foul mur-
der and then because the touching rec
quest in the concluding paragraph has
originated the watchMord "Remember
Orr"
Tho following is the dying declaration
Of William Orr, of Ferranshane, in the
county of Antrim, farmer who was ex-
ecutcd on Saturday, Oct. IA, 1897:
"My friends and Countrymen: In the
3lst year of my life l have been SEN
fenced to die upon the gallows and
the sentence has been in pursuance OF
a verdict Of twelve men, who should
have been indifferently and impartially
chosen. How far they have been so /
leave to that country from which they
have been chosen to determine, anu
how far they have discharged their duty
l leave to their God and to themselves.
They have, in pronouncing their YER
dict, thought proper to recommend me
as an object Of human mercy. I pray
y ~
on them. The Judge who condemned
me humanely shed tears in uttering my
sentence, and whether he did wisely
in SO highly commencing the wretched
informer who swore away my life
leave to his own cool reflection, sol