Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-10-29
LOVE MAY UNLOCK BARS.
Faithful Wife Comes from Ireland to
Visit Sing Sing Prison, Where
Her Husband Suffers.

Thanks to Sister Mary Xavier, of St
Catharine's Convent of the Sisters Of
Mercy, at No. 1875 Madison avenue
Pierce Hennessy and his wife were re.
united for short time on Thursday
last. On that day the good Sister tool
the wife to Sing Sing prison, in which
Pierce Hennessy is serving a ten years
sentence.
The meeting was an affecting one, ant
the keeper turned away while the hus
band and wife wept Sister Mary Xavier
and younger sister, who accompanied
her, were the only witnesses to the
reunion.
1t was for this that the wife hac
come alone from Ireland. She had moi
seen her husband since she babe him
good-by at Belfast two years ago. He
shipped as fireman on the steamship
Beacon Light, and the wife waited in
vain for months for the word which
never came.
Then, not long ago, she received let
ter from Sister Mary Xavier. 1t broke
as gently as possible the news that
Pierce Hennessy was in Sing Sing prison
having been found guilty of highway
robbery soon after his arrival at this
port.
The story told by Hennessy to the
Sister, whose mission it is to visit the
Tombs and Sing Sing prison, is as fol.
lows:
while ashore one night with several
men from my ship entered a saloon in
West street. ThereI met a man who
invited me to drink. 1 accepted, and
soon afterward we left the place.
Hardly had we got outside before two
strange men ran up and assaulted the
man with me. l tried to protect him,
and was struck in the eye and nearly
blinded. A policeman appeared. and the
two men disappeared. told the police
man the truth, but he doubted my story
and accused me of being implicated in
the robbery. The man had lost $50.
81 was locked up and the robbed man
was kept in the House of Detention
The case was tried before Judge Cowing
A lawyer was assigned to defend me, but
l could not raise $50 to pay him, and so
when the case came up had no lawyer
II protested my innocence, and asked
time in which to communicate with my
friends in Ireland. / had been in the
country only three weeks.
1.-THE man who was robbed was in
toxicated at the time, and he had told
the police he did not know who robbed
him. When the case came up in court
the police had worked upon him so that
he made sworn statement that l robbed
him. 1 was found guilty, and here
am"
Sixter Mary Xavier believed the con-
vict's story. She wrote to his wife, and
the latter appealed to the highest power
she knew-the church in the person of
Bishop Sheehan.
The Bishop had known Pierce Hen
messy, and knew his wife to be good
and faithful follower of the church.
What more natural than to write to
Corrigan asking him to see
that justice followed, if injustice had
been done.
Archbishop Corrigan therefore wrote
to Warden Sage, asking him what kind
Of prisoner Hennessy has been. The
rest was left for Sister Mary Xavier.
Mrs. Hennessy came over the water
to be near her husband. She was over
joyed when the Sister of Mercy told her
she was to see him again. A petition is
to be presented to Gov. Black, asking for
Hennessey's pardon.
The wife will remain in this country
in the hope of a speedy reunion with her
husband for life.