The Irish standard., 1898-07-30

N SaAAmS6lI was IN command, DWyer Qlu
wonders, and at Hacketstown, where he
was second in command, he came off
with the chief honors in that celebrated
conflict And as overwhelming proof Of
Dryers prominence in the movement
and of his recognized fitness for post
OF distinction in the army, it may be
mentioned that at the very beginning of
the instruction he was appointed by
Gen. Byrne, the hero of Balymanus, a
captain under himself, for the express
purpose Of enlisting recruits and drilling
them. and otherwise qualifying for the
fray the men of his native county, which
duties he discharged with success that
won him the highest encomiums from
his military superiors.
When, in the middle of the summer of
'9S, the insulrection storm had subsidized,
the pscple at the mercy of the sanguin-
airy loyalists. and the leaders either dead
or outlaws on the hills, or in the hands
of their enemies, the marquis of Hunt
ley, in accordance with the proclamation
of the marquis of CORVALLIS, Offering
pardon to such persons as acknowledged
their connection with the rising. and
promising good behavior for the future"
was sent into the disturbed counties as
the bearers Of the olive branch. The
sufferngs OF the people at this time
were ndescribable They had no means
of continuing to fight, and were utterly
unable any longer to defend themselves
or maintain the least cherished of the
principles for which they took up arms.
To continue the conflict meant certain
massacre. and the utter prostration Of
tho weak and the defenseless before the
brutal Yeomanry, now overcharged with
hate and fury. and hungry for more
slaughter. Under such circumstances it
is little wonder the remnant of the in
surgents submitted and trusted for flu
ture security to the promises CT Corn
wallis Dwyer among the rest, seeing
the utter hopeessness of continuing the
struggle, thought it best for IL while, at
least. to abandon the life of outawry
which perforce he lived, and resolved to
test for himself how far reliance could
be placed on English faith. He there
fore acceped the offer of the marquis of
Huntley, and with the papers of his
Protection" in his pocket, returned to
his home, il such it could be called,
where awaited him his young wife,
Mary Doyle, to whom, under circum-
sances as romantic as any in his career.
he was married Il short time before.
Here, whether he so anticipated or
not, his peace was shOrt-lived for the
Orange ncendiaries, now that they had
a totally unarmed people to prosecute,
became mere villainous and bloodthirsty
than ever. Those" braves who were in
mortal terror while the insurgent bands
carried their pixies, now abandoned
themselves wholly to the preparation of
outrages on tho defenseless and stricken
peasantry. They made Wicklow a Col
gotha of carnage. They prowled about
the country like beasts of prey, intoX-
Gated with gore, pillaging, torturng.
Staying and burning with a merciless
ferocily there was no appcasng. There
was no crime too gross for them to COM
nit. They spared neither age nor sex.
They murdered without discrimina-
ton, and happy would it have been for
many of their victims If murder with
out aggravation or the natural pain at
tending it had satiated their thirst for
the blood of the hapless peasantry. But
they competed, one with the other, in
devising methods of torture, a favorile
pastime of theirs being to make the
death agony as protracted as possible
In excuses such as these they rioted
until it seemed as if they experienced
no greater pleasure than in walowing
in the blood of their fellows, and knew
no swceter music than their death
shrieks. Projections were useless. A
writer in the Courier newspaper, dated
Oct. 81 OF that memorable year, was
forced to state that "the pastimc of the
county Wicklow is shooting human
creatures but on dearth of game, that
Of burning cabins Is resortcd to; but
these being difficult to find on Thursday
night last in the neighborhood of
Roundwood, Il set of these sportsmcn,
disappointed of the number they intend
ed TO shoot before supper set fire to four
Romish chapels. Next day the country
people rose up, gave battle, and killed
upwards of 700 of the--somc of whom
were the Kings County, command
ed by the noted A. To be met on the
road, even with protection in your
hand, is inevitable DEATH and to be
found in your house is as certain; be-
cause in the former case you are run
ming away, and in the latter you are
hiding You are not to think there is
any cxaggeration in this statement. I
know the fact. Lord CORVALLIS is no
match for the Orange faction"
This extract, taken from oyalist pa
per. shows in relief tho appalling bar
barities the people had to endure Corn
wallis himself must have had a similar
opinion. Writing to Lord Portland he
says: II am much afraid that any man
In brown coat who is found within
several miles of the field of action is
butchered without discrimination The