The Irish standard., 1898-01-15

cease to tlatter themselves that the So
berest recommendation of theirs and
of the presiding judge can stop the
course Of carnage which sanguinary and
l do not fear to say unconstitutional
laws have ordered to be loosed. Let
them remember that, like Macbeth, the
servants CT the crown have waded so
far in blood that they find it easier to
go On than to go back" All the elo-
quence of Curran, in a speech, too,
which was one of his noblest efforts,
failed to save Ffnnerty, who was SEN
fenced to two years Imprisonment from
the day of his arrest, to stand in the
pillory for an hour to pay fine of
ego, and at the expiration of his I'M
prlsonment to give security, himself in
$500, and two bailsmen in ,G25O each
for his future good behavior. On the
second last day OF the year 1897. Fin
nerty stood in the pillory, and the other
penalties, both OF fine and Imprisonment
were exa ted in full.
Two circumstances which are recorded
in the Pres about the time OF its
printers arrest and ,nprisonmcnt-th hat
is to say the period approaching the eve
OF 9S-sEeak volumes for the laws of
Dublin about that time, and the reign
of terror which had long prevailed
A man passing through College green
with book under his ann and carrying
some loose papers was bounced upon
by three men. who, examining his
papers. and regarding them as susDi-
cious conveyed him forthwith to The
Castle guardhouse. After a detention
of three hours his book and papers
were examined, when 1t was ascertained
that the beck was Il mathematical work
anu the loose papers sunsu rrCGf sheets
OF treatise on logarithms He was,
OF course. liberated. The fact is he was
Mr.. WISE foreman to the printer OF
trinity college, and Of course of I'M
doubted and sterling loyalty, altogether
unaffected by Republican or other objcc-
t!onable or reasonable sentiments Dur
ing the detention Of Mr. Wise. and pend
ing the arrival OF some official COM
potent TO pronounce on the total dis
connection between logarithms and high
treason. the men who had arrcsLcJ
him, and who had gone out. returned
with about ten quires of the Press which
they had just seized in the street, ana
declaring that they had thrown as many
more into the liffcy.
The trial Of Finnerty had only been
concluded a few weeks when tho first
of the 9S treason trials were taken I'M.
The accused was a Dublin yoeman
named Patrick Finny. who had beal
arrested in Thomas street some seven
months before. The principal evidence
against the accused was rendered by
the notorious informer Jenny OBrion.
coiner and assassin. who was subse-
quently hanged for murder. The re-
suit was that Finnerty was found
not guilty, and three days later
fifteen others who had been
indicted on the same charge were trel
and acquitted. They were the first and
last that ended in favor of the accused.
and then in March, April and Nav
came the Wholesale arrest of the leaders.
their conviction and execution. and tho
gallant but ill-starrcd attempt to win
Ireland's independence.
q fn bn
trlcts at the moment. when government
atrocities were squirting people to revolt,
1t Is possible to form some conception
OF them from a pcrusal of I.nrl Moira's
speech in the British house Gf lords, le-
hvered on November 3Oth, 1897. lie
was careful to point out that although
multitudcs OF frightful facts were no.
torlous In Ireland it was impossible to
get the newspapers to publish them
owing to the terrorism which prevailed,
he tnstnnrcd the case of the snort harn
Star whose Offices and entire prcncrtv
were destroyed in open day by a party
or soldiers who resented the publica
tlon OF Il few of their performances.
He began by observing that in ccn-
sidering the state OF ireland the first
thing that struck him was the iuht in
"hlch 1t was customary for the military
In Ireland to view an Irishman In thni,.
estimation every lrishman was a rebel
to the English government. Eyary
species OF insult, of menace, and OBJ
preston was exercised upon this s,ln.
position. He instanccd the Curfcw.
which was established in Ireland in all
It's rtgor. At nine o'clock every man
must eXtingn!sh his candle and his fire.
and the military enforced this rcrula-
ton with the most Insulting cxpres-
slons.
Referring to domciliary visits and
arbitrary arrests. he pointed out that a
man was torn from his family and OK
posed to the horrors of Imprisonment
without knowing the crime of which he
was accused or being confronted with
his accuser. Such proceedings were not
solitary or exceptional, b,nt frequent
and constant, and the man who saw his
neighbor hurried from his home could
not say but tOmOrrCW he mipht cv.