Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-10-15
HIS SPEECH BEFORE THE JUDGES.

On september ~, llJS, lneODdld WOHe
Tone sailed with a small fleet under Ad-
miral Bompart, and on the 10th of Oc-
tober but four of the vessels arrived off
Tough Swilly. At daybreak next morn
ing, before they could effect landing, a
superior British fleet, under Sir John
Borlase Warren, appeared on the horizon
Bompart determined to fight the Hoche
to the last, but signaled the frigates and
, schooner to retreat through the shallow
water.
A boat came from the Biche for last
orders, when the French officers entreat-
ed Tone to escape on board of her-"Our
contest is hopeless, we shall be prisoners
of war, but whall shall become of you?"
"Shall it be said" he Indignantly re-
piled, "that fled whilst the French were
fighting the battles of my country"
For six hours the Hoche engaged five
sail of Admiral Warren's fleet, Tone COM
manding one of the batteries with the
utmost GOODNESS and bravery. At length
the ship struck, after she had become a
dismantled wreck, with five feet of water
in her hold, and the cockpit full of dead
and dying.
All the French squadron were ulti-
mately taken with the exception of two
frigates, and the Biche, in which Tone
might have escaped. The captive officers
were landed and marched to Letterkenny,
where the Earl of Cavan invited them to
hraaLfact To ,yoe hal;eyad tbat Tone ,uac
among them. Sir George Hill entered
the room, followed by some soldiers, rec
ognized Tone, and said: "Mr. Tone, am
very happy to see you" Tone replied
with composure: "Sir George, l am
happy to see you; how are Lady Hill and
your family"
On being removed to another room, and
finding handouts about to be placed on
him, he flung off his uniform coat, say
ing: "These letters shall never degrade
the revered insignia of the free nation
which l have served" Resuming his
composure, he held out his hands, and
added: "For the cause which l have
embraced 1 feel prouder to wear these
chains than if were decorated with the
Star and Garter of England" He was
taken under an escort of dragons to Lon
donderry, and thence to Dublin, where
was placed in the provost prison at the
Royal Barracks.
On the 10th of November a court mar
tial was called to try him. Tone appeared
in his French uniform, and delivered the
following speech, which we copy from
his life by his son:
The time of my fathers trial was de-
ferred few days by the officers appoint
ed to sit on the court martial receiving
marching orders. At length, on Satur-
day, November 10, 1898, new court was
assembled, consisting of Gen. Lotus,
who performed the functions of president;
Coils. Vandeleur, LAZY and Wolfe, Major
Armstrong and Capt. Curran. Mr.. Pat
erson performed the functions of Judge
Advocate. Tone appeared in the uniform
of a Chef de Brigade (Colonel). The
frmness and cool serenity of his whole
department gave to the awestruck assem-
bly, the measure of his soul. Nor could
his bitterest enemies, whatever they
deemed of his political principles and of
the necessity of striking great example,
deny him the praise of determination and
magnanimity.
The members of the court having taken
the usual oath, the Judge Advocate pro-.
ceeded to inform the prisoner that the
Il IL. 4.
appointed by the Lord Lieutenant of the
Kingdom to try whether he had or had
not acted traitorously and hostilely against
his Majesty, to whom as a natural born
subject he owed all allegiance, from the
very fact of his birth in that kingdom,
and, according to the usual form, he
called upon him to plead guilty or not
guilty.
Tone-I mean not to give the court
any useless trouble, and wish to spare
them the idle task of examining wit
nesses. admit all the facts alleged, and
only request leave to read an address
which have prepared for this occasion.
Col. Daly-I must warn the prisoner
hidb III dSAhOWiGuSihS bhOSS laSbS hS au-
mits, to his prejudice, that he has acted
traitorously against his Majesty. Is such
his intention?
Tone-Stripping this charge of the
technicality of its terms, it means, pre-
sumo, by the word "traitorously" that
have been found in arms against the SOL
diers of the King in my native country.
/ admit this accusation in its most ez-
tended sense, and request again to explain
to the court the reasons and motives of
my conduct.
The court then observed that they
would hear his address, provided he con-
fined himself within the bounds of mod
Grafton. He rose and began in these
words:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen of the
Court-martlal: / mean not to give you
the trouble of bringing judicial proof to
convict me legally of engaging in hostility
to the Government of his Britannia Ma
jesty in Ireland. admit the fact. From
my earliest youth have regarded the
connection between Ireland and Great
Britain as the curse of the Irish nation,
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