Washington sentinel., 1899-04-29
The Reign OF Terror in ireland,

the Castle authorities had lost their
heads, and saw no safety from the
threatening danger except in
Wholesale terrorism, system
which admirably suited the poll
ticans who hoped by a deliberate
dragooning Of the people to force
on an in urrection, and thereby
furnish another argument for the
Union. Summary roadside hang
ings from the readiest tree, merci'
less hoggings at the nearest gate,
and all the brutal outrages OF
licentIous soldierY at last achieved
the hoped for result. The mad
dened peasants rushed to arms,
aud one of the greatest crimes in
history was consummated. Now
among the m ost active OF the mag
istrates was Power, who at the head
OF troop of dragons rode about
the country night after night,
laying hands on all wayfarers, and
by the cruelty of his punishments
earning the undying hatred OF the
aggrieved peasants. They in re-
turn slew his cattle and burned his
crops, and his unpopularity be-
came so great that his partners in
the prosperous Clonmel corn and
butter business he had take.i up
got rid Of him as quickly as they
could. These misfortunes embit.
tered Po Wer exceedingly, but fur
ther hopes OF reward for his loyalty
and zeal stimulated him into acts
OF savagery which eliminated in
the conlmittal of deed which lost
him his appointment, The story
is a sad one, and gives a terrible
picture Of the state of things and
the state OF mems minds Just a
hundred years ago in Ireland,
A young lad named Lonnergan
left his widowed mother in her
cabin at Mullough one April even
ing in order to take a broken
Fitchfork to be mended at a neigh
boring forge. His mother had
tried to dissuade him from going,
tor the misdeeds OF Power and his
nocturnal headlong rides were
the terror of the folk around.
The poor woman instinctively
feared danger, but her lighthearted |
boy, in his anxiety to be ready for
work next day, disregarded her
prayers, and a lew minutes later
Power. with a couple Of dragoons,
overlook him and shot him down.
Then he had the dying stripping
flung over a troopers horse, and
in this condition, with limbs and |
head hanging down, he was taken
to Clonmel and shown TO Powers |
Mortified children. He died some |
hours later, and his corpse was
Immediately hung up tor exhibi.
ton over the gateway Of the jail. |
After waiting and watching
through the lonely night, the
mother started off at dawn to seek
her son, but could get no tidirgs
Of him until, attracted by a mourn
full crowd outside the prison, she
looked up and saw the hideous
bloodstained corpse. The MUIR
dered boys relatives, urged by
their landlord, who hated Power.
prosecuted the latter for murder.
He was, owing to the exertions OF
the Government, acquitted, but
was dismissed from the magistracY.
And yet, as things then went in
Ireland, where magistrates daily
rode about the country attended
by the hangman ready at a sign to
fog or string up the first peasant
the whim of the moment might
select as an instant victim, there
was nothing very exceptional IN
the Mullough tragedy. For in
stance, just before this occurrence
Power had, at the instance OF Lord
Donoughmore, )ecome the owner
of the Clonmel Gagetie, the editor
Of which was Bernard Wright, a
poet and linguist. 1t Glanced, un-
luckily for the latter, that an ig-
norant and brutal magistrate
named Iohn Judkin Fitzgerald was
constantly securing the country
attended by dragons, and in one
OF these excursions it occurred to
"Flogging Fitz," as ne was always
afterwards called, to search the
person OF the Clonmel editor for
evidence of treason. Nothing OF
a suspicious nature was found save
an invitation to dinner written in
French. This was sufficient, how
ever. Fitzgerald did not know
syllable OF French, bu! he promptly
decided that anything French must
be treason, and so there and then
had the unfortunate Wright nearly
hogged to death. And for savage