The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-12-09
Crimes Imputed to the Beers
Committed by England
AGAINST THE INSURGENTS Of r7sS
The Humanity Of the Beers and
Brutality of the British.

The wcllknown historical writer, T.
G. Swift MacNcill, M. p, in an article
i'll the Dublin Frccman's Journal, says:
Some years ago proved in these COL
umns, by quotations from the works OF
Mr.. Lccky, the Unionist historian, that
the atrocities OF Lord Salisbury's faith
ful ally, Abdul Hamid in Armenia, were
thrown into the shade by the atrocities
at various cpochs of the English rulers
in Ireland | desire today within a
much narrower compass, to show that
every charge falsely brought by the sec
ton OF the yellow press that "loveth
and makcth lie against the conduct
of the Beers as combatants can be
proved up to the very hilt against the
English government and its troops dur
ing the Irish insurrcction in 1893, at a
period almost within living memory.
Mr.. Lccky, in his recent work, "Thc
Map OF Life speaking OF the Jameson
raid, says that the shabbicst incident OF
the whole affair was the concoction Of
letter from the Johannesburg conspira-
tors 2bsurd!y representing English
women and children at Johannesburg as
in danger OF being shot down by the
Beers, and urging the British TO come
at once to save them. 1T was a letter."
writes MIR. Lccky. drawn up with the
sanction Of Mr. Rhodes many weeks
before the raid, and before any disturb
ancc had arisen, and kept in reserve, to
be dated and used in the last moment
Tor the purpose OF inducing the young
soldiers in South Africa to join in the
raid and OF subsequently justiiying their
conduct before the war Office, and also
for the purpose OF being published in
the English press at the same time rs
the first news OF the raid in order to
work upon English, public opinion and
persuade the English people that the
raid though technically wrong, was
morally justiflablc Uccky's MAP OF
Lie" p. 175).
OF course the machinators OF the
Transvaal war, who belong to the same
company OF operators as The machna-
tors OF the Jameson raid, and have the
same objects, were only too certain to
work the women and children" fraud
for the purpose of poisoning the minds
OF the British people against the Dutch
| who were 10 be murdered with the view
OF grabbing their gold mines for the
gain OF few capitalists Accordingly,
in the first few days Of the war a scnsa-
tional telegram appeared OF the Savage
atrocities inflicted by the Bocrs on de-
icncclcss women and children in their
attempts to escape from johannesburg
OF course in this telegram there was not
one word Of truth. Let us glance
however, at the treatment by British
troops OF the women and children in
ireland in 1898. l will, in large meas
urc, cite the testimony Of Unionist or
"loyalist" writers. Mr.. Lccky, writing
OF the massacre OF Irish insurgents by
British troops at Klcomncy in June,
1898, says: "Thc British troops OF Sir
Charles Asgil are accused of having
committed horrible cxccsscs at Kilcom-
ney, spreading themselves over the
country, plundering and burning numer-
Gus houses, and killing in cold blood
more than hundred inoffensivc per-
sons who had shown no sympathy with
the rebels, many OF them being women
and children" An incident recorded
by Mr.. Gordon, the rector OF Killigny,
who was an eyewitness OF many OF the
principal scenes in the progress of the
lnsurrcction in Wexford, is of moment,
as it serves to impress on our minds by
an individual instance the character of
the treatment to which the women and
children in Ireland were subjected by
the English forces in 1898. Speaking of
an engagement between the insurgents
in their advance OH Corey, on June I,
1898, and the British troops, Mr.. Cor
don says: "A small occurrence after
the battle, of which son of mine was
witness, may help to illustrate the
state of the country at this time. Two
yeomen, coming to brake or clump of
bushes, and observing small motion
as it some person were hiding there,
one afternoon, fired into it, and the shot
was answered by most piteous and
loud screech of child. The other veo.
man was then urged by his companion