The Irish standard., 1902-11-29

historic raid on Chester castle. I tool
part in that raid, in command of fit,
men. The plan was this: The active
leaders of the Fenian movement hat
organized ''rising" or revolution il
Ireland for March, 1867. The adher
ents Of the movement in England re
solved to have hand in the fight an(
Captain Thomas Kelly and John Flood
a leader Of the Fenian organization neal
Dublin, planned scheme which
though fated to fail, was destined Il
startle England as she had not bee,
frightened for 100 years. The main OBJ
ject was to take over to Ireland from
England body Of men who were t,
join with the Fenian forces to b.
modified south or north of Dublin IL
an attack upon the English garrison
in possession of the Irish capital.
To carry out this scheme it was re
solved to seize upon small city called
Chester, midway between Birmingham
and Holyhead, attack and capture it,
castle, where there were 5000 stant
of arms, cut the telegraph wires, hole
the railway leading to the seaport, take
possession there of the mail boats and
steam to the Irish coast.
On Feb. II, 1867, this body of mer
descended upon the sleepy city of
Chester as if they had dropped from
the heavens. They took possession of
the streets and thoroughfares, to the
CONSERVATION of the citizens, but an
informer named Corrydon had revealed
the plan of the raid twentyfour hours
previously, and thus foiled the pur-
pose Of the Fenian leaders. Military
forces poured into Chester during the
day, and there was no sane alternative
but that of retirement from position
which we could not then successfully
hold without artillery. We retired
without losing single man Of our
force. In fact, so thoroughly scared
were the authorities Of the law and
the military officers at Chester over
this unparalleled audacity on the part
of the youthful Irish living in Eng
land in actually raiding an ancient city
in the broad daylight that no attempt
was made to arrest a single man Of us
or to prevent our orderly retreat back
to the towns in the north and south of
England whence we had come at the
command of our leaders.
Well, as you know, the rising Of 1861
failed. \ few months subsequently
three men were heard hotly disputing
some matters relating to the organizl-
ton late one night in Manchester, and
We're arrested. Two of these were
found, on arrest, to be Colonel Kelly,
who had planned the raid on Chester,
md Captain Deasy. These arrests stu
pefied the members of the organization
in Manchester, but it was resolved that
these two leaders should not be hand
ell over to the tender mercies of an
English judge and jury. A plan Of
rescue was determined upon and select
men were chosen for the work of way
laying the prison van which conveyed
the prisoners from the police court to
The Jail ut bellevue. near Manchester.
Consequently, on Sept. II, the rescue
was carried out. Tho van and it's cs-
cort of police We're encountered on the
way to prison. The horses were shot
and the release of the prisoners de-
by the rescuers. This demand
was refused by the officer in charge
Of Kelly and Dcasy, who was inside
The van. His name was Sergeant
Brett and it is impossible to Withhold.
from his name and memory of need
Of just praise for the strict courage
with which he declined to surrender
his charge, even though death might
be the penalty of duty.
Not one of the rescuers had thought
Of killing single one of the police es-
,ort. They had counted upon over
this small escort by superior
numbers and of releasing the leaders
oy intimidating the police Failing
TO obtain the keys of the van
from Brett, a shot was fired
through the keyhole Of the van
loor and the lock was forced. I'm
this shot had taken effect
where it was not intended, and the
brave Englishman met his death in
that way. Kelly and Deasy were
taken from the van, hostile mob be-
ing kept at bay by O'Brien, Larkin,
Allen and others until the leaders were
out Of the reach Of pursuers. These
three men, with others, were arrested
however, and ultimately put on trial
on a charge of murder. There had
been no murder. The killing of Brett
was purely accidental. The police es-
cort could have all been shot down
easily in the first instance if killing
the escort had Leen part Of the plan
Of rescue. But it was not, and no less
n man than the late John Bright, one
Of England's foremost statesmen, de-
clared ut the time that the death of
the solitary policeman who lost his
life in the encounter was due to acct
dent and not to design Rut English
fury was a-thirst for blood and the
spirit Of vengeance usurped the seat