The Irish standard., 1903-01-31

ould be inflicted. He could be shot,
II hanged, or, according to an old
English law never repealed, could be
anged, drawn and quartered. The
.st mentioned punishment has become
.,solete by long nonusage.
In January, 1900, Lynch went to
south Africa. Shortly after his ar
ival he took service with the Trans
Taal government for the purpose, he
ontended, of eXpediting his newspaper
work. He raised an Irish brigade
# which he became the self-appointed
colonel. AS commander of this bri-
,ade he actively fought against Cen
,ral Butler.
When the war was over he returned
is far as Paris, but dared not touch
English SOIL, as a warrant was out
FOR his arrest on the charge Of high
reason. His action in South Africa,
however, made him popular in Ire
land and in November, 1901, he was
elected a member of parliament from
Galway City. His adherents called
on him to return to England, but for
many months he refrained from do
ing so.
However, on June II he braved the
law and crossed the channel. He was
arrested on his arrival, true bill was
found against him and lie was re-
manded for trial.
Lynch was born in Melbourne. Aus
tralia, where his father was success
full civil engineer. Winning diploma
in engineering with high honors in the
University of Melbourne, young Lynch
went to Heidelberg to finish his en-
gineering studies, and while there
dipped into literature.
| The masters of the pen proved a
greater attra ction than the dull cal.
culating of the engineer, and Lynch
turned his diploma to the wall and be-
gan to write verse. He was not sc
successful a poet as an engineer, but
he persisted and finally had several
poems printed in the London maga
zines.
While teaching the London news
paper men how to handle dueline
blade, and while spending many hours
every day at newspaper work, he
found time to interest himself in Irish
politics. He wanted to go to parlia
ment, and, being laughed at by his
friends, he stopped talking, worked
quietly and in few months was an
nounced as Parnellite candidate in q
"by-election" in Galway. He was de-
feated, but he had won the lasting ad
miration of his friends.
! Then he was sent to the courts of
Europe as a special correspondent
and still dabbling in politics, when he
was starting for the Soudan on a spe
cial assignment for a newspaper, he
was ordered to stay in London by the
government.
| The London correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune writes as follows OF
his trial:
1t is believed that he will receive a
royal pardon, or, at least, that his
sentence will be commuted to a short
term in prison.
The defense was based almost ex
clusively on the Interpretation of the
law of treason, on which the court had
given series of decisions against Col
Lynch. His counsel, in the concluding
speech, declared that Lynch had beer
naturalized as Boer solely for the
advantage he would secure as a jour
nalist. He asked the court to say that
Col. Lynch did not knowingly act as &
traitor when he took up arms against
Great Britain after his naturalization
The solicitor general, replying fol
the prosecution, said that the only is
sue was whether or not the prisoner
had adhered to the enemies of the
sovereign. The question of belief OF
intent had nothing to do with the
matter. He declared Lynch's motives
were those of a discontented Irish
man, who sought to avenge his wrongs