The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-26
James Lynchehaun Testifes i'm His
Own Behalf I'm the ExtraditiOn
Proceedings.
OUTCOME OF CASE IN DOUBT
HEARING WILL BE RESUMED ONE
WEEK FROM MONDAY.
Courtroom Crowded with Interested
People-Rulings Of Commissioners
MoOYes-Tbc Testimony.

wherein the hearing of the case of James
Lynchehaun. the Irish refugee. whom the
British government Is attempting TO extra
dite, Is being held. were thrown open at
o'clock yesterday afternoon, perhaps one
hundred and fifty were waiting 10 rush IN.
By the time court was called to order the
room was crowded to it's full capacity. The
doorway and the rear of the room was
banked with eager, interested faces. which
throughout the afternoon watched the pro-
ceedings of the court with rapt attention.
1t was 2:15 o'clock when when United
States Commissioner Moores announced his
decision as to whether the counsel of the
defendant should be allowed 10 introduce
evidence as to the nature of the crime
which Lynchehaun committed and for
which he was sentenced TO life imprisonment
in the Marlborough prison in ireland. The
decision of Commissioner Moores was. in
brief, that testimony could be introduced
in so far as it did not impugn or contra
dict the records of the original evidence in
regard to the crime
LYNCHEHAUN TESTIFIES
Starting with this restriction, Lynchehaun
himself was placed upon the stand and
Attorney Spaan began his examination of
state whether or not there exists in ireland
a political organization known as the Land
League" had scarcely left his lips when
Charles Fox. of New York, the attorney for
the British government, was on his feet
with the objection that the question re-
ferred TO local organization and hence
could not be considered political The point
was argued at length by both attorneys.
grew out of and was connected with this
political agitation. 1t was then that At
torney Winter arose and made plain what
the counsel for the defendant was attempt
ing to show. namely. that they were pur-
suing this course in order to show whether
if such. to show why he was made the OBJ
Ject and the example of q political plot If
they can prove that it was political crime,
there can be no extradition according to
the treaty. The commissioner overruled
the objection and Mr.. Span repeated his
question, to which the prisoner replied that
there was such an organization as a land
league, whose object was TO oppose the OPP
preston OF its members. Mr.. Spans next
question as to whether special legislation
grew out OF the existence OF the league was
again interrupted by Mr.. Fox on the ground
that it was question leading to conclusive
evidence.
MANY OBJECTIONS
Throughout the whole proceedings Attor-
! ney Fox. who is little man with a deal of
cool self-possession, was continually jump
| ing to his feet with objections to questions
put by Mr.. Span, many of which were sus-
tanned on the grounds above mentioned
| The progress in the evidence for this reason
was slow. BY o'clock. when the court adj
! journed. the testimony of the prisoner
amounted to about the following: That al
| the time of Lynchehaun's crime almost
| every tenant in the island of Atchill be-
| longed TO the organization OF the Land
| League, which had been organized in 1851
| for protection from the oppression of the
| landlords There was in the island another
organization known as the Irish Revolu-
uonary Brotherhood. organized since 1867
| with the object of overthrowing the land
| lords of Ireland. The members of both OF
| these societies were continually Swallowed
and watched by the constables and the po-
| lice, especially in the five years preceding
| 1894, the date of Lynchehaun's crime.
In the neighborhood OF Lynchehaun's
! holding there were about two hundred mem.
bers of these societies, and the feeling be-
| tween them and the lords was very bitter
| The meetings of the leagues were partially
suppressed by coercion acts. carried out by
/ force or arms. Lynchehaun testified Il
/ fourteen that had been suppressed i'm hi.
! district
LANDLORD AND TENANT.
1t is alleged that Lynchehaun was a lead
er in these organizations and was contin
ually under the surveillance of the police
/ For two years he was school teacher IL
the county Of Mayo. On the property o.
( Agnes Mcdonald there were about eight,
tenants, including Lynchehaun. She wa.
called by the tenants the "evicting queen O.
Atchill and other titles. Almost daily
Lynchehaun said. tenants were arrested 70
trespass, such letting their cattle graz
on unrented ground, or even getting on 1
themselves. They were invariably fined O.
thrown in prison. However, the acts O
eviction were the worst form OF oppressio,
with which the tenants had to deal. The.
were forctbly thrown from their homes
which had been handed down to them, an,
were left to live on the charity of thei
friends, or seek refuge in another country
A bitter feeling existed between Agnes Nc
Donald, whom Lynchehaun assaulted, an,
her tenants. and they We're seeking he
overthrow because OF the oppression the,
received from her hands
AT this point the testimony was suspende
until the next session OF the court whcl
will be a week from next Monday Tn
hearing was postponed In order TO let tn
defense bring in other witnesses in the tes
timony. The witnesses are now on thei
way from Toledo. and are Irishmen VIII
| lived in Lynchehaun's district at the tim
| he was there.
The outcome of the case is in doubt I
every one. as nothing OF unusual importanc
! has turned up yet. The many friends O
Lynchehaun are hoping for the best Mrs
| Lynchehaun was in the courtroom yester
day, and was continually surrounded b
host OF friends. She is a pretty littl
woman, whose face shows the suffering an
anxiety she is undergoing.