The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-02-07

close to the speakers. He takes every
word as spokcn-or swears he does.
lis report goes to the police author
tiles. who prosecute whenever thew
desire to harasS man, or check his
influence, or frightcn the people. I
was arrested.
Nov for the system. The district
had been proclaimed, under tho
Crimes Act, and the ordinary privi-
lcgcs OF defense were suspended.
was tried by two magistrates, sent
down by Dublin Castle, paid by Dub
lin Castle, removable by Dublin Castle
The witnesses were the police, paid
by Dublin Castle. Jury trial was
denied mo. The two Castle magis-
tratcs had summary Jurisdiction.
was charged with intimidating pub
lie officers In discharge Of their duty.
and melting a boycott against them.
l was sentenced to one month Mt hard
labor There was no appeal from the
decision on points of fact.
II was taken from my wife and
family and business and sent to Cas-.
tlebar Jail, where was put in stripes
and placed among thieves and drunk
ards and criminals OF the most de-
graded type. was put to breaking
stone, picking oalium and other bur-
dcnsome work. For the first three
days my breakfast and supper were
bread and water, my dinner n mix.
turc OF oatmeal and Indian meal. Az
ter that I had the regular fare, in
Guiding coarse soup three times
week, potatoes twice week, little
milk daily, and fixed amount of
bread, but no meat. During the
whole month slept on n bare plank
bench"
"And your sole offcnse was the re-
mark you quotcd?'
"As I'm living man, 1t was.
hadn't been out Of prison long when
they were after me again. At sale
OF cattle. which had been seized from
a poor man for nOn-paymcnt Of rent,
! made n speech dcnouncing the sys-
TEN OF lnndlor1ism. didn't utter a
word more radical than you can hear
any day Mt meetings in England or
Scotland. or in the house Of commons
itself. There was no thought or effect
Of melting to crime. as was charged.
1t was purely political speech. deal
ing with conditions, not persons. But
I was sentenced to four months, with
out hard labor.
"Again / was put in stripes, and
picked oakum under guard. l con-
formed to all the rules, until one
morning n warder roughly ordered
myself and three other political pri-
soners to perform n certain mcniai
and degrading task, though there were
plenty OF criminals there who might
properly have been sent to do It. We
refused, were summoned before the
governor, and he condemned us to
twcnty-four hours on bread and
water.
"a man can stand day on starva-
ton fare, but that was not the worst
Of the punishment. MY cell was
stripped bare, even the printed rules
being taken from the wall, with the
bench and plank bed. was not al
lowed out for exercise, but was lock-
ed up all the time in that bare,
cramped space, alone. No light was
permitted, and, as this was in jan
uary, l was in darkness from 4 O'Clock
in the afternoon until 8 the next
morning. At 3 in the evening they
put in the plank bed, and then
could lie down. During this term
slept on the plank for month.
II had been out Of prison just a
fortnight when new charge was
brought up. During busy day some
one called my attention to a police
man in the crowd in my shop.
asked him what he wanted, and he
said he was there on duty. told
him he had no right there without
a warrant. and led him to the door
He returned and took away with him
woman who had been standing at