The Irish standard., 1908-12-05

wall sof the towr. III. batteries open
fire, but after doing some slight dam
age, they were silenced in few hours
by the Irish gunners. Cromwell now
thought it prudent to propose another
conference, and four agents were again
despatched from the town to treat with
them. Unfortunately. one of the
agents, Captain James Stafford, the
governor of the castle, instead Of safe
guarding the interests Of the town.
made an agreement with Cromwell to
hand over the castle to him.
That night, when the garrison were
off their guard, Cromwell's soldiers en-
tered the castle by a secret passage,
which Stafford had opened for them.
and in a. short time they had complete
possession of the place.
They had little difficulty iii scaling
the walls of the town, into which they
poured in thousands. while a hasty call
assembled the Irish troops. There
could be but one ending to such con-
f1ict. Surprised and outnumbered by
three to one, the Irish made a desper-
ate resistance, but their valor was In
vain. Out of the whole garrison of
three thousand, scarcely any escaped.
Tie unfortunate inhabitants, as they
fled by every available passage from
the town, were butchered in thousands.
SO sweeping was the sanguinary exter-
r,ination that "of the former inhabl-
tants not one in twenty could be found
10 challenge any property in the town. >
Priests We're tho special object of
Puritanical fury, and Thomas Carlyle
describes with much glee how his
murderous hero had "friars knocked
on the head In dozens" The soldiers
Of prey ragged through the town. kill
inE man, woman and child, occasional
, ly amusing themselves by tossing ba-
bies from spear point to spear point
eionx their lines. Three hundred wom-
en- took refuge around the great cross
III the market place, but they were
slain with as little compunction as II
they had been wild beasts. THE hand
,ot the law was mighty In this" wrote
Col. Thorpe, one OF the murderers. "for
/ we killed many in the town and as
they fled out Of the town on the west
side we made a great slaughter"
When the foul murders were COM
:! p,eted, the streets were piled SO high
with corpses as to be almost impass-
able. OF this exploit Cromwell wrote
ito Parliament as follows: ut was set
upon some or our hearts that a great
thing should be done, not by our pow
er or might, but by the Spirit of God.
1t was the Spirit Of God who gave
your men courage, and Herewith sue
cess; and, therefore. it is good that
God alone should have all the glory
Most of the adult inhabitants of the
city had been slain and their property
p,undered by Cromwell's pious mur-
derers, but barbarity had not yet reach
ed it's full course. The little children-
boys and girls of tender years--were
seized and sold as slaves to West In
dian planters and it was not all un-
common sight at that period to see a
group of children, chained together, be-
ing driven along the road towards some
seaport by company of Cromwell's
troops. In four years no less than five
thousand youths and maidens were ex-
lied in this fashion to the Barbados.
i Cromwell did not live long enough
10 enjoy the fruits of this barbarity
i No man ever betrayed his own coun-
try or prosecuted others with as small
reward, He set aside a whole Irish
county for himself, but neither nc nor
any of his family ever possessed SO
much of it as to set his foot on. He
waded through slaughter, but never
reached a. throne After few miser.
able years of pretended royalty he was
decapitated; and but q little time pass
!. cd when his body was exhumed and
, treated with every possible species oi
indignity. .....
,
Who Was Jack Robinsen7
Jack Robinson has long been a IT,
vorite synonym for rapidity Of srecci
or action, but possibly few people wf'
use the phrase are aware that Jacl
Robinson was q real live person.
"As a politician" says LAZY Doroth.