The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-04-20

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sor. Robert Ferendale, Jr., had taken
up the study of law in select school
some time before.
The years went their swift way, and
fate or circumstances, or what not, at
last brought Robert Ferendale, @. c.,
and Maurice Ahern, @. c., into conflict.
The former sheep-tender remembered
the burning insults of days gone by,
you may be sure; for personal wrong
sometimes leaves a deep, red wound
that time does not heal. The trial in
which they both appeared as celebrat-
ed opponents is so we'll remembered
that one need only offer the merest
outline.
Smithfield was an emergency man."
placed over the farms of two evicted
tenants some miles outside Ardee.
The landlord of these tenants was an
absentee" who spent most of his
time in keeping up with the races, the
yachts, and those games of chance
which are a part of the pastime of
the idle rich" He gave no thought
to the struggling peasants who were
trying to exc out living and to hold
up under the crushing weight of the
rents. Probably the landlord did not
know who they were, and did not care
to know. He was a hard, bad spend
thrift at best; and the agent he en-
ployed to collect his rents was no
better than himself Two tenants
were evicted for non-payment of rent,
and this Smithfield, from somewhere,
was semitic occupy one of the houses
and take care of both farms.
An emergency man" at his highest
was hateful beast, whose presence
defiled the abandoned hearth, whose
very shadow was unholy on the land.
Smithfeld was the most offensive of
very offensive tribe. He staggered
and put on the airs of gentleman,
and by and by told the two 'peelers'
sent to guard him to go home, as he
could take care of himself. The poor
est beggar on the road would neither
salute him nor answer his salutation
He drank freely and his swagger rose
to insolence. But the people had no
mind to borrow more trouble than
they had already, and let him go his
way.
One evening, Margaret Sheehy, a
young woman of fine appearance, was
coming home from the dressmaker's
at Ardee, and was met by Smithfeld.
She fought the fight of her race for
the priceless treasure of her sex, and
was found insensible on the road an
hour later. When the people heard
of the outrage their anger leaped out
in burning tongues of fire. Next
morning the police found .Smithffeld
dead in the exact spot where the girl
was found, with three bullets lodged
in his head. Margaret Sheehy had
three brothers, who were at once
placed under arrest, charged with the
deed. There was great deal of talk
about circumstantial evidence among
the attorneys, which the laymen could
not follow. The concrete facts we're
the death of Smithfield, the arrest of
the Sheehy brothers, and the great
trial at Limerick.
Young, rich and brilliant Robert Fer
endale, @. c., was to prosecute for the
Crown. Everybody expected that: he
was landlords son. Young, brilliant,
but not so rich, Maurice Ahern, @. c.,
was retained by the defense. Every
body expected that, too; he was of
the people, and proud of it. And you
may be sure the people were proud
of him. Now, if ever, his services
would be needed. One might call up
the fine rhetoric of Mr.. Macaulay on
his Warren Hastings trial to describe
the time and the scene, but one must
surely be caught with the purloined
property. At any rate, the court room
held all it could hold, and out beyond
it the streets were packed with people.
In Robert Ferendale's opening
speech there we're finish of language,
grace of gesture, and wealth of dis
couraging testimony. One does not
remember the points after so many
years; but distinct impression re-
mains that the distinguished council
lor had the rope around the necks of
the Sheehy boys and it needed only
the hangman to finish them He was
sarcastic, he Numbered invective
against lawless people till one won
dered if he would not hang them all;
he appealed to the jury to stand for
law and righteousness as against cold
b1ooded murder in the broad highway.
He wept some as he spoke of the
blameless man away from home, rem
dering legitimate service in the face
of boycott and intimidation When
he ended at last, many man and
many woman said, God have mercy
on thin poor boys! Sure they're as
good as dead an gone!"
There was whispering among the
solicitors and the white-wigged coun-
cillors, and many nodded, and many
more shook their heads Indeed,
among the high and the low, it looked
hard for the three Sheehy boys sit