Norwich bulletin., 1914-07-24
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL OF JOHN BOYLE oRElLLy


 The name of John Boyle O'Reilly, the sweet singer of Ireland, is familiar from enc end of America to the other, and his poem, 'In Bohemia" is one of the most popular in the English lang uage. O'Reilly was so long identified with our country that he seemed like one of us. He adopted America as his home when the tyranny of the British government drove him from his be- loved country
 John Boyle O'Reilly was one of the most romatic figures of the past cen tury. He was idolized by his own countrymen and admired and respected by the people who adopted him. He was born in Dowth castle in 1844. Early in life he went to live at Preston, Eng lane, where he learned the printers trade and for diversion took to soldier ing with the 11th Lincolnshire rifles.
 About this time the famous fenian movement was beginning to develop. These fenians were sowing the seeds of revolution in the British army, one third of whom were Irishmen, OReilly thought he could serve lis country best by joining the British army, and SO he went to Ireland and enlisted in the 10th HusSars when he was only 19 years of age.
 He quickly became fayorite with both officers and men and began in- teresting his Irish comrades in the fenian movement. Men of the present generation can scarcely realize what this movementl meant in 1S6e when OReilly was arrested It shook the British empire Fully oRe-t third of the men in the British army of 300 600 were in sympathy with the fenians These of course, were Irishmen which the British government had been steadily enrolling in the service since the famine of 1S4S.
 The fenian movement itself grew out of the failure of the young Ireland movement in 184s The hundreds of thousands of Irishnen in America not only gave the movement moral sup port, but substantial support as we'll
 The British government watched this movement with great anxiety. They decided it was time for them to act. On the 18th of September, 1885, the blow fell. The newspaper, the Irish People which had been for two years the organ of the movement, was seized by the police and it's editors, Luby, OLeary and O'Donovan Rossa,- were arrested.
 On Wednesday, June 27 on the eve of his 22d birthday. 0fReilly's trial by courtmartial began in the messroom of the s5th regiment at Royal bar racks. The charge was, Having at Dublin. in January, 1866, come to a knowledge of an intended mutiny in her majesty's forces in Ireland. and not giving information of said intend ed nnutiny to his commanding officer"
 The prisoner was defended by Mir. O'Loughlin. and pleaded mot guilty" Caht Whalen of the 18th degiment opened the case A number of Irish spies who had joined the fenians testi- fed against O'Reilly and other prison CTS. The trial was farce. Before= hand every effort had been made to induce O'Reilly to inform against his fnjl hax {7cr no dnna @ ra- ceived no mercy. He was found guilty and on July g, 1866, a formal sentence of death was passed upon him. It was only a. fornaality The same day it was ecnHauted to life imprisonment, and finally to tweny years penal serxitude.
 On Monday afternoon, Sept. 3, in the Royal square of the Royal barracks, in the presence Of the 5th dragoen guards and a number of other regi-l ments, oReilly had his sentence read to him, was stripped of his military uniform, clothed in the eonvicts dress and escorted te Nentjey prison as con- Yict as43.
 After a few days 0'Reilly was marched through the streets of Dublin, chained and shipped to England to Pentonville prison, and from thence to Ailbank prison to undergo term of solitary, confinement, preliminary to the severe physical punishment or dained in the sentence.
 For attempting to escape O'ReiIly was taken from Milibaak to Ports mouth prison and finally to Dartmoar, This was the worst prison in England, and here 0'Reilly was compelled to work from morning till night knee deep in water in the drains of the marsh Finally he was sent to the penal colony in Australia where he became such a favorite with the guards that he was allowed unusual privileges. He escaped from Australia an the 18th Of February. 1869, on an American vessel flying the stars and stripes, and engaged in whaling He landed in Philadelphia on the 23d of November 1889, and tine following day took out his first papers of naturaliza- ton From that on he was an Amer ica.n. heart and soul.