The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-10-28
PERFECT SYSTEM OF ESPIONAGE
OPERATIONS OF THE ENGLISH
SECRET POLICE IN WEST OF
IRELAND, ESPIONAGE IN GAL
WAY, SLIGO, KERRY AND DONE.
GAL.
BY DANIEL KENT.


Galway, Ireland, Oct. 1.-What is
known in Ireland and throughout the
rest of the world as castle Govern
ment" is form of democratic admin
istration with which the nom British
democracies of the world are more or
less unfamiliar. 1t is a very perfect
system Of espionage, which, directed
and controlled from Dublin Castle,
has its ramifications in every stratum
of society, in every town, every vii
lage and every countryside. BY the
silent and dexterous manipulation of
agents provocaters" every parish
club, every local and provincial meet
ing-meetings of town and district,
and county councils, for instance
have been persistently regulated.
Since the Rebellion of Easter Week
the activities of the secret police have
been getting more generally known,
but with the rigid censorship of the
press and all the levers of power at
their command it is still matter of
sufficient ease for them to cover up
their tracks. We have heard of the
Russian spy system and of deporta-
ton to Siberia, but the virtuous and
gentlemanly writer's of English fiction
who have pilloried and branded that
system in their literary chef-d'oeuvres,
have not as yet been stung to any
praiseworthy anger of edifying scorn
for the crimes of the secret police in
Ireland and the wholesale arrests and
deportations to Frongock and Dart
moor.
The secret police are a body of in.
dividuals who ostensibly follow the
most varied professions. In their
ranks are gentlemen, public women,
servants, bartenders, herders, car
drivers, thinkers. The gentlemen, as
far as l have been able to ascertain,
discharge their duties as a labor of
love without fixed salary, though
with speculative hopes of titular re-
ward. The others receive from five
to ten shillings per week-no large
sum in the land of dollars, but pos.
sibly, when backed out with patron.
! age, considerable amount to the man
or woman who has felt at intervals
the pinch Of hunger. 1t is also Ger.
tain that, previous to the Rebellion at
all events, two or more members OF
Parliament, whatever may have been
their motives, whether it was simply
because they felt their cause to be
identified with British Imperialism or
not, took pains to keep the police
authorities informed as to the pro
ceedings of many of their constitu
ents and even helped them to defame
and ruin the characters of honorable
men. The secret service agents open
and examine the correspondence OF
whomsoever they please. .....
In the provoking of local disputes
and continual nagging and persecu
tion of the people the secret service
men are ably assisted by the uni
formed police. Every stretch of road
is constantly patrolled by the latter
who interest themselves in the move
ments of all and carefully scrutinize
every vehicle that passes along the
roads. A man with whom was stay
ing in the west of Ireland told me that
one night about nine o'clock when he
and his aged father and mother were
sitting In the living room discussing
the political situation, they heard 8
rustic in the bushes outside the win
dow to the left. Thinking that some
cattle had broken into his lawn, he
opened the door very quietly and
listened. From what the cow in the
bush presently whispered light be
gan to break upon him. He fetched
his gun. remarking somewhat audibl,
That he was going to shoot the rat
There was a sudden swapping OF
branches and two uniformed indiyid
uals crossed the avenue in the moon
light at somewhat undignified speed
and disappeared over wall by the
road.
A lady who had been SO prosecuted
and insulted and spied upon that he,
nerves broke down and she had to &c
to home for rest cure told me how
a police inspector approached the
Reverend Mother of the institution
with a view of having notes made OF
her conversation. The whole system
or spying was suddenly revealed to
me one day when visiting a police
barrack about my Identification book
found, while waiting in the chiefs
office, lengthy report for headquar
ters OF my own proceedings. The re-
port had been carelessly left upon the
table, and, seeing my own name al
the head, it was but human to read IL
through. l may not perhaps be SO
easily pardoned for what follows.
was angry, l suppose, at the dirty
means which must have been resorted
to In order to get the information
which l had read. l opened a press
by the wall. It was a great deer
press full Of small compartments. ]
began with pigeon.hole ga" and