The Express. — 1867-11-13 (London, England)

STE P LTIIISERS WITH THE FENIAN CONVICTS.— I On Monday evening a meeting of about fifteen gentlemen and four ladies, presided over by Mr. D. Brewster, was held at the Trevelyan Hotel, Manchester, for the purpose of taking steps to " obtain a commutation of the sentence of death recently passed upon the condemned Fenian prisoners." The chairman read • letter from the Rev. IL W. 11L'All, the convener of the meeting, in which that gentle. man expressed his regret that he could not be present. He advised that the broadest grounds of philanthrz.py should be taken, and urged that a thorough union of the Irish people with the English could never be brought about by sternnem. Mr. Michael Smith said that the whole circumstances attending the recent outbreak were of a painful character, and it was exceedingly painful that it should have caused an outburst of passion in the public mind against the prisoners, especially as there was no reasonable foundation fur it. The five prisoners convicted of murder were guilty of a grave offence, hut it wee a serious question whether the punishment of death ought to be resorted to. The offence was only murder technically and dt,t really. The offenders were men of good character, fathers of families, and, for anything ho know, good citizens. They did not shed blood until the affray was nearly over, and then with great reluctance. At their trial they all declared their sorrow for the death of poor Brett. If then their offence was murder, it was accompanied by extenuating circumstances. Looking at the crime as be did, from a moral and not a legal point of view, he considered that those men were engaged in • political undertaking. They hail tried argument, agitation, and moral 'anamon, and they had come to the conclusion that nothing remained but physical force, and in resorting to that force they were prepared oven to sacrifice their lives. All that might be misguided patriotism, but the men were acting from conviction. He, therefore, considered that, on the grounds of policy, inte• rest, duty, and expediency, the lives of the five convicted Fenian. ought to be spared. Mr. L. A. Atherley-Jones proposed • resolution forming the meeting into a committee to obtain the clemency of the crown for the whole of the prisoners convicted of murder. lie said that in their minds these men were Garibaldians; they thought they were struggling to obtain what in their Opinion was a great and good end—the rescue of men from what they considered unjust imprisonment. Mr. B.Whitworth, jun., seconded the motion. A Mr. Reynolds urged the meeting not to attempt impossibilities. He rid he considered there was no chance whatever of saving the whole, and he thought they should refrain from attempting to obtain the commutation of the sentence of Allen, he having been proved to be the person who fired the fatal shot. The resolution was, however, agreed to, and a memorial in accordance with it was adopted. the sentence of the law, in all probability, if no commutation be received, will be carried out next Saturday fortnight. Allen has been visited by his mother since his incarceration, and Maguire was visited on Saturday last by his two sisters. ice Mr. Just Blackburn having refused to receive the deputation appointed on Friday last to wait upon him with regard to Maguire's ewe, the memorial will be presented to the Homo Secretary to-day by Mr. Watkin, M.P., Mr. Baxley, M.P., and other gentlemen.