The Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder. — 1883-02-17 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

THE DUBLIN DISCLOURES.  At each hearing of the Dublin conspiracy ease, what was long the uufathomahlo mystery of the Phomix Perk assassinations becomes more revealed as the redly clumsy work of a set of Ylliaat ai. T.5l platten. It Mems now to be pretty evict. nt that it was tiet the cunning of the conspirators, but the condition of the. community in which they carried on their nefarious enterprises, that enabled secrecy so long to be maintained. In any law-abiding society, where the bulk of the people were anxious for the punishment of malefactors, and where (we will say) the police are zealous in executing their, detective functions, the Phcenix Park tragedy could not have remained a mystery for twenty- four hours. But a system of terrorism had 'nth:AI dated people from looking at what it might be dangerous to see, and from talking about ob served facts that appeared suspicious. If we may credit the evidenob of the informer Kavanagh, giNen last Saturday, this man, who drove the principal party of assassins to the park, know whom they had come to assail, heard the word given when the two gentlemen appe tied in sight, waited with his car while the hideous business aas done, and drove the assassins away afterwards, yet did not actually see the =hien cormnitted. It would appear from his testitnony that he must have looked tesolutely another way, resolved to see nothing, and to know nothing in case of being questioned; but a sharp and startling cry from one of the victims caused Kavanith to turn his head instinctively, in spite of his intention, and then he behold one of the murdered gentleman on the ground. and the nonce-drab-me eys.t_s leoted round the etr:olcen man. This unwillingness to see more than it would be safe to see characterized come of the witnesses at the coroner's inquest months ago. They saw a scuffle or struggle among a number of men, which might have indicated rue.° horseplay or foul murder; but the observers preferred to keep at a distance from which they could put an innocent construction on the spectacle, without discerning whether weapons were used, or being able to recognise the persona of the men whose prooeediugs attracted attention. There (i were various observers who, while peeing enough of the tragedy ta make the general character of it evident, yet seem to have purposely avoided seeing anything which would make their testimony effective for detection and conviction. Only an accessory turning informer, such as the carman Kavanagh, could supply the missing requirement of identification; and such an informer was not likely to be forthcoming until the over-daring of the leading conspiratoc a had in ought them into custody for fresh and less successful outrages. now distrusted accomplices were ruthlessly disposed of, and others compelled to silence by fear of the same fate, we knew now that some previously unaccountable murders of supposed lonians have be, n fully explained. How many of their own associates might eventually have been sacrifiFed to the guilty misgivings of the Phohkux Park murderers, it is impossible to estimate, if sumo of the fermer had not fortunately heel lodged in prison. Protected from the vengeance of their comrades the prisoners could speak without fear, and with the prospect of alleviating their own condition. What some of them told put the authorities in a condition to pursue further inquir:es ; and the knowledge shown in putting interrogatories to suspected persons soon produced more avowals. But, of course, all this evidence of accomplices or accessories would be very untiustwor by if it stood by itself. It is only when the teetimony of informers is corroborated in variety of details by independent wiinesses that it becomes trustworthy. We might doubt Kavenagh'e story of his dreadful drive on that fatal 6th. of May, =supported by corroboration in many details, evidence of which becomes important wheh fitted into that a the informer. 'ME