THE FENIAN RISINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume IV, Issue 1074, 24 April 1867, Page 6

THE FENIAN RISINGS.

CHESTER. Ok- Monday, 11th of February, Chester was the scene of a Fenian demonstration of a novel and alarming character. It appears that the Fenians m America have recently organised in ]N T ew York a band of fifty, whom they have sent to jJjDgland ior tlie spccial mission, of ciideaYourinir to resuscitate tlie dying Brotherhood. Fifteen of them are stationed in London where they form a Directory. Eight of them are ex-officers ©i thei American army. There are also similar JJireetories at Liverpool, iVTanehester, Leeds Glasgow, and Birmingham. For some time past these Directories have been making arrangements to concentrate their forces upon some place which was to have been named on Friday last. This was not done, but a meeting was held at Liverpool on Sundey, when it was° resolved to_ attack Chester Castle on the following day, seize the arms deposited there, cut the telegraph wires, tear up the rails, and good their escape to Hclyhead, where two steamers were to be ■waiting to take them to Ireland. What ar-

rangemcnts wcro to be made for their reception in Ireland has not transpired. It was also understood that they would attack the banks and jewellers' shops, It was stated that Chester Castle had been selected because up to midnight on Sunday Chester was not protected by more half-a-dozen soldiers on guard at the Castle, and twice as many uuarmed policemen in city. Under their protection were no less than 9000 stand of arms (a few weeks ago there were 30,000, but the bulk have been removed for conversion into breech-loaders), 4000 swords, and 900,000 rounds of ammunition, in addition to powder in bulk. There wore also stored in another part of the Castle 000 stand of arms belonging to the Mililiu: and in a small building in the city were 200 stand of arms belonging to the Volunteers. It was stated that the whole force stationed at the Castle was one company of the 54th llegimcnt, and that the}' were disaffected. It was stated in proof of this that they had admitted Fenian officers, shown them through the barracks, the armoury, and, in fact, permitted them to acquaint themselves thoroughly with the place. The first intimation received in Chester of the intended raid was at 12.30 a.m. on Monday by the chief constable, Mr. Pen wick, from the head of the Liverpool police, and was to the effect that an ex-officer of the American army, who produced his commission as an officer in the Fenian service had revealed the whole plot to them. Prompt measures were immediately taken by the mayor and chief constable, and the commandant of the detachment at the Castle telegraphed, to the Assistant Adjutant-General at Manchester for a reinforcement. They next went to the station, and gave instructions for the trains to be watched as tliey arrived. At 2.30 a batch of thirty young men arrived from Liverpool, and were evidently under the command of an oilicer. They marched up and down the platform by twos and threes, and at length took possession of the lirst-class refreshment-room. They were soon followed by further detachment of from thirty to sixty from Liverpool and some from Manchester, all of similar appearance. These dispersed quietly into the town. Early in the morning the volunteers were called out, but as there was some doubt whether they could act except in ease of invasion, a telegram was sent to Air. Walpole, and his answer was that Volunteers ought not to be employed in their military capacity in quelling disturbances, but in point of law they would be justified in acting as individuals in aid ol the civil power, and in a serious emergency they might use their arms if necessary. The Volunteers were then sworn in as special constables. By the assistance of the police at Liverpool and Manchester, the Chesterpolieewerekeptapprisedofthodifl'erent departures of suspected bodies of men. At 3 o'clock it was ascertained that over 500 of thesemen had arrived. About the same time it was ascertained that a number of their otliecrs had been in Chester over night. Early in the afternoon the strangers became much bolder, and assembled in threatening bodies. At this time a company of the 51th Regiment arrived from Manchester, and the police are inclined to think that this fact saved the Castle from an attack early in the evening. Affairs went very quietly up to four o'clock, when a train from Manchester and Staleybridge brought a reinforcement of 400 in one batch. Later on 40 men arrived from Halifax, and 70 from Leeds. Shortly after five it was ascertained that the Fenians numbered from 1400 to 1-500. A number of men who were supposed to be their leaders collected at a house where the police had been informed the}- would meet for orders. bpies and scouts had been sent out among the Fenians early in the day. but found them extremely reticent and could get no clue from them. At six p.m. these scouts brought information that the men were forming in column on the Liverpool and other principal roads. Captain Smith, the county chief constable, had draughted a body of the countj r constabulary into the castle to assist the military, and te'egrams were forwarded from time to time to the Secretary of State. At night the Mayor convened a public meeting, at which more than fifty citizens were sworn in as special constables, and paraded the town in large bodies throughout the night, eight of the magistrates remaiuing in constant attendance for swearing in special constables, and for advising on the action to be taken. It was deemed desirable to call out the yeomanry, and for that purpose the permission of Lord Grosvenor and Lord de Tabley was telegraphed for. Lord Grosvenor replied that ho would come down by the night mail, and, accordingly, lie and Lord Richard Grosvenor arrived in Chester at 12.13 on Tuesday morning, and remained with the magistrates through the night. Before leaving London Lord Grosvenor communicated with the Commander-in-Chief, who at once telegraphed that he had ordered a battalion of Guards by special train to Chester. During the night the Fenians evidently came to the conclusion that the preparations were too much for them, and as the night advanced parties of tens and twenties were seen leaving on foot for Warrington and other neighbouring towns. Although all danger for any serious attempt had died away after the town's meeting, the police were kept on duty, as many suspicious characters were still to be seen in the streets. About nine o'clock on Tuesday morning two haversacks with green bands, and a quantity of ball cartridges, and revolver bullets of private manufacture, were discovered on a piece of vacant land close to the railway station ; and a quantity of packages, some containing ball _ cartridges and others percussion caps, have since been found in the river opposite the waterworks. In the course of Tuesday morning three or four suspicious-looking men were arrested in the station-yard, and being unable to give any satisfactory account of themselves, were sent back to Manchester, whence they said they had come. After this all was quiet, except tho assembly of a large crowd in thr stalion-yard, until a quarter to eleven o'clock, when a special train, conveying tho Ist Battalion of the Scots' Fusileer Guards drew up, and as they formed on tho platform, 500 strong, they were received by the inhabitants with a cheer, which showed how much their anxieties were removed by their arrival. They were divided into two detachments, one of which was accommodated at the refreshment-room of the Railway Hotel, and the other at the Assemuntil arrangements could be made for quartering them. In the afternoon tlie city magistrates held a meeting at the Grosvenor Hotel, the Mayor presiding. Much satisfaction at the prompt arrival of the Guards was expressed, and it was thought that their presence afforded the city ample security, without tlie necessity for swearing in more special constables. [ LIVERPOOL. Sixty-soven men, supposed to be Fenians, were arrested on board the steamers which arrived at seven o'clock from Holyhead and Liverpool. Lucy are said to have been part of the body of men who entered Chester on the previous day. The majority of them belonged to t"? working classes, but were unable to give 1 a satisfactory account of themselves. iVo firearms were found in their possession, but the police, of whom two hundred cfl'ccted the arrests, picked up several revolvers on board the steamers, and others are supposed to have been thrown overboard. The majority of tho prisoners appeared to be of the very lowest class of Irish, but some few were respectably dressed, and two or three were Americans. Their object is supposed to have been to create a disturbance in the Commission Court, where the Fenian prisoners were expected to be brought up during the day. The arrests were raad« "without any resistance. In the evening three other men, supposed to be Fenians, wei» arrested on board the steamer -which, arrived at night from Liverpool. In consequence of tele-

grams subsequently received from Liverpool, several hundred police, armed with swords and revolvers, went to meet the steamers, which arrived at 4 a.m. on Wednesday, and arrested thirty-two persons suspected of Fenianism. No arms wcro found. On Thursday twelve persons coming from Liverpool were arrested.