THE SIEGE OF QUINLAN'S CASTLE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 435, 12 August 1881, Page 5

THE SIEGE OF QUINLAN'S CASTLE.

(Dublin Freeman, June 11.) A British army was engaged near Doon last week in the most inglorious exploit that ever stained its banners. Tho Guards have had active service just three times in this century. They have been at Waterloo, in the Crimea, and at Tim Quinlan's Castle ; and Tim Quinlan —what neither Napoleon nor MenchikofE did — has sent the Guards home baffled and ridiculous. They came to carry out evictions, and the only peasant they succeed in evicting quietly went back when they were gone, and is sleeping snugly to-night under his own roof. They came to claim Tim Quinlan's Castle, aud they were ashamed to enter it when they saw it. The whole scare about Quinlan's castle is an unadulterated figment. There is no place of the name at all. There are three naked walls of a ruined castle upon the farm not of Tim Quinlan, but of Thomas Anderson. No shot was ever fired out of it by anybody. So firearm was displayed in or near it. Nobody ever garrisoned it. It was seized upon by some youngsters as a coign of vantage for stove- throwing one day that a distress for rent was being levied in the farm-yard immediately underneath it. That is upon the faith of every soul iv the neighbourhood the whole and only ground for the wicked stories that have hoaxed the Government into sending an army to besiege it. So gross was the imposition that when the troops arrived in front of the ruin they had not the courage to make themselves ridiculous by taking possession of it. Unhappily if the affair was in one aspect a gigantic hoax upon the Government, it might very easily have been a slaughter of a desperate and heartbroken tenantry. A few words, first, about their quarrel, for it is in every respect typical of this miserable land war. The landlord, Colonel Hare, is an English absentee, whose face most of the fifty -two tenants have never seen. His rents are upon an average once and half Griffith's valuation. Tim Quinlan, himself is no myth, though his castle is. He is a man of middle age, magnificent frame, and of unblemished character — the very type of a man that would do honour to any yeomanry in the world. His case will exemplify that of all his unhappy comrades. His rent was raised from £1 an acre in 1852 to 37s an acre in 1857, and in 1873 he was compelled to accept a lease for thirty-one years at the still further increased rent of two pounds an acre. By light like this it is easy to understand the evil memories that darken the estate. Ninety-five families flung out in the times of the famine fever, the priests forced to anoint the wretched people under the open sky, the roofs dragged off their houses hy horse power, a violent wife roped to a cart's tail till she was driven mad, and in after days (in 1862) the agent of the property, Mr. Braddel, shot dead in a hotel in Tipperary, and a bailiff sent to the same miserable doom. Last year a man named Hammersley was evicted. His farm has ever since lain a wilderness, and the handsome slated farmhouse he had built for himself is falling silently to ruin. He was the only tenant who, twelve months ago, was in arrears ; but they had made their last struggle to pay their rack-rents in February. They petitioned the agent, a young gentleman named Thomas GK Hare, of the Marino, Queenstown, for a reduction of rents to the valuation. He informed them bluntly that though he would forward their petition it would be with a distinct intimation to the landlord that if their request was granted he would resign the agency. No response ever came to the petition until the process-server brought writs for rent and subsequently for possession. The four men who were to have been evicted to-day, James Kennedy, John Ryan (Frank) John Anderson and Christopher Anderson, owe only one's year's arrears ©f the rackrents they have paid patiently so long. These facts may indicate what it is that has roused the unhappy people to the pitch of desperation, that brought Her Majesty's troops to-day into their peaceful plains to slay them. That such was at least the intention of the Orange Emergency Association, who appear to have taken over the whole care of arrangements from the Government, that they came to strike terror and to make an example, is abundantly clear. Three hundred men of the Coldstream Guarde, one hundred men of the Scots Fusilier Guards, with all the appurtenances of a campaign, were transported secretly from Dublin during Thursday night — not even the subordinate officers were told whither they were going. Nobody was entrusted with the secret except Mr. Goddard and the Tory newspapeis. The men had absolutely to scramble over the walls near the station at Inchicore in order that they might not be perceived even at the ordinary platform there. Not content with this stealthy strategy, a telegram was despatched in cypher to Kildare, ordering that a pilot engine should precede the military special trains southward. Even at Inchicore Mr. Goddard quarrelled with the Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General (Colonel Hoiith) and, of course, succeeded in upsetting Colonel Smith's arrangements. Colonel Smith naturally objected to a person acting as a landlord's bailiff travelling in a military train, and Mr. Goddard, being the virtual governor of Ireland, travelled in spite of him. Daylight revealed to the people of the New Pallas district the extent of the invasion. Fires were immediately lit, flags were displayed from hill to hill according to a code of signals pretty well understood in the neighbourhood, the bells were sounded, and horsemen were despatched at full speed through the country with the tidings. " The sheriff " was all they shouted as they galloped along. In an incredibly short time for many a mile the people hurried to the evictions. They came from Doon, Cappawhite, Oola, New Pallas, Dono-

hill, and as far away as the Hollyford Mountains. The Guards, with several hundred policemen, were meanwhile on the march from their encampment at New Pallas. The bridges upon three of the roads were broken down, but no symptom whatever of opposition came from the people. The word had passed that the Ovangemen were to be baulked of their expected battue. The army was in civil command of Captain Hatchell, R.M., under whose orders Major Rolloston, R.M., also acted. The following proclamation had been posted throughout ths district : — CoWPKR. Whereas great numbers of evil-disposed and disorderly persons have lately assembled together in the neighbourhood of New Pallas, in the county of Limerick, and in large bodies, and in a tumultuous and violent manner, for the purpose of preventing and obstructing by intimidation and threats of violence the execution of the process of the law. And whereas we have reason to believe that an attempt will be made to hold a meeting of persons in the neighbourhood for the purpose of obstructing by intimidation and threats of violence the execution of certain writs about to be executed by the Sheriff of the county of Limerick, in the discharge of his duties as Sheriff. JNow, we being determined to prevent any such obstruction of the execution of the law from taking place, and to maintain the public peace, do hereby give notice to all persons whomsoever that every such assemblage of persons, held for the purpose of so obstructing any sheriff or other officer charged with the execution of legal process in the performance of his duty, or of intimidating any persons lawfully attending upon the occasion of such execution, is an unlawful and criminal assembly. And we do warn all persons whatsoever at their peril to refrain from so assembling, and we do g've further notice that all persons so assembling as aforesaid, or in anywise obstructing the execution of the process of the law, will be dispersed by force. Given at Her Majesty's Castle of Dublin, 31st of May, 1881. By his Excellency's command. W. E. Forsteb. The first visit of the evicting army was paid to James Kennedy's house at Cloonlusk. The door had been previously removed. Kennedy himself stood quietly by while Mr. Goddard's mirmidons removed his six children and his furniture into the yard. The eviction was carried out under the personal superintendence of the agent, Mr. T. G. Hare, who with Mr. Geddard and the Sub-Sheriff (Mr. Naish), directed all the operations under a heavy escort of police. The door of an inside 100 m was taken off the hinges and arranged across the front door. The only stone fluug during the day was flung here at one of the Emergency men by a girl — that and a rotten egg were the only missiles discharged during the entire day by the people. The Donohill band came up meantime and planted their green banner in a field at some distance from the house. Mr. Hatchell immediately announced to the Rev. Patrick O'Donnell, Doon, that unless the people were removed within a few minutes out of sight he had positive orders to fire upon them. At the Rev. Mr. O'Donnell's request the crowd followed obediently to a spot several fields away, and remained there during the most exciting part of what followed. The next vißit paid by the sheriff was to John Ryan, who shook hands with the agent, and treated him to a glass of milk in th«* dairy. The eviction in his case was a simple formality. The sheriff next arrived at the house of Christopher Anderson. His mother, an old •woman more k than eighty years old, lay dying in an inside room. The furniture in the outer room was put outside, but on entering the inner room the sheriff was met by the Rev. Mr. Crowe, C.C., Cappawhite, •who was just after administering the Last Sacraments to the old woman. He warned the sheriff that she was dying, and that if she were removed the consequences would be upon his head. The sheriff Btated that such devices were not uncommon. The Rev. Mr. Crowe asked did he insinuate that the Last Sacraments of the Church had been administered by fraud. The sheriff quickly retracted bis insinution and drew off his myrmidons, leaving the Andersons in possession. During the colloquy a crowd had assembled upon a steep incline facing the house, and were engaged in good humouredly chaffing the Emergency men. Major Rolleston, who was in command of this party of police, cried out, " I want that crowd to disperse." Before the Rev. Mr. Crowe could convey the order to the people Major Rolleston read the Riot Act and ordered the police to charge. They did, and drove the unresisting people before them. Another party, of which Captain Hatchell himself was in command, and which Mr. Goddard and the agent accompanied, proceeded to the house of John Anderson, adjacent to the famous " Castie." AnderBon's wife was lying ill in bed. The furniture was put out, and two of the Emergency bailiffs seized the bed upon which she was lying and ordered her to leave the house. She declared that she was not able. They pressed her to such a pitch of excitement that the poor woman made a blow at the Bheriff, crying "Be off, you robber." He ordered her into custody, but owing to her condition the order was not carried out. The threat did not terrify her, and as she still resisted all entreaties to leave the house the agent finally decided to abandon the eviction for the present, expressly threatening that he would return. During this episode Mr. Goddard and Mr. Uare were exposed to the good humoured chaff of the crowd, and became perfectly savage under the ordeal. Once, when they were particularly stung by some popular badinage about their personal appearance, both gentlemen rushed angrily to Captain Hatchell, and reproached him with not doing his duty. Captain Hatchell behaved with the most marvellous forbearance. Mr. Goddard made the insolent taunt — '• Whenever the Lord .Lieutenant issues another proclamation he out to give it to the priests to carry out." Captain Hatchell replied — ■' I kuow the meaning of that insinuation, and I will not be dictated to by you as to my duty." Mr. Goddard threatened openly that he would report him to Mr. Forster sor his remissness. Mr. Hare was no less offensive, and on one occasion he actually struck Captain Hatchell a sharp blow on the shoulder, and was forced immediately to apologise for the assault. All this astonishing rudeness from an unknow Orangeman and a land

agent was borne with extraordinary meekness and temper, consider"e r " ing that neither by act, words, or deeds had the people in any sing* 6 particular trangressed the law. The rage of Messrs. Goddard an d Co. was perfectly intelligible. Their tormentation of Captain Hatchell, however, seemed to have at last some effect in goading that excellent magistrate into a display of somewhat needless energy. They were now on the bank of a little stream, at the other side of which was the ruined castle. A number of youngsters had collected in mere curiosity upon the old walls. It is needless to say that none of them were armed even with a stone. The guards were drawn out in battle array in a field fronting this ridiculous old ruin. A small crowd collected near Anderson's house, which was first marked out by Captain Hatchell for dispersal. The Rev. Canon O'Donuell, P.P., Doon, asked what he wanted to have done, and that the people would do it. Before he could say another word the order was given to charge. One man had his cheek opened by a bayonet thrust, but again the people retired without the smallest show of resistance. Captain Hatchell now fixed his eyes upon the castle, and declared that unless it was cleared in ten minutes he would order the troops to the assault. Canon O'Donnell at once undertook that there was not an armed man in the place, and that he would himself induce the people to withdraw. At his request everybody who was upon the walls retired with perfect grace, and Captain Hatchell's tremendous threat that he had fifty pounds of gunpowder to blow the place into the air was no further put to the test. The army did not, therefore, cross the stream to the assault, and " the castle still stands " as a monument of the most wicked hoax that the landlord faction have ever dragged from Mr. Forster. The day's work being thus happily concluded, and Kennedy having been put out of his house as the nett result of the march of Her Majesty's guard to New Pallas, the valiant army retired in good order upon their encampment, and Kennedy went quietly to his home. The battue, so beautifully planned and so exultingly foreshadowed by the Tory newspapers, was foiled by the splendid self-control of the people, and the attitude of the people was determined wholly by the influence ortations of their parish priest. It is not too much to say that the six clergymen who stood by the people's side during the day — Very Rev. Thomas Canon O'Donnell, P.P., Doon ; Rev. Michael Ryan, Adm., Pallasgreen ; Rev. Patrick O'Donnell, C.C., Doon ; Rev. J. Crowe, C.C., Cappawhite ; Rev. John Power, C.C., Cappamore ; and Rev. John O'Sullivan, 0.C., Murrocdash — did more than all the household troups of England could have dove to preserve the peace to-day at Doon. Bonfires were lighted to-night upon all the surrounding hills in celebration of what is regarded on all hands as a bloodless triumph foT the people, and a bitter disappointment for the faction of whicht Mr. Goddard is the worthy representative. But Mr. Forster ought to specify more distinctly for the future whether it is Mr. Goddard or the civil and military authorities, who are really in command upon expeditions like this. His conduct towards Captain Hatchell to-day, as towards Colonel Smith last night, was that of the virtual <}overnor-General of Ireland.