Dublin Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 49, 29 March 1889, Page 21

Dublin Notes.

(From the National papers.) ►Mb. William O'Brien was arrested at Manchester, on Tuesday night, January 29. An immense audience had assembled to hear Mr. Dillon, who it had been announced would supply the place of Mr. O'Brien. Before the meeting was called to order, however, it was freely predicted that Mr. O'Brien would baulk his pursuers and appear at the meeting. While the chairman was speaking there was a sudden commotion and Mr. O'Brien appeared at the entrance to the platform. He halted a second and stepped to the front. The audience rose to its feet and cheered and shouted. Such a scene has never been witnessed in Manchester before. Mr. O'Brien stood pale, but calm and firm, until the uproar had ceased, when he detailed the story of his conviction and escape to his anxious hearers, who remained almost breathless during the recital. Since his flight from the courtroom, he said, he had roved through four counties of Ireland, and had encountered many hardships. At the conclusion of his address his friends rushed upon the platform to shake him by the hand, and the demonstration was so enthusiastic that Mr. O'Brien was hustled about and hemmed in until he was almost in a fainting condition. The Manchester police hundreds strong arrived upon the scene at this point and Mr. O'Brien was arrested shortly after he reached an anteroom of the ball, the crowd meanwhile dii-persing. Mr. O'Brien was then taken to the central police station. After the meeting an immense torchlight procession paraded the streets amidst intense excitement. On Thursday, Jan. 31, at the hearing of the Parnell Commission, Sir Henry James announced that he intended to read extracts from speeches produced in Court. Sir Charles Russell said he wanted all of Mr. Parnell's speeches read, and not extracts. Justice Hannen, seeing that Sir Henry James had a pile of speeches before him a foot high, entreated the counsel to consider how to shorten the reading of them. It would take many days to read them all, he said, and what would be the advantage? Sir Henry James proceeded to read extracts from a speech from Mr. Biggar in October, 1880.J Mr. Biggar, interrupting, said he would not have extracts ; he was anxious to hear the whole speech, which was well worth reading. (Laughter.) Sir Charles Buesel emphasised Mr. Biggar'a desire, and Sir Henry James was compelled to accede. After reading for some time his voice failed, and he was courteously relieved by Mr. Lockwood, of the Paraellite counsel. When the Parnell Commission resumed work, Friday morning, Sir Henry James, of counsel for the Parnellites, said that he had consulted with Attorney-General Webster, and both had come to the conclusion that the speeches produced in Court were an important part of the evidence, and should be read. Mr. Reid, for the Parnellites, said that his clients must reply to the passaged read. Justice Hannen — It will take ten days to reaa the speeches. " Not bo long as that, I think," replied Sir Henry James. The readin of the speeches was then begun. Mr. John Dillon's la9t words to the people of Ireland, spoken ia the great Qeen's County Convention to the assembled laity and clergy, will be treasured ia their hearts until he returns from tho Antipoies with enbstantial succonr for tho9e who are stricken in tbe great final struggle for Ireland's freedom. Mr. Dillon likened the Nationalist struggle to a battle. Not all can light in the front rank, nor bear the full brunt of the enemy's onset, but all will share the profit and glory of the victory, and on all devolves the sacred duty of support and succour for the brave soldiers who fight in the van of the battle. The subscription for the Lnggacurran evicted tenants, which was inaugurated at the Convention, will be worth a hundred meetings as the testimony of the spirit of the country. Need we add our voice to John Dillon's in urging that it may be of proportions worthy of the gallant county that gives it, and the cause in which it ie bestowed ? If anything is wanting to stimulate the generosity of the Nationalists of the Queen's County, it will be found in the thought that their admiration for the courage, genius, and self-devotion of John Dillon can find no f jrm so acceptable to him as abundant aid to the evicted tenants of Luggicurran, whose cause he so nobly champions. There is something striking in the way in which Achillmen can stand fire and Bcore victories. Last week they laughed at Removable Lynch and his coercion penalties ; this week they have made a brace of landlord bullies bite the dust. Here's the latest. Mr. Paddy McHugb, Dooniver, has been accustomed to exact " duty work " from his tenants ; that is, they have to work for him without wage 9 whenever their services are required, on pain of displeasing " his honour, 1 ' and regardless of the pressure of their own business. Well, Mr. Paddy demands his " duty " as ÜBual, but the tenants refuse. He grows angry and threatens, but the tenants decline to be frightened. Paddy ha 9 a comical little bailiff, Ned Sweeney, who imagines that his word is law on the big man's dominions. Ned is called in, and he insists on the slave tribute as by custom established ; but it won't do, the tenants having decided that, though they might be bound to pay rent for his honour's quagmires, they were certainly not obliged to be his slaves. Eight cf the tenants were then processed for the amount of damages sustained by Paddy aDd Ned by the non-fulfil-ment of the stauding practice. The case came on for hearing at the recent quarter sessions in Westport, when, of course, the plaintiffs were scouted out of court, and the tenants sent home to Achill on a brake at Paddy's expense, Ned and Paddy having to trudge on foot, with a pair of peelers bringing up ihe rear. Jud^e Boyd has acted his part over-much. Like a ranting actor, he turns what he intends for thiilling tragedy into mere farcical fustian. Having had to swallow very humble pie over the case of Tom Moroney, he has covered himself with ridicule over the case of Mr. Pierce Mahony, M.P. On Monday Mr. Mahony's case was taken .up in tbe Judge's Court. He did not appear personally. He was, |however, ably represented by Tho McDt-Tmot, Q.C. Nothing could be done without an authentic report of the speeches delivered at Glensharrold by "the strollers," as Judge Boyd has felicitously

described the gentlemen who went to pry into the affairs of the happy peasantry over whom Delmege ia the nominal landlord and the great judge has placed a receiver. Two reporters bad been summoned to give evidence of the speeches, and they treated the mandate just as it deserved. One of them, Mr. Wm. Reeves, of Limerick, a Conservative in politics, attended, but firmly declined to give evidence as to tbe speeches, on the ground that it was in his professional capacity he had got the reports, and for his journalistic purposes only. The other, Mr. Dunoe, of Cork, treated the summons with utter indifference. Judge Boyd made out an order for Mr. Beeves' committal for contempt, bnt somehow there was nothing beyond the filling up of tbe form. Mr. Reeves left the court to go to Limerick, not Kilmainham, and nothing has since been heard of Judge Boyd'a awful order. Those unfortunate cattle of Tbe O'Grady'a are having a pretty j time of it going about from post to pillar. A fresh drove of them turned up on Monday, January 14, at tbe Liverpool market, and the proceedings which are recorded in connection with their appearance there remind one somehow of the adventures of our friend tbe Ancient , Mariner. The cattle had arrived on the precediag Thursday, and special precautions were taken to prevent their place of origin leaking out. But a representative of the evicted teaants was on the spot, and the Liverpool salesmen at once refused to admit them to their cattle pens, and they had to be penned in the railway yard. In anticipation of any attempt at interfering with or preventing their sale, a large number of detectives were present, including an officer from Scotland Yard, two Irish sub-inspectors, and an Irish shorthand writer, all prepared to collect evidence with a view to a prosecution. After some time, however, it transpired that the cattle had been privately sold to some Liverpool butchers, and they were therefore not brought into tbe market. Nothing could be more satisfactory to the Irish farmers who are battling against cruel landlordism, than the attitude of the Liverpool buyers and brokers. They will have nothing to do with exterminators — that is quite evident. As practical business men, they know that the battle which tbe Irish tenant ia fighting is the battle of the English tenant too ; and as honest men they know that the principle of live and let live ia the only one possible in honest dealing all round. The scene in the trial of Mr. Thomas Condon, M. P., Mayor of Clonmel, is a startling one even in a coercion-governed country. The Chief Magistrate of the town has precedence on the Bench to the Removables; they have to sit aside while he disposes of the real criminal business of the sessions. When their turn comes, and the popular magistrate, the choice of the citizens, answers from bis place on the bench to the paid tools of the Castle for some bogus charge evolved for bis benefit out of the crime-creating Coercion Act, every respectable citizen of the town, lay and clerical, is in court to sbow their sympathy with the criminal. When Mr. Condon M.P., is convicted ia due course, he will be the fourth popular Chief Magistrate seat to gaol under the Coercion Act. Dublin, Cork, Sligo, and Clonmel will each have contributed. Thejevicted tenants of Falcarragh are not to be tried before a Coercion Court. It seems that twelve months' imprisonment with hard labour, which waa tbe sentence inflicted on Francis Tully by compliant Removables for resisting the crowbar brigade of Olanricarde, is not sufficient for the hideousness of the offence of the defenders of their humble homes ii dauntlesg Donegal. Fether thinks that be can lay a venue, pack a jury, and select a judge who will give them at least double that amount. We will take short oids that the "eminent judicial personage " selected by Pether will be the same up-right judge who gave the Belfast millionaires only six months' imprisonment for complicated forgeries and embezzlement, and discharged the good juryman and eminent Liberal-Unionist organiser withoutastainonhischaracter--Mr. ChesnutteSmythe, who,on hisown confession, was the worst of the gang. Judge O'Brien will know how to distinguish in punishment between a coercionist millionaire from Belfast, and the organiser of a Chamberlain function, and a poor Nationalist evicted from Falcarragh. No man better. Only the other day there reached us by sheer accident the report of a suggestive interview from " Orange Toronto," where, it will be remembered, Mr. O'Brien's life was assaile 1 by the frii-nds of Lord Lansdowne. Tbe election of a representative on the School Board was in progress, and the document we quote from is an address issued in opposition to Mr. William Burns, whose main disqualification would seems to be that be is, or was, a partisan of the exterminating Viceroy. The address describes some prior demonstration in which the hostile candidate, Mr. William Burns, delivered a speech, and continues as follows :—": — " Af.er speaking for some time, he said, amid great uproar, ' that these men had brought the blnsli of shame to Irish Catholics by importing professional agitators from other countries (hisses) to insult our good Governor-General while paying us a visit 1 (hisses and stamping of feet). Amid a terrible uproar, Dv M'Mahon jumped to his feet, and asked the audience to allow Mr. Burns to proceed. Tbe hissing then ceased. Dr. McMahon then asked Mr. Burns if, when he referred to • professional agitators,' ha alluded to that estimable and sterling man. Wiliatn O'Brien. 'I do,' replied Mr. Burns, while the crowd hissed. ' Then,' ciied Dr. M'Mabon, ' you are a coward and traitor.' The large audience then arose, and as one man, gave three cheers for William O'Brien." The startling thing is, that the mere fact of having espousei the cause of the exterminator should be deemed a disqualific ttion for all positions of honour and responsibility in the gift of the people. The scene, roughly but vividly described in tbeaddres9, is a striking illustration of the abhorrence excited by the Luggacarraa revelations in Canada. We can understand that Lord Lansdowne is not anxum to provoke a similar crusade in India.