AFTER FORTY YEARS

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 40, 7 December 1905, Page 3

AFTER FORTY YEARS

PARDON FOR A POLITICAL PRISONER

Amongst the Fenian prisoners transported to Western Australia nearly forty years ago was Mr. James Kiely, a soldier in one of the Foot regiments then stationed at Carnck-on-Suir. His sentence was penal servitude for life, but after some ten years he was released on ticket-of-leave. The conditions of the license were somewhat irritating, as it implied continual police supervision. Apart from this, Mr. Kiely desired to see the Old Land again for which he had suffered. On being made aware of Mr. Kicly's circumstances, Mr. H. Marion, M.P. for Coolgardie, approached the Federal Government with a request that the King should be asked to grant Mr. Kiely a free pardon. Mr. Mahon's efforts have been /successful. In May last Mr. Mahon wrote to the Right Hon. the Premier of the Commonwealth bringing under his notice Mr. Kiely 's case, and the circumstances under which he was convicteij, and suggesting that as Mr. Kiely is now 77 years, the exercise of the Royal prerogatne in his case would be an act of graciousness and justice calculated to give great satisfaction throughout the Empire. After some further correspondence between Air. Mahon and the Prime Minister, the latter wrote to say that the Governor-General had been requested to intimate to the Secretary of State for the Colonies that the Commonwealth Government would be glad if clemency could be extended to Mr Kiely. On November 21 the Prime Minister forwarded to Mr. Mahon the following copy of a despatch received by the Governor. General from the War Office, under* date October 11 : — With reference to the copy of a despatch from the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, dated 27th June, last, which has been transmitted to this Department by the :Home Office, relative to James Kiely, now residing in Perth, WA , I am commanded by the Aimy Council to inform you that this man appears to be identical with James Kiely, 53rd Foot, who was sentenced by a general court-martial at Dublin on the 18th June, 186)6, to penal servitude for life, and was subsequently released on license in January, 1878. On this assumption, tho ca^e has been submitted to the King, and his Majesty has been graciously pleased to remit the remainder of the sentence of penal servitude. A notification of the remission has been sent to the Home Office.

Be yourself. You know very well in your heart, that the McCormick binder is the most substantially constructed and best built machine ever offered to the New Zealand farmers ; you know that it is the only one. machine that you can depend upon when the crop is ripe. Like every good article, the McCormick will cost a little more than the poor article, but you commence saving whenever you start to reap. Don't let any salesman or agent who is paid for talking put you off buying anything but the best, the known and tried McCormick. /Ygent, MORROW, BASSETT, & CO., DUNEDIN...,