ABOUT FACE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 64, 13 April 1943, Page 3

ABOUT FACE

AFTER THE COURT PASSED SEN-

TENCE OF DEATH

During the Young Ireland disorders of 1848, nine young men were captured, tried, and convicted, of treason against the queen. The sen.-} tence was death. The presiding judge read the names of the com demned: John Mitchell, Morris Lyene, Patrick Donahue, Thomas McGee, Chas. Duffy, Thomas Meagher, Richard O'Gormon, Terence McManus, Michael Ireland. "Have you anything to say before the court passes sentence?^ Thomas Meagher had been chosen to speak for them all: "My lord, this is our first offence, but notl outf last. If you Avill be easy with us this once, we promise on our word as gentlemen to try to do bettei' the next time.." The indignant .judge sentenced them to be hanged by the necW. But passionate protest from all over the world forced Queen Victoria to commute, the sentence. The men j were transported for life. I In 1874 a Sir Charles Duffy was* elected Prime Minister of Australia. The amazed Queen Victoria learned "that this -was; the same Charles Duffy who had been transported for high treason '26 years betore. She demanded the records of the other men who had been transported, and this is what she learned : Meagher was governor of Mon-» tana. McManus and Donahue were brigadier generals in the U.S. Army. O'Gormon was the governor general of NcAvfoundland. Morris Lyeno had been attorney general of Australia. to which office Michael lireland succeeded him. McGee was president of the Council for the Dominion of Canada. Mitchell was a prominent New York politician-