THE DUBLIN ASSASSINATIONS.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2572, 5 July 1882, Page 4

THE DUBLIN ASSASSINATIONS.

The “Argus ” correspondent, tinder date London, May 26th, writes : —The hope that the miscreants who murdered Lord F. Cavendish and Mr Burke will ever bo caught is Tepidly fading. Scores of arrests of suspicious looking men have been made, not only in Ireland, but in England and the United States, but to the present hour there is no good reason to believe that any of the assaa■im have boon captured. Steamers arriving at the American ports are regularly searched, and several Irish passengers have been taken into custody, and subjected to rigorous examination, but have subsequently been released. On Monday last an arrest made on board the steamer British King, from Liverpool, on her arrival at Philadelphia, seemed at first to be an important capture. The man was a middle-aged Irishman named James Finnigan, whose conduct during the voyage had excited suspicion. He had baen noticed 'washing his clothing, on which vrere red ppots, and it was immediately inferred that he -might be one of the Dublin assassins. Ho is said to have been a “stowaway," discovered only on the third day out, and prevaricated very much when required to give an account of himself. He had a sore foot and a sprained ankle, which _ho said were caused by falling from a vehicle. Ha was greatly agitated when arrested. He was taken before the British Consul, but was able to -Btbiblish his innocence, and was accordingly discharged, £t is only natural that whilst the police find themselves baffled in their search for tlio assassins, all manner of stories should bo current with regard to the authorship oi the ■crime. A sensational story, which appeared in tho Fenian “ Evening News,” was telegraphed from New York a week ago, and remarkably resembled a tele current some days previously in London. Tho story was to tho effect that Mr Gladstone, Mr Forster and Mr Burke had been “ sentenced to death ” by the miscreants who had planned the murders, and that a cypher telegram had been received ordering the assassins to kill L rd Frederick Cavendish instead of Mr Forster, when the former succeeded the jattor as Chief Secretary. The “ Freeman's Journal” a few days ago devoted eight columns to what it described ns “An extraordinary statement purporting to be the history of the murders in Pbosuix Park, by one of the assassins,” and tho editor nays that the production bears several marks of authenticity andc misemblanoe, It was received from London, bearing thei London postmark. May I7tb. Copies, however, have been received else where, and it is generally believed to bo a hoax. The manuscript is very closely written, neat, and without blot or erasure. After a long introduction, the origin ond history of “The Irish Asiasaination Society” is given. The society, it says, has its president, and branches all over Ireland, and a few in England, Scotland, and Wales. On Lord F. Cavendish’s appointment a meeting waa convened, and the perfidy of Mr Gladstone denounced. The murder of Lord Frederick was then arranged, and it was deoiled not to take Mr Burke’s life unless ho helped the Chief Secretary to resist. The preparations for the assassination are then described—how those selected for the business were disguised and armed with knives; the meeting with the victims in the Park ; and the actual committal of the murder. “Mr Burke,” it is aaid, “ struggled like a tiger, and Lord Frederick Cavendish also struggled violently, though generous enough not to raise an alarm. His last words were, ‘ I forgive you ; prosperity for poor Ireland ; peace to poor Ireland.’ After tho deed, the murderers proceeded on the car to the rendezvous, ttrul reported themselves, and measures were taken for their safety. A solemn toast was drunk to the deceased statesman.” The statement concludes with tho following sentence :—“ Whether all that herein appears ■bo truth, or only a substratum thereof, one thing must be conceded —that in justice to the actual perpetrators of the deed, they must bo credited with the purest, if the most mistaken, intentions for what they have done for Ireland."

Another abstract of the contents of the papers says that it states that tr.-enty-four persons were conoerned in “ the deed of blood *’ besides the actual murderers, and that they acted as scouts and wore at hand to assist the assassins should they be in danger. It also says that tbe assassins have escaped to JHngland—one in the garb of a priest, another dressed as an officer of the line, the third as a nayal lieutenant in undreti. uniform, and the fourth as a well-dressed civilian. In effecting their escape they frequently had to use great efforts to prevent laughing when they saw soldiers and police man doffing their caps to “ his reverence.’’ 2Pha story goes on to relate how the Ansacsination Society met, and the president had demanded the assassination of Lord Frederick Cavendish, because ho represented a principle which must not be given a trial. It was eventually decided, however, not to kill that nobleman if he would consent to bo kidnapped, and only to resort to the knife if ho refused to come away for a few days and consult with tho society. It was never intended to murder Mr Burke at all unless he attempted to protect Lord Frederick Cavendish. The document then goes on to describe the manner in which the plot was carried out—how Lord Frederick Cavendish was -signalled all through tho park, and how the moment he was joined by Mr Burke they pounced upon him. The writer then pro--«eeds : —“ As the four of us made over to whore the two gentlemen were walking they ialted and looked at ns inquiringly. Mr

Burke at once addressed us, saying ‘Well 1 boys, what do you want ? By this time W> 1 were nearing the two gentlemen rapidly, and ( made no answer. The car passed at a gentle f walking pace. Lord Frederick Cavendish J commenced smiling, and said, ‘ Why 1 Burke, what do these fellows waul I with us ? Come away, they are drunk. | ” A description is then givon_ of the manner in which Lord Frederick O.ivfn dish refused to go with hie copters, and of the attack, during which the two gentlemen are said to have made a desperate defence. Lord Frederick Cavendish’s list words are given ao having been — “ I forgive you ; prosperity to poor Ireland ; peace to poor Ireland.” The writer them goes on to describe most minutely the escape, and explains how the murderers rendered an account of themselves to their President, and expressed a regret that tho two gentlemen should have so courted death as to reader their assassination necessary. The assassins practised with their terrible knives on rag dummies for some time before the murders. In conclusion, the writer claims that the assassins attended the funeral of Mr Burke and also that of Lord Frederick Cavendish, and expresses the greatest sympathy with the relatives, but at the same time declares that love of country la stronger than any other love. The “St. James’s Gazette” reports on what it regards as good authority, a singular fact connected with the Phoenix Park murders. It is to tho effect that Mr Burke did not always refuse to bo attended by a constable, as fans been slated, and that a constable was actually following him on the evening of the assassination. A few minutes before the deed was perpetrated a man came up to this constable ond told him a woman was being murdered a little way off. He went to where he saw a crowd, aud apparently some fighting, and tried of course in vain to find the woman. It was some time before he could extricate himself from the scuffle, and by that time the murder was consummated. It was at one time thought that a clue to the assassins bad bean discovered at Sheffield. Ou the 2Tth cf April a firm in that town sold to a customer in Dublin what is termed a “ Zulu knife,” a formidable weapon, and just suoh a one ao would havo inflicted the wounds found on the bodies of the victims. On the day before the murder the Sheffield firm received a telegram for three more knives of this description, Tho weapons were forwarded immediately, and would have reached Dublin on the morning o' the murders. It has sir.es been ascertained that the knives wore for South Africa. The council of the Fenian Brotherhood have issued a bloodthirsty address to the Irish revolutionists in America and elsewhere. It reproaches Irishmen for speaking of the Dublin assassinations as a murder, s,ayiug, “ Call it rather the wrath of God following the footsteps of the oppressor. Let us clothe ourselves in sables, aye, in sackcloth and ashes, for cur own dead, not for the enemy’s. Cavendish, Burke, and others had better have been born doga than answer our wrath.” Tho manifesto continues, 11 Awake, arise, in solemn secret conclave, continue with augmented force, give emphasis, dagger, fire, sword, and other available resources of civilisation to our imperishable hatred, our ancient, merciless, unrelenting enemy, to] destroy whom we shall use, while life endures, every means within reach of human effort. We proclaim i our unswerving fidelity with anoient Gospel ; force; we authoritatively declare you are to regard recent events merely as a cloud the i size of a man’s hand on the horizon, clearly indicating what will infallibly follow in the near future. To our brethren of every Irish secret revolutionary organisation wo now i solemnly declare that the watchword of the hour hos gone forth ; wo pledge ourselves to apply all our resources with redoubled energy and devotion, and with oven a ferocity equal to that of our arch-enemy, to the great work confronting us—the destruction and annihilation of British power in Ireland.”