NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2463, 9 February 1881, Page 2

NEWS BY THE ENGLISH MAIL.

IRELAND. TIIE STATE PROSECUTIONS

London, Dec. 10

On Saturday last (December 4) a most adacious application was made to the Court of Queen’s Bench, Dublin, by Mr Parnell and his confederates to postpone their trial on the ground that it will interfere with their attendance in Parliament. In support of their plea for delay, their counsel, Mr Macdonogh read a most extraordinary affidavit setting forth from Mr Parnell’s own point of view the reasons for the indulgence claimed. Mr Parnell declared that he is the leader of the Third Party in the House of Commons, and has been recognised as such by the Government; that the party comprised 63 members ; that one of the chief questions which the party advocates is a change in the land laws; and that a very large number are pledged to what the landlords consider advanced views on the subject, namely, the establishment of such a system of tenure as exists in Prussia and other parts of the continent. The Queen, *he gives us to understand, has no more loyal subject than himself, and Ireland boasts no more law-abiding patriot. He is most desirous, indeed, to prove that he has never, by word, deed, or even thought, incited to murder, outrage, or violence, or done anything more than to recommend, in terms of studied moderation, the constitutional settlement of a grave constitutional question. All this he is prepared to establish, if need be, out of the mouth of his accusers themselves. At the same he was anxious, together with his codefendants, that the trial of the criminal information should be for a short time deferred, in order that he may be present at the opening of Parliament. The Lord Chief Justice in delivering the unanimous decision of the Court refused the application as “ idle and untenable,” and as “ wholly unprecedented,” and said any consideration for the convenience of the traversers could not be for a moment entertained. He thought Mr. Parnell and his associates hardly appreciated the position in which they stood. For some time passed, he said Ireland has been in a state of anarchy. Under a rule of secret terrorism, the law has been openly defied, the rights of property have been disregarded, and human life has been insecure. The process of law cannot be executed. The Queen’s writs cannot issue. For several months the country has been in a state of terror. It has been tyrannised over by an unauthorised conspiracy, and the people arc afraid to assert their rights. It is alleged by the indictment that Mr Parnell and his brother members of the Land League are directly responsible; that they have done all in their power to bring it about, and that they have intended no other results than those which their language was studiously calculated to produce. Surely when the present state of Ireland is taken into due account, the trial of so grave an issue ought not to be delayed for a day. It may very well be, as the Lord Chief Justice was careful to say, that the five defendants are innocent of the crimes imputed to them —crimes far worse than any ordinary treason, and involving the direct guilt of shedding innocent blood. But with either their innocence or guilt the Court was in no way concerned when the only application before it was for the postponement of their trial. It could not listen to their protestations of innocence with an information actually impending over their heads ; nor could it assume their guilt before their trial. But it discharged a public duty in declaring that under no circumstances should a case of such gravity be for an hour postponed. Justice must

be prompt, or she fails in one of her first duties.

Many .of the liberal papers are shocked at the language of the Lord Chief Justice, and even the conservative organs think that he erred in referring with so much .Vehemence to the political aspect of the. case. The “Standard” fears that his outspokenness will be misconstrued, and that it will be affirmed that lie has prejudged the case. The “St. James’s Gazette” says that “at Westminster such utterances from the Bench would be received with blank astonishment, and even at Dublin they are regarded as impolitic in the extreme.” boycotting. After leaving his farm at Lough Mask under military escort, Captain Boycott repaired to Dublin, where he was to have been entertained by the leaders of the relief expedition previous to bis departure for England, but the persecutions of the emissaries of the Land League pursued bis steps even in the Irish capital. On his presence becoming known, he was followed, hustled, and hooted by a crowd of roughs ; while the proprietor of the hotel where he was staying received two letters threatening vengeance upon him if he continued to entertain Captain Boycott a single day longer. The life of the captain was also threatened if he did not immediately clear out of the island. He lias accordingly come to England in hot haste ; but will he he safe ? Meanwhile, the evacuated farm at Lough Mask is now nothing more than a common, upon which the cattle of the country-side wander at will. The gates are broken down, and the walls are mostly levelled to the ground. The hay in the rickyard is forage for stray cattle, oris taken away by any one who wishes. No one can he found to repair the gates or look after the farm, Captain Boycott’s herd and sjn having been terrorised into resigning.

“ Boycotting ’’ having been found so successful in this instance, the si'stem is being rapidty adopted throughout the country. A case has come to light in connection with Mr Parnell’s visit to Waterford. Two members of the corporation—Mr Kelly and Mr Strangman —having voted against conferring the freedom on the home rule leader, it was decided to “ Boycott ” the obnoxious individuals. They are brewers, and so sentries were placed at the doors of the public-houses to prevent the public purchasing the beer of the offending firms. Such is the terror inspired by the Land League avengers that the plan succeeded. The publicans were compelled to-cease buying their beer of Messrs Kelly and Strangman, who sacrificed their consistency to save their trade, Mr Kelly having been present at the railway station to receive Mr Parnell.

The bakers of Kilrnsh and Kildysart have determined not to supply bread to persons who are not members of the local branches of the Land League. A draper who offered opposition to the league has been made to suffer by his customers being intimidated. At a certain bridge near Limerick, printed notices are posted, warning the public against crossing the bridge, on pain of being thrown over the parapet, the object being to injure the tolls, which arc collected by the Board of Works Another development of the land strike in the West is the taking of a pledge on the part of the young unmarried men against marrying the daughters of “ land-grabbers.” A farmer named Thomas Davis, at Fennore, has been “Boycotted” because he paid his full rent. Two men whom he induced to work for him by the payment of double wages, were severely beaten by a party of men, and warned that if they remained any longer in Davis’s service they would be shot. The local Land League have commenced to “ Boycott” Mrs Lewis, of Balingarry, for having served writs on her tenants, who tendered their rents according to Griffith’s valuation, which she declined to receive. Mrs Hunt, teacher of the Female National School at Drumcolloger, has been “ Boycotted.” Her husband is a process-server in the district, and in consequence all the children have been withdrawn from the school, and the shopkeepers refuse to sell the family anything. An extraordinary occurrence took place atßallina on the 7th inst. Miss Gardiner, a lady who is proprietress of a considerable estate outside the town, was “ Boycotted.” She entered the town, and while walking along the street, a huckster woman accosted her and struck her in the face. She then entered a large drapery establishment, and when the proprietor observed her, he ordered her to leave. He directed his assistants not to serve her, or else he would dismiss them, She left the shop and while passing out, a crowd collected and hooted her. She turned towards them and presented a six-chambered revolver,threatening to shoot the people. She was groaned at so much that she had to get the protection of armed police, who escorted her to her residence. It is alleged that she dealt harshly with her tenants.

THE IRISH VENDETTA. England is becoming as unsafe as Ireland for anyone who has the misfortune to forfeit the confidence of Irish conspirators, whether .they be Fenians, Home-rulers, or Land Leaguers. Several cases of cruel outrage have been reported during the past few weeks from different localities inhabited by Irishmen ; but a deliberate and cold-blooded assassination took place last Sunday afternoon, in the neighborhood of Birmingham, which there is every reason to believe was instigated by the vengeance of a secret society. The victim was a young Irishman, named Gateley, about 20 years of age, and a native of Athlone. The last five years of his life had been spent in England, with a very brief interval of residence in his own country. Latterly he had been employed on the farm of a horse-breeder at Yard ley. On Sunday he walked over to Solihull, a village not far from Birmingham, to meet an Irish acquaintance, and being too late to attend mass at the Catholic chape!, he went to the Gardeners’ Arms beerhouse, where he remained drinking for more than an hour. Among the company present were several Irishmen, strangers to the district. In compliance with the invitation of one of these men, Gatoly went into the yard at the back of the house, followed by two or three others. A pistol shot was almost immediately heard, and the murderer of Gateley quietly returned through the house, replying to the landlord’s inquiry as to what was the matter, that a shutter had blown down. In the confusion the stranger escaped, the other Irishmen refusing to go in pursuit, Gateley lingered till Monday evening, and professed his inability to assign any reason for the outrage. Since his death however, it has been discovered that he

belonged to , the Irish Land League. A book has been found containing entries of subscriptions received by him on behalf of the organisation, and he has been heard to say tha,t he should cease his connection with it. Wo clue has yet been discovered as to the identification of the murderer. One of the latest reports is that he bears a strong resemblance to the man who perpetrated the recent Sheffield outrage, which was characterised by nearly the same amount of cool premeditation.