THE MITCHELSTOWN MASSACRE. PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF MR HENRY LABOUCHERE. COWARDICE OF THE POLICE. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) London, September 16.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 228, 12 November 1887, Page 7

THE MITCHELSTOWN MASSACRE. PERSONAL NARRATIVE OF MR HENRY LABOUCHERE. COWARDICE OF THE POLICE. (FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. ) London, September 16.

Two separate versions are current of the fatal affray at Mitchelstown last Friday, and the causes which led up to it. In one the constabulary figure as long-suffering victims driven to firearms in sheer selfdefence ; in the other, as cowards and bullies of the most despicable description. Personally, I prefer to believe the narrative of Mr Labouchere, an eye-witness and a cool-headed man of the world, who has boon In plenty of scrimmages in his time, and would not be likely either to misrepresent or exaggerate. He says :—: — Mitchelstown is a small provincial town : close by it is the park of the Kingston?. It is of considerable extent and surrounds a large palace, built by one of the Earls of Kingston. The estate now belongs to the wife of a Mr Webber, foimcrly aland agent. This lady's first husband was an Earl of Kingston, who managed to put an end to the entail by borrowing about €200,000. from the Disestablished Church on mortgage : then he left the estate to his widow. Most of tho tenants are leaseholders, and theiefore were unable to go to the land couitt, for a reduction of lents. One or two, however, with the consent of their landlady, did go, and the reduction they obtained was 15 per, cent. This wa* some years auo, and estimating by lecent decisions a Land Court would now, if it had the opportunity, make an a\erage reduction of about 35 per cent. The tenants two yeais ago a«ked their landlady to grant them a reduction of 20 per cent. Ha\ing nothing to live in but a huge palace, and nothing to live on but the profits from farming their park, and the margin between what the Land Courts teim a fair renfc and thab which is exacted from the tenants, a fair rent means to the owner 5 absolute ruin, so the demand for a reduction w.is declined. The Plan of Campaign wa=- inaugurated for the last three gales ; no rent has been paid, and in reply to notices of eviction tenants have barricaded their houses, some of which arc like fortresses. Mr Wm. OBrien encouraged them to do this, and lightly I think. It must be remembered that the people had built their home? and made their faims fertile, and that the rents are excessive and extortionate. They have never sought to escape from payment of rent ; all they demand is cither that the Land Courts should f=iy -n hat rent will be fair, or that Lady Kingston should. gi\e a reduction admittedly considerably less than would be granted by tho Courts. Under the Crimes Act Mr OBrien has been prosecuted, and he was ordered to appear before two resident magistrates at Mitchelstown lastFiiday. Not \\ L?hing to recognise the jurisdiction of these two magistrates, he would not go to Mitchelstown on Friday, but left the Court to issue a decree for his arrest, and to take its own steps to bring him before ifc. I was in Ireland, and had contemplated going to Mitchelstown to hear the trial. When M, OBrien announced his intention not to go I and two other English members, Mr Brunner and Mr Ellis, determined to accompany Mr Dillon there in order to be able to form some estimate of the rents in dispute between Lady Kingston and her tenants. At 7 a.m. wo started from "Dublin by train, and at midday arrived at Cahir. It was market day there, and when we went to the hotel to arrange for carriages to proceed to Mitchelstown the people came lound the hotel, and deputations of the Corporation of Clonmel and of the local National League presented addresses, in which they expressed their sense of all that Mr Gladstone and the Liberal party had done to promote the cause of Home Rule. Then we started in four or five carriages and brakes. Mitchelstown is about 15 miles from Cahir. At two or three miles from it we were met by some horsemen who had been waiting for us as an advance guard, and they closed round the carriages. They accompanied us about two miles. One was on a roan horse and stuck close to the side of the first carriage. This was not good enough for the roan, who proceeded to rear up and then deposited his fore legs inside the carriage. We had some difficulty in con vineing him that he was an intruder, but having done so we pushed on merrily and soon reached the outside of the town, where there was a procession with bands and banners, which had been awaiting our arrival for a couple of hours. We all fell in, and with bannei's flying and drums beating paraded through the town, finally drawing up in the market-place. Now, what was the meaning of this procession ? The inhabitants of Mitchelstown and its neighbourhood had heard that Mr Dillon and some English members intended to visit the town, and they wished to do honour' to Mr Dillon, and to recognise the good feeiingthat now happily exists between the democracies of Great Britain and Ireland by a merry welcome to British members of Parliament who belong to the Democratic party. The most stringent orders liad been issued to all composing the procession to conduct themselves properly, to remain out of the town until they were told to eiuer it, to indulge -in no stone-throwing, and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner. I am convinced, however, that the police and the other authorities had determined if i to create a disturbance. They had sent soldiers and constabulary into the town on the previous evening, and it is clear to me that they had made up their minds to teach the people that in welcoming English Liberal members they are guilty of a high crime and misdemeanour. They were to be taught a Tory lesson.

Cowardly Constabulary. The market-place where wo pulled up is about the size of Trafalgar Square, and is on a slope. There were some brakes on the upper end, and into one of these brakes we v/ero inducted. Theie were already in it about half-a-dozen priests and somo other gentlemen, amongst them being the mayors of Cork and Clomnel. Along the lower end runs the main street. A more orderly and indeed a more merry crowd 1 never saw. They cheered for Mr Dillon, for the English members, for England, and again and again for- Mr Gladstone. The people were congiegated i-ound the brake, and outride were the men on horseback. Beyond them there were men standing and walking about. Mr Dillon said to me, " Let us make short Work of this. We had better only speak a few minutes each, as I suspect that the constabu-

laiy will interfere if they get a chance. " The Rev. Father McCarthy was invited to preside, and at once called on Mr Dillon to speak. Ho had hardly spoken two sentences when we saw a large body of police forming line on the lower portion of the market place. They pushed forward about a dozen men with sword bayonets by their sides and batons in their hands. Thof-e men commenced to forco thenway through the crowd, and we understand that they had a reporter in their midst. Captain Seagrave, the resident magistrate, remained, I believe, with the main body of the police. By this time the reporter with his escort was as near to the head of the brake as a member at the bar of the House of Commons is to the Speaker. One of the constabulary at this moment drew his bayonet and wounded one of the horses. The horse reared, on which two policemen batoned the rider. The escort with the reporter fell back on the main body of the police, and all together rushed upon the crowd. Right and left at once, sticks were raided and there was a scrimmage, but as a few of the crowd had thick sticks, and as few even of these could gefc at the police, the resistance was slight": but ' the police seemed to be as cowardly as they were brutal.

Captain Seagrave Ran Like a Hare. After a minute or two they fled in disorder to their barracks, with the exception of Captain Seagrave, who ran like a hare to a neighbouring 1 hotel, where he seems to in'ue concealed himself for some time. The.-o barracks arc situated in the main street, a few doors from one of the lower corners of the market place. Mr Dillon jumped down from the brake and walked to the barracks, in order to see, if possible, tho head of the constabulary, and to urge him to refrain from further incitement to disorder. TJie door was closed, but on his knocking he was let in. He found the police in a wild state of excitement. They had dragged t\\ o men into the barracks, and were bludgeoning themas they lay with their faces downwards. He describes the chief constable as almost beside himself, and in reply to repeated ieque&ts to keep his polico within bounds, he said he would march with his police. With the greatest difficulty indeed, by hanging on to his arm, Mr Dillon prevented his rushing-out with his men shooting light and lett. Whilst theie some of the police mounted into the upper rooms and proceeded to lire at the angle of the marketplace which was the line of tire. There were a few people there. Some say that a few .stones had been thrown at the barracks, others that none were thrown, but in any ca^e there was no crowd, and hardly anyone in the street, and the police were in perfect safety.

The People Shot Down. Three men were hit ; one was killer! at once, one died in a few hours, and the third was bndly wounded. It is a remarkable fact that the second man was a car-driver Mho had refused the previous night to drive the police from Fermoy. In the meanwhile Mr Brunner and I remained on the biake. Soon Mr Brunner gob down, and with the priests urged the people to withdraw. I stayed on the brake. A second body of police from another police-station now rushed into the market-place wildly striking anyone that they met. Stones were naturally flung at them, and they fled, tumbling o\ev one another into a priest's house. The marketplace was by this time nearly empty. The police emerged from their retreat in the pi ie.->t\s house, and formed along the top of market place. Mi' Brunner and I on this went to the police barracks, where we found a line of policemen with loaded rifles drawn across the road, and Captain Seagrave, who up to this time had declined to emerge from his concealment, stood plainly before them, with .Mr Brownrigg, the ' head of the County Constabuliry. Captain Seagrave was deadly pale, and his eyes had a wild, I may say almost a demented, look. I asked him whether the meeting had been proclaimed ; he tefused to reply, but finally explained that we had no right to hold it on the market-place, because he had let it be known in the morning that he would not allow bands to be played in the town as long as the resident magistrate's court was sitting. I pointed out to him that the court had risen some hours ago. To this he said nothing. I asked him whether the Riot Act had been read. He replied that he was obeying orders, and that he had nothing to do with politics. I then asked him whether he would allow a meeting to be held, outside the town.

The Military Sent For. He said fchafc he would, but Mr Brownrigrr took him aside, and after a few moments' conversation with that officer ho answered that he withdrew his poimission, he could not allow a meeting to be held anywhere, and that he had sent for the military. We all walked about, urgiiio- the people to go home and informing tht m of Captain Seagrave's intentions. When thy. -^ jldiers arrived and drew up at the bottom of the market place, there remained no excuse for further acts of violence on the part either of the military or of the police. In spite of this, however, Captain, Seagrave sent policemen in pairs armed with rifles to walk a3 if to invite stonethrowing, in which design, however, thanks to our exertions and a numerous body of priests, he was not, I am happy to say, successful.

Brownrigg the Bully. About six o'clock it was deemed expedient that with a view to ulterior proceedings the chief of the constabulry should be asked (if he had not given the order to fire from barracks) to have the rifles of the men examined in order that it might be known which of his men had fired. Mr Dillon and I went to the barracks to demand that this should bo done. We found Bnrwnrigg standing at the door with a number of policemen round him. I have seen the Russians in Poland ; I have seen the Austvians in Lombard y ; I have seen the Prussians in France ; but I never in the course of my life came across so offensive a specimen of an official with brute force at his back. He seemed to consider that it was almost treason for an orderly citizen to ask him a question. "I am not here to answer you or anyone else," he shouted. In vain I explained that if the order to fire had not been given by him it was only reasonable that an examination should take place, and added, " I shall &tate how you have aoted and your present action in the House of Commons." " What ! a threat to me !" he said. "We can have none of this — if you do not go. away at once I will have you cleared away." On this I withdrew, not wishing to prolong, my interview with this master of many policemen. I subsequently heai'd that he had a littlo while ago been summoned before a magistrate for wantonly assaulting a gentleman in the streete. The prosecutor urged that he was drunk and tho magistrate hud to commit him. He fined him one farthing. In conclusion I assert that two men more unfit for their delicate duties than Captain Seagrave and Mr Brownrigg could not be found on the face of the globo. One' is apparently a weak creature, who loses his head ; the other is a bully, in whose eyes all who venture to look , askance on him ought to bo shot. They

are responsible for the deaths that took place. They by their bungling and bullying created the disturbance, and if every man had his deserts they would be sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment. It must be remembered that all theso occurrences took place under the common law, and if permissible in Ireland they are also permissible in England. Had they taken place in London what would have been said ?— Yours obediently, H. Labouchere. Mitchelstown, Saturday.

After the Affray. Another correspondent, writing later,says : — Mitchelstown resembles a place in a state of siege. On Friday evening all _ the public-house keepers in the town received orders not to open their premises before ten o'clock next morning. The opening of the shops made very little difference in the business of the town. Almost the only business was to talk of the deeds of yesterday. At the shop doois, at the street corners, stood groups of men, sullen and mostly silent ; country women, with their heads covered by the hoods of their long dark cloaks, assembled in the streets and in the large square as if for a day of mourning. Now and again there arose a cry of execration and hate as some body of constabulary tramped past, armed with rifles. "Cowards!" "Murderers !" came the revengeful cry from men and women alike. On tho one hand, the constabulary watching at the barrack gates, or posted at the rross roads, or patrolling the side paths v; h rifles leaning over their left aim ; on the other, a scowling populace ready to hoot and curse. These were the irreconcilable elements into which the crime of Friday afternoon left this town divided. For the plow kaleidoscopic shifting of these groups of men and women there was ono spot that seemed unchanging. It was the spot near the edge of the square, \vheie the first victim in Friday's ■strife, Michael Landrigan, fell, shot through the brain. Men and women bent clown to dip their handkerchiefs in the pool of blood, that gleamed red as seen from the place where I stood watching them. " This in memory of my hatred of the English Government,'" one man says as he leaves tho group, holding up the relic. "Yes, but the Government in Ireland," exclaims another in the crowd. Out of the pool of blood one of a number of children who stand there picks up a bullet. These too will carry away their memories of the day — perhaps into some foreign land where dwells an exiled Iri&h race" that neither forgets nor forgives, or perhaps, and let u^ hope, into an Ireland happier than the present, and a generation of Irishmen who will find a real union with their English fellow citizens, and in the sympathy of the English people who are now the masters of the English Governments.

The Dead and Dying. From out the group of hooded women comes a cry of grief. The mourner is the dead man's wife, who, not knowing what happened yesterday, has come from her home four or live miles away in the country in search of her husband. His remains aro in the workhouse, where they were deposited last night after sundry ad\ehtures. At first they were carrying the dead body into an hotel in the square. Then it was suggested that it should be taken to the constabulary barracks from a window of which the bullet came that killed him, and there it was laid in the mud of the street right in front of the barrack door, and so closely that a police officer emeiginj* into the road stopped across it. Michael Landrigan leaves eight children, three of them in America — the Irish peasant's land of promise—the rc^t at home. The second victim, who, though pronounced dead on Friday night, &till lives, but is doomed to die, is more fortunate, for he leaves none dependent upon him. John Shinnick hLs name is. and his fate, though in a sense less tragic than his countryman's, is more pathetic. He served in the Indian mutiny, fighting England's battles. He eked out his pension by working as a gardener, and he was in the employment of an hotelkeeper at Fermoy, a town ei"ht miles from Mitchelstown. When last Thursday his employer was asked to supply carriages for the conveyance ot police constables feo this place only one horse, it seems, was available, but there was no driver. John Shinnick was then told to undertake the duty. Shinnick, who was an ardent Nationalist, refused. Poor as he was, he preferred dismissal and poverty to the hateful task of serving officials whom he conscientiously regarded as nis country's enemies. Being dismissed on the spot, John Shinnick came on foot to Mitch els town to share in the popular welcome to John Dillon and the English members. He was standing with his back to the wall, nearly opposite the police barracks, talking with a young man named Casey, when a shot struck him on the forehead. He staggered along the wall a distance of two or three yards, then stood, made the sign of the cross, and tell. A pool of blood still marks the spot. Casey also was struck, and fell almost simultaneously ■with Shinnick. Now, the facts of the Casey and Shinnick case will be of great importance in the evidence which will be gi\en during the in quest this week.