THE ARREST OF HENRY GEORGE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1033, 21 November 1882, Page 1

THE ARREST OF HENRY GEORGE.

The pleasures of travelling in Ireland at present (writes the Home correspondent of the Auckland Herald) were ludicrously illustrated in the arrest and re-re-arrest of Mr Henry George, an American gentleman, the author of the remarkable work ‘ Progress and Poverty,’ aud the arrest at the same time of one of the masters of Eton. After his first arrest and libeiation, Mr George was a second time seized as he was leaving by the train, and this is what the bobby said :—He had * saized’ him because he had seen him associating with suspicious characters, and produced two constables to prove they had seer, him walking with the Rev. Mr M'Philpin, Roman Catholic curate of the parish, who was One 1 suspicious character,’ the other one being the master of Eton College, The bobby also swore that they remained a long time in the graveyard of the abbey, which lie regarded as suspicious, for goodness knows what they might be up to among the old grey stones. This policeman must be own brother to one I knew in Dunedin. A gentleman with astronomical tastes had planted a telescope on a tripod in the Octagon at a late hour, and was gazing heavenwards. He was pounced on as a suspicious character by Robert, who demanded, ‘ Arrah, thin, what are you doin’ here now ?’ ‘I am looking at Orion’s belt,’ replied the gentleman. ‘ Sure, thin, who is O’Brien, and where did he lose his belt V enquired Robert. But, beside the graveyard, Mr George had entered the shops of three suspects. There had also been found in Mr George’s luggage a ‘dangerous book,’ written by that gentleman, in which it was stated that the laud did not belong to the landlords, and there had also been found on him a memorandum with ‘ unknown and suspicious-looking names.’ This formidable catalogue of crimes was met by George by saying that he visited the old abbey with the priest to see the ruins, that he went into the shop to buy a collar button, and the unknown names in the memorandum were part of several hundred addresses. But last, ho used the talismanic words, ‘ I am an American citizen,’ which appear to constitute a rpecial exemption clause in the Peace Preservation Act in Ireland, and he was released.