Ireland Under Coercion (2nd ed.) (1 of 2) (1888) by William Henry Hurlbert

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"I think not," the proprietor responded quietly. "I think you will go
back the way you came. For you may be sure of one thing: the first man
who crosses that park wall, or enters that gate, is a dead man."

There was no show of weapons, but the revolvers were there, and this the
men of Ennis knew. They also knew that it rested with themselves to
create the right and the occasion to use the revolvers, and that if the
revolvers were used they would be used to some purpose. To their credit,
be it said, as men of sense, they suddenly experienced an almost
Caledonian respect for the "Sabbath-day," and after expressing their
discontent with Mr. Stacpoole's inhospitable reception, turned about and
went back whence they had come.

This morning an orderly from Ennis brought out news of the arrest
yesterday, at the Clare Road, of Mr. Lloyd, a Labour delegate from
London, on his return from an agitation meeting at Kildysart. Harding,
the Englishman I saw awaiting his trial yesterday, became bail for
Lloyd.

In the afternoon we took a delightful walk to Killone Abbey, a pile of
monastic ruins on a lovely site near a very picturesque lake. The ruins
have been used as a quarry by all the country, and are now by no means
extensive. But the precincts are used as a graveyard, not only by the
people of Ennis, but by the farmers and villagers for many miles around.
Nothing can be imagined more painful than the appearance of these
precincts. The graves are, for the most part, shallow, and closely
huddled together. The cemetery, in truth, is a ghastly slum, a
"tenement-house" of the dead. The dead of to-day literally elbow the
dead of yesterday out of their resting-places, to be in their turn
displaced by the dead of to-morrow. Instead of the crosses and the fresh
garlands, and the inscriptions full of loving thoughtfulness, which lend
a pathetic charm to the German "courts of peace"--instead of the
carefully tended hillocks and flower-studded turf which make the
churchyard of a typical old English village beautiful,--all here is
confusion, squalor, and neglect. Fragments of coffins and bones lie
scattered among the sunken and shattered stones. We picked up a skull
lying quite apart in a corner of the enclosure. A clean round bullet
hole in the very centre of the frontal bone was dumbly and grimly
eloquent. Was it the skull of a patriot or of a policeman? of a
"White-boy" or of a "landlord"?

One thing only was apparent from the conformation of the grisly relic.
It was the skull of a Celt. Probably, therefore, not of a land agent,
shot to repress his fiduciary zeal, but perhaps of some peasant
selfishly and recklessly bent on paying his rent.

While we wandered amid the ruins we came suddenly upon a woman wearing a
long Irish cloak, and accompanied by two well-dressed men. One of the
men started upon catching sight of Colonel Turner, who was of our party,
grew quite red for a moment, and then very civilly exchanged salutations
with him. The party walked quietly away on a lower road leading to
Ennis. When they had gone Colonel Turner told us that the man who had
spoken to him was a local Nationalist of repute and influence in Ennis.
"He would never have ventured to be civil to me in the town," he said. A
discussion arose as to the probable object of the party in visiting
these ruins. A gentleman who was with us half-laughingly suggested that
they might have been putting away dynamite bombs for an attack on
Edenvale. Colonel Turner's more practical and probable theory was that
they were looking about for a site for the grave of the Fenian veteran,
Stephen J. Meany, who died in America not long ago. He was a native, I
believe, of Ennis, and his remains are now on their way across the
Atlantic for interment in his birth-place. "Would a processional funeral
be allowed for him?" I asked. Colonel Turner could see no reason why it
should not be.

One exception I noted to the general slovenliness of the graves. A new
and handsome monument had just been set up by a man of Ennis, living in
Australia, to the memory of his father and mother, buried here twenty
years ago. But this touching symbol of a heart untravelled, fondly
turning to its home, had been so placed, either by accident or by
design, as to block the entrance way to the vault of a family living, or
rather owning property, in this neighbourhood. Until within a year or
two past this family had occupied a very handsome mansion in a park
adjoining the park of Edenvale. But the heir, worn out with local
hostilities, and reduced in fortune by the pressure of the times and of
the League, has now thrown up the sponge. His ancestral acres have been
turned over for cultivation to Mr. Stacpoole. His house, a large fine
building, apparently of the time of James II., containing, I am told,
some good pictures and old furniture, is shut up, as are the model
stables, ample enough for a great stud; and so another centre of local
industry and activity is made sterile.

Near the ruins of Killone is a curious ancient shrine of St. John,
beside a spring known as the Holy Well. All about the rude little altar
in the open air simple votive offerings were displayed, and Mrs.
Stacpoole tells me pilgrims come here from Galway and Connemara to climb
the hill upon their knees, and drink of the water. Last year for the
first time within the memory of man the well went dry. Such was the
distress caused in Ennis by this news, that on the eve of St. John
certain pious persons came out from the town, drew water from the lake,
and poured it into the well!

As we walked away one of the party pointed to a rabbit fleeing swiftly
into a hole in one of the graves. "I was on this hill," he said, "one
day not very long ago when a funeral train came out from Ennis. As it
entered the precincts a rabbit ran rapidly across the grounds. Instantly
the procession broke up; the coffin was literally dropped to the
ground, and the bearers, the mourners, and the whole company united in a
hot and general chase of bunny. Of course, I need not say," he added,
"that there was no priest with them. The fixed charge of the priest for
a burial is twenty shillings, but there is usually no service at the
grave whatever."

This may possibly be a trace of the practices which grew up under the
Penal Laws against Catholics. When Rinuccini came to Ireland in the time
of the Civil War, he found the observances of the Church all fallen into
degradation through these laws. The Holy Sacrifice was celebrated in the
cabins, and not unfrequently on tables which had been covered
half-an-hour before with the remains of the last night's supper, and
would be cleared half-an-hour afterwards for the midday meal, and
perhaps for a game of cards.

Several guests joined us at dinner. One gentleman, a magistrate familiar
with Gweedore, told me he believed the statements of Sergeant Mahony as
to the income of Father M'Fadden to fall within the truth. While he
believes that many people in that region live, as he put it, "constantly
within a hair's-breadth of famine," he thinks that the great body of
the peasants there are in a position, "with industry and thrift, not
only to make both ends meet, but to make them overlap."

Mr. Stacpoole told us some of his own experiences nearer home. Not long
ago he was informed that the National League had ordered some decent
people, who hold the demesne lands of his neighbour, Mr. Macdonald
(already alluded to) at a very low rental, to make a demand for a
reduction, which would have left Mr. Macdonald without a penny of
income. To counter this Mr. Stacpoole offered to take the lands over for
pasture at the existing rental, whereupon the tenants promptly made up
their minds to keep their holdings in defiance of the League.

Last year a man, whom Mr. Stacpoole had regarded as a "good" tenant,
came to him, bringing the money to pay his rent. "I have the rint,
sorr," the man said, "but it is God's truth I dare not pay it to ye!"
Other tenants were waiting outside. "Are you such a coward that you
don't dare be honest?" said Mr. Stacpoole. The man turned rather red,
went and looked out of all the windows, one after another, lifted up the
heavy cloth of the large table in the room, and peeped under it
nervously, and finally walked up to Mr. Stacpoole and paid the money.
The receipt being handed to him, he put it back with his hand, eyed it
askance as if it were a bomb, and finally took it, and carefully put it
into the lining of his hat, after which, opening the door with a great
noise, he exclaimed as he went out, "I'm very, very sorry, master, that
I can't meet you about it!" This man is now as loud in protestation of
his "inability" to pay his rent as any of the "Campaigners." Mr.
Stacpoole thinks one great danger of the actual situation is that men
who were originally "coerced" by intimidation into dishonestly refusing
to pay just rents, which they were abundantly able to pay, are beginning
now to think that they will be, and ought to be, relieved by the law of
the land from any obligation to pay these rents.

It seems to be his impression that things look better, however, of late
for law and order. On Monday of last week at Ennis an example was made
of a local official, which, he thinks, will do good. This was a Poor-Law
Guardian named Grogan. He was bound over on Monday last to keep the
peace for twelve months towards one George Pilkington. Pilkington, it
appears, in contempt of the League, took and occupied, in 1886, a
certain farm in Tarmon West. For this he was "boycotted" from that time
forth. In December last he was summoned, with others, before the Board
of Guardians at Kilrush, to fix the rents of certain labourers'
cottages. While he sat in the room awaiting the action of the Board,
Grogan, one of its members, rose up, and, looking at Pilkington, said in
a loud voice, "There's an obnoxious person here present that should not
be here, a land-grabber named Pilkington." There was a stir in the room,
and Pilkington, standing up, said, "I am here because I have had notice
from the Guardians. If I am asked to leave the place, I shall not come
back." The Chairman of the Board upon this declared that "while the
ordinary business of the Board was transacting, Mr. Pilkington would be
there only by the courtesy of the Board;" and treating the allusions of
Grogan to Pilkington as a part of the business of the Board, he said, "A
motion is before the Board, does any one second it?" Another guardian,
Collins, got up, and said "I do." Thereupon the Chairman put it to the
vote whether Pilkington should be requested to leave. The ayes had it,
and the Chairman of the Board thereupon invited Pilkington to leave the
meeting which the Board had invited him to attend!

Grogan has now been prosecuted for the offence of "wrongfully, and
without legal authority, using violence and intimidation to and towards
George Pilkington of Tarmon West, with a view to cause the said
Pilkington to abstain from doing an act which he had a legal right to
do, namely, to hold, occupy, and work on a certain farm of land at
Tarmon West."

Plainly this case is one of a grapple between the two Governments which
have been and are now contending for the control of Ireland: the
Government of the Queen of Ireland, which authorises Pilkington to take
and farm a piece of land, and the Government of the National League,
which forbids him to do this. Is it possible to doubt which of the two
is the government of Liberty, as well as the government of Law?

It illustrates the demoralising influence upon society in Ireland of the
protracted toleration of such a contest as has been waging between the
authority of the Law and the authority of the League, that, when this
case came up for consideration ten days ago, an official here actually
thought it ought to be put off. Colonel Turner insisted it should be
dealt with at once; and so Mr. Grogan was proceeded against, with the
result I have stated.

The trees on this demesne are the finest I have so far seen in Ireland,
beautiful and vigorous pencil-cedars, ilexes, Scotch firs, and Irish
yews. There is one noble cedar of Lebanon here worth a special trip to
see. In conversation about the country to-night, Mr. Stacpoole mentioned
that tobacco was grown here, strong and of good quality, and he was much
interested, as I remember were also the charming chatelaine of Newtown
Anner and Mr. Le Poer of Gurteen four or five years ago, to learn how
immensely successful has been the tobacco-culture introduced into
Pennsylvania only a quarter of a century ago, as a consequence of the
Civil War. The climatic conditions here are certainly not more
unfavourable to such an experiment in agriculture than they were at
first supposed to be in the Pennsylvanian counties of York and
Lancaster. Of course the Imperial excise would deal with it as harshly
as it is now dealing with a similar experiment in England. But the Irish
tobacco-growers would not now have to fear such hostile legislation as
ruined the Irish linen industries in the last century. The
"Moonlighters" of 1888 lineally represent, if they do not simply
reproduce, the "Whiteboys" of 1760; and the domination of the "uncrowned
king" constantly reminds one of Froude's vivid and vigorous sketch of
the sway wielded by "Captain Dwyer" and "Joanna Maskell" from Mallow to
Westmeath, between the years 1762 and 1765. On that side of the quarrel
there seems to be nothing very new under the sun in Ireland. But the
spirit and the forms of the Imperial authority over the country have
unquestionably undergone a great change for the better, not only since
the last century, but since the accession of Queen Victoria.

Upon the question of land improvements, Mr. Stacpoole told me, to-night,
that he borrowed L1000 of the Government for drainage improvements on
his property here, the object of which was to better the holdings of
tenants. Of this sum he had to leave L400 undrawn, as he could not get
the men to work at the improvements, even for their own good. They all
wanted to be gangers or chiefs. It reminded me of Berlioz's reply to the
bourgeois who wanted his son to be made a "great composer." "Let him go
into the army," said Berlioz, "and join the only regiment he is fit
for." "What regiment is that?" "The regiment of colonels."

In the course of the evening a report was brought out from Ennis to
Colonel Turner. He read it, and then handed it to me, with an
accompanying document. The latter, at my request, he allowed me to keep,
and I must reproduce it here. It tells its own tale.

A peasant came to the authorities and complained that he was "tormented"
to make a subscription to a "testimonial" for one Austen Mackay of
Kilshanny, in the County Clare, producing at the same time a copy of the
circular which had been sent about to the people. It is a
cheaply-printed leaflet, not unlike a penny ballad in appearance, and
thus it runs:--

"_Testimonial to_ Mr. AUSTEN MACKAY, _Kilshanny_, _County Clare_.

"We, the Nationalists and friends of Mr. Austen Mackay, at a meeting
held in March 1887, agreed and resolved on presenting the long-tried and
trusted friend--the persecuted widow's son--with a testimonial worthy of
the fearless hero who on several occasions had to hide his head in the
caves and caverns of the mountains, with a price set on his body. First,
for firing at and wounding a spy in his neighbourhood, as was alleged
in '65, for which he had to stand his trial at Clare Assizes. Again, for
firing at and wounding his mother's agent and under-strapper while in
the act of evicting his widowed mother in the broad daylight of Heaven,
thus saved his mother's home from being wrecked by the robber agent, the
shock of which saved other hearths from being quenched; but the noble
widow's son was chased to the mountains, where he had to seek shelter
from a thousand bloodhounds.

"The same true widow's son nobly guarded his mother's homestead and that
of others from the foul hands of the exterminators. This is the same
widow's son who bravely reinstated the evicted, and helped to rebuild
the levelled houses of many; for this he was persecuted and convicted at
Cork Assizes, and flung into prison to sleep on the cold plank beds of
Cork and Limerick gaols. Many other manly and noble services did he
which cannot be made known to the public. At that meeting you were
appointed collector with other Nationalists of Clare at home and abroad.
This is the widow's son, Austen Mackay, whom we, the Committee to this
testimonial, hope and trust every Irishman in Clare will cheerfully
subscribe, that he may be enabled in his present state of health to get
into some business under the protection of the Stars and Stripes, where
he is a citizen of."

"Subscriptions to be sent to Henry Higgins, Ennis.

"Treasurers: Daniel O'Loghlen, Lisdoonvarna; James Kennedy, Ennistymon."

Then follow, with the name of the Society, the names of the committee.

In behalf of the Stars and Stripes, "where he is a citizen of," I thanked
Colonel Turner for this interesting contribution to the possible future
history of my country, there being nothing to prevent the election of
any heir of this illustrious "widow's son," born to him in America, to
the Presidency of the Republic. The use of this phrase, the "widow's
son," by the way, gives a semi-masonic character to this curious
circular.

One officer says in his report upon this Committee: "All the persons
named are well known to their respective local police, and, except one,
have little or no following or influence in their respective localities.
They are all members of the National League." The same officer subjoins
this instructive observation: "I beg to add that I find no matter how
popular a man may be in Clare, start a testimonial for him, and from
that time forth his influence is gone."

Can it be possible that the "testimonial," which, as the papers tell me,
is getting up all over Ireland for Mr. Wilfrid Blunt, can have been
"started" with a sinister eye to this effect, by local patriots jealous
of any alien intrusion into their bailiwick? I am almost tempted to
suspect this, remembering that a Nationalist with whom I talked about
Mr. Blunt in Dublin, after lavishing much praise upon his disinterested
devotion to the cause of Ireland, moodily remarked, "For all that, I
don't believe he will do us any good, for he comes of the blood of
Mountjoy, I am told!"

EDENVALE, _Monday, Feb. 20._--This morning Colonel Turner called my
attention to the report in the papers of a colloquy between the Chief
Secretary for Ireland and Mr. J. Redmond, M.P., in the House, on the
subject of last week's trials at Ennis. In speaking of the boycotting at
Milltown Malbay of a certain Mrs. Connell, Mr. Balfour described the
case as one of barbarous inhumanity shown to a helpless old woman. Mr.
Redmond denying this, asserted that he had seen the woman Connell a
fortnight ago in Court, and that so far from her being a decrepit old
woman, she was only fifty years of age, hale and hearty, but
disreputable and given to drink; he also said she was drunk at the
trial, so drunk that the Crown prosecutor, Mr. Otter, was obliged to
order her down from the table.

"What are the facts?" I asked. "Mr. Balfour speaks from report and
belief, Mr. Redmond asserts that he speaks from actual observation."

"The facts," said Colonel Turner quietly, "are that Mr. Balfour's
statement is accurate, and that Mr. Redmond, speaking from actual
observation, asserts the thing that is not."

"Where is this old woman?" I asked. "Would it be possible for me to see
her?"

"Certainly; she is at no great distance, and I will with pleasure send a
car with an officer to bring her here this afternoon!"

"Meanwhile, how came the old woman into Court? and what is her
connection with the cases of boycotting last week tried?"

"Those cases arose out of her case," said Colonel Turner; "the publicans
last week arraigned, 'boycotted' a fortnight ago the police and
soldiers who were called in to keep the peace during the trial of the
dealers who 'boycotted' her.

"Her case was first publicly made known by a letter which appeared in
the Dublin _Express_ on the 28th of January. That day a line was sent to
me from Dublin ordering an inquiry into it. I endorsed upon the order,
'Please report. I imagine this is greatly exaggerated.' This was on
January 30th. The next day, January 31st, I received a full report from
Milltown Malbay. Here it is,"--taking a document from a portfolio and
handing it to me--"and you may make what use you like of it."

It is worth giving at length:--

"James Connell, ex-soldier, and his mother, Hannah Connell, of
Fintamore, in this sub-district are boycotted, and have been since
July last. James Connell held a farm and a garden from one Michael
Carroll, a farmer, who was evicted from his holding for non-payment
of three years' rent, July 14, 1886. After the period of redemption,
six months, had passed, the agent made Connell a tenant for his
house and garden, giving him in addition about half an acre (Irish)
of the evicted farm which adjoins his house. In consequence Connell
was regarded by the National League here as a 'land-grabber.' About
the same time the agent also appointed him a rent-warner.

"On the 22d June last Connell received a letter through the
Post-Office threatening him if he did not give up his place as a
rent-warner. I have no doubt the letter was written by (here a
resident was named). On the 10th, and again on the 17th, of July,
Connell was brought before indoor meetings of the National League
here for having taken the half acre of land, when he through fear
declared he had not done it.

"At the first meeting the Rev. J.S. White, P.P., suggested that in
order to test whether Connell had taken the land, Carroll, the
evicted tenant, should go and cut the meadowing on it, which he did,
when Connell interfered and prevented him. At the next meeting
Carroll brought this under notice, and Connell was thereupon
boycotted. Immediately afterwards the men who had been engaged
fishing for Connell refused to fish, saying that if they fished for
him the sale of the fish would be boycotted, which was true.

"Since then Connell has been deprived of his means of livelihood,
and no one dare employ him. He, however, through his mother, was
able to procure the necessaries of life until about the 22d of
November last, when his mother was refused goods by the tradesmen
with whom she had dealt, owing to a resolution passed at a meeting
of the 'suppressed' branch of the League here, to the effect that
any person supplying her would be boycotted. December 23d she came
into Milltown Malbay for goods, and was refused. The police
accompanied her, but no person would supply her. On the 2d of
January she came again, when one trader supplied her with some
bread, but refused groceries. The police accompanied her to several
traders, who all refused. Ultimately she was supplied by the
post-mistress. On the 7th of January she came, and the police
accompanied her to several traders, all of whom refused her even
bread. Believing she wanted it badly, we, the police, supplied her
with some. On these three occasions she was followed by large
numbers of young people about the street, evidently to frighten and
intimidate her, and their demeanour was so hostile that we were
obliged to disperse them and protect her home. On a subsequent
occasion she stated that stones were thrown at her. Since then she
has not come here for goods, and, in my opinion, it would not be
safe for her to do so without protection. She and her son are now
getting goods from Mrs. Moroney's shop at Spanish Point, which she
opened a few years ago to supply boycotted persons.

"The Connells find it hard to get turf, and are obliged to bring it
a distance in bags so that it may not be observed. As for milk, the
person who did supply them privately for a considerable time
declined some weeks ago to do so any longer. They are now really
destitute, as any little money Connell had saved is spent, and,
although willing and anxious to work, no person will employ him.
Summonses have been issued against the tradesmen for refusing to
supply Hannah Connell on the occasions already referred to. I have
only to add that I have from time to time reported fully the
foregoing facts with regard to the persecution of this poor man and
his aged mother; and I regret to say that boycotting and
intimidation never prevailed to a greater extent here than at
present. Connell's safety is being looked after by patrols from this
and Spanish Point station."

Three things seem to me specially noteworthy in this tale of cowardly
and malignant tyranny. The victims of this vulgar Vehmgericht are
neither landlords nor agents. They are a poor Irish labourer and his
aged mother. The "crime" for which these poor creatures are thus
persecuted is simply that one of them--the man--chose to obey the law of
the land in which he lives, and to work for his livelihood and that of
his mother. And the priest of the parish, instead of sheltering and
protecting these hunted creatures, is presented as joining in the hunt,
and actually devising a trap to catch the poor frightened man in a
falsehood.

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