"Before the end of the year they were brought to trial, and the majority of them, after a few convictions had taken place, pleaded guilty to the indictments. They pleaded guilty, even by the advice of O'Connell himself, their great leader in politics and law, under whose immediate patronage the holding of these meetings, and the denunciations which they thundered forth, had been conducted. Two of his most noisy retainers, the president and vice-president of the Trades' Political Union, were convicted at Dublin, and sentenced to six months' imprisonment. Their defence was that, in the course they had taken regarding tithes, they were only following the example of ministers and of the people of England, in regard to rotten boroughs, and they thought they had been aiding the Ministry in their efforts to abolish tithes. A number of similar convictions took place in the counties of Cork and Tipperary. The punishments inflicted were fines and imprisonment. The criminals were looked upon as martyrs, and the penalties which they were suffering were set down as another unpardonable injury committed against Ireland, by the English Government and Protestant Church."
Crime, however, continued unchecked. The clergyman of Borrisokane, in the county of Tipperary, having found it necessary to seize and sell some cattle belonging to refractory debtors, the combination prevented an auctioneer from acting and purchasers from bidding. The cattle were offered back to the owners at the low price bid for them, but this was scornfully refused. They must have blood, the more especially as the attendance of the military at the sale had prevented violence there. A driver, accompanied by a son of the clergyman, conducted the cattle to a neighbouring fair. On the public road, and in the broad daylight, the non-payers of tithes murdered the driver; and, although his companion did survive, it was only by mistake—they left him for dead upon the highway. Another clergyman was shot dead on his own lawn, while overlooking the labours of his servants.
But, occasionally, these gentlemen got the worst. To secure the tithes, certain proceedings were necessary in surveying and valuing. The persons engaged in performing these duties everywhere required the protection of the military. In the beginning of September, proceedings of this kind were to be adopted in the parish of Wallstown, county Cork; the peasantry assembled to resist; they attacked the military; the latter had to fire in self-defence, and four of the peasantry were killed, and several others wounded.
Again, a party of armed police being engaged in this duty, in a parish in Kilkenny, in the beginning of October, the police were compelled to fire, and two persons were killed. But these are enough horrors for one year.
The accompanying illustrations give a dinner, two ball, and a walking dress; also some modes of hair dressing which were in vogue in this year.
CHAPTER XIII.
1833.
Employment of children in factories — Evidence — Passing of Factory Act — Gambling — Crockford's club — Gambling "hells" — Police case.
At the opening of this year, perhaps, the principal topic of conversation was about the treatment of children in factories, and general commiseration was felt for their unhappy condition. This was principally owing to the publication of the evidence taken before the Committee on the "Factories Bill," two or three extracts from which I give, taken haphazard, and not picked out as being the worst—