BACK PAGES: Agrarian violence was common in the 1880s and not always between landlords' agents and tenants. Today's paper in 1886 reported a preliminary court hearing in Ferbane, Co Offaly, arising out of a pitched battle between two rival groups of National Land League members which left several men badly injured. And a visiting Irish-American was prompted by his experiences to address this letter to the editor under the heading "Rowdyism in Dublin",writes JOE JOYCE
SIR, BEING a stranger in your city, having only recently come from America to pay a short visit to the birthplace of my parents, I hope you will be kind enough to allow me a small space in your esteemed paper, to ask a few questions on the above subject.
Very naturally when I arrived in this country a short time since, I was deeply interested in everything I saw and heard, being anxious to learn as much as possible about the Irish people, and the grievances under which they labour, but I regret to say that I leave with a very different opinion of that which for many long years past I have held. Will any person in a position to do so explain why it is not safe for a respectable man or woman to pass through the streets of this great city at a comparatively early hour at night without running the risk of being murdered and robbed?
For instance, on last night I left my hotel in Sackville Street and went to the Post Office for the purpose of posting my letters. I crossed over to Earl Street and turned down Lower Marlborough Street (at 9.30). I saw crowds of fellows lounging about stuck in halldoors. One of them came over to me and said, “Hey, sir, what time are ye?” I was in the act of looking at my watch to tell him, when a second party came at the other side of me and made an attempt to snatch my watch. However, he failed so far. It just occurred to me at the time, having seen in your paper that a few evenings before a poor man named Broderick was attacked in the same locality, having been robbed of his week’s wages, coat, boots, c. and then brutally beaten and left in a pool of blood, half naked, and within a hundred yards of his own house.
What a pity those gentlemen who pay an occasional visit across to America for the purpose of creating sympathy for the poor Irish, would not devote a little time in striving to blot out crime in the country, apart altogether from the land grievance.
Again, I have witnessed where a policeman, who arrested a rowdy a few evenings since, in another part of the city, was striving to keep his man, and well he knew how, and was able, the mob – several hundreds – pressing on him, crying “shame” because be was obliged to exercise his strength in keeping his prisoner, and did keep him.
Why was it that no one called “shame” when Broderick was beaten, and I am informed several looking on but would not interfere, for their own safety sake?
If these are the class of people who crave our sympathy across, I guess they do not deserve it, and as far as I am personally concerned, I shall never again subscribe a dollar. I have contributed 500 dollars last year, and the Irish in my factory have been subscribing thousands of dollars for what purpose I should like to know?
In conclusion, I say it is impossible for the police of this city, who are equal to any and superior to many, to cope with rowdyism, as I believe every obstacle is placed in their way by the mobs to mislead them in capturing a prisoner.
Hoping you will pardon this long letter on a subject which may not be of much importance to some, but may be to others. Yours, c.
William O’Hara,
Duane Street, New York
Gresham Hotel, Sept 9th, 1886
http://url.ie/2auf