Newspaper Abstracts

Trenton Times
Trenton, New Jersey
Dec 17, 1886

MR DILLON ARRESTED.
The Anti-Rent Agitators Taken in by the Police.

DUBLIN, Dec. 17- Mr. John Dillon and Mr. William O'Brien attended an immense National League demonstration at Loughrea yesterday which was presided over by Father Cunningham. A large number of clergymen, together with Commoners Harris and Sheehy, occupied seats on the platform, and a numerous contingent of tenants from the estates of Lord Clanricarde were present among the audience. Messrs. Dillon and O'Brien addressed the meeting eloquently and at great length, and at the conclusion of the speeches the two gentlemen opened rent offices for the collection of rents under the league's "plan of campaign". Hundreds of tenants came forward and paid the sums they were willing or able to pay, when suddenly a strong force of police, headed by Inspector Davies, burst into one of the offices, seized the money, books, and papers and arrested Mr. Dillon who was in charge. Mr. Dillon remonstrated with Inspector Davies and was assaulted and roughly handled by the police, unrestrained by the inspector. The police then proceeded upstairs to the office occupied by Mr. O'Brien, arrested that gentleman, and seized his books, papers, money, etc. Having secured the principals, the inspector sent a squad of police to arrest Messrs. Harris and Sheehy, and the four prisoners were arraigned before a magistrate and charged with conspiring to induce tenants to abstain from paying the rents they were lawfully bound to pay, which charge is included in the general one of conspiracy to defraud. The prisoners were remanded for one week.
When the police arrived Mr. Dillon had collected $100 and Mr. O'Brien about $350.

CORK, Dec. 10.
Five young men, almost all of the farming class, were tried to-day at the Cork Winter Assizes, before Chief Justice Morris, on a charge of having unlawfully assembled, armed with revolvers and other offensive weapons, on the night of the 26th of September, at Castleisland, in county Kerry. The names of the prisoners were Michael Hannifan, Timothy O'Brien, John Hussey [Harvey?], John Buckley, and Michael Ahern. All pleaded not guilty. The evidence against them went to show that on the night of the 26th of September last a party of men were assembled in a back yard at the rear of a publichouse kept by a young woman named Hickey. It was a Sunday evening. About 9 o'clock Sergeant O'Donnell, accompanied by five other policemen, went towards the yard. In the yard they observed five men, and the constabulary immediately rushed towards them, whereupon the moonlighters decamped and ran into Hickey's publichouse. On some of the constables going round to the front of the house they found the front door ajar, and upon entering the house one of the prisoners, named Timothy O'Brien, rushed at them with a sword-bayonet in his hand. The prisoners were all arrested, and some of them were seen throwing away revolvers, which were afterwards found. When the yard was searched afterwards there were found disguises and cartridges. There Buckley also was observed to throw something away out of his pocket, and this was discovered to be a canister of revolver cartridges. The five men were taken into custody on the spot and taken to the barracks. The five constables were all examined and all gave similar testimony for the prosecution. The jury found the five prisoners guilty without leaving the box. Sentence was deferred.

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