d soldiers at that place,
addressed a note to Colonel Turner on the 5th of September, in which he
desired to know whether Colonel Turner, had given me grounds for making
this statement. To this note Colonel Turner tells me he returned at once
the following reply, which he kindly forwards to me for publication:--

"ENNIS, _6th September_ 1888.

"REV. SIR,--I am in receipt of your letter of yesterday, and in
reply thereto beg to state that I informed Mr. Hurlbert that you
said 'in open court' that you had directed (I believe from the
altar) that the town was to be 'made as a city of the dead' during
the trials of 23 publicans who were charged for conspiracy in
boycotting the forces of the Crown who had been employed in
preserving the peace on the occasion of a former trial--this you
said you did in the interests of peace. The magistrates, however,
took a different view, viz., that it was done with the object of
preventing the military and police from obtaining any supplies,
which they were unable to do; and that their view was the correct
one was proved by the fact that half of the accused pleaded guilty
to the offence, and on promise of future good behaviour were allowed
out on their own recognisances. That the people followed your
instructions on that day, coupled with the fact that in your letter
to the _Freeman's Journal_, dated 17th March of this year, you
stated that you offered me peace all round on certain conditions,
thereby showing that at least you consider yourself possessed of
authority to bring about a state of peace or otherwise, probably led
Mr. Hurlbert, to whom I showed a copy of this letter, to infer that
you admitted that you were the moving spirit of all this 'local
boycott,' while you only did so in the particular case above
mentioned. Whether Mr. Hurlbert is correct in drawing the inference
he does as to your being the moving spirit, and as to your conduct,
may perhaps be gathered from the numerous numbers of _United
Ireland_ and other papers which he saw giving reports of illegal
meetings of the suppressed branch of the Miltown-Malbay National
League, at which you were stated to have presided, and at some of
which condemnatory resolutions were passed, and also from the fact
that you are reported to have presided at a meeting on Sunday, April
8, which was held at Miltown-M