. Perhaps it was unthought,
but if those men had been in other countries, occupying other
positions--if Jefferson Davis had been released in a northern
city, there would have been a cry of applause throughout all
England. If Garibaldi, who I saw before I was shut out from
the world had been arrested, was released, or something of
that kind had taken place, they would have applauded the
bravery of the act. If the captives of King Theodore had
been released, that too would have been applauded. But, as
it happened to be in England, of course it is an awful thing,
while yet in Ireland murders are perpetrated on unoffending
men, as in the case of the riots in Waterford, where an
unoffending man was murdered, and no one was punished for it.
I do not desire to detain your lordships. I can only say that
I leave this world without a stain on my conscience that I
have been wilfully guilty of anything in connexion with the
death of Sergeant Brett. I am totally guiltless. I leave this
world without malice to anyone. I do not accuse the jury,
but I believe they were prejudiced. I don't accuse them of
wilfully wishing to convict, but prejudice has induced them
to convict when they otherwise would not have done. With
reference to the witnesses, every one of them has sworn
falsely. I never threw a stone or fired a pistol; I was never
at the place, as they have said; it is all totally false. But
as I have to go before my God. I forgive them. They will be
able to meet me, some day, before that God who is to judge us
all, and then they and the people in this Court, and everyone,
will know who tells the truth. Had I committed anything
against the Crown of England, I would have scorned myself had
I attempted to deny it; but with regard to those men, they
have sworn what is altogether false. Had I been an Englishman,
and arrested near the scene of that disturbance, I would
have been brought as a witness to identify them; but being an
Irishman, it was supposed my sympathy was with them, and on
suspicion of that sympathy I was arrested, and in consequence
of the arrest, and the rewards which were offered, I was
identified. It could not be otherwise. As I said before, my
opinions on national matters do not at all relate to the case
before your lordships. We have been found guilty, and, as