Scathlan 1

A rush up the embankment was made, and the crowd had become a mob. The cry was raised, 'Bhuail se an sagart leis an chlaiomh!' There was a hail of stones and turf; hands seized palings from the priest's tu rt stack, and Martin was beaten to the ground. There as he lay terrible blows were rained on his head. The priest, who had lost control of the situation and was unaware of the killing going on, ,had gone towards the house with his sister, who was in a very excited state. He rushed upstairs, in order to appeal to the people from a window to go home. The main force of constabulary had meanwhile rushed up, but they arrived too late to save their stricken officer. Eventually the body was taken away, and Fr. McFadden was taken into custody. A rigorous manhunt, conducted by police, military, and even navy, began in Gweedore. The law in its efforts to bring to justice those responsible for the murder, employed such resolution and inflexibility as even the long– suffering parish of Gweedore had not known before. Some of those seized experienced brutal treatment. Eventually Fr. McFadden and twenty-four other prisoners were put on trial in October on charges arising out of the murder of Mr. Inspector Martin. The venue for the trials was fixed at Maryborough, 10ueen's County, far away from Gweedore, and special juries from which Catholics, all but one, were excluded, of property-owners were impanelled. J. E. O'Doherty, M.P., solicitor for tl1e defonce, had briefed eminent counsel, the MacDermot, Q.C., Dr. Houston, Q.C., and, as· junior, Tim Healy. They faced formidable opponents . The Attorney– General, the Rt. Hon. Peter O'Brien, the redoubtable 'Pether the Packer' himself, conducted the case for the Crown in person, assisted by Messrs. Ryan, Q.C., Edward Carson, Q.C., and John Ross. The first prisoner, William Coll, was convicted on a charge of murder. But in the case of the next, Jack Gallagher, the jury disagreed. At the same time Tim Healy made a point which (he much later recalled) told heavily upon Judge Gibson, viz. that as it was high treason to strike a judge in his robes, so Martin's collaring of and menacing attitude towards the priest who had just said Mass was a crime against religion that no congregation could be expected to tolerate. The prosecution, with a verdict secured, saw that it would be prudent to offer terms. Healy opposed acceptance but was overruled · by his seniors, who persuaded the rest of the defendants to plead guilty to manslaughter or lesser charges. Fr. McFadden with some others pleaded guilty to obstructing the police, (In the Parnell Split, the Parnellites accused Healy of being the one who accepted the deal. Politics then, as now, was conducted none too scrupulously at times). Sentences ranged from ten years penal servitude to two months; Fr. McFadden and Margaret Coll were allowed to stand on recognisances. When the Liberals returned to office in 1892, John Morley, as Chief Secretary, released the prisoners still serving sentences. But Fr. McFadden received another sentence. On 20 December, 1889, Bishop O'Donnell, after reprimanding the priest for his imprudence, forbade him ever to concern himself again with politics of agrarian agitation in Gweedore or to make speeches or to write in the papers on these matters for five years. 50.