as the President of these States.  At the time of Mr. Mitchel’s trial, I believe I expressed a very strong opinion in favour of rescuing him; and that opinion was grounded on the belief that the whole people would rise up en masse, and in one wild burst of vengeance, sweep their oppressors from the land.  But neither then nor afterwards, did Mr. O’Brien give me the least reason to believe that he was prepared to resist the government in arms, save as far as he concurred in acts which had a tendency to that end.

When first the report above referred to was circulated, I wrote the strongest contradiction of it, and Mr. Meagher, with Mr. O’Brien’s sanction, addressed the following note to the editor of the Tipperary Vindicator.  I am sorry it should be in any way necessary to produce it here; but as this is the last time I shall ever refer to this subject, I thought it best to add this testimony to my own.

    CLONMEL GAOL

    “MR. MEAGHER fully authorises his friend, Mr. Lenihan, to state
    that the exculpation which appeared in a recent number of his
    paper, from Mr. Doheny, is the perfect truth.

“Mr. Meagher is most anxious to have this stated, for he has felt for a long time deeply pained at many of the false reports that have appeared against his friend—­his dear and trusted friend, Michael Doheny.

“One of the most grievous of these reports has been that very false one, charging Mr. Doheny with having invited Mr. Smith O’Brien to the county Tipperary.  Nothing could have been more false than this.

    “Mr. Doheny, so far from inviting Mr. O’Brien to Tipperary, did
    not, in fact, know of his being in the county at all, until Mr.
    Meagher told him, and that was on Tuesday, July 25th.

    (Signed) “THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER.

    “Written a few hours after the passing of the sentence of death.

    “October 23, 1848.”]

CHAPTER VII

THE OUTBREAK.—­MR. O’BRIEN IN
CARRICK.—­CASHEL.—­KILLENAULE.—&sh
y;MULLINAHONE.—­BALLINGARRY.—­AFFAIR AT
KILLENAULE.—­DEFEAT OF MR. O’BRIEN’S PARTY AT THE COMMON.—­PERSONAL
ADVENTURES OF THE WRITER AND HIS COMRADE, UP TO THE DATE OF MR.
O’BRIEN’S ARREST

On the night of the 24th of July, I was awakened, where I was staying, by a rapping at my window.  I recognised the voice of my sister-in-law, and learned from her, in a few seconds, how matters stood.  Her information, in brief, was this that:  Messrs. O’Brien, Dillon and Meagher had left Dublin on learning that the Habeas Corpus Act was suspended; and that it was supposed their object was to throw themselves on the courage of the country.  This intelligence rested on the authority of two trusted members of the council of the Confederation, Messrs. James Cantwell, and P.J.  Smyth.  The fact was all which I then cared to know.  I parted