Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VII.djvu/135

FENIANS 127 urged to immediate action. O'Mahony was at length formally impeached and deposed by the senate, and Col. William R. Roberts was elected in his stead. While Roberts was preparing to move on Canada, O'Mahony was induced to consent to an attempt to occupy the island of Campo Bello, New Brunswick. A steamer was purchased in New York early in April for the purpose of carrying arms to Eastport, Maine, a few miles from Campo Bello. The command of the expedition was assumed by Major B. Doran Killian. Five hundred men quietly gathered at Eastport, and awaited the arrival of the steamer with the arms. But O'Mahony, who was still recognized as presi- dent by a portion of the Fenians, had counter- manded the sailing of the steamer, and order- ed the New York Fenians at Boston to return home. From Portland was now sent a schooner with 750 stand of arms, the offering of Fenian sympathizers ; but the arms were seized by the United States authorities, and Gen. Meade hav- ing arrived and telegraphed for troops, the Fe- nians dispersed and made their way home as best they could. On May 10 Stephens arrived in New York, apparently confident that both parties would yield to his leadership. O'Ma- hony, in order to facilitate a reunion, gave in his resignation, which was accepted, and Major Killian was removed from his command. The Roberts party immediately came to an issue with Stephens on the proposed invasion of Canada. This Stephens decidedly opposed, urging that all present efforts should be to raise money for the purpose of helping " the men in the gap" in Ireland. These men, he said, numbering hundreds of thousands, needed only money to win their independence. All this while both factions continued bitterly to assail each other's motives and acts. Under the mil- itary direction of Gen. Thomas W. Sweeny, an officer of the American army, the Roberts party began to act about the middle of May. On the 19th 1,200 stand of arms were seized at Rouse's Point, near the Canadian frontier, by the United States custom-house officers. From the 29th to the 31st bodies of Fenians from various points of the west and southwest moved toward Canada, and a new seizure of anus was made at St. Albans on the 30th by the United States authorities. The Canadian government put the entire militia of the west- ern provinces under arms, and they took the field under Sir John Mitchell, while companies of volunteers and regulars were sent to the various threatened points. On June 1, 1,200 or 1,500 Fenians under Col. O'Neil crossed the Niagara river at Buffalo and took possession of an unoccupied work called Fort Erie. On the M they were attacked at a place called Lime- Ridge, and held their position, losing several killed and wounded and many prison- They withdrew the same night, and TOO iv (.TO intercepted by the United States gunboat ICichigan. Subsequently Gen. Barry, in com- mand of the frontier, paroled 1,500 upen their 316 VOL. vii. 9 promising to return to their homes, and to de- sist in future from any violation of the neutral- ity laws; the officers being required to give bail to appear and answer when required for an infraction of the laws. The Fenians con- tinued to pour into Buffalo, but were ordered back by their commanding officers. Along the frontier of Vermont Gen. Meade concentrated a large force of United States troops. The president issued a proclamation of neutrality, and gave orders for the arrest of the Fenian leaders. On June Y Gen. Sweeny and his staff were arrested in St. Albans, Roberts in New York, and several others in Buffalo. Roberts having refused to give parole or bail, was de- tained in jail for several days, and then released. During this period large sums of money were contributed ; and the proposed rising in Ireland was made the occasion of a " final call " for funds, issued Aug. 25, 1865. From that date up to April, 1866, the sum of $250,000 was contributed by the Fenian brotherhood, of which the British government intercepted $42,000, and $3,500 were lost by an agent in Ireland. To counteract the effect of these disasters Stephens pledged his word that there should be a fight in Ireland within the coining year. In September Roberts summoned a congress in Troy, which was numerously at- tended. The case of Col. R. B. Lynch and a priest named McMahon, who had been taken prisoners at Limestone Ridge, tried, and con- demned to death, served for a time to keep alive public attention in the United States; but through the good offices of the American gov- ernment, these sentences were commuted. In December Stephens called a meeting of Fenian centres in New York, in which future plans of" action in Ireland were discussed. He was op- posed to any overt attempt under present cir- cumstances ; and to convince his followers that his advice was not the result of personal fear, he professed his readiness to go at once to, Eng- land and allow the British authorities to do their worst upon him. But while rejecting this offer, the party of action would not accede to their chief's prudent counsels. About- 50 persons were sent, in conformity with the promise of another rising wrung from Stephens, as "commissaries" to Great Britain; among them were the two "centres" Kelly and Dea- sy, and Godfrey Massey. The invasion of Can- ada, the publicity, given in America to the de- signs of the Fenian leaders, the agitation fos- tered on both sides of the Atlantic on the occa- sion of the condemnation to death of Lynch and McMahon, and above all the exact infor- mation obtained by the British authorities from agents in the Fenian ranks, caused a second suspension of the habeas corpus act, Aug. 10. A reward of 2,000 was offered in November for the apprehension of Stephens, said to be on his way to Ireland ; fresh regiments were sent to the latter country ; and 97 leading emissa- ries of the brotherhood were arrested and im- prisoned under the viceroy's warrant. . It there-