On the night of the Ist of June, 1866,
your present executive, or ‘leader,’ ns
some would call him,,4l ad about 503
men without artillery, under his com
mand at Frenchman’s Creek, Canada
West. He knew he was being closely
surrounded by nearly 5000 men. Did
he then give any proof of being afraid
to ‘shed blood ?’ No; he was wil
ling to sacrifice himself and every
man that he commanded in “fair and
honorable fight.” You know the re
sult. On the 'Allowing evening, after
marching nearly forty miles without
a mouthful to eat, and having had
two engagements with the enemy, lie
had a little over three hundred men
at Fort Erie, and bad positive infor
mation that the enemy, number’ng
between five and six thousand, were
within an hour’s march of him; their
drums and bugles could be distinctly
heard in his camp. Did he show any
signs of being afraid to show blood*?
No, brothers. He then believed that
the great movement for Ireland’s re
demption was going on elsewhere,and
the men are living to-day to whom he
sent the following message :
“If the movement is going bn else
where, I will remain here until to
morrow, and will make this old fort a
slaughter pen, which 1 know it will
he. for I will never surrender?’
But when word was brought him
that tlie movement was stopped
through the interference of the United
States authorities, he then demanded
transportation for himself and his
men. When no good to the cause of
Ireland could result from it, he was
‘too virtuous’ to ‘shed one drop of
blood? either of his own or that of
others. He is now waiting to shed
rivers of blood in ‘fair and honorable
fitjbt? for he firmly believes that riv-
NO. 232.
