Page:Life of John Boyle O'Reilly.djvu/63

Rh Soldiers" public house with the prisoner. He told me that if I went to Hoey's with him he would show me the finest set of Irishmen I ever saw in my life. We went there and found a number of civilians assembled. The prisoner, after some time, took me out of the room and told me that the Fenians were going to beat the English army and make this country their own. He ask me to take an oath to join the Fenians. I answered that I had already taken an oath to serve my queen and country and that was enough for me. I then came down and went into the yard and he again asked me to be a Fenian. I told him no. He then went away and a civilian came and said—

Prisoner. I object to anything being put in evidence relative to a conversation at which I was not present.

Court adjourned for half an hour to consider the objection.

On its reassembling. Private Denny continued:

After returning upstairs prisoner was there and I saw him. I had no conversation with him. I met O'Reilly in Island Bridge Barracks about a week before I was in Hoey's with him. I had then no conversation with him.

Cross-examined by Prisoner:

I am eight years in the Tenth Hussars. I had spoken before that evening with the prisoner, but nothing about Fenianism. I cannot say at what period of the day on the first of January this took place, but it was in the evening, about seven or eight, I think. There was nobody but the prisoner with me when I went to Hoey's. Lance-Corporal Fitzgerald was not in our company. I never, so far as I know, was in Fitzgerald's company at Hoey's. We went back to the "Two Soldiers " that evening by ourselves. We went back to have a glass of beer. I had been drinking before that evening. I was arrested at Island Bridge Barracks and confined in the regiment cells at Richmond Barracks. I was taken on duty to Dublin Castle in aid of the civil power.

Prisoner withdrew this last question.

Witness. I made no report to my superior officers of what took place at Hoey's before my arrest. I was arrested on the 5th of March. I made a statement of what took place before I was transferred to Richmond barracks, I was arrested on a charge of Fenianism and was for two days in the cells at Island Bridge, during which time I was visited by Provost-Sergeant Delworth. He did not tell me what I was charged with. It was told to me by my commanding officer on 5th of March, when I was arrested. I did not know O'Reilly was arrested until he spoke to me through the wall of the cells; that was the first time I knew he was arrested. Sergeant Delworth came to visit me, but I cannot say if it was before then that prisoner spoke through the wall to me. I was only once at Hoey's public house that I am aware of—that was on 1st of January, 1866. I made no statement to the provost sergeant at all.