THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: ‘American’ citizen arrested on charge of Fenianism

At the ordinary Petty Sessions of a Hillsborough man named as John McDonald was brought up by Head Constable McGavern and charged with “writing and publishing a treasonable letter within the last six months, and with being a member of a treasonable conspiracy against the Queen’s authority in Ireland”.

The prisoner, the sessions heard, had been arrested the previous September by Head Constable McGavern and charged on suspicion of being connected with the Fenian conspiracy.

The prisoner at the time had been wearing an American uniform.

At that time the prisoner had been released and made his way to the US where a short time later a letter appeared in the Irish American newspaper signed by McDonald which made reference to his arrest.

In the letter it was reported that McDonald had written that “he hoped to see the day when the green flag would hover over Ireland”.

McDonald then returned to Ulster the previous Thursday whereby he was promptly arrested after only 20 minutes in Hillsborough.

A certificate of citizenship of the United States had been found on his person when he was arrested Head Constable McGavern told the court, as well as other documents which had since been forwarded to the authorities at Dublin Castle “for the opinion of the law advisers”.

The judge, Captain O’Donel, RM, granted McDonald bail of £50 “under the circumstances” that he appeared before the sessions again that coming Saturday.

To which the prisoner demanded the return of his certificate of US citizenship to which the judge said: “You will get it in due course.”