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The Evening World
New York, New York County, New York
What is this article about?
In Woodford, Ireland, on the night of October 16, 1887, Irish leaders including William O'Brien held a surprise midnight mass-meeting defying a government proclamation. Torches lit the town as speeches denounced coercion and the National League suppression; police did not intervene, and resolutions were adopted.
Merged-components note: Merged image (likely illustration for the Irish political story) with the O'Brien foreign news text due to adjacent spatial positioning and thematic relevance.
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EXCITEMENT AT WOODFORD.
A Dramatic Midnight Meeting which Surprised the Irish Police.
[SPECIAL CABLE TO THE EVENING WORLD.]
DUBLIN, Oct. 17.—The midnight mass-meeting at Woodford last night was not only a most dramatic and picturesque affair, but was a complete surprise for the police, who were ingeniously outwitted by the Irish leaders.
Large bodies of country people went to Woodford during the afternoon, but they made no attempt to hold a meeting. Word was secretly given them to wait until night. The police in the meantime occupied every place where men could assemble and guarded every street corner.
The day passed quietly. After dusk the constabulary withdrew to their quarters, satisfied that they had prevented any infraction of the proclamation forbidding the proposed meeting. The crowds of people had not diminished, but kept very quiet and remained mostly indoors.
Suddenly on the stroke of midnight the whole town burst into illumination. Every window-pane had its candle and hundreds of men poured into the streets with lighted torches. Mr. O'Brien and other Irish leaders appeared at the windows of their hotel. The torchbearers assembled and cheered. Here a regular meeting was held. Patriotic addresses were delivered by Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Rowntree, M. P., and Wilfrid Blunt.
It was at an upper window, beyond the reach of the police, that Editor O'Brien, after reading some extracts from the proclamation of the Viceroy, seized a torch, thrust the paper into the flame and let the burning fragments fall into the street. Such a scene never was witnessed in Ireland.
The audience was wild with excitement, and cheered, screamed, yelled and tossed their hats and torches for several minutes. The police hastily turned out, but did not dare to interfere with the excited mass. The speaker went on and the meeting by torch-light continued until 3 o'clock in the morning, when resolutions denouncing coercion and the efforts of the government to break up the National League were adopted.
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Foreign News Details
Primary Location
Woodford
Event Date
Last Night (Oct. 16)
Key Persons
Outcome
meeting held successfully without police interference; resolutions denouncing coercion and government efforts to break up the national league were adopted.
Event Details
Large crowds gathered secretly in Woodford during the day, avoiding police detection. At midnight, the town illuminated with candles and torches; Mr. O'Brien and leaders spoke from hotel windows, with O'Brien burning the Viceroy's proclamation. The excited crowd cheered; meeting continued until 3 a.m.