Parnell Page #4

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Dinner is served.

Mr. Parnell's secretary

wants to speak to him.

Do tell me,

Mr. Parnell,

What is

a shillelagh?

It's a sweetmeat, Clara.

Oh, don't tease,

Willie.

It's one of

those things

The colleens wear over

their head, isn't it?

It's your secretary.

He says it's urgent.

Oh. Will you

excuse me?

Of course.

I'm so sorry

to disturb you, sir.

What is it?

This.

It's an advance proof

for tomorrow.

Where did you get this?

Driscoll got it just as

they were going to press.

It'll be in

the morning edition.

Wait in the carriage.

I'll drive back

with you.

Yes, sir.

We met at dawn

and at the first thrust,

I ran him through.

Oh, how messy.

Mrs. O'shea.

I'll have to ask you

to excuse me.

I must return

to London.

But now? Without dinner? I'm afraid so.

Oh, but look here, sir, you can't.

Willie, Im sure Mr.

Parnell wouldn't do this

If it were not

imperative.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, Oshea.

I hope you'll

ask me again.

We will, then.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

How disappointing, isn't it?

Clara...

excuse me.

It's all so mysterious, isn't it?

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

That doesn't matter.

Something's wrong.

Yes.

Very wrong.

I'm afraid so.

I want to ask

a favor.

Of course.

What is it?

Tomorrow morning, you'll

read something in the paper.

I want to ask you

not to believe it.

Something about you?

Yes.

Aren't you

used to that?

This is different.

It isn't

the ordinary abuse.

It accuses me of

- Well, I can't tell you now.

But I do ask you to believe

in me, not in the paper,

For a little while.

That's important

to me.

That I believe?

I doubt if

anyone else will.

Will you

promise me?

Of course.

Thank you.

Good night.

Well, this is what took Mr. Parnell

up to London so suddenly last night.

What is it?

He's implicated in

the phoenix park murders.

It's not true.

Well, they have letters

written by him

Condoning the murders and

urging further violence.

What does it

say, Willie?

"6 years ago,

lord Frederick Cavendish,

"The new chief secretary

for Ireland,

"And Mr. Burke,

the undersecretary,

"Went to Ireland

in all good faith

"And with a desire

to conciliate,

"Only to be set upon

by assassins

"And brutally murdered in broad

daylight in Dublins phoenix park.

"Today, the ghost of

that terrible event

"Rises to involve the present

leader of the Irish party,

Mr. Charles Stewart Parnell."

What do these

letters reveal?

They reveal the fact

that these murders,

Which have shocked

not only England

But the whole of

the civilized globe,

Were not the work of

cowardly assassins,

But were the result

of a cold-Blooded,

Diabolical

conspiracy and plot

Conceived, hatched,

and directed by one man,

The man whom Ireland

calls her leader.

The man who, on

the floor of this house,

In sanctimonious

horror,

Has protested against

violence and outrage,

And with tears

in his voice

Begged pity for his

innocent countrymen.

The man whose name

now stands at

The foot of

his own letters,

Which accuse him of this

treachery and bloodshed.

Mr. Charles

Stewart Parnell!

Mr. Parnell.

Mr. Speaker, sir.

The charges of

the honorable member are false.

The letters upon which he

bases those charges are forged,

As my signature

appended to them is forged.

I do not ask you to take

my word for that, however.

What I do ask, what I demand as a

member of this house unjustly accused,

Is to be cleared by this house.

Hear, hear.

I ask that a select committee of

this house be appointed to investigate

Not the charges

implied by these letters,

But the real authorship

of the letters themselves.

And suppose it's

proved against you.

Suppose you are

the author after all.

I am not the author.

But if I should be

proved so,

I say prove so.

Then I am no better than

the murderers themselves.

I should deserve their fate

and be prepared to meet it.

The gallows should again

be raised for me.

Bravo! Bravo!

Mr. Gladstone.

Mr. Speaker, sir.

The government

is not prepared to

Grant the honorable

member's request

For the appointment of a select

committee of members of this house.

What the government

will do, however,

If the honorable

member wishes,

Is to appoint a special commission

of inquiry with 3 judges.

To investigate - To investigate

the charges made by the newspaper

And also all

the political activities

Of the honorable

member for cork

And those of

his fellow members

Whose names are mentioned in the

newspaper articles in question.

I will accept it.

Why did you accept

their offer?

What else

was there to do?

These charges

can't be left.

But you asked for an investigation

of who wrote the letters.

Instead, they're putting you

on trial like a man accused.

I am a man accused.

And us. All of

the party as well.

As if we were

common criminals.

Are you afraid?

Yes, I am afraid.

Aren't you?

No. Not at all.

My conscience is clear.

And this commission is

going to probe to the bottom,

Make no mistake

about that.

I shall see

that it does.

If there remains

one shred of doubt

Regarding our complicity

in these murders,

It's the end of the Irish

body, the end of home rule,

And the end of Ireland.

This has

just come, sir.

Anything wrong, sir?

Yes. They're rising

again in Ireland.

This thing has had

a bad effect already.

Well, I have to go.

What time is it?

Nearly 7:
00, sir.

I'll just have time

to catch the boat train.

Get me a cab.

Not a word of

this to anyone.

No, sir.

Mrs. O'shea.

I had to come. I had

to know what happened.

What does it mean?

I didn't understand.

Let's go in here

where we can talk.

Why wouldn't they give

you what you asked for,

An investigation

by parliament?

They prefer to bring

this before judges

Who have the power

to sentence us

If we should be

found guilty.

But that's branding you

almost as a criminal already.

To be accused is

not to be convicted.

Is this all a plot

to destroy you?

It's outrageous.

Deliberately to lie,

to fabricate charges.

You do know

they're false.

Of course I know.

Because I told you.

If only others could

be convinced as easily.

Excuse me, sir.

There isn't

a cab to be had.

The fog's

so thick, sir,

They're all

off the streets.

I'm afraid you'll never get to

The station

tonight, sir.

But surely

there must be-

My carriage is outside,

or should be.

Can I drive you there?

Would you?

I'd be glad to.

Campbell.

Huh?

You take care of

everything here,

And then join me

in Dublin on Saturday.

Oh, very good, sir.

Good night, now.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night.

Good night,

Mr. Parnell, sir.

Good night? Looks like

a pretty bad night to me.

That's right, sir. A regular

pea soup London particular.

Can't see your hand before

your face out there, sir.

Where's your carriage?

That's just what

I was wondering.

I don't

see it anywhere.

You couldn't see it in this fog

if it were 3 feet away from us.

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