Mr. Justice O'Brien and Mr. Justice Andrews declared, on Wednesday,
the election for South Meath invalid, owing to the general prevalence of clerical intimidation. Mr. Justice O'Brien commented on the very strong part taken by Bishop Nulty in the election, and also on the ardour with which the priests of South Meath appeared to have taken their cue from the language of their Bishop. " Dr. Nulty had laid it down," said Judge O'Brien (himself a Roman Catholic), " that no intelli- gent and well-informed person could remain a Roman Catholic and adhere to Parnellism." As a consequence of this and similar statements by the Bishop, " the whole organisation of the Church was thrown into the contest,--every priest was a canvasser." The Judge thought the evidence proved that there had been canvassing even in the confessional. Witnesses had declared that they feared they should not be absolved at death if they gave their vote to a Parnellite, and that they should not receive Christian burial. Father O'Connell had said that he would " fire the heels and toes " of certain persons, and it was admitted by that gentleman himself that he had used these words. " The shadow of sin" was over the whole contest, and Parnellites had been declared the partisans of adultery. Mr. Justice Andrews concurred in the judgment. The effect of this judgment is to unseat the Anti-Parnellite, Mr. Fullam, who gained his election by only 83 votes,—Mr. James Joseph Dalton (Parnellite) obtaining 2,129, against 2,212 given for Mr. Fullam.
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