But neither did
he explain the meaning of what he said, as none of the Jones family
had ever been Orangemen. But the idea was common about Tuam and
Headford that Pat Carroll was a martyr, and that Florian had been
persuaded to turn Protestant in order that he might give false
evidence against him. The reader, however, must understand that
Florian still professed the Catholic religion at the moment of his
death, and that all Headford was aware that Pat Carroll had broken
the sluice gate at Ballintubber.

After an interval of two days the trial was about to go on at Galway
in spite of the murder. It was quite true that by nothing could the
breath of life be restored to Florian Jones. His evidence, such as it
was, could now be taken only from his deposition. And such evidence
was regarded as being very unfair both on one side and on the other.
As given against Pat Carroll it was regarded as unfair, as being
incapable of subjection to cross-examination. The boy's evidence had
been extracted from him by his parents and by Captain Yorke Clayton,
in opposition to the statements which had been made scores of times
by himself on the other side, and which, if true, would all tend to
exonerate the prisoner. It had been the intention of Mr. O'Donnell,
the senior counsel employed to defend Carroll, to insist, with the
greatest severity, on the lies told by the poor boy. It was this
treatment which Florian had especially feared. There could be no such
treatment now; but Mr. O'Donnell would know well how to insist on
the injustice of the deposition, in which no allusion would be made
to the falsehood previously told. But on the other side it was said
that the witness had been removed so that his evidence should not be
given. They must now depend solely on the statement of Terry Carroll,
Pat's brother, and who also had lied terribly before he told the
truth. And he, too, was condemned more bitterly, even by Mr. Jones
and his friends, in that he was giving evidence against his brother,
than had he continued to lie on his behalf. The circumstances being
such as they were, it was felt to be almost impossible to secure
the conviction of Pat Carroll for the offence he had committed. And
yet there were certainly a dozen persons who had seen that offence
committed in the light of day, and many other dozens who knew by whom
the offence had been committed.

And, indeed, the feeling had become common through the country that
all the lawyers