59
800Years IrishPolitical, Literary&MilitaryHistory - 15thApril2014
146 CASEMENT,Roger.
An autographed letter signed in Irish, from thepatriotRogerCasement to anunknown
correspondent “By thewayMrs.O’Neill ofDundalkgave£5 towards theHall ... let it be
as follows:Mrs.O’Neill,Dundalk£5 ... R.C. RuaíriMacAsmund£20”.Hediscusses the
moneyhe sent toFr.Murray for the school prizes inCloughaneely andGweedore “that
the prizeswill be of great stimulus this coming year to the children and teachers& the
schools of the two Irish Speaking parishes ... tell old CanonMcFadden (of Gweedore)
that I often thinkof him ...Mise do caraRuaíriMacAsmund”.Undated, circa 1907, on
ConsulateofGreatBritainand Ireland, Santos,Brazilheadedpaper.Threepagesoctavo,
foldedwith creasemarks.An interesting letter.
Roger Casement (1864-1916), was born in Sandycove, Dublin. Both his parents died
when hewas young and hewas raised by an aunt inUlster and educated at Ballymena
Academy. He was employed in the British Consular Service from 1895 to 1913, from
whichpositionhe exposed cruelties in theCongo andon the rubber plantations of Bra-
zil,wherehewasConsul-General.Knighted in1911,he joined the IrishVolunteermove-
ment a year later and SinnFéin in 1914whenhewent toGermany looking for arms. In
April 1916 theGermans despatched a ship, the ‘Aud’, with a cargoof arms tobe landed
inKerry for use in theEasterRising, Casement followed in a submarine and landedon
Banna Strand where he was captured, taken to London and tried for high treason. In
thepreparation forhis trial in1916, he entertainedbriefly the ideaof asking theOxford
historian, G.M. Trevelyan to enter thewitness boxonhis behalf and to speak about the
patriot-soldier, GiuseppeGaribaldi. His defence notes contested various keymoments
in the political relationship of Britain and Ireland from Poyning’s Law to The Act of
Union.Hewas foundguilty andhangedon3rdAugust in the same year.
Casementworked initially forHenry Stanley’sCongo International Association, which
sought toopenup theCongo for thebenefit of its indigenouspeoples inanuneasypart-
nershipwithKing Leopold of the Belgians.WhenCasement uncovered andpublicised
evidence of atrocities by Belgian rubber barons, Herbert Ward his closest colleague,
supported him and spoke highly of his character andmotives: “A pure Irishman he is,
withacaptivatingvoiceand singularcharm.Amanofdistinctionandgreat refinement,
high-mindedandcourteous, impulsiveandpoetical…Casement’s reportwhichconsti-
tuted theofficial indictment ofmisrule in theCongo…has had a far reaching effect”.
€1500 - 2500
147 CASEMENT,Roger.
An autographed letter signed, from the patriot Roger Casement to “My dear, darling
old Pat”. An interesting, but hurried letter to an unknown correspondent stating that
there is amotor carwaiting at thedoor to takehim toWicklow, and “I godown toTara
on Sunday to see them there -& onMonday, pleaseGod, I’ll have aminute to spare to
write you freely. Yours, With all affectionate reminiscences, Roger Casement”. Three
pages octavo, folded.Written at 55, LowerBaggot Street,Dublin, dated20th June, 1913.
Slightly soiled andwith torn creasemarks.Of theutmost rarity.
€1500 - 2500
