Augustine E. Costello (1846 - 1909)
Fenian, Member of the Erin's Hope Expedition, Journalist and Author
He
was a member of an elite band of brothers who
journeyed across the Atlantic to free Ireland from
the yoke of British tyranny and as such, was a
revered link in the unbroken chain of Ireland's
Freedom Call from 1798 to 1916.
Early Years in Ireland.
Augustine E. Costello was born in Killimor, Co. Galway in 1846. Little is known of his early life other than a brief account of his education and other tidbits in a letter he wrote to a cousin in Ireland dated July 9, 1891 on The Mansion, Atlantic City, NJ stationary. The following extract from that letter recounts the sources and extent of his education:
"for myself, my early education was, alas, sorely neglected. I was but a callow boy of 15 when I left school. In my time the hedge schoolmaster was not unknown: for was it not to this class that Johnny McDermott belonged. Albeit, a most worthy man, but without any idea of system or without any progressive ideas whatever. I remember well his delight in "mending" a goose quill for his subclass to write with: a small easy tempered man but one who could use the rod without compunction or conscience, as I had reason to know quite well. His school was located some three miles from Killimor, on the old Portumna Road, and this distance we poor lads had to traverse twice a day, carrying sods of turf under one arm and books under the other. After that Mrs. Kirkaldy started her school and this I attended for some time. Then the present schoolhouse was opened and under a Mr. Manning, the precursor of Mr. Robinson. I struggled occasionally with the "three R's". At this time I found an old number of Cassell's Popular Educator which contained lessons in French and it was a great source of delight to me to pore over elementary lessons until I mastered them, but that was the extent of my French education, as I then began to cast aside school books and get a peep of the outside of dear wretched Killimor. I went on the railroad at Kells, afterwards to Dublin and then, set sail for America".
Although Augustine's early childhood years were lived during the Great Hunger (1845-1850) no mention of that catastrophe appears in his letter. Nonetheless, the Great Hunger took its toll on the parish of Killimor as it did elsewhere throughout Ireland. In the 1841 census, the population of Galway county was 442,000. In the 1851 census, the population was 322,000, a decrease of 27% primarily due to death by starvation and associated diseases, and the exodus out of Ireland, the isle of fear and death. For the following forty years the exodus continued due to continuing sporadic food shortages, landlordism, evictions and other repressive colonial policies, which further reduced the population by an additional 22% to 215,000 according to the 1891 census.
There is no mention of his parents or siblings in the letter. In poring through available records of that time, little is available to help identify who his parents were or if he had any siblings. One piece of information gleaned from the Griffith Valuation for Galway 1855 was that five Costello families lived in the parish of Killimorbologue. One of them, a Michael Costello, lived in the townland of Garryad and Garryduff located on the outskirts of Killimor off the Portumna Road. If one were to speculate as to who Augustine's parents were it would be reasonable to assume that Michael and his spouse would fit the bill based on Augustine's reference to having to traverse the old Portumna Road for three miles back and forth to school every day. The other Costello families lived in other townlands some distance from the old Portumna Road.
Some time after finishing school, Augustine left Killimor and, according to his letter, went to work on the railroad at Kells in Co. Meath. At that time the building of the railway network throughout Ireland was at its peak with branch lines being added through the 1880s. Due to its proximity to Dublin, Co. Meath experienced a boom in railroad construction and transport-dependent industries, making it a destination for young able-bodied men seeking work such as Augustine. How long he worked in Kells before moving on to Dublin is unknown, probably long enough to earn his passage to the United States. Again, there is no record of how long he spent in Dublin or what he did there before heading for the United States.
Arrival in America
Some accounts indicate that Augustine was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. That is doubtful as the Civil War ended in early 1865 when Augustine was 19 year of age. It's also highly unlikely that a newly arrived immigrant with no qualifications or military experience would fill such a role in a regular army. However, it's possible the rank alluded to was one he held in the Fenian Army.
It is not known when Costello immigrated to the United States. In his speech from the dock in 1867 he was unwilling to reveal the date or circumstances surrounding his departure from Ireland. He simply stated,
"If I remained in this country till I descended to the grave, I would remain in obscurity and poverty. I left Ireland, not because I disliked the country--I love Ireland as I love myself--I left Ireland for the very good and cogent reason that I could not live in Ireland. But why could I not live here? I must not say; that would be trespassing. I must not mention why I was forced to leave Ireland--why I am now placed in this dock".
One may speculate that Costello was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) before he left Ireland. The IRB, whose aim was to establish an independent democratic Irish Republic, was founded in 1858. Two of its founding members, Thomas Clarke Luby and Joseph Denieffe, traveled throughout the country in the early years organizing military-type groups called 'circles'. Unlike the United Irishmen of the 1790s and the Young Irelanders of the 1840s whose members were predominately of the intelligentsia, the IRB consisted mainly of the peasantry who, despite their meager lot in life, were highly idealistic and patriotic. It's possible that Augustine was one of the young men recruited during that period.
Another intriguing aspect regarding Costello's date of arrival in United States is his citizen status. By all accounts he was a United States citizen in 1867 when he set sail for Ireland as a member of the Erin's Hope expedition. At that time the waiting period to become an American citizen was five years, as it is today. That would imply that he was only 16 years of age when he set foot on U.S. soil. Just one more enigma surrounding Costello's arrival and early years in the United States.
The Voyage of Erin's Hope
On April 12, 1867, 50 or so Fenians, many of
whom were Civil War veterans, boarded the
Jackmel, a 200-ton brigantine-type vessel
docked at Sandy Hook in New Jersey. The
commander of the expedition was a former U.S.
army officer who assumed the name ‘John F.
Cavanagh’ to hide his identity and further allay
any suspicion as to the true nature of the
Jackmel's destination. James Kerrigan was
in command of the Fenians. William J. Nagle and
John Warren were his assistants. Costello was
one of the eight other officers on board.
The consignment paperwork in possession of the
captain indicated that the vessel was preparing
to sail to the Caribbean with merchandise for a
merchant firm in Cuba. The purpose of the
subterfuge was to hide from the authorities that
the intended destination of the Jackmel
was Ireland and that the men and cargo aboard
were to support a Rising by the Irish Republican
Brotherhood, a sister organization of the
U.S.-based Fenians. The arms and ammunition were
concealed in piano cases, sewing machine cases
and wine barrels.
After a day’s sailing southwards, out of Sandy
Hook, the Jackmel changed course for
Ireland. After nine days sailing the men aboard
hoisted a Fenian flag and renamed the vessel
Erin’s Hope. After that Captain Cavanagh
opened his sealed orders that directed him to
sail to Sligo Bay where he was to land his men
and arms. If he could not land there, he was to
find sail to another location. On May 10th, they
arrived in Sligo Bay and for the following six
days sailed from Sligo Bay to Donegal Bay
sending unanswered signals to the shore. When
questioned by Captain Cavanagh, local fishermen
were not aware of a Fenian Rising.
While traversing the Sligo coastline between
Sligo and Donegal bays a suspect crew member,
Daniel Buckley,
discharged a weapon injuring several men. It
turned out that Buckley was a British informer
who testified against his former comrades.
After two weeks of sailing off the Sligo
coastline, Captain Cavanagh received
Richard O'Sullivan Burke
on board who informed him that the insurrection
was in disarray and ordered him to proceed to
Skibbereen in Co. Cork where Captain Lomasney
was still active. His overdue departure from
Sligo Bay narrowly avoiding a confrontation with
an English gunboat sent there to investigate the
'on and off presence’ of Erin’s Hope in
Sligo Bay.
Erin’s Hope arrived offshore near
Skibbereen on May 27th. For the following three
days, it cruised between Toe Head Bay and the
Galley Head near Rosscarbery in Co. Cork in
hopes of contacting Captain Lomasney and
effecting a landing there. Unable to contact
onshore Fenians Captain Cavanagh decided to send
John Warren ashore to ascertain the situation
and to replenish provisions that were running
low. Before he could act, two coastguard vessels
appeared on the scene forcing him to hold off.
The following day he tried again but was forced
to sail eastwards due to heavy winds.
Early on Saturday, June 1st, Erin’s Hope
arrived off Helvic Head at the mouth of
Dungarvan Bay where they sighted a fishing boat.
Captain Cavanagh asked the skipper, Paud
O'Faolain, to take some men ashore, which he
agreed to do. However, when he pulled alongside
Erin’s Hope, 32 men climbed aboard the
fishing boat, dangerously overloaded the small
boat. Afraid to wait for evening to drop them as
directed by Cavanagh, O'Faolain proceeded to
shore and dropped them on the beach near
Ballinagoul pier where they were spotted by the
coastguard who alerted the police stations in
and around Dungarvan. All the men, except four
who escaped the police dragnet, were arrested
and held in Waterford Jail pending trial. After
some time in Waterford Jail they were
transported to
Kilmainham Jail in Dublin.
Click
here for additional details
The Trials and Convictions of Costello and
Warren
Following their arrest, the Fenians were charged
with having come into the country under
suspicious circumstances. Some weeks later on
June 10th Thomas Talbot, head constable of the
Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and J. J.
Corydon, the notorious Fenian informer, visited
the jail where they identified 20 of the
prisoners as Fenians. Shortly afterwards the
prisoners were transferred to Kilmainham Jail in
Dublin to await trial. Following their
incarceration in Kilmainham one of the
prisoners, William F. Milton, divulged
incriminating information on Erin's Hope's
signaling system. On returning to the United
States Milton was shot dead by the son of
prominent Young Islander
Michael
Doheny. Talbot was killed in 1871 by Fenian
Robert Kelly.
While awaiting trial, Costello, Warren and Nagle, the third leader to stand trial, had letters smuggled out of prison critical of the U.S. government for not adequately representing their rights as U.S. citizens, i.e. for letting the British government trample over their expatriation rights. Their letters were published in newspapers in Ireland, England and the United States, causing embarrassment and strained relations between the British and U.S. governments. During their ensuing trials both Warren and Costello contended that they were U. S. citizens who, having committed no crime in Ireland, were illegally detained and put on trial by the British authorities. The British dismissed their claims, contending that they were British subjects by virtue of having been born in Ireland, and therefore were subject to the common law principle of perpetual allegiance to the crown.
On November 17, 1867, Costello and Warren entered the dock at Green Street Courthouse in Dublin for sentencing after having been found guilty of treason-felony. Despite their letters and the strained relations between the U.S. and British governments, Costello was sentenced to 12 years’ penal servitude and Warren to 15 years. The third leader of the group, William Nagle, a natural-born citizen of the United States, insisted his case be heard before a jury de medietate linguae, a jury pool of half aliens and half citizens or subjects, and was released and sent home after the government failed to produce such a jury.
Expatriation and Perpetual Allegiance
After sentencing, Costello and Warren were incarcerated in Chatham prison in Kent in England. During his time in Chatham, Costello met with other Fenian prisoners including Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa. Rossa, a defiant prisoner, suffered inhuman and degrading treatment at the hands of his jailers in their attempt to break his spirit. Costello spent some time with Rossa on work details, bringing him up to date on the situation on the outside. In later years, Rossa recounted in his book Irish Rebels in English Prisons how Costello and Warren and other Yankee prisoners were "the most inclined of the Fenian prisoners to kick against rules and regulations".
Hastened by the publicity resulting from Warren's and Costello's trial and the criticism of the U.S. government's inability to affect the outcome, the U.S. government codified the rights of naturalized citizens in the Expatriation Act of 1868. Using the Expatriation Act as an immutable principle of its foreign policy, the government proceeded to negotiate and sign treaties and agreements with other countries to grant expatriation rights to their subjects who became U.S. citizens and to abandon the archaic principle of perpetual allegiance. The British government followed suit in 1870.
In the meantime, after unremitting diplomatic pressure by the U.S. government, the British relented, releasing Warren and Costello in March and April of 1869 respectively.
Before returning to the United States in 1869, Costello returned to his hometown in Galway where he got a hero's welcome. Like many of the other Fenians who were imprisoned and subjected to cruel and demeaning treatment, he remained defiant and determined to remain engaged in the struggle for an Irish Republic. In a demonstration of that determination he declared before a welcoming home gathering in Ballinasloe, “As long as I have breath, I will conspire and plot to overthrow the British Government".
Both Costello and Warren left for the United States on April 30, 1869. On the eve of their departure, Daniel O'Sullivan, the Mayor of Cork, held a banquet dubbed 'the Warren and Costello Banquet' to acknowledge their sacrifice and courage on behalf of Irish freedom and to celebrate their release.
Back in the United States
In early May, shortly after arriving back in the United States, Costello and Warren were accorded a public reception in New York City that was presided over by the state governor, Governor Hoffman --- not the type of welcome envisioned by the British imperialists to its 'wayward' subjects.
Costello's penchant for writing, alluded to in the above-mentioned letter, coupled with his high intelligence and motivation were the intrinsic qualities he effectively leveraged to become a journalist and author. His journalistic endeavors included writing articles for Irish Republican newspapers and working as a news reporter for the New York Herald. In the early 1880s he was chief of the Herald’s police bureau, a position that placed him ringside to the political machinations and institutionalized corruption in New York during the early years of the gilded age. He was also a well-known author, having written several books to raise money for police and firefighter’s retirement funds. His works included Our Police Protectors, Birth of the Bravest, and numerous Histories of Fire and Police Departments including Paterson NJ, New Haven CT, Jersey City NJ and Minneapolis MN.
True to his vow in Ballinasloe before departing for the United State to continue to " ...conspire and plot to overthrow the British Government”, Costello did continue to engage in that struggle for the remainder of his life. Shortly after his return to the United States, he was a pallbearer at the funeral of his compatriot, William J. Nagle, who had committed suicide. Another profound and sad event in his life was eulogizing his friend, John Warren, who was killed in Boston in 1895 by falling masonry. As one of the Fenian political prisoners who lived in New York and who had survived the brutal British prison system, Costello was a highly sought-after speaker by Irish American organizations at commemorations, fundraising and myriad political and cultural events.
Augustine E. Costello passed away on November 13, 1909. He was survived by his wife and three daughters. He is buried in Old Saint Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.
Contributed by Tomás Ó Coısdealbha
cemetery AND grave location
Name: Old Saint Raymond's Cemetery
ADDRESS: 1201 Balcom Ave, Bronx , New York
PLOT: Section: 3, Range: 14, Plot: 56, Grave: 3 - 7
HEADSTONE AND HEADSTONE INSCRIPTION
