6/8/2009:
The animosity between the Irish and English is no secret. Ireland has long fought against England's claim to their island, and the violence between the British and radical members of Irish nationalist parties continues to this day. Thus, it is unsurprising that nineteenth century Irish immigrants brought this age old-struggle with them across the Atlantic.
In the late 1860s a group of Irish militants calling themselves the Fenian Brotherhood immigrated to North America, hoping to undermine the British position in Canada through continued harassment and violence. While the Fenians failed to destabilize Britain's position on the continent, they were successful in attracting the interest and support of a large number of Irish-American veterans and soldiers.
In the spring of 1867, a group of 100 US Army recruits, many of them also Irish Fenians, set sail for Camp Cooke in Montana Territory. The trip proceeded uneventfully up the Missouri River until May 19, when a lone Englishman, Captain Wilfred D. Speer, boarded the steamship for a sightseeing trip to the Pacific Coast. As Speer was both a native of England, and a former Captain of Her Majesty's Army, the Irish soldiers were particularly hostile to his presence. Speer recognized the situation for what it was, but was determined to make the best of the journey; he made friends with non-Irish passengers and enjoyed playing with the children onboard.
Unfortunately, Captain Speer misjudged the situation. Only a few weeks into the journey, as the steamship neared Fort Buford, Captain Speer was murdered as he entered his stateroom by Irish Fenian private, William Barry. Private Barry made no attempts to hide the crime; claiming Speer was not authorized to be in that section of the boat and he was simply following his orders as guardsman.
The other passengers were outraged at the incident, and held a makeshift trial aboard the steamship on this date, June 8, 1867. After a short deliberation, the jury found Private Barry guilty of murder. Some called for his immediate lynching, but the presence of other armed Fenian soldiers protected Barry from immediate ‘frontier justice.' The steamship eventually reached its destination in Montana, but Barry was protected from proper prosecution on a number of technicalities and returned to his regiment.
News of Captain Speer's murder quickly spread throughout the country, and eventually across the Atlantic. The British were understandably furious that Private Barry had not been properly prosecuted and hounded the U.S. Secretary of State into calling a formal trial. Defended by one of the best criminal lawyers in the country, Private Barry escaped a guilty verdict and was set free. Following the trial, Barry, knowing he couldn't be tried for the crime twice, was publicly unremorseful, bragging to anyone who would listen that he killed Speer for the simple reason that the English Captain had been paying too much attention to Barry's wife.
Dakota Datebook written by Lane Sunwall
Sources:
British House of Commons, Question Concerning the Alleged Murder of Captain Speer, August 09, 1867. Vol. 189 c1220. pt. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1867/aug/09/alleged-murder-of-captain-speer-question.
Innis, Ben. "The Assassin." In Sagas of the Smoky-Water: True Stories Reflecting Historical Aspects of the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Region 1805-1910, 283-284. Williston, ND: Centennial Press, 1985.