Mccormack to Benjamin H. Barrows, April 18, 1882

Mr. McCormack to Mr. Barrows.

Dear Sir: Herewith I forward you certificate of my American citizenship, and beg to request that you will lose no time in forwarding it to Mr. Lowell. I lost the original document, and in consequence of your reply tome last February, I neglected sending for a duplicate until the 20th ultimo. I trust that Mr. Lowell will lose no time in representing my case, as I am now undergoing my fourth month’s imprisonment without the slightest shadow of a charge against me. Of course my business as a journalist and newspaper proprietor is suffering severely through this most wanton outrage perpetrated on me by the British Government, and I think it would be nothing more than ordinary justice that Mr. Lowell should demand compensation for me for the losses which I have sustained. I shall expect at least that my trial or unconditional release will be demanded forthwith. Surely four months should be time enough for the British authorities to trump up a charge against me if they could, but I defy them to do so.

It might be necessary for me to explain the slight difference between the name under which I was arrested and that in my certificate of citizenship. The name under which I was arrested is John R. McCormack, the R being used by me from my mother, whose name is Ryan, in order to distinguish me from several John McCormacks in Tipperary, amongst them three first cousins of my own. Of course I am prepared to prove that I am the actual person mentioned in the inclosed duplicate.

Your faithful fellow-citizen,