A tail they can’t twist
Subject(s): Assassination, Cox, Samuel Sullivan, 1824-1889, England--London, Gallows, Great Britain, Hanging, Hewitt, Abram S. (Abram Stevens), 1822-1903, Irish Americans, Lions, O'Donnell, Patrick, 1835-1883, Public executions, Robinson, William E. (William Erigena), 1814-1892
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Print shows Samuel S. Cox, Abram S. Hewitt, and William E. Robinson (waving a paper that states “The demands of 20,000,000 Irish-Americans”) pulling on the tail of the British Lion. The front paws of the lion rest on the body of a man with a handgun in one hand and a paper labeled “Assassin O’Donnell” in the other. A gibbet stands in the background. Patrick O’Donnell was executed by hanging in London on December 17, 1883, for the murder of James Carey. Caption: The little men and their little grip on the British Lion.
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1883-12-19
Creator(s)
Period
New York State Assemblyman (1882-May 1884)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
A tail they can’t twist. [December 19, 1883]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287860. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896. A tail they can’t twist. [19 Dec. 1883]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287860.
APA:
Gillam, Bernhard, 1856-1896., [1883, December 19]. A tail they can’t twist.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o287860.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
