'^ THE UNCROWNED KING, THE LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES OK Hon. Charles Stewart Parnell CONIPRISINO A GRAPHIC STORY OF HIS ANCESTRY; ALSO FAMILY REMINISCENCES, RELATED BY HIS AGED MOTHER, DELIA TUDOR STEWART PARNELL, AND A BRILLIANT HISTORY OF HIS PUBLIC SERVICES IN THE GIGANTIC MOVEMENT EXTENDING THROUGHOUT IRELAND, AMERICA AND ENGLAND FOR THE RELIEF OF THE SUFFERING IN IRELAND; ALSO, A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF HIS GREAT CO-LABORER, RT. HON. WM. E. GLADSTONE. By ROBERT M, McWADE, ESQ., Ex-President of the Municipal Council of Philadelphia, &c. PROKUSKIvY IIvIvUSTRA^XKD. EDGEWOOD PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1801. Copyrighted, 1891, by T. S. Meek. PREFACE Any effort, however well directed, will fail in preserving in a perfect form the illustrious career of Charles Stewart Parnell. A life so full of self- sacrifice for his countrymen, so devoted to the fundamental principle essential for manhood and progress — self-government, self-control — in a word, home rule, for the man and the nation, cannot be adequately portrayed. The man who teaches this principle as Parnell did, loses the slaves of his will and the servants of his pride, but gains the confidence of true men, and the love and esteem of all mankind. It may be a loss of ease, it may be a loss of posi- tion, it may be a loss of property, but it is a gain of manhood, a broadening of the intellectual sympathies, an enlargement of the spirit of bro- therly love. These principles, properly set in the heart and life of man, cannot fail to produce action. Let not the proud and lofty skeptic say it is for effect — hypocrisy — let him give us the same and we will believe there is a heart of love for man that prompts and inspires to such noble acts of self-sacrifice and duty. You cannot have these PREFACE. consecrated lives for mankind from a selfish and proud spirit. Can we appreciate the devotion of Washington and Lincoln to the cause of mankind ? So then we may. appreciate Swift, Flood, Grattan, O'Connell, Parnell. These leaders of the race struck for life, liberty, equality and opportunity for all men ; they have not yet gained the victory. Brave must be the men who seeing every ef- fort of their forerunners defeated — some meet- ing death by cruel tortures, others exhausted in the strife— with hearts that never fail, take up the banner of truth and cry, ** All men are born free and equal," entitled at birth to equal oppor- tunities of life, liberty and happiness. Why should the race be taxed to support the son or daughter of royalty ? If elected to serve the peo- ple they should be paid a salary for the service until their term expires or they prove unfaithful. But why should the people be taxed to support the example of gambling, drunkenness and what is worse ? It is only a God-fearing, government- loving people that will stand these things that they may escape bloody revolution. But it is a peaceful revolution that is going on iii Great Britain and extending East. The king- doms of this world are to be the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every man is to be clothed and in his right mind, and to cast his ballot for those who make the laws that govern his own country. JPREFACE. If any desire to make the laws for the country in which I live they must come and live with me under those laws, The right I claim for myself I must grant to others: if I wish laws made by myself and my fellow-countrymen to govern me, then why should I think others incapable of self- government, when they are, and have been strug- gling for it and demand it ? The leader of this party in Ireland, Charles Stewart Parnell, and William E. Gladstone, in England, have given to this movement an impulse which makes it nearer realization than at any time in its history. The effect will be to lessen the burdens of the industrial classes, by legislation more favorable to the toilers, and to lessen the opportunity of the royal classes for excessive luxury and debauch, taking from them the hours of lounging in heated rooms, eating exciting food, without the exercise of hand and brain, and giving them the glorious opportunity — the oppor- tunity of necessity to do something for themselves that will produce both brawn and brain, then life will be worth living. Alas ! these extremes, suffering at both ends, one starving for bread, the other decaying from excess^ of stimulants, without proper exercise, the bearers of the burdens grinding and crying, good Lord, deliver us, for they are very great. . It is to remove these excrescences from the body politic that so many of our brave men and noble PREFACE. women have died at the stake, on the field of battle, or fell, exhausted in the conflict. Parnell's sun does not set because a cloud for a time came between him and the people whom he lived for and loved. The race, especially the Anglo Saxon, never has allowed the men who served it well, to perish. We must preserve the Hves of those who have made sacrifice for the welfare of others. In this laudable undertaking, Robert McWade is to be encouraged and congratulated. Rev. J. GRAY BOLTON. 1906 Pine Street, Philadelphia^ Oct 22y i8gi. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. Ireland Mourns the Death of Charles Stewart Parnell — His Birth and Ancestry — Anecdote of his College Days. 1 7 CHAPTER II. Mrs. Delia Tudor Stewart Parnell' s Interesting Reminis- cences — Lovely Women in the Puritanic Times — The Revolutionary Soldier and the Fair Loyalist — ^The Ministering Angel at the Gates of Boston — The Belle of the Hub Charms the Sons of George the Third — '* Old Ironsides'* and His Deeds of Heroism— Congress and the State of Pennsylvania mark their appreciation of His Valor . , , , 24 CHAPTER III. My Mother and Father's Marriage— " Old Ironsides" is Court-martialed for Violating the Neutrality Laws — Mrs. D. T. S. Parnell's Early Life and Companions— Her Marriage to Parnell 37 CHAPTER IV. In the Vale of Avoca— Birth of Six Daughters and Five Sons at Avondale, in the County Wicklow— The Wed- ding of Mrs. Claude-Paget 4^ CHAPTER V. The Loving Mother and Her Patriot Son— Incidents of the Hero's Early Life— His Classical Education— The Strong Traits of His Manly Character — His Love of William O'Brien—The Letter sent after the Celebrated CONTENTS. Boulogne Controversy — Cause of Mr. Parnell's Strong Admiration of Mrs. O'Shea — The Sustaining Force of Sympathy — Plans for the Amelioration of the Con- dition of the Irish Race, at Home . 50 CHAPTER VI. Literary Attainments of the Misses Fanny and Anna Parnell— Mrs. D. T. S. Parnell's Own Public Services in this Country and Elsewhere — Something about Her Present Home at ''Old Ironsides," Bordentown, N. J. — Why She Remains on the Old Homestead — A Life of Sacrifice and of Continuous Self-denial , ... 57 CHAPTER VII. Anna and Fanny Parnell's Work — ^Anna's Gallant De- fiance of the Coercion Government's Edicts — Her Wit, Beauty, and Courage — Her Belief that Michael Davitt Hated Her ''Brother Charlie"— Fanny's Love of Her Native Land— Her Poems, fuUof Patriotic Fer- vor, Rouse Erin's Sons and Daughters — ^The Passionate Priestess of Liberty's Creed 70 CHAPTER VIII. The Patriot's Career — His Public History and Inner Life— Grip and Grit— What the Hon. T. P. O'Connor "Says about Him and the Marvellous Hold He Exer- cised over Men — ^The Juggernaut of Parnell's Fortunes and Genius — He Never Had Confidants ...... 85 CHAPTER IX. An Interesting Anecdote— Some Things about Isaac Butt and O'Connell That Are Well Told— Elections That Proved Incontestably that the Land League Movement Was Wholly Unsectarian — ^Joseph G. Big- gar, the Celebrated Obstructionist— Americans in the Movement 106 CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. Corrupting Political Opponents — Some DetestabTe British Methods — ^What the Struggling Irish Were Able to Pay Their Patriotic Representatives — How Shaw Was De- posed and Parnell Put in the Saddle-^Reform of Land Tenure , , , 134 CHAPTER XI. Coercion in Full Swing — Newspapers Intimidated — Whole Branches of the League Suppressed and Their Members Imprisoned — Ladies and Children of Tender Years Arrested by the Royal Irish Constabulary — Starving Tenants Driven from their Homes — ^The Famine of 1879 — Peasantry Dying by Thousands — Scenes of Horror that Pen cannot Adequately Portray, 159 CHAPTER XII. Spreading the Light of the Land League Gospel — Amer- icans Take Hold and Aid the Movement Financially and Otherwise — The Famous ''No Rent" Manifesto — A Document from Kilmainham Prison .,,.,.. 172 CHAPTER XIIL Pushing on the Work — The Ranks of the Land League Receive Fresh Accessions of Earnest Laborers in the Cause — A Specimen Brick of the Humors of a Cam- paign — ''APeople*s Hunt" and its Remarkable Ac- cessories — Children of Tender Years and Ladies are Arrested on the Most Frivolous of Pretexts — ^The Mur- der of Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke, the Irish Under-Secretary ,.,,,,,.. 184 CHAPTER XIV. Denouncing the Phoenix Park Murders — Charles Stewart Parnell, John Dillon, and Michael Davitt Issue an Address to the People of Ireland — Mr. Sexton and CONTENTS. Others of the Leaders in the Irish Parliamentary Party Outspoken in Denunciation of the Dastardly Deed — The London Times Publishes a Forged Letter At- tributed to Parnell — Other Forged Documents follow it ... 191 CHAPTER XV. "Parnell and Crime** — Exciting Scenes before the Special Commission Sitting in the Royal Courts of Justice in London — Desperate Attempts to Fasten the Stigma of Crime on the Nation's Uncrowned King — The Special Commission Act — The Attorney-General's Indictment 199 CHAPTER XVL Opening Scenes in the Court — Preliminary Legal Sparring by the Counsel on Either Side — Orders Given by the Commission for the Release from Jail of the Hons. John Dillon and William Redmond 222 CHAPTER XVII. Captain O'Shea on the Stand — An Exhibition of Cheek and Imbecility — How the Gallant Captain Conducted Negotiations under Mr. Parnell's Guidance — O'Shea's Alleged Connection with the Kilmainham Treaty— What He Thought He Knew about a Cabinet Meeting. 235 CHAPTER XVIII. "My Dear Mr. O'Shea"— Why Mr. Parnell Deferred Michael Davitt's Release from Prison^The Sheridan Difficulty — ^Acknowledgment that the Phoenix Park Murder Affected Mr. Parnell's Health— ** Parnell Looked Dispirited" — ^Captain O'Shea's Anxiety to get off on " a Business Trip "to Madrid — The Court Declares How It will Deal with His Evidence. . . w 258 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. When O'Shea Heard the Slanders — Gossip about Con- versations with Morley, Chamberlain, Buckle, Houston and Others — What he Knew about " Dirty Dick Pigott" 280 CHAPTER XX. O' Shea's Resignation — The Phoenix Park Murders Dis- cussed — Byrne's Connection with Them — Mulqueeny's Statements 287 CHAPTER XXI. Advanced Nationalists — What Position They Took on the League Questions — New Names Introduced by Captain O'Shea — A Talk about a Testimonial — Hostil- ity of the Land League to O'Shea 300 CHAPTER XXII. Chamberlain's Local Government Scheme — ^Anxiety for Its Adoption — The Land Bill and the Healy Clause — Communications with Mr. Gladstone — The Arrears' Bill— O' Shea's Testimony about the Forged Letters — After Events Show How Valueless It Was — An In- teresting Question or Two about Police Protection for Parnell and O'Shea— *' William Henry " O'Shea Takes Issue with Secretary Forster 312 CHAPTER XXIII. The Infamous Le Caron — He Tells the Story of His Public Career and Acknowledges that His Real Name is Thomas Willis Beach — Where and When He Joined the Fenian Organization — Beginning His Detestable Work as a Spy and Informer — The Fenians Appoint Him *f Military Organizer of the United States "—The Invasion of Canada — Le Caron "Posts" the Cana- dian Government — He Practices Medicine in Braid- wood, Near Chicago, Illinois 338 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXIV. Le Caron Joins the United Brotherhood — ^Alexander Sullivan, of Chicago, Proposes Him for Membership — The Clan-na-Gael and Other Secret Organizations — Translating the. Clan-na-Gael' s Secret Cipher for the Edification of the Royal Commission . 344 CHAPTER XXV. Objects of the ''V. C." — Senior Guardian Le Caron Tells the Secret Plans of - the Executive Body — He Attempts to Connect Parnell, Healy, Dillon and Other Members of the Irish Parliamentary Party with the ^*V. C." — ^The Proposed Inauguration of a New System of Warfare 348 . CHAPTER XXVI. The Lomasney-Gallagher Incidents — They Are Brought to the Attention of a Secret Convention of the Clan- na-Gael — Changes of the Executive Body 361 CHAPTER XXVII. The Executive Body — Le Caron Gives the Names of Its Members — -The Number of Men in the Organisation — He Describes the Secret Oath Which He Took and Deliberately Violated — **JFriends " from Whom He Obtained Information — O' Donovan Rossa Ceases to be a Factor 365 CHAPTER XXVIIL The Influential Men— Le Caron Tells What He Knows of Their Public and Private History — Some Decent Men's Names in a Ruffian's Mouth 373 CHAPTER XXIX. How Le Caron was paid — The British Government's Blood Money as a Reward for Infamy— Le Caron's *' Arrangements " and Expenditures 382 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXX. The Forged Letters — ^The Times Attorney, Soames, Tells How Much Was Paid to ''Dirty Dick Pigott'* for Them — ^An Exhibition of Imbecility and Recklessness on the Part of the Times Management — What Secretary Hous- ton's Cross-Examination Revealed . i * . . . . . . 386 CHAPTER XXXI. The End of "Dirty Dick' '-—The Wretch's Letters to Arch- Bishop Walsh Produced in Court — Pigott Wants to Sell Out to Both Sides — Coincidences in His Handwriting and Spelling — He Admits that He Was a Deliberate Falsifier — His Confession to Henry Labouchere — ^A Coward's Flight and a Coward's Death— The O'Shea Divorce Case— Mrs. O' Shea's Illustrious Ancestry — Her Love for Ireland — Calls for Parnell's Retirement — Envoys Sent to America ............. 396 CHAPTER XXXII. The Famous Boulogne Conference — ^The Negotiations between Parnell's Lieutenants and Those Who Repre- sented Justin McCarthy — Meeting of Charles Stewart ^Parnell and William O'Brien— Organization of the ' Irish National Federation— Pamell Marries Mrs. O'Shea 408 CHAPTER XXXlri. The Last Sad Scene — ^A Nation Mourning for Its Dead Chieftain— The Pamell Funeral— Interment of "The Uncrowned King " in Glasnevin ,..*.. ^ . , 419 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Charles Stewart Parnell (steel), . . . Frontispiece. Rob't M. McWade, i5 Mrs. Delia S. Parnell, 21 Mrs. Claude Paget, 39 avondale, 47 Miss Fanny Parnell, 59 Hon. T. p. O'Connor, M. P., S7 Destitute Fishermen, , 89 Evicted — Homeless, 91 Henry Grattan 99 Grattan*s Parliament, .100 Isaac Butte. — ^J. G. Biggar, 109 Joseph Chamberlain. — T. Brennan, iii Life in Ireland, 127 Celebrating Mass in a .Cabin, 129 Dr. K. O'Doherty, 137 Thomas Sexton. — W. H. O' Sullivan, 139 T. M. Healy. — Justin McCarthy, 140 John Morley. — Sir W. V. Harcourt, 150 Daniel O'Connell, 157 The Obnoxious Process-Server, 161 Evicted — Driven from the House We Built, . 163 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Scene in Ireland — A Farmer's Cabin, .... i66 Drinking His Honor's Health, 170 No Rent, 175 Michael Davitt, 187 John Dillon. — Geo. J. Goschen^ . . . . . . .212 Patrick Egan. — Alexander Sullivan, . . . .216 James Reynolds. — John Boyle O'Reilly, . . . 224 A. M. Sullivan. — T. S. Sullivan, 229 W. Redmond. — J. E. Redmond, . 239 Lord R. Churchill. — Lord Hartington, . . . 264 Lord Spencer. — Hon. G. O. Trevelyan, .... 276 Michael J. Redding. — Miles M. O'Brien,. . . 292 Col. John F. Armstrong. — Patrick Martin, . . 308 Patrick A. Collins. — Thomas Flatley, .... 334 James Mooney.— -John J. Hynes, 346 Rev. Patrick Cronin. — ^John F. Finerty , . . .355 John Fitzgerald. — John P. Sutton 363 Roger Walsh. — ^Judge Michael Cooney, . . .371 M. J. Ryan.— E. Johnson, • • 379 Rev. Maurice J. Dorney. — M. D. Gallagher, . 388 Col. W. p. Rend. — John Groves, 400 Meeting of Land League, 410 Mrs. O'Shea Parnell, 413 William EwART Gladstone (steel), .430 Gladstone's Speech for Home Rule, 439 ROBERT M. McWADE. CHAPTER I. How oft has the Banshee cried I How oft has Death untied Bright links that Glory wove, Sweet bonds entwined by love ! Peace to each manly soul that sleepeth i Rest to each faithful eye that weepeth 1 Long may the fair and brave Sigh o'er the hero's grave. We're fall'n upon gloomy days ; Star after star decays : Ev'ry bright name, that shed Light o'er the land, is fled. Dark falls the tear of him who moumeth Lost joy or hope, that ne'er returneth j But brightly flows the tear Wept o'er -the hero's bier ! Oh ! quench'd are our beacon-lights, Thou, of the hundred fights ! Thou, on whose burning tongue Truth, peace, and freedom, hung I Both mute — but, long as Valour shineth, Or Mercy's soul at war repineth, So long shall Erin's pride^ ' . Tell how they lived and died ! As the immortal poet, Tom Moore, apostro- phized *'Con of the .Hundred Fights," an ancient Irish warrior whose victories the harpists and sagamores of the Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum also lauded in song and story, so do we, the ex- patriated sons of the Clan-na-Gael, mourn the loss of our matchless hero, ' Charles Stewart 17 1 8 ^ CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Parnell. Tears for his death, sighs over his grave, sad, fond and lasting remembrances in the hearts of his people of his patriotism, his indom- itable energy, and his glorious and hard-won victories, are the tributes paid the wide world over to his memory — one of the greatest apostles of human liberty that ever graced God's footstool. When the news of his sudden death was flashed to the New World by the Atlantic Cable, it was received with mingled expressions of fear and in- credulity. Not a word of his illness had reached either his friends or his enemies. Like all great men, he had many of both. Doubt soon gave way to certainty, as the startling announcement posted on the bulletin boards of the newspapers throughout the country was supplemented by corroboratory despatches from some of his Irish Parliamentary colleagues. The great Leader was no more. His name, so magnetic in the cause of his beloved country, had how become a memory. Later intelligence told us that he had died at his summer home, Walsingham Terrace, Brighton, England, at half-past eleven o'clock on Tuesday night, Otcober 6, 1891, of rheumatic fever, hyper- pyrexia and failure of the heart's action, at least so declared the certificate of the surgeons, not physicians, who were called in to attend him. These surgeons are R. J. Jowers, pere et fils, men of some admittedly local reputation in Brighton. He died in the arms of the woman he loved, Mrs. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 1 9 Pariiell. Mr. Parnell's step-daughter, Miss O'Shea, the elder Mr. Jowers and a faithful Irish servant girl were the only persons present at the end. He had been in bed since the previous Friday, suffering very great pain, but no one thought he was in danger of death. Before I quote Mr. Parnell's intimate col- leagues, my own personal friends, on his character and attributes, it is ehiinently proper that this biography of THE UNCROWNED KING should tell my readers what I have learned of his birth and ancestry. He was the fourth son of John Henry and Delia Tudor Parnell, and was born at Avondale, County Wicklow, Ireland, in June, 1846. In his early life he studied under Protestant Episcopal clergymen in Oxfordshire and Derbyshire. He studied at Cambridge, and cL characteristic anecdote is related of his career at the University : \Vhen he was an undergraduate at Magdalen College he was caught in some pec- cadillo by one of the proctors and his ** bulldog.'* He promptly knocked down the "bulldog" and ran for home. He thought he had been recog- nized, and feared that he would ht suspended for a year, so he went to. an old fellow who kept a chemist's store opposite the gate of Magdalen College, and asked him if He could imitate a black eye. 20 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. '^Well, Mr. Parnell, I might, but I can't put It on in fast colors/' '' But I must have a black eye." ''Well, sir," the old chemist replied, ''the only way I knows of is the old-fashioned one." "All right," said Parnell, " let her~go." There- upon the embryo Irish statesman braced himself, and the old fellow let him have it straight and hard between the two eyes. The next morning young Parnell had not only one, but two beautiful eyes of the'desired color. When he was hauled up before the Dean of the college for his encounter with and ill treatment of the "bulldog," Parnell claimed that it was he himself, on the contrary, who had been subjected to ill treatment and who had got the worst of it ; and as he looked as if he had, the Dean let him off scott free, reprimanding the "bulldog" for being too free with his fists. His pluck and readiness of wit thus served him in good stead, as they likewise did at subsequent portions of his career. •There's scarcely a man or woman, in this country, interested in any way in the desperate struggle made by Ireland's distinguished son and his courageous and able lieutenants, inside and outside, for that matter, of the Irish Parliamentary Party, who has not seen or heard his noble mother, Mrs. Delia Tudor Stewart Parnell, discussing v/ith the people of the great cities of the United States the rights and wrongs of the Irish nation, MRS. DF.l.IA S. PARNKl-L. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 23 Her words were always full of life, of force, of energy, and her appearance was greeted every- where with storms of applause. A few words from her own lips as to her personal experiences in **the great struggle " and the ancestry of her family will, I know, be most agreeable reading. Here^ is what she says of herself and her family : CHAPTER II. FAMILY REMINISCENCES. The Tudors hailed from Wales. The first member of this family that ever came to this country was undoubtedly, as I heard from my grandmother, Delia Tudor, a Colonel Tudor in the British Army, during the time of the American Colonies. He is said — although I will not vouch for the accuracy of the statement — to have bought all the land on which South Boston is now located. His widow disagreed with her husband's relatives, and embarking at Plymouth, Devonshire, can^. i to Boston with her only son, John. In those days every one did something to get a little means, to buy a few delicacies and some necessities, both of which were scarce. Mrs. Tudor had learned in Wales to make white breakfast rolls, an accom- plishment of which she seemed to be ^ the sole possessor in her vicinity. Her fame in this capacity soon spread, and iDy selling her rolls among her friends and neighbors she provided herself with all necessary money, and no doubt introduced the art of first-class bread baking in Boston. My grandfather, William Tudor, was son to this boy, John Tudor. He, John Tudor, married a 24 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 25 very remarkable woman, dark-haired, dai-k-eyed, handsome, dignified, full of character and intel- ligence. John Tudor had also a beautiful sister, Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Thomas. Their married life was quite unhappy, and she died young. My great-grandfather, John Tudor, was very close, — in fact, miserly and penurious, — but per- haps excusable in part for it, on account of the hard- ships he and his mother had to undergo in their early struggles, which taught him the value of money* His love of the "almighty dollar'* would doubt- less have deprived his own family of many neces- saries of life, had not that excellent woman, by her intelligent management, been able to maintain and educate her children, to whom she was a devoted mother, self-sacrificing and generous to a fault. Her memory is revered by all her descendants. Her portrait in oil is preserved by the Tudors in Boston. Her excellent qualities of mind and heart were strongly impressed upon her son, William Tudor, my grandfather. His public life and services have given his name honorable mention in many Bio- graphical Dictionaries, where the reader may look them up, if desired ; but they do not tell his daily and extraordinary excellencies. He was a devoted son, son-in-law, brother, husband and father. He married a half-orphan, Delia Jarvis, who is said to have been of Huguenot ancestry, of which Lord 26 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Pomfret was the chief. She was a sprightly, beautiful and highly accomplished woman. She wrote poetry with facility, and was a skillful musician and a lovely singer. At the age of ninety she still sang sweetly. She was a delightful con- versationalist, full of intelligence, anecdote and wit, with a wonderful memory. Her hair was dark auburn, her eyes deep blue, her face lovely and beaming with kind feeling for every one. Her superb and erect figure retained its commanding grace to old age. Indeed, when she had passed her ninety-first birthday she was one day walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington, when a gentleman walking behind her expressed to his companion a desire to see the face to which that exquisite figure belonged. Imagine his surprise when she suddenly turned back, and lo ! it was that of his old friend, Mrs. Tudor. No doubt her great age was attained and remarkable health preserved by the care that had been taken of her, and the sunny, happy disposition with which she met and looked upon everything. Boston was much of a seafaring town in those days, and her father, Mr. Jarvis, was so careful of her that she was not permitted to even look out of the window on certain occasions, lest she should see a drunken man or brawl. (I had never seen a drunken man, either, until I married and went to live in Ireland, and could not for a long time discover when a man was drunk.) CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. . 2^ My grandmother sang and danced. naturally, I always thought because she had French spirits. Many are the old Revolutionary songs she sang me, and the wonderful stories she told me. One ran thus : A bow which from campaign he brought. Herself and all beholders taught, Though her the fairest nymph he thought Of all that graced the plain. Another ran : Pretty little Cupid, Give thy bow a twang, Smk it in her bosom, Let her feel some pain, Then she'll be delighted To be loved again. She had also picked up some sailors' songs as the sailors passed through the streets and sang, though she could not look out at the window. One of her own poems which made an impres- sion upon my sympathetic, childish mind I remem- ber. Some one had caged some birds and hung them up out of the way of the rats in the dining- room, but one after the other was killed until only one was left, — -the one hanging highest on the wall. Every morning as the people came in to breakfast it would pipe plaintively, evidently pleading to be removed, but this was not understood until one morning its little cage was found empty, and grandmother wrote : Poor little bird ! thy plaintive call, Each morning reached the ear. " Take me ! oh, take me from this wall. My mortal foe is near." 28 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Thus spoke each day thy note discreet, Had it been understood Kindness had sent thee forth to greet Thy kindred in the wood. Many who linger here below Surrounded by the good, Alas ! till death has laid them low Are never understood. She also wrote some patriotic pieces, which were published, but generally without identity as to the author. Her nature was to accomplish good with- out personal notoriety. Such a contribution was published in the Continental Intelligencer on the occasion of the old Revolutionary soldiers assem- bled in the Capitol to hear John Quincy Adams' Fourth of July oration. It began : Yes, brave old men, the story of to-day, By one whose life-blood flowed from patriot veins, etc. My mother, entirely ignorant of the authorship, brought in the paper, saying, " I rarely see a piece of POETRY in the newspapers, but here at last is one,*^* and much to my grandmother^s amusement and delight read the verses. When a girl, Delia Jarvis, she was so fond of dancing, that notwithstanding the Puritan ideas of the times, she was one Sunday caught dancing a Regodoon to the air and words of Neighbor, neighbor, lend me your purse. And I'll lend you mine to-morrow. Neighbor, neighbor, keep your purse, I ndther lend nor borrow. CHARLES STEWART FAltNELL. 29 Her oldest daughter, Emma, married Robert Hallowell Gardiner, of Maine. He took his mother's name, Gardiner, aftfer his father's, on account of the property left him through her. His father was a near relative of Sir Benjamin Hal- lowell, of the British Navy, and was one of the Commissioners sent by the Governor of Massa- chusetts to represent the cause of the discontented States and Colonies before the British Govern- ment. During his absence the war began and the first battles of the Revolution were fought. Mr. Hallowell had immense landed estates in Maine, and prudently remained away on leave of absence until he could safely return, swear al- legiance to the new Government, and thus save his extensive property. My grandfather, William Tudor, was a Revolu- tionary soldier, and used to write to my grand- mother from the battlefields as '* My fair loyalist," (as she was opposed to the war), and subscribe himself at the close as ''Your ever faithful rebel." Later, however, she espoused the cause of the ''Faithful rebel." On account of the Revolutionary War the engagement between my grandparents lasted seven years. While he was in the army, first with General Lee and then on the staff of General Washington. He was also Judge, Advocate-Gen- eral of the Revolutionary Army, as he was a lawyer, trained in the offiee with John Adams, 30 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL, His legal papers and books were burned at Wash- ington by the British. He was opposed to all ideas of federation, and believed only in the com- plete independence of this country. Personally, while so good, he was impetuous and sometimes absent-minded. A story is told of him, that on one occasion when a disagreeable visitor was an- nounced, he fled into the garden, but right through the glass of a door which he forgot to open. I spoke in the preceding pages of his being a good son in-law, — something remarkable for a special fondness to exist in this relationship, but it was so with him. He gave his mother-in-law a beautiful country home, and I had among letters preserved by my grandmother some to her while he was in Europe, in which he speaks of his desire to have the grounds beautifully arranged and planted for her. She was then the widow of Captain Young. He also spoke of the presents he had collected for the family. On this tour he journeyed through Ireland on his way to England and to Europe, and his obser- vations led him to predict the Irish rebellion of '96. He then spoke of the wretched clothing and the gaunt, starved look of the Irish people. On the day that the Batde of Bunker Hill was fought, my grandmother, then a young lady, stood at the gate of her country home near Boston, and as the wounded British soldiers were being carried by, she had them brought in and attended and CHARLES STEWAR T PARNELL. 3 ^ comforted as best she could. Such was her sym- pathy and humanity thaj: she could not bear to see even an enemy suffer. Her lover, William Tudor, . had been absent three days, and she thought was in the fray; she was greatly concerned for his safety. Imagine her fears, when a British officer, in answer to her inquiries, and thinking she musf be on their side, said, ** Never mind about them, my fair young lady, we have peppered them well." For her brave and sympathetic conduct upon this occasion she was afterwards poetically referred to as ''the ministering angel at the gates of Bos- ton ;" and from the day she stood there, receiving and waiting upon the wounded patriots and soldiers, until her death, at ninety-two, her life was spent in serving others, regardless of the cost or sacrifice to herself. But with all her noble-hearted goodness and tender sympathy, she was the soul of independence, and resisted every form of coer- cion, popular or personal. When the inhabitants were forbidden to use tea in Boston, and it was dangerous to do so, she regarded it as an invasion of her personal rights, and got some tea by ''hook or crook' ^ and openly gave a *' tea party/* Notwithstanding the fact that she was so strong in her womanhood and old age, she was so delicate when a child that her mother and step-father, Mr. Young, who was devoted to her, scarcely expected to raise her. At nine years of age she was so slight that she could easily be held out in a man's 32 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. hand. Seldom has so strong an attachment existed between a father and his own daughter as existed between herself and step-father, Captain Young. She idolized him. He was so good to her and her mother. Her descendants cherish her memory with pride and reverence. Her portrait in oil is with the Tudors in Boston, as is also that of my mother, a beautiful work done by Gilbert Stewart, soon after her marriage to my father. The Life and Letters of John Adams contain references and letters of my grandfather Tudor, and letters from John Adams to John Tudor (my greatgrandfather), the miser, eulogizing the great goodness and promise of his son William, and urging him to. be more liberal toward him. My uncle, Frederic Tudor, was called the *'Ice King." He first discovered a means of preserving ice so as to send it to the East Indies. It was only after many trials that he succeeded. He estab- lished, with great difficulty, a trade with the West Indies, and for many years practically controlled the exporting of ice to Cuba. In trying to estab- lish this trade he first sent his cousin, then Henry Tudor, his brother, but they failed in creating any demand for ice. Then my uncle Frederic char- tered a vessel, put both himself and ice into it and sailed for the West Indies. I saw a letter of his mother, beseeching him not to go, as ** she was afraid the Ice would begin to melt and slide about, from side to side, and upset the vessel! '' When CHARLES STEWART PARNI^LL. 33 he began this ice trade, his mother, who was between sixty and seventy years of age, by her letters, written in Spanish to the Governor-General of Cuba, interested him in her son's enterprise. Frederic Tudor was afterwards presented with the thanks of the East India Company, as the ice he had shipped there proved such a boon in treating fevers in that climate. Mrs. Tudor, his widow, in her large, elegant home in Boston, hospitably entertained my son Charles and others with him when he was in Bos- ton, and the funeral of my daughter Fannie started from her house for the Tudor vault in Mount Auburn Cemetery. My other uncle, William Tudor, was widely known, because of his public services as soldier, statesman and journalist. He died, -unmarried, in the prime of life, as Charge d' Affairs at Rio Janeiro. It is said the Emperor, Dom Pedro, consulted him more than he did his own ministers, — and Lord P. and others of the diplomatic corps said that had William Tudor lived the Emperor would not have lost his crown. One of our consuls said he could never forget his magnificent appearance. He was over six feet high, had coal black hair, and **the renowned large, dark blue, brilliant Tudor eye," as it was called in New England, which my brother and myself did not inherit. The house of my grandparents was the daily resort of the officers of the French fleet during 34 CHARLES STEWART DARNELL. our country's early trials. Madame Tudor was often eulogized in Count de Segier's memoirs, who also declared the American young ladies very fascinating, and especially so Misses Emma and Delia Tudor, who had both received a finished education. MY MOTHER, MISS DELIA TUDOR, prior to her marriage, was called **The Belle of Boston." She mastered several languages, and spoke five of them fluendy. She learned drawing and painting, composed music, and became a brilliant performer on the piano and harp. She also studied history with extraordinary avidity, and it was said by a writer in describing her, ''became as familiar with abstruse sciences as the ordinary girl is with the intricacies of a spring bonnet." After finishing her school days in Bos- ton, she went abroad, and became a recognized belle, and was quite an attraction in London society. Her piano and harp performances were pronounced superb by the best critics, and she became the guest of the best families in Europe. The sons of George the Third crowded around her piano, and were charmed no less by her music than by her native wit and independence. Her ready command of the languages may better be understood from the following story related by the wife of an English nobleman : '* One evening, at the theatre in London, some gentlemen were CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 35 trying to divine Miss Tudor*s nationality from the different languages she spoke to the different members of the diplomatic corps and other for- eigners around her. First they concluded she was Italian, then Spanish, then German, then French; and when she finally began conversing in English, one of them exclaimed, * By Jove ! she speaks English, too.' " In the midst of this brilliant social career in London, the news of her father's financial troubles reached her and made her so unhappy that she broke away from every thing and sped back to Boston to him. My father, Charles Stewart, is well known to' history. He was born of Irish parents in Phila- delphia. His mother was the niece of the Lord Mayor of London, who disinherited her when she eloped and married hi? father, who was a captain in the Merchant Marine, the Lord Mayor conceiv- ing that his dignity had been compromised by this step. At twelve years of age my father was introduced to President Washington. The next year he ran away from his parents and entered the Merchant service as a cabin-boy. He rose rapidly, and when he was twenty-one he owned two vessels, which he afterwards presented as a free gift to the National Navy, which was much in need of ships. In 1 798 he was commissioned a lieutenant in the navy, and two years afterwards succeeded to the command of the schooner Experiment In Sep- 36 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. tember, 1800, he captured the French schooner Deux Amis, and soon after the Diana, besides recapturing a number of American vessels which had been taken by the French. From 1802 to 181 2 he performed important services, but it was in 1 815, while he sailed in command of the Consti- tution, that he covered himself with glory. He happened to fall in with the French ships-of-war, the Cyane, of thirty-four, and the Levant, of twenty- one guns, and captured them after a desperate conflict. On his return home, the Legislature of Pennsylvania presented him with a gold-hilted sword, and a gold medal was ordered for him by Congress. He had a world-wide fame, and was the only naval officer ever named for the Presi- dency of the United States. So much did he love active Itfe that when placed on the retired list in 1857, on account of his advanced age, he petitioned Congress to be allowed, by special legislation, to be allowed to continue at his post, which was granted. During President Lincoln's administra- tion he was made Admiral, and finally retired, re- taining that rank. The remainder of his life was spent af Bordentown, New Jersey, where he died at the age of ninety-two, CHAPTER III. MY MOTHER AND FATHER'S MARRIAGE. The occasion of their first meeting was while the Constitution was in Boston Harbor refit- ting. Grandmother gave a reception, and Captain Stewart was naturally invited. He was fascinated by my mother's beauty and accomplishments, and, as he was a man of action, lost no time in pro- posing, notwithstanding the fact that a note which he had confided to a friend, was then on its way carrying a proposal to the lady whom Gen- eral Scott afterwards married, but, happily for my father, the bearer, "just like a man," kept the letter in his pocket and forgot to deliver it. Naturally enough, my mother refused him ; she liked him, but grandmother did not. It was said that a Duke and more than one Lord had sought her hand in vain, and perhaps grandmother was looking for something in the line of titled blood that would give her opportunity to enjoy and display her so- cial culture. Be that as it may, my father perse- vered, and carried off the- prize, as he always did. Delia Tudor gave her hand and heart to the young American sailor, who on more than one occasion proved himself an unequal match for John Bull. A fortune teller — now don't 37 38 CHAR! ES STEWART PARNELL. laugh — long before had told him that he would marry the ** Belle of Boston." But he could not long remain in port to enjoy the society of his charming young bride. His ship was ready all too soon, and he must tear himself away. *' What shall I bring you on my return ?" he asked his young bride. ^* Bring me a British frigate," was the reply. ''Til bring you two.'* Soon after this he kept his word by capturing the two vessels. I was my father's favorite child and the oldest, being born in 1816, one year after the capture of the Levant, and was brought when about one year of age to his home, Montpelier, at Borden- town. New Jersey, afterwards familiarly known as ''Ironsides." I had a younger brother Charles, to whom the estate descended, and after his death came to me. As children he and I were very de- voted to each other and happy together^ but an unfortunate occurrence which separated my father and mother, resulted in our being parted for years, he going to live with father and I remaining with mother. It happened about this way: It was during the war between Spain on the one side and Chili and Peru on the other. Father was com- manding an American vessel which was supposed to be entirely neutral. Mother was on board with him. By some means a Spanish officer got aboard to save his life from the enemy, and brought letters from some one to my mother beg- ging her to hide him, and save his life if possible. MRS. CLAUDE PAGET. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 4I Through the assistance of some one of the ship's officers, she was enabled to place him under the butler's charge to wash dishes and help in that capacity. This was all without father's knowledge, and out of sympathy on the part of my mother to save the poor man's life. But the facts got out, and my father was summoned to Washington and court-martialed for violating the neutrality law. He wanted my mother to go personally and ap- pear with him and vindicate him. She was so beautiful and eloquent that he was very proud of her, and wanted to have her defend him personally, knowing that she would have great power by her presence, but she was of a nervous nature that could not bear the shock of so appearing, and in- stead of going she wrote her vindication, which completely exonerated my father, but he could not forgive her at the time, and they separated. Myself and Charles were thus absent from each other seven years. Soon after the occurrence I brooded much over the sadness thus occasioned, and though only ten years of age, wrote the following little song and set the words to music : Dost thou not think of days gone by When we did play together ? Dost thou not hear the tender sigh, And oft those days remember ? Ah, yes, I know full well that thou Art thinking ever, ever Of happy days that did ere now Socheer us all, my brother. 43 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. MY BROTHER CHARLES. Brother Charles when he grew up engaged in extensive business pursuits, both in this country and in Europe. Early in life he became a civil engineer, and assisted in building the Reading Railroad. After his death this is what a magazine article said of him: ''While his father commanded the Home Squadron, he acted as his private secretary. He was also a member of the bar and had a lucra- tive practice. For breadth and integrity of char- acter, manly bearing and goodness of heart it would be hard to find his equal. He was entirely the artificer of his own fortunes and idolized by his. family and friends." My mother took me to Washington about the age of ten or eleven. We spent our winters in Washington after that. Our summers we usually spent in New York, Boston and Maine, at my mother's sisters. When I grew older we spent some summers at Newport. This is in the earlier days of Newport, when it was just beginning to be fashionable. There was not a cottage there. Everybody lived in boarding-houses. Newport people were very easily satisfied then. We got rye coffee ; always got hot cakes ; everywhere we went we had good buckwheat cakes. Mr. Parnell was induced by his friend, Lord Powers- court, to travel He was his cousin. On the CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 43 Steamer coming, they met Mr. and Mrs. Thomson Hankey. Mrs.' Hankey was related to the Biddies of Philadelphia. The whole party came to Wash- ington together. My mother called on Mrs. Hankey, and when the two young men heard there was a young lady in the drawing-room, they also put in an appearance. This was early in 1834. Then the whole party came to see us. The two young men were sure to come too, and on the occasion of that very first visit to us, Mrs. Hankey astonished me by beginning to quiz Mr. Parnell about his admiration for me. This was something like Benedict and Beatrice, and probably it laid the first stone, for Mr. Parnell was very shy, like many a young Englishman. His friend was not. Both were very handsome young men, but Mr. Parnell was the handsomer by far. Then they went away on different visits together, but soon separated. We went to West Point as usual. I was a great favorite with the proprietor of the West Point Hotel, and Mr. Parnell and his cousin came to West Point, too, immediately after our arrival there. I was a great favorite with the cadets. I helped them play tricks on their superior officers, and got one of them under arrest, which shocked me horridly, for I was very sensitive. I induced the proprietor of the hotel to give a ball to the cadets. I got very few dances with them, because of the persistent attentions of Lord Powers- court and Mr. Parnell to me. Right in the midst 44 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. of the dancing, which I was enjoying very much, Mr. Parnell said to me, ''I hate this dancing; won't you come into another room ?" However, I went into another room, as he wanted to get out of the ball-room. Well, we got into another room, where there were several other couples ; so then he dragged me off to another room, with a similar fate. Then he got me out onto the piazza, and there were several couples ; and then he gave vent to a John Bull oath, '* Damn it," which I had not heard since I left my father's ship, which astonished me exceedingly. I began to think he was very bad terhpered and became a little afraid of him. So the next morning he went out to smoke with his cousin, but soon left him smoking and hurried up to the hotel and asked me if I would not like to see Kosciusko's Retreat. Of course, as I had never seen it, I was glad to go and see it. There he proposed, — asked me to go to Ireland with him ; and going away from the Retreat, we met his cousin hurrying to find out where we were. I hardly took Mr. Parnell to be serious, so I said to Lord Powerscourt very frankly, " Your cousin has just asked me to go to Ireland with him, but I don't like being lost in an Irish fog, and I am afraid he has no house there." That was my idea of Ireland. Lord Powerscourt laughed and said he ** thought his cousin had a mud cabin." That was all the encouragement he gave me. Well, we had parties on horseback and different things, and they left. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 45 and we went to Lebanon to see the Shaking Quakers ; but the whole of this business at West Point gave me a violent headache which lasted for a week. This is but the beginning of the history of his perseverance, which ended in our marriage at Grace Church, New York, Dr. Taylor officia- ting, the 3 1 St of May, 1835. My mother was very much opposed to the match, and she would not consent to it herself until he promised to bring me back every year to see the family. Yes, but he did not keep his promise, as he did not promise to bring the children and I was not willing to leave them. CHAPTER IV. IN THE VALE OF AVOCA. Our home was made in Ireland at Avondale, County Wicklow, except when we were visiting among his friends, and when I went to Paris for the education and social advantages of my family. My mother and brother had a beautiful home in Paris. My husband was pleased to have us go there on account of the great advantages it afforded to me and to my children ; but he would not let them go to school unless I was near them. We had eleven children born, five sons and^six daughters, all born at Avondale except Theodosia, who was born at Torquay, the place where the family first landed in England ; and Henry, who was born in Paris. All born in the same room at Avondale except Anna. Five of the eleven children are now living, three daughters and two sons. Ten of them grew up to majority. Hayes died of pleurisy and an affection, of the liver at fif- teen ; and I lost an infant son five months old, William Tudor, through bad vaccination. All the daughters married but Fanny and Anna,' and all the sons married except John and Hayes. William died as an infant. Of those now living, Anna 46 . ' 48 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. is the only one that was prominent in the Land League in Ireland. My son John was also a quiet worker in this country, but on account of a nervous defect in his speech, he did very litde public speaking. My daughter Anna usually re- sides near London. She has not been active in Irish matters for some time. Her work was prin- cipally in the Ladles' Land League in Ireland during the imprisonment of the members. My son John is now residing in Atlanta, Ga., engaged in business in that city. My daughter Theodbsia married Claude Paget, who is in the employ of the British Navy, and is now with his ship in the British Fleet at Hong Kong. His wife, with her infant son, is visiting among his relations. Lord Anglesea, the head of the family, is a cousin of the husband of Minnie Stephens of New York. There was not a family in England that would not have! been proud to be allied to the Parnells. The wedding of Mrs. Paget took place from my daughter Delia's house in Paris, and all the near relatives of his family went from England to It, and thought themselves fortunate in being allied to the ancient family of Parnell. In this connec- tion I wish to say that my son's family is one of the most ancient in Great Britain, going baqk to a Norman Duke, who was killed at the battle of Hastings, on the Norman side, and, on the Eng- 'lish side, going back to the Lord High Stewarts of England, and by marriages to the Stewarts of CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 49 Scotland and the Howards of England. My cousin, the Rev. Samuel Stewart, a missionary, who was connected with the Lispenard Stewarts of New York, used to say that the Stewart family were de- scended from Ban quo' s ghost. In the story, you know, Fleance, the son of Banquo, was saved. He fled to Paris and there he married a princess of the house of Tudor, so that the Stewarts were descended from the Tudors. My daughter Emily married Captain Robert Dickinson, of the British Army. It was she who went to Mrs. O'Shea, immediately after her brother's death, and persuaded Mrs. O'Shea to let Charles be interred in Ireland. Mrs. O'Shea, as was very natural, did riot want to part with the corpse. My daughter Emily accompanied the funeral to the cemetery, the Glasnevin, near Dublin. It is the Catholic cemetery where O' Con- ner was buried ; though my son was buried in a piece of ground which was given to the poor. CHAPTER V. THE MOTHER AND HER BOY. Speaking of my son in particular, he was born at Avondale, on the 27th of June, 1846, and was my sixth child. Very early in his life he manifested those peculiar traits of mind and char- acter which afterwards led to his distinction. One prominent characteristic seemed to be to take the part of the oppressed. He was always ready to fight the battles of even his older brothers and sis- ters. In connection with this I remember an anec- dote. One day he thought the nurse was too severe with his sister Anna. He got up on a table and seized his big stick and put his sister on a table^ placed himself in front of her and fought off the two nurses. He was about seven or eight years old then. Another time, when I punished his sister Anna, he gave himself and me no rest until he got me to stop punishing. He kept saying, "O mamma, she'll die, she'll die!" Anna was very resolute, and Charles thought she would not yield while there was a spark of life in her. Religiously, my son was a Protestant. His father belonged to the Church of England, and Charles was much with very religious and pious people. 50 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 5 1 My mother was Puritan on one side and Hugue- not on the other. His education was begun at home by his mother, governess and tutor at Avondale ; afterwards he was at school in Summersetshire, kept by a lady. Then he was sent to a clergyman in Derbyshire, whose wife was a very excellent woman, and took a great pride in the education of the pupils. Then he went to the Rev. Dr. Whiseshaw, who prepared him for Cambridge. He then said he was the only boy in his whole establishment whom he could trust. The whole country bore witness to the fidelity of his promises even when he was a lad. He was sent to Cambridge on account ox his father having been sent there ; besides, he had a great talent for mathematics, and that is a great mathematical college. He said he owed to me whatever facility he had for speaking or writing English, and not to schools. " I gave great care to his education, requiring him to make accurate and fine translations from the original into the English, both in Caesar's commentaries and Virgil. But, unfortunately, he did not have this care from me so long as his sisters had. This possibly explains their greater fluency in expressing them- selves. I think he did not remain at college the full term for graduation, on account of a disagree- ment between himself and one of the professors. He left of his own accord, as his self-respect pre- vented his yielding, and asking pardon where he .52 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. thought he had been unjustly treated. After leaving college he had another private tutor at home. He grew very rapidly, and his health was delicate. He would have outgrown his strength entirely but for the care I took of him. He was always very nervous, of which I might recite many instances but for lack of time. He afterwards traveled in America and in Europe. After entering upon public life his history is well known to the world. One of the strongest traits of his char- acter was indulgence and love of his friends. An affection once formed with him must always re- main. This is clearly shown in his course and ad- herence in his friendship, especially towards William O'Brien, as is shown by the following letter, which he wrote O'Brien after the cele- brated Boulogne controversy, which the world thought had made them enemies : February i i , i 890. My Dear O'Brien : — I desire to express to you how deeply I feel the kindness and gentleness of spirit shown to me by you throughout the nego- tiations. I have felt all along that I had no right to expect from anybody the constant anxiety to meet my views, the intense desire that all pro- posals claiming your sanction should be as palata- ble as possible to me, which so distinguished your conduct in the communications which passed be- tween us. I know that you have forgiven much CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 53 foughness and asperity on my part, and that you have made allowances for some unreasonable con- duct from me, which to anybody gifted with, less patience and conciliation than yourself would have been most difficult. I appreciate intensely the difficulties which surrounded you during these negotiations, the constant daily anxiety which would have been overwhelming to anybody possessed of less cour- age and devotion than yourself. I fervently hope and believe that the prospects of Ireland are not so dark as you fear, and after a little time, having passed through the clouds ^and darkness, we shall again stand on our former foot- ing — when in happier days we were comrades in arms in behalf of a united Ireland. Dearest O'Brien, I am always yours, CHARLES S. PARNELL. Another instance in this connection, I might also relate. When I went to London to stop with him in 1886, I took him a poem I had written about the evicted tenants and asked him **if he or I should publish it? '* He said, "Give it to dear William O'Brien to publish,^' which I did. Another instance of his tenacious affection and disposition to sustain others, is shown by his rela- tions to his wife when she was Mrs. O'Shea. Her sentiments to him were those of admiration and enthusiasm for his work, in which Captain O'Shea 54 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. did not agree, he being a Liberal Unionist, while my son was a Nationalist. My son was naturally of a very chivalric character, and he had great pity for Mrs. O'Shea, as well as great admiration of her talents and of her love for his country. No Irish- men should lift a stone against Mrs. O'Shea, for she served Ireland faithfully, and that is what made Captain O'Shea so *' mad." It is but a repetition of the history of David and Abigail. Abigail went out and fed David and his men when her husband was cursing and seeking to destroy them ; so Mrs. O'Shea came ^to the rescue of my son and his friends, whom her husband detested. Captain O'Shea was particularly angry with all the Nationalists, and being a Liberal Unionist,, particularly anxious to break up the whole movement He tried to hit what he thought was the bull's eye, other things having failed. In this connection I wish to say that I do not believe Charles could have done what he did, nor endured with his weak physical condition the eternal harass- ment of political life, the rigors of imprisonment, the jealousy and treachery of friends and foes alike, had it not been for the sympathy of a few women, the nearest one being Mrs. O^Shea, whose sustain- ing force gave him courage and helped his little remaining strength to do the mighty deeds of his last days for Ireland. It is a matter of regret that he was not able to carry out the plans he formed in 1886 for himself, CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 55 sister Emily and me to have a home near London, where we might have spent together our remain- ing days and assisted him in his labor. In sum- ming up the public work that he did, I take pleasure in referring to the following facts pub- lished in 1 880 : First, he compelled the English government to make a grant of £ 1 70,000. Second, he caused the passage of the Seed and Potato Bill, and the Irish Relief Bill. Third, he saved the Irish tenants about ten million pounds by abate- ments of rent. Fourth, he called into existence the Mansion House Committee, the Marlborough Committee and the Land League Committee, by whose exertions ;,^225,ooo have been collected and spent in relieving the distressed people of Ireland. Fifth, he checked the increase of distress by the timely supply of food, fuel and clothing, thus sav- ing hundreds of thousands of lives. Sixth, by neutralizing the Eviction Laws he prevented thous- ands of poor cottiers from being cast out of their hovels to die in the ditches. All this he has done in Ireland. Then crossing the waters to America, he made Ireland known as that country was never known before, and awakened public opinion to English misrule and its direful results among the Irish farmers. Second, by his character and pure patriot- ism he was able to address himself to the intelli- gence of America, speaking in the Capitol at Washington and in the Legislative Assemblies of 56 CHARLES STEWART PARNELI. most of the States, thus elevating Ireland and its cause in the esteem of the best classes of the American people. Third, he raised for the relief of the suffering Irish near three million of dollars, which was forwarded through the Land League and other patriotic organizations to the sufferers. He called into existence the societies of this country which have aided Ireland. Fourth, he induced the Federal Government to send a naval ship laden with provisions to Ireland and to pro- pose an appropriation of three hundred thousand dollars. CHAPTER VI, HER daughters' LITERARY ATTAINMENTS. Speaking of the literary attainments of my daughters, let me call attention to the Celtic Magazine of June and July, 1880, in which my daughter Anna wrote a continued article on ** How they do in the House of Commons.'* In the February number of 1881 is a picture of the birth- place and old homestead of my son Charles. In the same magazine, of September, 1882, are a por- trait of my father and a biographical sketch of Fanny, together with a number of her poems. Here is the most striking one of them all, one which Mr. McWade published in **The Great Irish Struggle :" HOLD THE HARVEST. Now are you men, or are you kine, ye tillers of the soil? Would you be free, or evermore, the rich man's cattle, toil ? The shadow on the dial hangs that points the fatal hour — Now hold your own ! or, branded slaves, forever cringe and cower. The serpent's curse upon you lies — ye writhe within the dust ; Ye fill yovir mouths with beggar's swill, ye grovel for a crust; Your lords have set their blood-stained heels upon your shameful heads, Yet they are kind — they leave you still their ditches for your beds ! Oh, by the God who made us all — the seignior and the serf — - Rise up 1 and swear this day to hold your own green Irish turf 1 Rise up I and plant your feet as men where now you crawl as slaves. And make your harvest fields your camps, or make of them your graves! 57 58 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. The birds of prey are hovering round, the vultures vrheel stnd swoop— They come, the coroneted ghouls ! with drum-beat and with troop— They come to fatten on your flesh, your children's and your wives' ; Ye die but once — hold fast your lands and, if ye catty your lives. Let go the trembling emigrant — not such as he ye need ; Let go the lucre-loving wretch that flies his land for greed ; Let not one coward stay to clog your manhood's waking power; Let not one sordid churl pollute the Nation's natal hour. Yes, lej them go !— the caitiflf rout, that shirk the struggle now — The light that crowns your victory shall scorch each recreant brow. And in the annals of your race, black parallels in shame. Shall stand by traitor's and by spy's the base deserter's name. Three hundred years your crops have sprung, by murdered corpses fed— Your butchered sires, your famished sires, for ghastly compost spread; Their bones have fertilized your fields, their blood has fall'n like rain; They died that ye might eat and live — God ! have they died in vain ? The yellow corn starts blithely up ; beneath it lies a grave — Your father died in " Forty-eight " — his life for yours he gave ; — He died that you, his son, might learn there is no helper nigb* Except for him who, save in fight, has sworn he will not die. The hour is struck, Fate holds the dice ; we stand with bated breath ; Now who shall have our harvest fair ? — 'tis Life that plays with Death ; Now who shall have our motherland ? — 'tis Right that plays with Might ; The peasant's arms were weak indeed in such unequal fight I But God is on the peasant's side — the God that loves the poor : His angels stand with flaming swords on every mount and moor ; They guard the poor man's flocks and herds, they guard his ripening grain- The robber sinks beneath their curse beside his ill-got gain. O pallid serfs ! whose groans and prayers have wearied Heav'n full long. Look up ! there is a Law above, beyond all legal wrong; Rise up ! the answer to your prayers shall come, tornado-borne. And ye shall hold your homesteads dear, and ye shall reap the corn I But your own hands upraised to guard shall draw the answer down. And bold and stem the deeds must be that oath and prayer shall crown ; God only fights for those who fight — now hush the useless moan, , And set your faces as a flint and swear to Hold Your Own, AIISS FANNV PAKNELL. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 6i There is also published in the Celtic Magazine, a beautiful picture of **The Meeting of the Waters," celebrated in Moore's poetry, which was the first piece of poetry that I ever learned. The scene is on our place, Avondale, and just at the beginning of the vale of Avoca. I remember it is ** where the bright waters meet.'* Avoca is formed by the meeting of Avonmore and the Avonbeg. In the August number of the mag- azine of 1 88 1 is published a sketch of Kilmainham Jail, Dublin, where my son was confined, and where about eleven hundred Irishmen were im- prisoned on different charges, without trial. MY OWN PUBLIC SERVICE. Since the beginning of my son's parliamentary career, I have interested myself deeply and actively in the Irish LaChd League and all Irish national movements. In fact, from the time I first placed my foot upon Irish soil in 1835, as the bride of John Henry Parnell, my heart and actions have been in sympathetic accord with all movements for the liberty and prosperity of the Irish people, for liberty and prosperity are essen- tially linked. But my first real public action was a public speech, that I made in Dublin, and I was nearly scared to death. I had started a series of musical and dramatic gatherings, which were called ** Originals," because everything was to be of original Irish talent, even including drawings. 52 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. paintings and dance music. The ladies who came to play brought their own original quadrilles, waltzes, galops, etc. We had dancing after the reading and elocution. It was in i86i,I think, and they were to be held on Saturday afternoons. My part wa3 to deliver the address of welcome which opened the series. Fully three thousand people were present, many of them being from the Viceroyal households. Lord Carlisle, though unable to attend in person, was represented by many of his aides-de-camp, whom the Irish called *' eighty-scamps" in those days. They had a great way of changing names to suit themselves. For instance, the sick and indigents the hospitals who were hard to please, used to be called the ''stiffand indignant/' Besides my opening address, I selected a portion of Emerson's poems to recite, for I thought not only the sentiment was appro- priate, but also that my opening speech was origi- nal enough for me to give them at one time. In my speech I referred to the poem and to our American Republic, telling the people that *4t was characteristic of the Americans to *go ahead,'" and that "I wanted the Irish also to strive to 'go ahead. ^" I astonished my audience, and the aides- de-camp looked nervous. This series of literary and dramatic readings led to the establishment of a society of a similar nature in Dubjin, particularly for the encouragement of literature, which is still flourishing there. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 63 My first appearance in this country was on the occasion when Davitt was in New York, just before his return to Ireland. The gathering was held under the auspices of the Ladies' Branch of the Land League, and I, as President, had to make the first speech. The audience numbered several thousand, and I remember Mr. Davitt said that it was the first good house he had spoken to — a re- sult achieved by the ladies stepping forward in the cause. Though I did not tremble as I stood for the first time before so big an audience, and saw the sea of faces all looking at me, and though my voice sounded firm, yet I was greatly friglitened, nevertheless. But I got through it all right and spoke for nearly half an hour, though I helped myself out by a number of extracts and quota- tions. You can imagine how apprehensive I was about this, my first really public appearance, when I tell you that I practised for it beforehand. I was staying at the New York Hotel with my daughter at the time, and I used to rehearse in my room. I remember we had a good deal of amusement on the effect of this on the boarders who heard me, for they thought I was giving my daughter some terrible scoldings. They listened in astonishment, never having heard such a thing before. The first piece I read to the Irish in New York was one on Union. I thought it essential on my son Charles' platform, as I thought it to be solid and individual. From a literary standpoint I have 64 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^ written hardly anything except about the Irish. My life and my thoughts have been given to this cause, and no doubt this has much to do with turn- ing the mind of my son so strongly in this direction. In 1846 I wrote a poem entided " The Irish Exiles," being an address by the Irish exile to his country. It was elicited by the Irish emigra- tion on account of Ae great famine. It began this way: Dear hopie of my soul, raj Erin, farewell, My fond heart now beats to thy sorrowing knell ; Thy glory is fled and thy spirit lies low, And deep the despair where hope once shed a glow. This poem was sent to my father. He had it published and it was copied all over the Union. My speeches were usually impromptu or on very few notes which nobody could understand but myself. A long speech of mine was printed in the Irish Nation of New York, about the middle of the eighties. In 1883 I furnished an article entitled *' Incidents in Ireland and The New Irish Nation " to the New York Daily News of May 13, 1883. More of my public Hfe, and my public speeches and writing I deem it unnecessary to refer to. John Ridpath, the historian, once re- ferred in complimentary terms to some of my speeches, especially one that I delivered at Albany, N. Y. People used to want me at the close of my speeches to "go on,'* but I am of a nervous tem- perament and found it very hard to get through what I had already said. I deem it unnecessary to CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 65 say more of myself. I have written thus fully to show more of the foundation of my son's character. I have been disposed to literary pursuits since I was six years of age. I used to print little stories. My mother kept them all and they were sewed up in little covers, which had printed on them, "Instruc- tive and Improving Stories for Young Children." As said above, nearly all my writings have been with reference to Ireland. Before I close I will copy a poem that I wrote on one occasion when I was very ill. It was written about three years ago, when I was alone with my friend, Mrs. Knoud, who was devoted to me during all rny illness of many weeks, and came in one day after a consulta- tion of three physicians and told me that I was dying. I remarked that I was not dying, but the instance left an impression on my mind, which resulted in the penning of the following lines : MALADI DU PAYS. I'm sick ; I'm sick with absence, with loneliness and grief; I'm sick; I'm sick with weakness — age brings me no relief. My spirit, vainly turning, seeks for some fair form I love ; Oh, God ! 'Tis worse than dying, for there is no hope above. Mother ! Thy warm and tender arms reach to me from the past. Brother I Thine, strong and circling, were too great, too good to last. Father ! Tho' knowing little of thy grand old love and-truth. My spirit's radiance answered thine e'en from my earliest youth. Husband ! whose simple vow formed an undercurrent strong. Whereon my life could speed imharmed amid a happy throng. Children ! like loving flowers, voices like living songs. Immortal music ! still I crave your soft and gentle cheers. But my heart grows faint with sobbing, my eyes dim with the tears. Ah 1 what a goodly lot was mine ! What sweetness was therein I 66 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Sweet in tlie very roses — in Eden without sin — I quench my thirst with bitterness — no light is in my cloud, My only hope that time will make of grief my very shroud. I'm crushed; I'm crushed and writhing, I lie so lone and low, The idle wind that touches seems to smite me as a blow, 'Tis chilling to my ^oul — chill as an ice-bound breath. Chill as that tyrant, that despair — chill as the words of Death ! Oh, the laughter, song and dance, when my spirit, like a bird. Flew forth on friendship's greeting — flew forth on love's sweet word — A denizen from heaven sent, above the world of care ; Lightly it pressed the cloud, pressed light e'en the very air, For it all things were pure and sweet, it was so true and fond j The present seemed a heaven, none more fair could seem beyond. My habits have always been very studious since quite young, especially at night, being the quiet time ; my custom is to begin to write when every- body goes to bed, when only the ghosts and the rats are about. I frequently begin after midnight and write until the dawn of the morning. For years I have had a large corre- spondence with my friends, and 'I answer their letters at night. I rarely get more than three of four hours sleep out of the twenty-four. One thing remarkable about myself, is my eyesight. Though I am now nearly seventy-six years of age, I have never needed to wear glasses. This remarkable fact also applies to my mother and my grandmother. My grandmother died at ninety-two without ever having used spectacles, and my mother at seventy-five. **0LD IRONSIDES,*' MY PRESENT HOME. " Old Ironsides,'* occupying a prominent point overlooking the Delaware at Bordentown, N. J., is CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^^J the same house which used to be called '' Mont- pelier." The old mansion was bought in 1816 by my father. It was then an immense cottage, with a basement, parlor floor and garret. My father brought me here as an infant in 1 8 1 7. This was his home from that time till his death. The nickname **01d Ironsides," given my father, came from the ship Constitutiony which he commanded in the United States Navy. It afterwards attached itself to and still designates this place. The title was also given him because it was so applicable to himself, so strong and active, and living to such a great age. He died at the age of ninety-two years. When he was eighty-five years old he ran up a tree after a boy who was stealing his apples. The boy went out on a branch and my father followed him. The branch was not strong enough and both came to the ground without hurting either. I am often asked why I remain on the old homestead — in this big lonesome house alone. My answer is, to take care of it for my 'family, hoping and believing it will be valuable for them when they want it. I desire to preserve it in the family from the fact that it is the home of my childhood and the birthplace of my only brother, Gharles, now dead. Also, because of the fact that my father lived here for more than half a century, arid around it cling all the fond recollections of my infancy and early childhood. Sitting at the win- dow in my old age I look out upon the placid 68 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. waters of the majestic Delaware, flowing to the sea with the same graceful curve around the grounds, so beautiful and grand, looking almost as they did when my brother and I in early childhood played together here. The old cherry tree which we used to climb and pick the fruit from is still standing — my eyes are looking upon it now. These ties are too sacred and too dear to my heart to give up in my declining years. These facts, aside from the belief that the property will some day be valuable to my impoverished descendants in Europe, make it dearer to me. I cannot leave it. Times are growing to be worse and worse in Europe, and this in after years may be their only asylum. For this reason only, I cling desperately to the old home. I have written this sketch for the life of my idolized son, who came to his un- timely death through over-exertion in behalf of his idolized country.- I have written it at the request of the publishers, who assure me that in giving his life and public service to the country, they are doing so with the idea of holding up his virtues and beneficent deeds in a true light to the world. Whatever else I may have done in life in giving such a son as this to the Irish poor, I feel that I have contributed to humanity a blessing and to Ireland a boon, that the lapse of coming years can never efface. If he has planted in the hearts of the Irish people the ideas of liberty and of union, which shall lead them finally from under the CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 69 thralldom which has cursed them for the centuries gone by, I shall only be happy and satisfied to have paid the cost which has wrung from my heart many bitter tears and taken from me the pride of my life in the prime and glory of his man- hood. For many years I have lived alone, so far as the members of my immediate family are con- cerned. My daughter Fanny spent a few years with me here, but the rest of my children have been, by the hand of Providence, kept at a post of duty remote from me, or were removed by death. To the friends of Liberty and the Irish people, I bequeath my life and the memory of the past. CHAPTER VII. ANNA AND FANNY PARNELL's WORK. IT was, I think, on or about January ist, 1882, that Miss Anna Parnell was first brought in a prominent manner to public attention, here and elsewhere. The Gladstone Coercion Government had expressly forbidden the holding of Irish polit- ical or other meetings, threatening those who participated in them with arrest and imprison- ment. In defiance of these threats she presided over a largely attended meeting of the central body of the Ladies* League, in Dublin, on the first day of the year. On the following day, as if to mark the citizens* approval of her intrepidity, ithe freedom of the city of Dublin was voted to John Dillon and her distinguished brother. Many of her literary efforts have been published in this country and in Ireland and England. It is due to her to say that her works were almost entirely, like those of her gifted and charming sister, Fanny, devoted to the Irish cause. In it their young lives were enlisted, and no danger was too great, no risks too perilous to swerve them in the least from what they felt to 70 CHARLES STEWART PARNfiLL. 71 be more than a duty. Their devotion to Ireland manifested itself in every act. She died suddenly at Bordentown, N. J., July 19th, 1882. Her patriotic mother says of her : " While I was iti Ireland, Fanny went out but little in society, being so young; but Lord Carlisle always said she was the loveliest in the room whenever she appeared, and the beauty of her complexion was such that Henry Doyle, the brother of Richard Doyle, who illustrated * Punch,' said it fairly lit up the boxes where she sat at the theatre. She went to reside with her sister Delia, Mrs. Thompson, in Paris, and there made an immense sensation. Accounts of her wit and beauty appeared in the Figaro of that day. Her aunt, Lady Howard, Belgrave Square, London, invited her to stop with her. One day, after Fanny's arrival, on returning from riding in the park with her uncle, the footman came down the steps and said that Lady Howard was dead. After my establishment in Temple Street was broken up, I took my three younger daughters with me to my brother's in Paris. Fanny studied painting in oils there and my brother did all in his power by giving parties and having receptions to render Fanny's stay with him delightful. His carriage and horses were at our service. People said Fanny was destined to be a grande Dame, the wife of some great character, taking an active part both in diplomatic and polit- ical life. Diplomatists surrounded her, entranced 72 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. by her flow of sparkling wit, her beautiful style, * like that of a princess * they said. She had a systematic routine of occupation and cultivated her talents. She thought nothing of her dress, but let me dress her as I liked. She took part in tableaux with great effect. She appeared once as the Angel at the Gates of Paradise. A wealthy gentleman, afterwards made a Duke by the Emperor Napoleon, persisted for two years in try- ing to get Fanny to accept him. My brother's reception rooms were always full of visitors, and the file of young Frenchmen was like that at a regal drawing room. I took her out in London, too, for a few months. Then my dear brother became ill and died at Rome and I had to come to this country to administer his property. My son Charles, always so kind and careful, would not let me come alone, but sent Fanny with me. Our stay in America has, with few exceptions, been terrible and heartrending, to none more a detriment than to poor Fanny. Here she got malaria. Here her nerves gave way. Here she died of exhaustion and a weak heart after walking through the hot sun to provide entertainment for Mr. Michael Davitt and Mr. W. Redmond, whom she had invited to Ironsides. She begged me not to return here then as she wanted to have an undis- turbed talk with Davitt. Her one continual thought was her brother, her country, Ireland, and the poor Irish, and the Irish movement. When I CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 73 came back she said to me with extreme ^distress and terror; *0 Mama, Davitt hates Charlie 1' I said, *Oh, no, my dear, you mistake.'" A LOVELY HEROINE. An accomplished writer in London Truth says of Miss Anna Parnell : " In snowy weather Miss Parnell used to wear out-of-door skirts of Bloomer shortness, and Wellington boots. She was a girl of a nervous, resolute disposition— wayward, a little snappish, and absolute mistress of the house ; but she was liked by humble neighbors, with whom, in their trials, she often commiserated. Her mother and elder sisters were frequent absentees, and her brothers were away at school. The late Mr. Parnell read and thought a good deal, administered justice as a magistrate in a fair and benignant way. Had he been a person of active habits. Miss Annans destiny would have taken another shape. From infancy she had been troubled with a good deal of febrile energy, which she took from the American side of the house. Unhappily for her, no outlet by which she could work it off was afforded to hen The rector of the parish and his wife were well-intentioned persons, but purse-proud, narrow-minded Philis- tines. Miss Anna thought them humbugs. They were unable to perceive that she had some fine qualities, and ascribed* her marked individuality to bad American form. On the whole, she 74 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. appeared to them an undesirable young lady for their son to fall in love with, and they were afraid two pretty daughters of the wax-doll type would not be improved by associating with her. They might as well have feared the example of a mountain goat upon sheep reared in a grassy park. As the curate's wife was in the unfortunate position of the little woman that lived in a shoe, she did not venture to strike up a friendship with a girl who was counted eccentric, self-willed and ungenteel at the rectory. Miss Anna had no intimate friendship to soften a nature in which there was a good deal of steel, heated too often by a brooding fancy. The persons of her age and sex in the neighborhood who inspired her with most sympathy were not on her social plane. They were the daughters of one Commeford, a rich miller and freeholder, whose picturesque grounds were only separated from Avondale by those of the glebe house." The Misses Commeford were Roman Catholics, which, in Ireland more than twenty years ago, was a barrier to intimate acquaintance with Protestant families. They were open-hearted and winsome girls, who hunted daringly on clever horses, and had all the accomplishments which are to be acquired in a first-class conventional school in Dublin. But they had bounded minds, which were unable to take in Carlyle, or soar to transcendental heights with Emerson. "The CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 75 Bride of Abydos " was not too old fashioned to excite their enthusiasm. Anna Parnell could not endure the meek heroine of that poem, after whom so many French dogs are called. She was a reader, even then, of New York and Bos- ton journals, and had dipped into the lectures of American oratoresses who stood on the equal rights platform. The mental inferiority to which women were condemned by ecclesiastical authority was accepted as a matter of course by the miller's pleasant daughters, but it galled Miss Anna and chilled her sympathy for them. '"If they had revolted against St. Paul she would have been their close friend in spite of the castle prejudices that stood between her and them. Mrs. Parnell denied the alleged perfection of the British Constitution, and the young Parnells imbibed Fourth-of-July ideas about George III., and other members of the royal family, with whose inherited infirmities they were made acquainted. Visits to the States, and intercourse with American relatives and friends, gave an un- English bias to their minds, and opened their eyes to see many things in their native land which might otherwise have remained unperceived. Miss Anna was old enough when Mrs. Beecher Stowe was being lionized in Europe to take an interest in the controversy aroused in America by a message on the slavery question from the Duchess of Sutherland and other noble ladies to 7G CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. their sisters in the United States. There was a fearful beam in the eye of Stafford House-— the Sutherland evictions, the memory of which was still fresh in America. Miss Parnell, in different harangues to Irish peasants, has charged the late Lord Carlisle with having advised the land- lords of the sister isle to imitate the Sutherland example in clearing off tenants and converting their estates into grazing farms. That amiable nobleman had not witnessed the evictions and had seen the sheep-runs on his brother-in-law's North of Scotland estates. If he had known what inhuman cruelty had been practised, he would have been the last man in the world to say to the Whig nobles who possess tracts of land in Ireland: " Make this country the teeming mother of innumerable flocks and herds." Charles Stewart Parnell is bound to Ireland by the Avon- dale estate. Miss Anna's attachment to the country and the people had hindered her from settling in the United States, where she had a brother and sister. The former owns in Alabama the largest peach orchard in the world. Al- though " a woman of steel," the Home Ruleress has poetic sensibilities. She loved the old trees at Avondale, the river in the deep glen, the weep- ing sky with short sunbursts, and the whistling wind, which to her ears is full of music. The vale of Avoca is seen by her through a prism colored by the national melodist. Since Moore's CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 77 time, great has been the deterioratidn 6f the scenery there. " The purest of crystal " is sullied by water pumped from lead and copper mines. " The brightest of green " has been effaced by the mounds of rubbish which the miners cast up. Miss Parnell has the prompt intellect of a New. Englander. Her ideas rapidly generate actions ; but if her head is hard it is not cruel. Excitable nerves dominate her. " She has the courage of her opinion.*' "You surely ddn*t think they would dare to shoot him ? " said an English tourist, who had got by accident into a conversa- tion with her about a fearless and almost ruthless agent. " I'm afraid not," was the terrible reply. " In these parts anger evaporates in threats.',' Her zeal in accomplishing her self-appointed mission eats her up. There have been occasions on which she has had reason to congratulate her- self on her remarkable slenderness. However tired a horse may be, he is always strong enough to carry Miss Parnell. In the reign of Forster she hid from constables supposed to be in pur- suit of her by merely standing behind a poplar tree. On one occasion she went to witness two evictions and to harangue the martyrs of land- lordism and their friends. The cottages from which the tenants were to be ejected faced each other, but were on opposite sides of a large river. A bridge was at some distance below them. 78 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. After the first part of the sub-sherifFs task was got through, he instructed the policemen not to let Miss Anna Parnell nor any of her following over the bridge. This done, he proceeded to cross it himself. He was apprehensive that she might call upon the victims and those who came' to sympathize with them to oblige him to beat a hasty retreat. But the excited lady was not to be baulked. She, for a moment, looked keenly at the strong-flowing river. No boat was visible. A notion flashed across her brain. " Is there any one here," she demanded, " who has ever waded in rainy weather like this to the other side ? " A tall fellow, in knee-breeches and a patched-up coat, stepped forward to answer in the affirmative. " How deep is it in the deepest place ? " asked Miss Anna. "Up to my arm-pit." "Do you know how to swim?" "I do, your ladyship." " So that if you lose your balance and fall you can still keep your head above water ? " " That I can." "Well, put me sitting on your shoulder and wade over with me." The man was only too proud to obey. He gallantly descended into the river, assuring Miss Parnell that she weighed no heavier than a feather. She was at the second cottage before the sub-sheriff reached it. During her manifestly dangerous passage through the river nobody thought of the evictions. Her skirts were drenched, for the water was up in some parts to the man's chin. It seemed mirac- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 79 ulcus that both were not swept away. She was greeted on landing with cries of " Long life to your ladyship ! *' This action, much more than her orations, explains her influence with the com- mon people. So long as the Avondale Home Ruleress keeps in the van of the Nationalist army, her brother will not be thrown over by the advanced section of the Land League, because she has numbers on her side. " My son was just then out of prison. It was Fanny who induced me to help the Irish Land League in every way possible to me. She was one of those who begged her brother to come to this country. The last year of her life she said she would never forgive herself for having pre- vailed on her brother to come to America. She made a trip through New York and other States and Canada in the interest of the Ladies* Land League. She seemed then strong the autumn before her death. She spoke with great delight of the iionesty, fervor and kindness of the Ca- nadian Irish Land Leaguers, and thought them much more zealous and earnest than the Amer- ican members of the order. " Not being able to lecture much, she continued to write and to reply to all letters to her concern- ing the Irish Land League, a great task. She kept up a busy correspondence with her sister Anna, then in the Irish National League in Dublin. Certainly a great difference between her happy, 80 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. peaceful time in Dublin, her brilliant time in Paris and London, and her time of devotion in aiding her brother's movement, often doing the work of her friends in addition to her own. " She threw herself out of her social sphere, like her brother, just at the time when she might have made a great home, had loving ones about her, and chosen enjoyments, interests and occupations wherein her great talents, which amounted to genius, would have shown pre-eminent and gained celebrity for her; where her pen would haye been useful, honorable and profitable in many ways. She was almost miraculously gifted with penetration, knowledge of character, wisdom, decision, strength of mind and a great, a generous spirit free from fault or weakness. Her unsel- fishness and benevolence were wonderful. Such perfect beings die young. Their path is one of undiminished lustre that can end only in Heaven and that soon.'* Tributes to the memory of the young song- stress, who was so suddenly cut off in the bloom of her youth, appeared in prose and verse in the daily newspapers and in the weekly and monthly periodicals and magazines published here, in Europe and in the Australian colonies. Branches of the Land League everywhere met and heard sympathetic speeches and passed resolutions, all in the same sentiment, regretful of her loss, grate- ful and appreciative of her continuous and un- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 81 selfish services in the cause of Irish freedom. A few of the poetic effusions, humble violets on her grave, will give our readers a faint idea of the estimation in which she was held. FANNY PARNELL. Died July 20, 1882. BY PATRICK SARSFIELD CASSIDY. Dead? Oh, it can't be — it must not be so — No ; the blurred print but mocks our dull eyes ; For our spirits refuse to acknowledge the blow. Or our minds to such loss realize. Our hearts turn rebels to such a decree, E'en the hand that approved were Divine — What ! she, our young Priestess— but no, it can't be — / Stricken down at the steps of the shrine. Tell us not, tell us not, that the form we have loved. So instinct with young resolute life, And the genius that lit up our cause, are removed From our side in the thick of the strife, A warrior's heart in a maiden's frail form — Strength softened by womanly grace — Was hers ; and a spirit to ride on the storm When it broke on the foe of our race. i^p thought in the limitless spaces of mind. No pain in the heart's widest zone. Was farther away than that she who had twined Herself round our hearts as our own Should sink in death's sleep in a moment like this, When the battle-wave swells at full tide, And Liberty's dawn is ascending to kiss The land of her love and her pride. Oh, it surely can't be that her spirit has pass'd From the struggle in hour so supreme, When the glorious result that her prescience forecast In the future=decipherlng dream 82 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Of the poet, seems nearing a truth— When the transfiguration's at hand Of a people, enslaved beyond mercy or ruth, Rising up as a free-born Land ! Has she, whose young soul was our battle's bright star, That flashed living light through the gloom. That warmed us and thrilled us in righteousness' war. Has she gone to the gloom of the tomb ? Has the light-flashing banner she bore in the throng Of the conflict gone down in the dust ? Does the malice of fate that pursued us so long Seek to break the last chord of our trust? It can't be, and my heart from its innermost core Refuses its faith to the tale ; Were it so I would hear from her Erin's far shore Every wave on the strand give a wail ; And the gloom that would shadow the face of her land Would in sympathy seek out my soul, And plunge it in gloom beyond words' poor command, And grief beyond powers of control. Ah, no, it can't be that her spirit, so rare, With liberty's lightnings aflame. With courage that mocked the grim face of despair, And put cowardly doubtings to shame — It can't be that it's gone ere her eyes had beheld ^ The glory of Erin reborn — That her requiem bell in our hearts should be knell' d *Mid the salvos of Liberty's mom. The flash of her spirit, the sweep of her powers, The verve and fire of her song. The lightnings she hurled against Tyranny's towers. The blows that she dealt unto wrong- Are they lost to our cause when the beautiful face Of success flushes fair on our flag — When the sun-blaze she yearned for bids fair to replace The cloud upon mountain and crag ? CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. -83 Have the lips — truly touched by celestial fire — That suiig Erin's deep agony, Been hushed when the poets, in jubilee choir. Are weaving the song of the free ? Is the ear stricken deaf that but loved Erin's praise In the days of her squalor and shame, When the harpings and shoutings and banner's bright blaze Give welcome to freedom and fame ? Personified spirit of Erin I not dead Art thou unto us and thy land ; No grave 'mid the earth- damps, no vault's narrow bed. Could hold thee in mortal command. Yes ; your heart in its cere-clothes would quiver and toss Till it rent them apart, and you stood, Transfigured and glorified, looking across The battle's wrong-whelming flood ! No, thou art not dead, beloved sister of song; Thy spirit and Erin's are one. And active still must be thy war upon wrong 'Till the centuried crimes are undone. The brain that fed ours shall continue to feed — The genius that guided to guide-— Oh, passionate priestess of Liberty's creed. Such spirit as thine never died ! ^New YoxVy Jufy, 1882. THE DEAD SINGER. BY JOHN BOYLE O'rEILLY, IN THE PILOT. "She is dead I " they say; "she is robed for the grave; there are lilies upon her breast : Her mother has kissed her clay-cold lips, and folded her hands to rest; Her blue eyes show thro' the waxen lids : they have hidden her hair's golden crown ; Her grave is dug, and its heap of earth is waiting to press her down." ** She is dead I " they say to the people— her people for whom she sung, Whose hearts she touched with sorrow and love, like a harp with life- chords strung. 84 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. And the people hear— but behind their tear they smile as though they heard Another voice like a Mystery proclaim another word. "She is not dead!" it says to their hearts; "true Singers can never die: Their life is a voice of higher things unseen by the common eye ; The truths and the beauties are clear to them, God's right and the human wrong, The heroes who die unknown, and the weak who are chained and scourged by the strong." And the people smile at the death-word, for the mystic voice is clear : "The Singer who lived is always alive; we hearken and always hear." And they raise her body with tender hands and bear her down to the main, They lay her in state on the mourning ship, like the lily-maid Elaine ; And they sail to her isle across the sea, where the people wait on the shore To lift her in silence with heads all bared to her home for evermore — Her home in the heart of her country — Oh, a grave among our own Is warmer and sweeter than living on in the stranger lands alone I No need of a tomb for the Singer ! Her fair hair's pillow now Is the sacred clay of her country, and the sky above her brow Is the same that smiled and wept on her youth, and the grass around is deep With the clinging leaves of the shamirockthat cover her peaceful sleep. Undreaming there she will rest and wait, in the tomb her people make. Till she hears men's hearts like the seeds in Spring aU stirring to be awake. Till she feels the motion of souls that strain till the bands that bind them break ; And then, I think, her dead lips will smile and her eyes be raised to see, When the cry goes out to the Nations that the Singer's land is free ! CHAPTER VIII. THE PATRIOT*S CAREER. Of all his old-time friends and honored col- leagues, few knew more of Charles Stewart Parnell's history and inner life than the Hon. T. P. O'Connor, who says of him : Grip and grit: in these two words are told the secret of Mr. Parnell's marvellous success and marvellous hold over men. When once he has made up his mind to a thing he is inflexible; immovable by affection or fear or reasoning. He knows what he wants, and he is resolved to have it. Throughout his career he has often had to make bargains ; he has never yet been known to make one in which he gave up a single iota which he could hold. But it takes time before one discovers these qualities. In ordinary circumstances Mr. Parnell is apparently the most easy-going of men. Though he is not emotional or effusive, he is genial and unaffected to a degree ; listens to all comers with an air of real deference, especially if they be good talkers ; and apparently allows himself to follow implicitly the guidance of those who are speaking to him. He is for this reason one of the most agreeable of companions, never raising any difficulties about trifles, ready to subject his will and his conven- ience to that of others ; amiable, unpretending, a 85 85 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. splendid listener, a delightful host. But all the softness and the pliancy disappear when the moment comes for decisive action. After days of apparent wavering, he suddenly becomes granite. His decision is taken, and once taken is irrevocable. He goes right on to the end, whatever it may be. In some respects, indeed, he bears a singular resemblance to General Grant; he has his council of war, and nobody could be a more patient or more respectful lis- tener, and, ordinarily, nobody more ready to have his thinking done for him by others. But when affairs reach a great climax, it is his own judg- ment upon which he acts, and upon that alone. Mr. Parnell has not a large gift of expression. He hates public speaking, and avoids a crowd with a nervousness that sometimes appears almost feminine. He likes to steal through crowded streets in a long, heavy Ulster and a small smoking-cap that effectually conceal his identity, and when he is in Ireland is only happy when the quietness of Avondale secludes him from all eyes but those of a few intimates. From his want of any love of expressing himself, it often happens that he leaves a poor impression on those who meet him casually. More than one man has thought that he was litde better than a simpleton, and their mangled reputations strew the path over which the Juggernaut of Parneirs fortunes and genius has mercilessly passed. He is incapable HON. T. P. O CONNOR. M P Sg CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. of giving the secret of his power, or of explaining the reasons of his decisions. He judges wisely, with instinctive wisdom, just as Millais paints ; he is always politically right, because, so to speak, he cannot help it. This want of any great power and any great desire to expose the line of reason^ ing by which he has reached his conclusions has often exposed Parnell to misunderstandings and strong differences of opinion even with those who respect and admire him. The invariable result is that, when time has passed, those who have dif- fered from him admit that they were wrong and he right, and once more have a fatalistic belief in his sagacity. Often he does not speak for days to any of his friends, and is seldom even seen by them. He knows the enormous advantage some- times of pulling wires from an invisible point. During this absence his friends occasionally fret and fume and wonder whether he knows every- thing that is going on ; and, when their impatience has reached its climax, Parnell appears, and lo ! a great combination has been successfully laid, and the Irish are within the citadel of some time- honored and apparently immortal wrong. Simi^ larly it is with Parneirs, nerve. In ordinary times he occasionally appears nervous and fretful arid pessimistic ; in the hour of crisis he is calm, gay, certain of victory, with the fanaticism of a Mussul- man, unconscious of danger, with a blindness half boyish, half divine. g 90 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Mr. Parnell is not a man of large literary reading, but he is a severe and constant student of scientific subjects, and is especially devoted to mechanics. It is one of his amusements to isolate himself from the enthusiastic crowds that meet him everywhere in Ireland, and, in a room by himself, to find delight in mathematical books. He is a constant reader of engineering and other mechanical papers, and he takes the keenest in- terest in machinery. It is characteristic of the modesty and, at the same time, scornfulnes"^ of his nature, that all through the many attacks made upon him by gentlemen who wear their hearts upon their sleeves, he has never once made allusion to his own strong love of animals ; but to his friends he often expressed his disgust for the outrages that, during a portion of the agitation in Ireland, were occasionally committed upon them. He did not express these sentiments in public, for the good reason that he regarded the outcry raised by some of the Radicals as part of the gospel of cant for which that section of the Liberal party is especially distinguished. To hear a man like Mr. Forster refusing a word of sympathy, in one breath, for whole housefuls of human beings turned out by a felonious landlord to die by the roadside, and, in the next, demanding the suppression of the liberties of a nation be- cause half-a-dozen of cattle had their tails cut off; to see the same men who howled in delight be- EVICTED'-iiOMELESS. Q2 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. cause the apostle of a great humane movement, like Mr. Davitt, had been sent to the horrors of penal servitude, shuddering over the ill-usage of a horse, was quite enough to rnake even the most humane man regard this professed love of an- imals as but another item in the grand total of their hypocrisy; Mr. Parnell regards the lives of human beings as more sacred than even those of animals, and he is consistent in his hatred of op- pression and cruelty wherever they may be found. His sympathies are with the fights of freedom everywhere, and he often spoke in the strongest terms of his disgust for the butcheries in the Soudan, which the Liberals, who wept over Irish horses, and Irish cows, received with such Olym- pian calm. In 1867 the ideas that had been sown in his mind in childhood first began to mature; His mother was then, as probably throughout her life, a strong Nationalist, and so was at least one) of his sisters. Thus Mr. Parnell, in entering upon political life, was reaching the natural sequel of his own descent, of his early training, of the strongest tendencies of his own nature. It is not easy to describe the mental life of a man who is neither expansive nor introspective. It is one of the strongest and most curious peculiarities of Mr. Parnell, not merely that he rarely, if ever, speaks of himself, but that he rarely, if ever, gives any indication of having studied himself. His mind, if one may use the jargon of the. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 93 Germans, is purely objective. There are few men who, after a certain length of acquaintance, do not familiarize you with the stat^ of their hearts or their stomiachs or their finances ; with their fears, their hopes, their aims. But no man has ever been a confidant of Mr. Parnell. Any allusion to himself by another, either in the exu- berance of friendship or the design of flattery, is passed by unheeded ; and it is a joke among his intimates that to Mr. Parnell the being Parnell does not exist. It is plain from, the facts we have narrated that Parnell's great strength is one which lies in his character rather than in his attainments. Yet his wonderful successes won in the face of nu=^ merous and most bitter opponents testify to mental abilities of a very high order. Mr. Glad- stone has said of him,* " No man, as far as I can judge, is more successful than the hon. member in doing that which it is commonly supposed that all speakers do, but which in my opinion few really do — and I do not include myself among those few— namely, in saying what he means to say." Mr. Parnell is moreover very strong in not saying the thing which should- not be said. Too many of his countrymen, it may be safely as- serted, are of that hasty and impulsive tem- perament which may betray, by a word prema- turely spoken, some point which should have been held from the enemy, and which might easily 94 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. have been made, at some later time, a stronghold of defence in the parliamentary contest. Mr. Parnell has few qualities which have hitherto been associated with the idea of a successful Irish leader. He has now become one of the most potent of parliamentary debaters in the House of Commons, through his thorough grasp of his own ideas and through his exact knowledge of the needs of his country. But Mr. Parnell has be- come this in spite of himself. He retains to this day, as we have before stated, an almost invin- cible repugnance to public speaking ; if he can, through any excuse, be silent, he remains silent, and the want of all training before his entrance into political life made him, at first, a speaker more than usually stumbling. His complete suc- cess in overcoming, not indeed his natural ob- jection to public speaking, but the difficulty with which his first speeches were marked, affords one of the many proofs of his wonderful strength and singleness of purpose. It is not a little re- markable that his first successful speech was crit- icised for its vehemence and bitterness of tone, and for the shrillness and excessive effort of the speaker's voice. It seems probable that the embarrassing circumstances of his position while addressing an unsympathizing body of legislators, combined with a sense of his own inexperience, may have produced the appearance of excessive vehemence of manner. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 95 Nature has stamped on the person of this re- markable man the qualities of his mind and tem- perament. His face is singularly handsome, and at a first glance might even appear too delicate to be strong. The nose is long and thin and carved, not moulded; the mouth is well cut; the cheeks are pallid; the forehead perfectly round, as round and as striking as the forehead of the first Napoleon ; and the eyes are dark and un- fathomable. The passer-by in the streets, taking a casual look at those beautifully chiselled features and at the air of perfect tranquillity, would be inclined to think that Mr. Parnell was a very handsome young man, who probably had graduated at West Point, and would in due time die in a skirmish with the Indians. But a closer look would show the great possibilities beneath this face. The mouth, especially the under lip, speaks of a grip that never loosens; the eye, when it is fixed, tells of the inflexible will be- neath ; and the tranquillity of the expression is the tranquillity of tiie nature that wills and wins. Similarly with his figure. It looks slight almost to frailty ; but a glance will show that the bones are large, the hips broad, and the walk firm; in fact, Mr. Parnqll tramps the ground rather than walks. The hands are firrn, and even the way they grasp a pencil has a significance. This picture of Parnell is very unlike the por- traits which have been formed of him by the p5 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. imagination of those who have never met him. When he was first in the storm and stress of the era of obstruction, he used to be portrayed in the truthful pages of English comic journalism with a battered hat, a long upper lip, a shillelah in his hand, a clay pipe in his caubeen. Even to this day portraits after this fashion appear in the lower-class journals that think the caricature of the Irish face the best of all possible jokes. Par^- nell is passionately fond of Ireland ; is happier and healthier on its soil than in any other part of the world, and is almost bigoted in the intensity of his patriotism. But he might easily be taken for a native of another country. Residence for the first years of his life in English schools has given him a strong English accent and an essen- tially English manner; and from his American mother he has got, in all probability, the healthy pallor, the delicate chiselling, the impassive look, and the resolute eye that are typical of the chil- dren of the great Republic. Such is the man in brief who to-day is perhaps the most potent personality in all the many na- tions and many races of the earth. The Russian Czar rules wider domains and more subjects ; but his sway has to be backed by more than a million armed men, and he passes much of his time shiv- ering before the prospect of a sudden and awful death at the hands of the infuriated among his own people. The German is a more multitude- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 97 nous race than the Irish and almost as widely scattered ; but Bismarck requires also the protec- tion of a mighty army and of cruel coercion laws, and the German who leaves the Fatherland re- gards with abhorrence the political ideas with which Bismarck is proud to associate his name. Gladstone exercises an almost unparalleled sway over the minds, hearts, imaginations of English- men; but nearly one-half of his people regard him as the incarnation of all evil ; and shallow- pated lieutenants, great only in self-conceit, dare to beard and defy and flout him. But Parnell has not one solitary soldier at his command ; the jail has opened for him and not for his enemies, and except for a miserable minority he is adored by all the Irish at home, and adored even more fer- vently by the Irish who will never see — in some cases who have never seen — the shores of the Green Isle again. In one way or another, through intermixture with the blood of other peoples, the Irish race can lay claim to some twenty millions of the human race. Out of all these twenty millions the people who do not re- gard Parnell as their leader may be counted by the few hundreds of thousands. In cities sepa- rated from his home or place of nativity by oceans and continents, men meet at his command, and spill their money for the cause he recommends. Meetings called under his auspices gather daily in every one of the vast States of America,- in q8 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Canada, in Cape Colony; and the primeval woods of Australia have echoed to the cheers for his name. But this is but a superficial view of his power. A nation, under his guidance, has shed many of its traditional weaknesses; from being im- pulsive has grown cool and calculating ; from being disunited and discordant has welded itself into iron bands of discipline and solidarity. ^ In a race scattered over every variety of clime and soil and government, and in every stratum of the social scale from the lowest to the highest, there are men of every variety of character and occupation and opinion. In other times the hatred of these men over their differences of method was more bitter than their hatred for the common enemy who loathed alike their ends and their means. Now they all alike sink into equality of agree- ment before the potent name of Parnell, high and low, timid and daring, moderate and extreme. Republics change their Presidents, colonies their governors and ministers; in England now it is Gladstone and now it is Salisbury that rules; but Parnell remains stable and immovable, the apex of a pyramid that stretches invisible over many lands and seas, as resistless apparently as fate, solid as granite, durable as time. It was many years before the world had any idea of this new and potent force that was coming into its councils and affairs. Charles Stewart Parnell was born in June, 1846. He is descended THE LATE MR. HENRY GR^iiAiN, m. F. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. loi from a family that had long been associated with the political life of Ireland. The family came originally from Congleton, in Cheshire; but like so many others of English origin had in time proved its right to the proud boast of being Hibe7'nior Hibernis ipsis. So far back as the beginning of the last century a Parnell sat for an Irish constituency in the Irish Parliament. At the time of the Union a Parnell held high office, and was one of those who gave the most substantial proof of the reality of his love for the independ- ence of his country. Sir John Parnell _at the time was Chancellor of the Exchequer and had held the office for no less than seventeen years. It was one of the vices of the old Irish Parliament even in the days after Grattan had attained com- parative freedom in 1782 that the Ministers were creatures of the Crown and not responsible to and removable by the Parliament of which they were members. There was everything, then, in these years of service as a representative of the Crown to have transformed Sir John Parnell into a time- serving and corrupt courtier. But Sir John Barr- ingtori, the best known chronicler of the days of the Irish Union, describes Sir John Parnell in his list of contemporary Irishmen as " Incorruptible;'- and ^* Incorruptible " he proved; for he resigned office and resisted the Act of Union to the bitter end. A son of Sir John Parneli— Henry Parn.ell —was afterwards for many years a prominent 102 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. member of the British Parliament, became a Cab- inet Minister, and was ultimately raised to the Peerage as the first Baron Congleton. John Henry Parnell was a grandson of Sir John Parnell. In his younger days he went on a tour through America ; there met Miss Stewart, the daughter of Commodore Stewart, fell in love with her, and was married in Broadway. It is unnecessary to speak to Americans of the immortal "Old Iron- sides." Suffice it to say that the bravery, calm- ness, and strength of will which were characteris- tic of the brave commander of the " Constitution " are inherited by his grandson, the bearer of his name; for the full name of Mr. Parnell, as is known, is ** Charles Stewart Parnell." There was also something significant in the fact that the man who was destined to prove the most potent foe of British misrule in Ireland should have drawn his blood on the mother's side from a captain who was one of the few men that ever brought humili- ation on the proud mistress of the seas. The young Parnell, chiefly because he was a delicate child, was sent to various schools in England during his boyhood, and finally went to Cambridge University — the university of his father. Here he stayed for a couple of years, and for a considerable time thought of becoming a lawyer. But he changed his purpose, with a regret that sometimes even in these days of supreme political glory finds wistful expression. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 103 Almost immediately after his years at Cam- bridge he went abroad for a tour; and like his father he chose America as the first place to visit. While travelling through Georgia — where his brother has now a great peach-orchard — he met with a railway accident. He escaped unhurt; but John, his elder brother, was injured; and John says to this day that he never had so good a nurse as " Charley." Then Mr. Parnell came back to his home in Avondale, County Wicklow, and gave himself up to the occupations and amusements of a country gentleman. At this time he was known as a reticent and rather retiring young man. He must have had his opinions though; for he was brought up in a strongly political environment. Probably owing to her father's blood Mrs. Parnell had always a lively sympathy with the rebels against British oppres- sion in Ireland. She had a house in Dublin at the time when the ranks of Fenianism had been descended upon by the government ; and when in Green Street Court-house, with the aid of in- formers, packed juries, and partisan judges, the desperate soldiers of Ireland's cause were being consigned in quick and regular succession to the living death of penal servitude. There were in various parts of the city fugitives from what was called in these days justice ; and among the places where most of these fugitives found a temporary asylum and ultimately a safe flight to freer lands 104 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. and till better days was the house of Mrs. ParnelL Fanny Parnell is also one of the family figures that played a large part in the creation of the opinions of her brother. At an early age she showed her poetic talents ; and from the first these talents were devoted to the description ^f the sufferings of Ireland and to appeals to her sons to rise against Ireland's wrongs. When the Fenian movement was in its full strength it had an organ in Dublin called The Irish People ; and into the office of The Irish People Fanny Parnell stole often with a patriotic poem. In the midst of these surroundings came the news of the execution of the Manchester Martyrs. The effect of that event upon the people of Ire- land was extraordinary. The three men hanged had taken part in the rescue of two prominent Fenian soldiers. In the scrimmage a policeman, Sergeant Brett, had been accidentally killed, and for this accidental death several men were put on their trial for murder. The trial took place in one of the periodical outbursts of fury which un- happily used to take place between England and Ireland. The juries were prejudiced, the judges not too calm, and the evidence far from trust- worthy. Three men — Allen, Larkin, and O'Brien — were sentenced to death. Though many hu- mane Englishmen pleaded for mercy, the law was allowed to take its course, and Allen, Larkin, and O'Brien were executed. A wild cry of hate and CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 105 sorrow rose from Ireland. In every town multi* tudes of men walked in funeral procession, and to this day the poem of " God Save Ireland," which commemorates the memory of Allen, Larkin, and O'Brien, is the most popular of Irish songs. CHAPTER IX. AN INTERESTING ANECDOTE. To anybody acquainted with the nature of Mr. Parnell it will be easy to understand the effect which such a tragedy would have upon his mind/ If there be one quality more developed than an- other in his nature it is a hatred of cruelty. When he was a magistrate he had brought before him a man charged with cruelty to a donkey. Fanny Parnell was the person who had the man rendered up to justice, and her brother strongly sympathized with her efforts. The man was con- victed, and was sentenced to pay a fine of thirty shillings. The miscreant might as well have been asked to pay the national debt, and the fine was a sentence of prolonged imprisonment. * The sequel of the story is characteristic of^he family. Miss Parnell herself paid the fine and released the ruf- fian. It was his strong sympathy with suffering and his hatred of cruelty that first impelled Mr. Parnell to lead the crusade against the use of the odious lash in the British army and navy. So deep, indeed, is his abhorrence of cruelty and even of bloodshed, that he is strongly opposed to capital punishment; and once, when one of his colleagues voted against a motion condemnatory of capital punishment in the House of Commons, he 1 06 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. jq; expressed the hope, half jokp, whole earnest, that some day that colleague might be taught a lesson by being himself hanged as a rebel. The Man- chester tragedy then touched Parnell in his most tender point, and from that time forward he was an enemy of English domination in Ireland! But he seemed to be in no hurry to put his convictions into action. He is not a man of ex- uberant enjoyment of life. He has too litde imagination and too much equability for ecstasies, but he enjoys the hour, has many and varied in- terests in life, and could never, by any possibility, sink to a slothful or a melancholy dreamer. His proud and self-respecting nature, too, saved him from any tendency towards that wretched and squalid viciousness which is the characteristic of so many landlords' lives in Ireland. He is essen- tially temperate; eats but plainly, and drinks nothing but a small quantity of claret. Nor could he descend to the pure horsiness which makes so many country genriemen regard the stableman's as the highest of arts and pursuits. One of the reasons why Mr. Parnell delayed his entrance into public life was the state of Irish politics at that moment. There was little move- ment in the country of a constitutional character. The representation was in the hands of knavish office-holders or office-seekers. The professions of political faith were so many lies, and the con- stituencies distrustful of all chance of relief from I08 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. the Legislature, allowed themselves to be bought, that they might afterwards be sold. All that was earnest and energetic and honest in Ireland sought rehef for her misery in desperate enter- prises, or stood aside until better days and more auspicious stars. Then the landlords of the coun- try remained entirely, or almost entirely, aloof from the popular movements. With the single exception of the late Mr. George Henry Moore, the representation of Ireland was abandoned by the country gentlemen, who in other times had occasionally rushed out of their own ranks and taken, up the side of the people. It is a curious fact, but the man who, perhaps, had more influ- ence than almost any other in bringing Mr. Paf- nell into the arena of Irish nationality, has himself proved a recreant to the cause. In 1 87 1 was fought the Kerry election. This election marked one of the turning-points in the modern history of Ireland. During the Fenian trials Isaac Butt was the most prominent figure in defending the prisoners. He was a man who had started life with great expectations and supreme talents. Before he was many years in Trinity College, Ireland's oldest university, he was a pro- fessor; he had been only six years at the bar when he was made a Queen's counsel. He was the son of a Protestant rector of the North of Ire- land, and adhered for some years to the prejudices in which he had been reared. In his early days tt 1 ^^ 9 ^fl ^^^^ \S1™» mM MR ^5' ' ^m 1 M ^ -^Uy 1 \^^ m w ^^ no CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. every good thing in Ireland belonged to the Protestants. The Catholics were an outlawed and alien race in their own country. O'Connell, not many years before, had carried Catholic emancipation, but Catholic emancipation was alive only in the letter. The offices — the judgeships, the fellowships in Trinity College, the shrievalties, everything of value or power — were still exclusive- ly in the hands of the Protestants. O'Connell, in 1843, was so thoroughly sick and tired of vain ap- peals to the English Legislature that he resolved to start once again a demand for a native Irish Legislature. He opened the agitation by a de- bate in the Dublin Corporation, and Butt, who was a member of that body, though he was but a. young man, was chosen by the Conservatives to oppose O'Connell, and delivered a speech so effective that O'Connell himself complimented his youthful opponent, and foretold the advent of a time when Butt himself would be among the ad- vocates instead of the opponents of an Irish Leg- islature. It was not till a quarter of a century afterward that this prophecy was realized. Butt, immediately after the Fenian trials,' began an agitation for amnesty, and in this way gradually went forward to a primary place in the confidence and in the affections of his countrymen. There were still some people who believed in the power and the willingness of the English Parliament to redress all the wrongs of Ireland, and there was 112 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. some j'jstification for this faith in the fact that William Ewart Gladstone was then at the head of the English state, and was passing the Disestab- lishment of the Irish Church, the Land Act of 1870, and the Ballot Act, three measures which mark the renaissance of Irish nationality. But one of these very measures Isaac Butt was able to show was the very strongest proof of the neces- sity for an Irish Legislature. The Land Act of 1870 is an act the defects of which have passed from the region of controversy. Mr. Gladstone himself offered the strongest proof of its break- down by proposing in 1881 an entirely different Land Act. In fact it would not be impossible to show that in some respects the Land Act of 1870 aggravated instead of mitigated the evils of Irish land tenure. It put no restraint on the raising of rents, and rents were raised more mercilessly than ever; it impeded, but it did, not arrest eviction ; it caused as much emigration from Ireland as ever. Yet all Ireland had unanimously demanded a dif- ferent bill. Mass-meetings all over the country had demonstrated the wish of the people, and ex- pectation had been wrought to a high point. The fruit of it all had been the halting and miserable measure of 1870. It was this fact that gave the farmers into the hands of Butt. The population of the towns was always ready to receive and to support any Na- tional leader who advocated an Irish Parliament i CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 113 Indeed there is scarcely a year since the Act of Union in 1800 when the overwhelming majority of the Irish people were not in favor of the resto- ration of an Irish Parliament. At that moment, too, another force was working in favor of a re- newed agitation for Home Rule. The Protestants were bitterly exasperated by the Disestablishment of the Irish Church. Some of the more extreme Orangemen had made the same threats then as they are making now, and, while professing the strongest loyalty to the Queen, had used lan- guage of vehement disloyalty. For instance, one Orange clergyman had declared that if the Queen should consent to the Disestablishment, the Orangemen would throw her crown into the Boyne. To the Irish Protestants Butt could ap- peal with more force than any other man. He was an- Irish Protestant himself, brought up in their religious creed and in their political preju- dices. He made the appeal with success, and it was Irish Protestants that took the largest share in starting the great Irish movement of to-day. The Home Rule movement received definite form for the first time at a meeting in the Bilton Hotel on May 19, 1870. It was held in the Bilton Hotel in Sackville (now O'Connell) street, and among those who were present and took a promi- nent part were Isaac Butt, a Protestant ; the Rev. Joseph Galbraith, a Protestant clergyman and a Fellow of Trinity College ; Mr. Purdon, a Prot- 114 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. estant, and then Conservative Lord Mayor of Dublin ; Mr. KInahan, a Protestant, who had been High Sheriff of Dublin ; Major Knox, a Protes- tant, and the proprietor of the IHsh Times, the chief Conservative organ of Dublin, and finally Colonel King Harman, a Protestant, who has since gone over to the enemy a-nd become one of the bitterest opponents of the movement which he was largely responsible in starting. It was a Protestant, too, that won a victory that was decisive. In 1871 there was a vacancy in the representation of the County of Kerry. At once the new movement resolved to make an appeal to the constituency in the name of the revived de- mand for the restoration of an Irish Parliament. The friends of Whiggery, on the other hand, were just as resolved that the old bad system should be defended vigorously. And this elec- tion at Kerry deserves to be gravely dwelt on by those who regard the present movement as a sec- tarian and a distinctly Catholic movement. The Whig candidate was a Catholic — Mr. James Ar- thur Dease, a man of property, of great intellect- ual powers, and of a stainless character ; and Mr. Dease was supported vehemently and passion- ately by Dr. Moriarty, the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Kerry. The Home Rule candidate on the other hand was a Protestant — Mr. Rowland Ponsonby Blennerhassett ; and he had but few ad* herents among the Catholic clergy of the diocese; CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 115 and the clergy who did support him fell under the displeasure of their bishop. The struggle was fought out with terrible energy and much bitterness ; the end was that the feeling of Na- tionality triumphed over all the influence of the British authorities and of the Catholic bishop, and Blennerhassett, the Protestant Home Rule candi- date, was returned. Blennerhassett belonged to the same class as Mr. Parnell. He was a landlord, a Protestant, and a Home Ruler. Mr. Parnell was a landlord, a Protestant, and a Home Ruler. The time had ap- parently come when constitutional agitation had a fair chance ; and when men of property who sym- pathized with the people would be welcomed into the National ranks. A few years after this came the general election of 1874; and Mr. Parnell tliought that his time of self-distrust and hesita- 'tion had passed ; and that he might put himself forward as a National candidate. But his chance was destroyed by a small technicality of which the government took advantage. It is the cus- tom in Ireland to appoint young men of station and property to the position of high sheriffs of the counties in which they live. The high sheriff cannot stand for the constituency in which he holds office unless he be permitted by the Crown to resign his office. Mr. Parnell applied for this permission and was refused. And thus in all probability he was unable to represent his native Il6 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. county in Parliament. But he had not long to wait. When a member of Parliament accepts office he has to resign his seat in the British Parliament and submit himself once more to the votes of his constituency. A Colonel Taylor, a veteran and rather stupid hack of the Tory party, was promoted by Mr. Disraeli to the position of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster — a well- paid sinecure — after many years' service as one of the whips of the party. Colonel Taylor was member for County Dublin. He had to seek re-election on his appointment to the chancellor- ship ; and Mr. Parnell resolved to oppose him. Mr. Parnell was beaten, of course, by a huge majority ; for in those days, though the majority of the people of County Dublin were, as they are now, energetic Nationalists, the franchise suffrag^e was so restricted that a small minority was able to always win the seat. But Mr. Parnell had borne himself well in the struggle ; and though he was held to be absolutely devoid of speaking power, yet he made many friends and admirers by the pluck with which he fought a forlorn hope. The next year the man who had been chiefly instrumental in bringing him into public life died— honest John Martin. At the time of his death John Martin was member for County Meath. The county, always strongly National, looked for a man capable of stepping into the place of a noble patriot. Parnell was selected. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. n; Parnell was now at last embarked on the career of an Irish politician. He had not been long in the House when he discovered that things were not as they should be, and that the movement, though it appeared powerful to the outside pub- lic, was internally weak and to some extent even rotten. Butt, the leader of the Irish party, was a man of great intellectual powers, and was hon- estly devoted to the success of the cause. He was ready also to work very hard himself, and he drafted all the bills that were brought in on va- rious subjects by his followers. But he was old, had lived an exhausting life, was steeped in debt, ani had to divide his time and energies between the calls of his profession as a lawyer and his duties as a legislator. Such double calls are especially harassing in the case of a man who is at once an Irish lawyer and an Irish politician. The law courts are in Dublin, the imperial Parliament is in London; the journey between the two cities, part by sea and part by land, is fatiguing even to a young man, and thus it was quite impossible that Butt could attend to his duties as a lawyer in Dublin and as a politician in London without damage to both. This seriously interfered with his efficiency, and was partly accountable for the break-down of himself and his party. But he had, besides, personal defects that made him unfit for difficult and stormy times. He was a soft-tempered, easy-going man who was without Il8 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. much mpral courage, incapable of saying No, and with a thousand amiable weaknesses which leaned to virtue's side as a man, but were far from vir- tuous in the politician. As a speaker he was the most persuasive of men. He discussed with such candor, with such logic, with temper so beautiful, that even his bitterest opponents had to listen to him with respect. But the House of Commons has respect only for men who have votes behind them, and can turn divisions, and Butt was unable to turn divisions. This brings us to the second defect in the Home Rule party of Butt. Most of his followers were rotten office-seekers. When in 1874, Butt had an opportunity of getting a party elected he was beset by the great weakness of all Irish move- ments — the want of money. The electoral insti- tutions of England were, and to a certain extent still are, such as to make political careers impossi- ble to any but the rich or the fairly rich. The costs of election are large, members of Parliament have no salary, and living in London is dear; and thus as a rule nobody has any chance of Entering into political life unless he has a pretty full purse. The result was that when the contest came Butt was in a painful dilemma. The constituencies were all right, and were willing to return an hon- est Nationalist, but there were no honest candi- dates, for there was no prospect but starvation to anybody who entered into political life without CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 119 considerable means. Butt himself was terribly pressed for money at that very moment. He had to fly from a warrant for debt on the very morn- ing when Mr. Gladstone's manifesto was issued, and John Barry, now one of the members for County Wexford, tells an amusing tale of how he received the then Irish leader in the early morn at Manchester, where Barry lived. It was from England that Mr. Butt had to direct the electoral campaign, and his resources for tlie whole thing amounted to a few hundred pounds. To Ameri- can readers these facts ought especially to be told, for they serve two objects: First, they show how it is that though the feeling of Ireland has alvvays been strongly National, representatives of these opinions have not found a place in Parlia- ment until a comparatively recent period; and secondly, because they bring out clearly the enor- mous influence which America has exercised in the later phases of Irish policy by her generous sub- scriptions to the combatants for human rights and human liberty in Ireland. The result of all these circumstances was that Butt was compelled to fight constituencies with such men as turned up, and in' the majority of ^ cases to be satisfied with the old men under new pledges. Of course, these old representative* were quite as ready to adopt the new princi- ples of Home Rule as they would have adopted any other principles that secured them re-- poverishment and ultimate expulsion from the country of the Irish landlords, who were styled the " English Garrison.** The mode of action was to organize a system of coercion and intimidation in Ireland, which was sustained and enforced by boycotting, and the commission of crimes and outrages. 206 CHARLES STEWART PARNELu. The organization was actively engaged in the following matters : — 1 . The promotion of and inciting to the com- mission of crimes, outrages, boycotting, and in- timidation. 2. The collection and providing of funds to be used, or which it was known was used for the promotion of and the payment of persons engaged in the commission of crimes, outrages, boycotting and intimidation. 3. The payment of persons who assisted in, were affected by, or accidentally or otherwise in- jured in the commission of such crimes, outrages, and acts of boycotting and intimidation. 4. Holding meetings and procuring to be made speeches Inciting to the commission of crimes, outrages, boycotting and intimidation. Some of the meetings referred to which were attended by members of Parliament with the approximate dates and place of meeting, are given in the schedule hereto. 5. The publication and dissemination of news- paper and other literature inciting to and approv- ing of sedition and the commission of crimes, outrages, boycotting and intimidation, particularly the Irish World, the Chicago Citizen, the Boston Pilot, the Freeman! s Journal, United Ireland, The Irishman, The Nation, the Weekly NewSy Cork Daily Herald, the Kerry Sentinel, the Evening Telegraph, the Sligo Champion, CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 207 - 6. Advocating resistance to law and the con- stituted authorities and impeding the detection and punishment of crime. 7. Making payments to or for persons who were guilty, or supposed to be guilty, of the commission of crimes, outrages and acts of boy- cotting and intimidation for their defence, or to enable them to escape from justice, and for the maintenance of such persons and their families. 8. It-is charged and alleged that the members of Parliament mentioned in the schedule ap- proved, and by their acts and conduct lead people to believe that they approved of resistance to the law and the commission of crimes, outrages and acts of boycotting and intimidation when com- mitted in furtherance of the objects and resolu- tions of the said societies, and that persons who engaged in the commission of such crimes, out- rages and acts would receive the support and protection of the said societies and of their or- ganization and influence. The acts and conduct specially referred to are as follows : 9. They attended meetings of the said societies and other meetings at various places and made speeches, and caused and procured speeches to be made, inciting to the commission of crimes, out- rages, boycotting and intimidation. 10. They were parties to, and cognizant of, the payment of moneys for the purpose above men- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. tioned, and as testimonials or rewards to persons who had been convicted, or were notoriously guilty of crimes or outrages, or to their families. 1 1 . With knowledge that crimes, outrages and acts of boycotting and intimidation had followed the delivery of speeches at the meetings, they ex- pressed no bond fide disapproval or public con- demnation, but, on the contrary, continued to be leading and active members of the said societies and to subscribe to their funds. 12. With such knowledge as aforesaid they continued to be intimately associated with the officers of the same societies (many of whom fled from justice), and with notorious criminals and the agents and instruments of murder and con- spiracies, and with the planners and paymasters of outrage, and with the advocates of sedition, violence and the use of dynamite. 13. They and the said societies, with such knowledge as aforesaid, received large sums of money which were collected in America and else- where by criminals and persons who were known to advocate sedition, assassination, the use of dynamite and the commission of crimes and out- rages. 14. When on certain occasions they considered It politic to denounce, and did denounce, certain crimes in public, they afterwards made communi- cations to their associates and others with the intention of leading them to believe that such CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 209 denunciation was not sincere. One instance of this, of which the said defendants propose to give evidence, is the following letters : — Letter from C. S. Parnell, dated the 15th of May, 1882. Letter from the same, the i6th of June, 1882. Another letter from the same of the same date. The following are persons who are guilty of crime or advocates of treason, sedition, assassina- tion, and violence with whom it is alleged the said members of Parliament continued to associate : — Frank Byrne, who admitted his connection with the Phoenix Park murders, and who was supplied with money by Mr. C. S. Parnell, which enabled him to escape to America. Patrick Egan, the treasurer of the Land League, who, during the years 1881 and 1882, organized and procured the commission of crimes and out- rages in various parts of Ireland. Patrick Ford, the editor of the Irish World, who remitted large sums of moneys to the said association, and for the purposes aforesaid. James Carey, the Phoenix Park informer. Captain M'Cafferty, implicated in Phoenix Park murder. Tynan, who organized the Phoenix Park murders. J. Mullett, convict. T. Brennan, who was secretary of the Land 210 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. League, and paid some of the perpetrators of the Phoenix Park and other murders and outrages. Edward M'Caffery, convict. Patrick J. Sheridan, who was an organizer of the Land League, who organized outrages and acts of violence, and was impHcated in the Phoenix Park murders. M. J. Boyton, organizer of the Land League and instigator of crime. J. W. Nally, convicted of crime. John Walsh, of Middlesbrough, organizer of the Invincible conspiracy in Ireland. Thos. F. Bourke, who was convicted of high treason on the 24th of April, 1866. James Stephens, chief of the Fenian organiza- tion. J. J. Breslin, Hospital Superintendent of Rich- mond Gaol, a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who aided Stephens' escape. Hamilton Williams, the partner of Gallagher, the convicted dynamitard, and himself a dynami- tard. Alexander Sullivan, a member of the Clan-na- Gael. Transatlantic (Mooney). Augustine Ford. Ellen Ford. Maria Doherty. Father Eugene Sheehy. Dr. William Carrol. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 211 P. A. Collins. C O'M. Condon, sentenced to death for the murder of Sergeant Brett. John Devoy, convicted of Fenianism, and a trustee of the Skirmishing Fund raised by the Irish World, O'Brien, M'Carty, and Chambers, convicted Fenians. John Finerty, dynamitard. John Daly, dynamitard. General Millen, dynamitard. W. F. Mackay-Lomasney, a convicted Fenian. Stephen Joseph Meaney, a convicted Fenian. James Redpath, advocate of crime. Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa. John O'Leary, convicted of Fenianism. P. J. Gordon, Francis Tully, Father Egan, Father Coen, John Roche, of Woodford, P. N. Fitzgerald, Laurence Egan, J. Riordan, J. Connel, Timothy Horan, Jeremiah Riordan, J. Dowling, Patrick Nally, M. M. O'Sullivan, M. J. Kelly, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Maurice Murphy, Martin Egan, J. M. Wall, A. M. Forrester, J. P. Quirin, W. F. Moloney, Pearson Reddington, members of the Land League and implicated in crime. Anna Parnell, H. Reynolds, H. Lynch, Mrs. Moloney, Clara Stritch, Mrs. Moore, members of the Ladies* Land League who paid for the commission of crime. CHARLES §TEWART PARNELL. 213 Names OF Members of Parliament against whom IT is proposed to give evidence of Charges AND Allegations: — ^ Thomas Sexton, Joseph Gillis Biggar, Joseph Richard Cox, Jeremiah Jordan, James Christopher Flynn, William O'Brien, Dr. Charles K. D. Tanner, William J. Lane, James Gilhooly, Joseph E. Kenny, John Hooper, Charles Stewart Parnell, Maurice Healy, James Edward O'Doherty, Patrick O'Hea, Arthur O'Connor, Michael McCartan, John J. Clancy, Sir G. H. Grattan Esmonde, Bt., Timothy D. Sullivan, Timothy Harrington, William H. K. Redmond, Henry Campbell, Patrick J. Foley, Matthew Harris, David Sheehy, John Stack, Edward Harrington, Denis Kilbride, Jeremiah D. Sheehan, James Leahy, Patrick A. Chance, Thomas Quinn, Dr. Joseph Francis Fox, Michael Conway, Luke Patrick Hayden, William Abraham, John Finucane, Francis A. O'Keefe, Justin McCarthy, Timothy M. Healy, Joseph Nolan, Thomas P. Gill, Daniel Crilly, John Deasy, John Dillon, James F. O'Brien, Patrick O'Brien, Richard Lalor, James J. O' Kelly, Andrew Commins, LL.D., Edmund Leamy, ?. J. O'Brien, Thomas Mayne, John O'Connor, Matthew J. Kenny, Jasper D. Pyne, Patrick Joseph Power, James Tuite, Donal Sulli- van, Thomas Joseph Condon, John E. Redmond, John Barry, Garrett Mich. Byrne, Thomas P. O'Connor. 214 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. The meetings at which the particular Members of Parliament made speeches : — Place. Ballycastle Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork..... Cork Ovens Kanturk . . Cork Clonakilty Innishannon Kealkil Macroom Durrus Coachford Middleton Drimoleague Molly McCarthy's Bridge Bantry Castletown Middleton Boherbue Banteer Kitsboro Queenstown Blackstaffs Cross Ballydehob Millstreet! Bally vourmey .^ ..... ^ . Ballyvourmey Kealkd Youghal '. . . Youghal Inchiquin Inchiquin Ennis Ennis... Ennis Ennis Ennis Kilrush County. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Coric. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Cork. Clare . Clare . Clare . Clare. Clare. Clare- Date of Meeting. Antrim 30 Nov., 1880. Cork 5 Oct., 1879... Cork 3 Oct., 1880... Cork 3 Oct., 1880... Cork 3 Oct., 1880... Cork; 26 June, 1881... Cork... 2 Oct.,- 1881.. Cork 2 Oct., 1881.. Cork IS Feb., 1885.. Cork 12 April, 1885. Cork 12 April, 1885.. Cork 29 June, 1885... Cork 22 July, 1885.. Cork 23 July, 1885.. Cork 6 Sept., 1885.. Cork 18 Oct., 1885 . Cork 8 Nov., 1885. Cork 15 Nov., 1885 Cork 22 Nov., I Member. 23 Jan., 1887.. 17 Sept., 1880.. 24 Oct., 1880. . 13 April, 1884.. 16 Nov., 1884.. 20 Nov., 1884.. 6 Sept., 1885. . 20 Sept., 1885., 4 Oct., 1885... 4 Oct., 1885... 15 Dec, 1885.. 3 Jan., 1886.. 3 Jan., 1886.... 22 Aug., 1886. 7 Nov., 1886. . 7 Nov., 1886.. 5 Dec, 1886.. 6 Dec, 1886... 19 Sept., 1880. 19 Sept., 1880. 9 Nov., 1885.. 12 Nov., 1882. 12 Nov., 1882. i6 Dec, 1882.. J. G. Biggar. C. S. Pamell. C. S. Pamell. A. O'Connor. T. D. Sullivan. John O'Connor. C. S. Pamell. T. M. Healy. J. C. Flyiin. W. O'Brien. J. Deasy. J. Deasy. J. Deasy. Dr. Tanner. John O'Connor. J. Deasy. Dr. Tanner. W. J. Lane. Dr. Kenny. Dr. Kenny. T. M. Healy. T. M. Healy. W. H. Redmond. John O'Connor. John O'Connon ~ C. Flynn. . J. Deasy. J. Deasy. Dr. Tanner. Dr. Tanner. Dr. Tanner. John O'Connor. J. Gilhooly. W. J. Lane. J. C. Flynn. Dr. Tanner. W. O'Brien. C. S. Parnell. T. D. Sullivan. T. M. Healy. — Redmond. W. J. Kenny. . W. J. Kenny. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 215 Place. Tulla... Newmarket on Kergus Belturbet Kingscourt Cardonagh . . * Donegal Letterkenny Ballyshannon Lucan Lucan Skerries , Clondalkin , Staggart Durdown St. Margarets , Tempo , Loughrea , Riversville Killeenadeema Killeenadeema. Kilconnelly Ahascragh Bally macward Loughrea Mountbellew Galway Killimore Clifden Carna Dunmore Kilkerrin Kilreech.. Galway Loughrea Loughrea Ballinasloe Athenry Athenry ^ , . . . Gurteen Gurteen Loughrea Portumna Killimore Headford Eyre Court Ballinasloe Galway Woodford Loughrea U County. Date of Meeting. Clare Clare Clare Cavan Donegal Donegal Donegal Donegal Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Dublin Fermanagh. . . Galway Galway Galway.. . . i . . Galway.... . . . Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway. Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway , Galway , Galway Galway , Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway Galway 24 May, 1885... 23 Jan., 1887.. 29 Nov., 1880.. 6 Jan., 1886.... 25 March, 1881 18 April, 1881.. 13 Feb., 1885... 9 Nov., 1880. . 25 Jan., 1885.. 25 Jan., 1885.. I Feb., 1885... 22 Feb., 1885... 29 March, 1885 12 April, 1885.. 8 Nov., 1885.. I Jan., 1881..,. 6 Jan., 1880.... 19 Sept., 1880., 26 Sept., 1880,. 26 Sept., 1880.. 5 Dec, 1880.. . 19 Dec, 1880... 26 Dec, 1880.. 17 March, 1881 17 March, 1881 20 March, 1881 25 March, 1881 3 April, 1881 . . 7 April, 1 88 1.. 22 May, i88i.. 12 May, 1885. • 19 May, 1885.. 30 Aug., 1885.. 10 Sept., 1885.. 10 Sept., 1885.. 18 Oct., 1885.. 26 Oct., 1885.. 26 Oct., 1885.. 29 Nov., 1885.. 29 Nov., 1885. 16 Oct., 1886. , 26 Sept., 1886.. 21 Nov., 1886.. 27 June, 1880... 27 Sept., 1885.. 27 Sept., 1881.. 30 Aug., 1885... 20 March, 1881 6 March, 1884.. Member. W. O'Brien. J. R. Cox. J. G. Biggar. Mat. Harris. T. M. Healy. J. Dillon. W. O'Brien. J. J. O'KeUy. J. J. Clancy. W. O'Brien. Daniel Crilly. T. Harrington. J. J. Clancy. T. D. Sullivan. J. J. Clancy. J. J. O'Kelly. Mat. Hams. Mat. Harris. T. P. O'Connor. Mat. Harris. Mai. Harris. Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. John Dillon. Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. Daniel Crilly. Mat. Harris. J. Redmond. A. O'Connor. Mat. Harris. . Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. J. Dillon. D. Sheehy. M. Harris. J. Dillon. Mat. Harris. D. Sheehy. Mat. Harris. Mat. Hams. T. P. O'Connor Redmond. J. Dillon. M, Harris. PATRICK EGAN. President of the Irish National League of America. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 217 Place. Beaufort Castleisland Castleisland Brosna Killorglin Killarney Killarney Killarney Listowel Listowel Killarney Tralee Dingle Killorglin Kenmare Knocknagjoshill Kiltoom -. French Park Ballinagare. .. .^ Boyle. Roscommon Athlone Boyle Strokestown Strokestown Strokestown Breedogne Mount Irvine Pomeroy Gortin Gortin Carrick-on-Suir Templemore ifblyford Ormond Stile Carrick-on-Suir Bansha Bansha Fethard.... Holycross Holycross Newport Cahir Cahir * Balljngarry . ...«...«. Roscrea Enniscorthy Rosemount ^HosQmount County. Date o^ Meeting, Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry ; Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry Kerry. . .~ Roscommon . . Roscommon.. . Roscommon... Roscommon... Roscommon,.... Roscommon,... Roscommon,.. Roscommon.. , Roscommon... Roscommon.. . Roscommon... Sligo Tyrone Tyrone Tyrone Tipperary.... Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Tipperary Wexford Wexford Wexford 1880. 1880. 1885. , 1885. . i88«;. 16 May, 1880. 10 Oct., 1880. 10 Oct., 24 Oct., 31 May, 30 Aug. 30 Aug. 30 Aug., 1885... 18 Oct., 1885.. 18 Oct., 1885.. 15 May, 1881.. 6 March, 1881.. 20 Feb., 1881... 4 March, 1881., 20 Sept., 1885., 6 Jan., 1886.... 17 Oct., 1880. . 19 June, 1881... 18 Sept., 1881.. 2P Jan., 1884. . 17 Aug., 1884... 5. Oct., 1884.... 21 Dec, 1884... 28 Dec, 1884... 25 Oct., 1885.. 25 Oct., 1885. . 30 Aug., 1885... 6 June, 1880.. . 10 Dec, 1880... 6 April, 1881.. 6 April, i88i.. 7 Sept., 1880. . 10 Oct., 1880. . 17 Oct., 1880. . 11 April, 1 88 1.. 7 Sept., 1884. , 8 Feb., 1885... 8 Feb., 1885... 12 April, 1885.. 12 April, 1885.. 5 July, 1885.... 30 Aug., 1885.. 20 Sept., 1885.. 20 Sept., 1885.. 4 Oct., 1885.... II Oct., 1885.. 26 Oct., 1879, . 13 Sept., i83S" 13 Sept., I3$S., Member. C. S. Parnell. A. O'Connor. J. G. Biggar. T. Harrington. E. Harrington. J. D. Sheehan. W. O'Brien. T. M. Healy. W. O'Brien. T. Harrington. T. Harrington, T. Harrington, T. Harrington. T. Harrington, E. Harrington. E. Harrington, M. Harris. J. R. Cox. Dr. Commins. W. O'Brien. W. O'Brien. W. Redmond. W. Redmond. J, J. O'Kelly. J. G. Biggar.' J. O'Kelly. J. J, O'Kelly. Mat. Harris. John Dillon. J. R. Cox. T. Sexton. Dr. Kenny. J. Dillon. J. Dillon. J. Dillon. W. O'Brien. John O'Connor W. O'Brien. T. Mayne. John O'Connor D. Sheehy. J. O'Connor. J. O'Connor. T. Mayne./ T. Mayne. T. Mayne. V W. Redmond W. Redmond, J. G. Biggar.J 218 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Place. Wexford. Wexford New Ross Killiriick Killinick New Ross , Cushenstown. . . . Cushenstown . . . , Newtownbarry... Taghmon Gorey Gorey Knocknagoshill . Knocknagoshill . Knocknagoshill . Newton Sandes. Clonmacnoise . . . Phillipstown ... Edinderry Kildare Athy Kildare Nurney Kilkenny Clough Ballyragget Mullinavat Shanagolden . . . Murroe Abbeyfeale Killinallfeck . . . . Newcastle Cappermore .... Longford Longford Edgeworthstown Longford Longford Lanesboro Dundalk Navan .... ...„ Broomfield Irisbtown Cong 7... Ballyhlunis. . . • • Castlebar*... ,., Castiebar .>, Knockaroo . . . • , Woolfhill County. Wexford Wexford Wexford Wexford Wexford Wexford Wexford Wexford Wexford Wexford ...... Wexford Wexford Kerry Kerry , Kerry Kerry , King's County. King's County. King's County.. Kildare . . Kildare.., Kildare.. Kildare.. Kilkenny , Kilkenny , Kilkenny . Kilkenny Limerick Limerick Limerick .... Limerick Limerick Limerick Longford .. . . Longford .. . . Longford .... Longford .. . . Longford... . Longford .... Louth Meath Monaghan. . . Mayo Mayo Mayo Mayo Mayo. Queen's County Queen's County Date of Meeting. i88] 9 Oct., 9 Oct., I05I — 26 Sept., i88o.. i8 Sept., i88i.. i8 Sept., i88i.. 22 June, 1884. . 31 Aug., 1884.. 31 Aug., 1884.. 1 Feb., 1885... 24 May, 1885.. 23 Aug., 1885.. 23 Aug., 1885.. 6 Jan., 1886.... 6 Jan., 1886.... 6 Jan., 1886. ... 25 Oct., 1886. . 5 Sept., 1880. . 18 Oct., 1885.. 10 Jan., 1880. . 15 Aug., 1880... 10 Oct., 1880. . 24 April, 1 88 1.. 15 Feb., 1885... 2 Oct., 1880... 3 April, 1881... 9 Oct., 1881. .. 14 April, 1884.. , 5 June, 1881... , 31 July, 1881.. 8 March, 1885. April, 1885.. . May, 1885.. Sept., 1885.. 7 Oct., 1880. . 18 March, 1881 27 March, 1881 27 March, i88» __ Oct., 1879* 9 Aug., 1885... 2 May, 1880.. . 11 July, 1880. . 10 Oct., 1880. . 3 Nov., 1885.. 3 Nov., 1885.. 22 Feb., 1880... 28 Sept., 1884.. Member. C. S. Parnell. J. O'Kelly. C. S. Parnell. Redmond. G. M. Byrne. J. Redmond. E. Leamy. W. O'Brien. W. Redmond. W. Redmond. W. Redmond. W. O'Brien. E. Harrington. J. D. Sheehan. J. Stack. J. Dillon. M. Harris. James Leahy. Dr. Fox. John Dillon. James Leahy. John Dillon. W. H. Redmond. C. S. Parnell. John Dillon. A. O'Connor. P. J. Power. J. R. Cox. W. Abraham. E. Harrington. T. Harrington. W. Redmond. W. O'Brien. C. S. Parnell. Justin M'Carthy. Mat. Harris. T. M. Healy. J. M'Carthy. W. Redmond. W. Redmond. C. S. Parnell. W. Redmond. C. S. Parnell. Mat. Harris. Mat. Harris. John Dillon. C. S. Parnell. Richard Lalor. A. O'Connor. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 219 Place. Maryborough Maryborough Maryborough Ballickmoyler Ballickmoyler Mayo French Park Waterford Lismore Portlaw Kilrossenly Bray Ballinglass Kilbrennan Ballymore Kilrush Kilrush Bandon Carrigrohane Carrigrohane Carrigrohane Shanbally Ballinadee Kanturk Kanturk Carrigadrohid Farnanes Farnanes Newry Dromore Killesher Killesher Loughrea Abbey (Woodford),... Milltown Milltown Mohill Mohill Longford Longford Edgeworlhstown Edgeworthstown Ballyhaunis Kells Kells Mountmellick Castlerea Boyle Athlone , County. Queen's County Queen's County Queen's County Queen's County Queen's County Queen's County Roscommon Waterford Waterford Waterford Waterford Wicklow Wicklow Westmeath .... Westmeath .... Clare Clare Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork.. Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Down Down .... Fermanagh . , . , Fermanagh .... Gal way Gal way , Galway Galway Leitrim Leitrim Longford Longford Longford Longford Mayo Meath Meath Queen's County Roscommon... . Roscommon.. . . Roscommon... , Date of Meeting. 5 Oct., 1884... 5 Oct., 1884... 5 Oct., 1884... 5 April, 1885.. 5 April, 1885. , 20 Sept., 1885. I Aug., 1880. 18 Dec, 1882.. 24 May, 1884., 13 Sept., 1885. 6 Dec, 1885.. 31 Dec, 1882.. 21 Oct., 1883. 10 Oct., 1880. 8May, 1881... 29 May, 1887. , 29 May, 1887., 18 Sept., 1887. 18 Sept., 1887. 18 Sept., 1887. 18. Sept., 1887. 23 Oct., 1887., 30 Oct., 1887. 30 Oct., 1887. 30 Oct., 1887. 6 Nov., 1887. 16 Nov., 1887. 16 Nov., 1887. 25 Sept., 1887. Nov., 1887., 27 Oct., 1887.. 27 Oct., 1887.. 18 Oct., 1887.. 21 Oct., 1887., 13. Nov., 1887. 3 Nov., 1887. 16 Oct., 1887., 1 6 Oct., 1887., 9 Oct., 1887.., 9 Oct., 1887.. 20 Nov., 1887. 20 Nov., 1887. 30 Sept., 1887. 4 Dec, 1887.. 4 Dec, 1887.. 18 Sept., 1887. 29 Sept., 1887. I Oct., 1887.. 6 Nov., 1887. . Member. A. O'Connor. J. Deasy. D. Kilbride. - W. Redmond. A. O'Connor. D. Crilly. M. Harris. J. G. Biggar. T. M. Healy. E. Leamy. G. M. Byrne. R. Lalor. J. J. O'Kelly. T. D. Sullivan. T. Harrington. D. Sheehy. J. R. Cox. J, Hooper. J. Deasy. Dr. Tanner. O'Hea. J. Hooper. J. Hooper. J. C. Flynn. W. O'Brien. Dr. Tanner. J. C.. Flynn. J. Gilhooly. M» M'Cf^rtan. W. K. Redmond. W. K. Redmond. J. Jprdan. D. Sheehy. D. Sheehy. W. K, Redmond. L. P. Hayden. M. Conway. L. P. Hayden. T. M. Healy. L. P. Hayden. E. Harrington. T. M. Healy. J. F. X. O'Brien. P. O'Brien. W. K. Redmond. — M'Ponald. J. R. Cox. J. R. Cpx. D. Sullivan. 220 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Place. Athlone Clonmel Clonmel Tallow Tallow Tallow , Tallow , Tang Tang Arklow Kilfenora Kilfenora Kilfenora Ennis Cork , Carrigaline.. . . , Coolderrihy. . . . Bantry» Bantry Ballyrushin ... Mitchelstown . . Mitchelstown . . Mitchelstown . . Mitchelstown . . Mitchelstown . . Meelin Queenstown, .. Queenstown... Goleen Goleen Letterkenny . . . , Caroudough. . . Loughrea Abbeyfeale.. .,, Collon , Drogheda Drogheda Carrickmacross. Claremorris . . . Ballincostello . . Ballinrobe Newport Newport Lewisburg . . . . , Luggacurren. . . Hillstreet Boyle.. Ballina Ballieborough . County. Date of Meeting. Roscommon.. . . Tipperary Tipperary Waterford Waterford Waterford Waterford Westmeath .... Westmeath .... Wicklow Clare Clare Clare Clare Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Cork Donegal Donegal Galway Limerick Louth Louth Louth Monaghan Mayo Mayo Mayo Mayo Mayo Mayo ......... Queen's County Koscommon. . . Roscommon. . . Tipperary , Cavan , 6 Nov., 1887.. 6 Nov., 1887.. 6 Nov., 1887.. 25 Sept., 1887.. 25 Sept., 1887.. 25 Sept., 1887.. 25 Sept., 1887.. 2 Oct., 1887.. 2 Oct., 1887... 24 Sept., 1887. 15 Dec, 1886... 15 Dec, 1886.. 4 Dec, 1887.., 3 Sept., 1887., 21 March, 1880 9 Jan., 1887.. 25 Jan., 1887 29 May, 1887. . 29 May, 1887. 12 June, 1887. 10 July, 1887. . 10 July, 1887. . 10 July, 1887. . 9 Aug., 1887... 11 Aug.,- 1887.., 14 Aug., 1887... 6 Sept., 1887. . 6 Sept., 1887.. II Sept., 1887.. 11 Sept., 1887.. 4 Sept., 1887.. 12 Sept., 1887.. 7 July, 1887.... 9 June, 1887... 29 May, 1887.. 17 July, 1887.. 17 July, 1887.. 17 April, 1887.. 19 Jan., 1887.. 31 Jan., 1887.. 21 March, 1887 5 June, 1887... 5 June, 1887... 19 June, 1887.. 24 July, 1887.. 19 Jan., 1887. . 28 Aug., 1887... 21 June, 1887.. 2iif Oct., 1880. . Member. T. D. Sullivan. D. Sheehy. T. Mayne. J. D. Pyne. J. Deasy. T. M. Healy. P. J. Power. J. Tuite. D. Sullivan. W. K. Redmond. — Kenny. J. Jordan. — Flynn, M. P. J. Dillon. J. G. Biggar. W. J. Lane. Dr. Tanner. J. Deasy. J. Gilhooly. J. C. Flynn. W. O'Brien. J. C. Flynn. T. Condon. W. O'Brien. W. O'Brien. J. C. Flynn. P. O'Hea. W. J. Lane. J. Deasy. J. Gilhooly. A. O'Connor. J. Doherty. D. Sheehy. D. Sheehy. D. Crilly. W. O'Brien. W. K. Redmond. D. Sheehy. J. E. Redmond. J. Deasy. D. Crilly. D. Crilly. J. Deasy. J. Deasy. W. O'Brien. J. R. Cox. J. J. O'KeHy. D. Sheehy. J. G. Biggar. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 221 Place. Bawnboy . . . . , Bantry Millstreet Millstreet. . .. , Dublin ...... Dublin Kyhbeg Portumna .... Woodford. . . . Gurteen Aihy Tullyallen.. .. Castleblayney , Kelly stown... Kiltoom Boyle BfTrisokane . . Finea Gorey. Dungarvan , Dungarvan , Dungarvan , County. Date of Meeting. Cavan Cork Cork Cork Dublin Dublin Galway Galvvay Galway Galway , Kildaie Louth Monaghan .... Meath. Roscommon . . . Roscommon .. . Tipperary. Westmeath and Cavan . . Wexford . . Waterford . Water ford. Waterford. 30 Oct., 1880. . 17 Oct., 1880. . IS Dec, 1885.. 15 Aug., 1886. 22 Nov., 1883. 23 Nov., 1883. 21 Nov., 1886. 5 Nov., 1885. 7 Oct., 1886.. :o Oct., 1886. . ID Oct., 1886.. 8 April, 1888. . 30 Nov., 1886. 22 April, 1888. 17 Oct., 1880. , 20 Jan., 1884. . 27 Feb., i88i.. 4 Nov., 1880. 23 Aug., 1885. 5 Oct., 1881., 5 Oct., 1881.. S Oct.. 188 1.. Member. J. G. Biggar. T. M. Healy. Dr. Tanner. Dr. Tanner. T. Sexton. C. S. Parnell. D. Sheehy. M. Harris. J. Dillon. W. O'Brien. R. Lalor. J. Dillon. W. K. Redmond. J. Dillon. M. Harris. W. O'Brien. J. Dillon. J. G. Biggar. W. H. K. Red- mond. T. M. Healy. J. Leathy. C. Parnell. CHAPTER XVL OPENING THE PROCEEDINGS IN COURT. IN View of the numerous applications for ad- mission that had been received, the idea had been entertained at one time of fitting up a part of the great hall of the Royal Courts of Justice for the purposes of the inquiry, but in consequence of the great difficulties and inconvenience that had to be met the proposal was not carried out, and it was decided that the inquiry should be con- ducted in Sir James Hannen*s Court. The body of the court was reserved for the parties concerned, their counsel and solicitors, and the representatives of the Press. A new and strong temporary gallery had been con- structed in front of the permanent one, and two small side galleries had been placed over the corridors which form the entrances of the court. Each gallery had two rows of benches, giving room for sixty people, and the seats in them were reserved mainly for members of Parliament who were direcdy interested in the case. A new wit- ness box had been provided on a lower level than the old one, and projecting almost into the centre (222) CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 223 of the court. Outside the court doors strong barriers had been erected. As on the former occasions, no person was admitted into the court without a ticket. The arrangements made by Mr. H. Cunynghame, Secretary to the Com- mission, were adequate and satisfactory. Shortly after lo o'clock those holding tickets began to arrive, and long before 1 1 o'clock, the hour fixed for the commencement of the sitting, all the allocated seats were occupied. Mr. Parnell and many other Irish Home Rule mem- bers were present. The counsel representing The Times were the Attorney-General (Sir R. Webster, Q. C), Sir H. James, Q. C, Mr. Murphy, Q. C, and Mr. W. Graham, of the English Bar, and Mr. Atkinson, Q. C, and Mr. Roman, of the Irish Bar. Mr. Parnell was represented by Sir f). Russell, Q. C, and Mr. Asquith ; and the other members of Parliament against whom charges and allega- tions have been brought by Mr. R. T. Reid, Q. C, Mr. F. Lockwood, Q. C, Mr. Lionel Hart, Mr. A. O'Connor, and Mr. A. Russell, of the English Bar, and Mr. T. Harrington, of the Irish Bar. The Commissioners having taken their seats upon the Bench, Sir C. Russell said,— My Lords, I have an application to make to your Lordships before the order of proceedings is discussed — an application CHARLES STEWART PARNELL, 225 in which my learned friends are not interested. It is an application under section 6 of the Special Commission Act for the release of Mr. William Redmond, a mjsmber of Parliament, against whom certain particulars have been delivered. I have to ask for an order for his release, in order that he may attend this inquiry, on such substantial bail as your Lordships may think fit. The President. — ^When was he convicted ? Sir C. Russell.— My Lords, the affidavit on which 1 move shows that he is now confined in Wexford Prison, that he is a material witness on behalf of his colleagues, and is a person against whom charges have been made. He is now under sentence of three months* imprisonment in Wex- ford Prison. The affidavit does not say when he was convicted, but I believe about a month ago. The President. — When did he commit the offence for which he was convicted ? Sir C. Russell. — I believe it was on the occa- sion of certain evictions when certain, tenants were resisting the process of eviction. I am in^ formed it was on the 14th of August. The President (after consulting his colleagues). —We have already had a similar application in the (Case of Mr. Dillon, which we granted under certain conditions which I think I may say were easy. We were anxious that these proceedings should be, cOnlmenced in such a way that all feel- 15 226 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL: ing of irritation should, as far as possible, be allayed. My brothers and I propose to follow the same course now in regard to Mr. Redmond that we pursued in regard to Mr. Dillon, but I think it right to point out that this power given to us to release prisoners must not be construed into immunity from imprisonment for all those against whom convictions have been obtained. Without giving any expression of opinion I desire to point out that in future applications will be made under totally different circumstances. How- ever, in order that our action may be prompt, we will give you an order for Mr. Redmond's im- mediate release until further order, but he will be required to enter into his own recognizances in ;^iooo that he will take no part in any public proceedings whatever during the time of his temporary release or while this inquiry is pro- ceeding, and that he will surrender himself when the period arrives to undergo the remainder of his sentence. Sir C. Russell. — I would point out that Par- liament meets on the 6th of November. The President. — I did not mean that. Sir C. Russell. — Would your Lordships make the order merely subject to any further order, so that he might be re-committed if he took part in any proceedings of which your Lordships disap- proved ? The President. — ^We are of opinion that we CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 227 must adhere to the terms which we laid down in the case of Mr. Dillon. Sir C. Russell. — Mr. Dillon was not released under your Lordships' order, but by the Govern- ment. The President. — ^Yes ; but we laid down cer- tain conditions in his case, and to those condi- tions we must adhere. Sir C. Russell. — Would the conditions allow him (Mr. Redmond) to take part in public pro- ceedings out of Ireland ? The President. — No. Sir C. Russell. — Then my application is un- availing, for Mr. Redmond would not comply with the conditions. The President. — Oh, very well, then. The Attorney-General. — Perhaps it would be convenient now for my learned friends to state for whom they appear. I appear, with my learned friends, Sir Henry James, Mr. Murphy, Mr. At- kinson, Mr. Graham and Mr. Ronan, for the pro- prietors of The Times, Sir C. Russell. — I appear, with my friend, Mr. Asquith, for Mr. Parnell. Mr. Reid. — I appear, with Mr. T. Harrington and Mr. Arthur Russell, for Mr. Dillon, Mr. Healy and others whose names I shall hand in. Mr. Lockwood. — I appear, with Mr. Lionel Hart and Mr. A. O'Connor, for certain other 228 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. gentlemen, the rest of the members of Parlia- ment charged, a list of whom I shall hand in. Mr. Hammond (solicitor). — I appear for Mr. P. A. Chance. The Attorney-General.— Might I be allowed to ask whether your Lordships have arrived at any detei'mination as to how many days a week your Lordships intend to sit ? I hope not every day. The President (after consulting his colleagues). — We shall be ready to hear what counsel have to say, but our present view is to sit every day ex- cept Saturday. The Attorney-General. — I confess I had hoped that, having regard to the burden and gravity of the case, your Lordships would have thought four days a week sufficient. Your Lordships will have considerable matter to digest. The President. — We shall be happy to hear what counsel have to say on the subject, and if we find there is a general concurrence of opinion on the matter we shall be anxious to meet their wishes. Sir C. Russell. — So far as I can gather there IS not only a general concurrence but a unanimous feeling. The President. — We have already intimated our own feeling. It will, we think, be better to go on everyday this week except Saturday, and 230 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. we shall be ready to listen to any further applica- tion on the subject. Sir C. Russell. — As to Wednesday next, my Lords ? The President. — ^With regard to Wednesday I have taken on myself to excuse our attendance at the proceedings connected with the opening of the Courts. Sir C. Russell. — I have some applications to make to your Lordships in regard to the particu- lars and discovery that were ordered. The Attorney-General. — We have had no no- tice of any application, and the particulars were delivered on Monday. The President. — It would certainly have been according to practice to have given notice of your application. Sir C. Russell. — The first application I have to make is in relation to discovery. The President. — Is it based on affidavit ? Sir C. Russell. — Yes. The Attorney-General. — Which was sworn this morning. Sir C. Russell. — ^Yes; only a few moments ago. The President. — ^Would it not be more con- venient to let the applications stand over till to- morrow morning ? I do not think that will make any material difference. Sir C. Russell. — I do not think it will. There ' CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 231 is, however, another matter which I may mention by way of giving notice to my learned friends. No particulars have been delivered as to the " other persons " against whom allegations have been made and are intended to be made here. We know that there is in the particulars the omis- sion of the name of a gentleman who has taken a prominent part in the politics of Ireland — Mr. Michael Davitt. He was not a party to the ap- plication for particulars, and that may be the reason why his name is omitted. But one part of the application which I shall press upon your Lord- ships to-morrow morning is that particulars be given of any other persons than those enumerated against whom it is intended to substantiate any charges. The Attorney-General. — I shall make my ob- servations on that matter when tne applicatiort is made. The President. — -Very well. The Attorney-General then rose to open the case, which he did in a tiresome, labored argu- ment, which pretended to be a summary of what he expected to prove, but in which he introduced letters and other matters which the laws govern- ing the rules of evidence, I am told, almost abso- lutely prevented his doing in what lawyers claim to be " the regular way." 232 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. o'sHEA's EVIDENCE. The seventh sitting of the Commission, held on October 31st, saw the famous O'Shea on the witness stand. The proceedings that day are interesting in many ways. After the Commis- sioners had taken their seats the Attorney-Gen- eral said: "With your Lordships' permission I propose to call a witness who is*obliged to leave England — namely, Captain O'Shea. He has only with difficulty, I believe, remained until to-day, and as he has to leave for Spain, I would ask your Lordships to allow me to call him now. Sir C. Russell. — My learned friend was good enough yesterday evening to intimate to me that he intended calling Captain O'Shea this morning. But I have to tell your Lordships that it will be impossible for me at this stage of the case to cross-examine him on the part of those I repre- sent. Therefore, i^ Captain O'Shea has to go to Spain he must come back again. I shall have to ask your Lordships to allow me to postpone my cross-examination, and under these circumstances I would put it to my learned friend whether he still thinks it necessary to proceed with the ex- amination to-day. The Attorney-General. — I cannot understand any reason why Captain O'Shea should not be examined, and cross-examined as well, to-day. He has been subpoenaed by both sides, and I do CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 233 not see why he should not be examined and cross- examined in the ordinary course. Whatever course my learned friend sees fit to take, I opened the points on which Captain O'Shea would give material evidence, and I must lay that evidence before this Commission. Sir C. Russell. — The only thing I intimated was that Captain O'Shea will have to attend again at a later stage. The Attorney-General. — That will rest with your Lordships. Your Lordships will form a judgment as to whether he ought to be cross-ex- amined when your Lordships have heard his evi- dence. Sir C. Russell. — No. The Attorney- General. — You are not a judge, Sir Charles. Sir C. Russell. — Nor are you. The Attorney-General. — I am submitting this point, that no case has been made out as yet for postponing the cross-examination, and the appli- cation will have to be made in ordinary course at the close of the examination in chief Sir C. Russell. — I am making that application now. The President. — I think it is, of course, very desirable that we should hear the evidence of this witness. But I should be disposed to say that, when counsel states that he is not. prepared to cross-examine, cross-examination should be re- 234 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. served. Therefore it is for you^ Mr. Attorney, to say whether, after the intimation you have re- ceived, you should persevere in the examination. The Attorney-General.- — Yes; I think I should wish to take his examination in chief now. I hope when my learned friend's application for the postponement of the cross-examination is made, your Lordships will require it to be supported by some grounds other than the statement of my^ learned friend that he is not prepared. As Sir C. Russell has himself stated, I intimated to him last night that it was our intention to call Captain O'Shea to-day. But your Lordships will, no doubt, deal with the matter when it arises. CHAPTER XVII. CAPTAIN W. H. O'SHEA was then sworn and examined by the Attorney-General. Were you formerly member of Parliament for county Clare? — Yes. During what years were you in Parliament? — I was a member for Clare from 1880 to 1885. Have you been in Parliament since ? — Yes. I stood for a division of Liverpool at the dissolu- tion of 1885, ^^^ w^s beaten, and then I became member for Galway. Until the dissolution of 1886 ? — No ; I resigned my seat. The President. — When ? Witness. — I think the 9th of June. The Attorney-General. — From the year 1880 up to 1883 and 1884 were you on friendly terms with Mr. Parnell ? — Yes. I should have said till 1885 ? — Yes ; until June, 1886. May or June, 1886. In the earlier part of 1881 had you frequent private communications with Mr. Parnell on polit- ical matters? — Yes. 236 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. And, without going into details for the present, did you communicate, at Mr. Parnell's request, with any official personages ? — I communicated, at Mr. Parnell's request, with Mr. Gladstone in June, 1881. Certain matters passed between you and Mr. Gladstone, at Mr. Parnell's request, in 1881 ? — Yes. Did you know from Mr. Parnell whether the 1 88 1 negotiations were made with the knowledge of his other colleagues or not ? — No ; they were made without the knowledge of his other col- leagues, according to the information given to me. Whom do you mean by ** Mr. Parnell's other colleagues ? " — I mean his colleagues in Parlia- ment — those who formed his party. Did you have at that time any communications with Mr. Parnell in reference to Mr. Egan ? — No. Did you know at that time from Mr. Parnell whether the communications were known to Mr. Egan ? — No. I ascertained afterwards they were not known to him.' From whom did you afterwards ascertain that ? — From Mr. Parnell. Did you know Mr. Egan yourself? — No. Did you know in 1881 what Mr. Egan was do- ing or where he was ?— -I do not remember. When did you learn that the 1881 negotiations were not known to Mr. Egan ? — After Mr. Glad- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 237 Stone's speech in the House of Commons on the 1 6th of May, 1882. What was it that Mr. Parnell said to you that led you to the opinion that the 1 88 1 negotiations were not known to Mr. Egan ? — Subsequently to the speech I have referred to Mr. Parnell ex- pressed regret at the awkwardness of Mr. Glad- stone in introducing the matter, and he said that that speech annoyed Mr. Egan and, I believe, others. Did he say who the others were ? — Not to my knowledge. After the negotiations or communications of 1 88 1 did the matter drop until the beginning of 1882 ? — The matter was brought before the Cab- inet in 1 88 1 and rejected. Sir C. Russell. — How can you say that ? You were not in the Cabinet ? (Laughter.) The Attorney-General. — This is not a laugh- ing matter. The matter, as far as you were con- cerned, dropped until the early part of 1882? — The matter was dropped, but I recommenced it in 1882. In April, 1882, where was Mr. Parnell? — He was on parole, being released from Kilmainham. Who were his colleagues in Kilmainham— Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Kelly. Did you know where Mr. Egan was then ? — I have no doubt he was in Paris. Did you in the early part of 1882 enter into 238 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. certain communications with members of the Government ? — Yes. Were those communications in 1882 without the. direct authority of Mr. Parnell? — Without any authority whatever from Mr. Parnell, direct or indirect. Please answer this question — Yes or no. Did you receive certain communications from certain mem- bers of the Government in the course of these communications ? — Yes. Had you any communications from Mr. Par- nell until his release on parole ? — No. When was he released on parole? Do you know ? — I cannot remember the date. How did you first know of it? — Mr. Parnell called on me. Where? — I was at No. i, Albert-mansions. Had you any other house ? — Yes ; I had a house at Eltham. I had an attack of gout from which I was recovering. Mr. Parnell went first to Eltham to see me, and then came to Albert- mansions. Sir C. Russell. — The exact date of Mr. Par- nell's release on parole is the loth of April. The Attorney-General. — Will you tell us what passed at that interview with regard to the com- munications you had been engaged in up to that time with certain representatives of the Govern- ment ? — I mentioned to him what I had done. I 240 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. mentioned that I had written to Mr. Gladstone, and he expressed himself pleased at the fact. Do you remember anything else being referred to at that meeting with regard to the communica- tion to Mr. Gladstone ? — -No, because that was just after my communication with Mr. Gladstone, and I promised that as soon as I got an answer I would communicate it to him. Do you remember on that occasion anything being said about his release ? — We spoke about his release, but it was arranged that it should not be a conditional matter in any way. I think you said if you got an answer you would communicate with him in Paris ? — I did. Did he leave before you received any answer ? — Yes. He dined with me and went off by the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway that night. Did you subsequently, shortly after, receive a reply from Mr. Gladstone ? — Yes. Did you receive any letter from Mr. Parnell while in Paris ?— Yes. Have you got that ? — Yes. Here it is. It is dated i6th of April? — Yes. The letter was then read : "Grand Hotel, 12, Boulevard des Capucines, Paris, April 16, 1882. " My Dear O^Shea : — Your letter with enclo- sure, which I now return, has duly reached me. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 241 and is very Interesting. I trust that something may come out of the correspondence, and certainly the prospect looks favorable. You were right to accentuate the difference between a gift and a loan. If you read FottrelPs evidence before the Lord's Committee you will see what I mean. The latter will only benefit the lawyers, who are making far too much out of the Irish land ques- tion as it is. I think FottrelPs estimate of the amount requisite very near the mark. I cannot at all see how the ownership of land in Ireland in the occupation of tenants can ever again fetch the prices of the interval between '70 and ^']'], A permanent settlement is most desirable for every- body's sake, and this can only be done by extend- ing the term of repayment. According to my calculation about eight millions of pounds sterling would enable three-fourths of the tenants (those at or under £2P valuation) to become owners at fairly remunerative prices to the landlords. The larger class of tenants can do well enough with the Law Courts if Mr. Healy's clause be fairly amended. I am very much obliged for your kind inquiries regarding my sister. She was very much cut up, but is somewhat better now. My presence here has been a great help to her in every way. I shall probably be returning through London Sunday next, and will look you up If I have time. "Yours very truly, " Chas. S. Parnell." 16 242 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Now, on receipt of that letter from Mr. Par- nell, did you make certain communications, con- tinue making communications, with certain mem- bers of the government? — Yes. Did Mr. Parnell return from Paris before you expected him or not? — He returned from Paris sooner than I expected him. On what date did you see him again ? — I can- not remember perfectly the date ; but I should think it was on the Wednesday. That is April 19, 1 think ; it would probably be April 19. Did he telegraph to you that he was coming ? — Yes. Where to ? — To Eltham. Did you know whether any of Mr. ParnelPs immediate followers, other than those who were in Kilmainham, were in London at the same time ? — Yes, a good many of them. Did you see Mr. Parnell alone ? — Oh, yes, I saw Mr. Parnell alone ; I never had anything to do with any one but Mr. Parnell. Do you remember on the Wednesday a con- versation with Mr. Parnell about Mr. Davitt? — I have no doubt that there was a conversation respecting Mr. Davitt; but I cannot remember the exact date. Never mind about the date. Do you remem- ber on the occasion of Mr. Parnell being out of Kilmainham whether he said anything about Mr. Davitt? — Yes. I was particularly anxious that CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 243 Davitt should be released, and I exerted myself to that purpose. Will you tell us what passed between you and Mr. Parnell with reference to Davitt's release ? — At that time nothing more than that. We spoke about it ; he agreed that it would be very advan- tageous indeed if Mr. Davitt were to be released. I felt strongly myself, and spoke to him strongly on the point also. Did he say anything about negotiations with Mr. Davitt, or about any difficulty ? — Not at that time. On that occasion, at Eltham, do you remember his referring to the release of others of his colleagues ? — He remained sqveral days before he returned to Kilmainham — How many times did you see him ? — Oh, con- stantly. Did he say anything about the release of any other of his colleagues ? — Yes ; he saw an objec- tion to the release of certain of his -colleagues. Explain what you mean by an objection. — He thought it would be inexpedient to release certain prisoners. Why ? — Because they would not. He did not think that they could be released at that time with advantage to the policy which was being pursued. Do you remember whether on that occasion at Eltham he* mentioned any names ?— Yes ; there 244 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. were some names which I was to mention to Mr. Chamberlain, and which I did mention to Mr. Chamberlain. As persons not to be released? — Yes ; as per- sons not to be released; but neither Mr. Cham- berlain nor myself approved of it. Can you tell me the names of any you remem- ber ? — Yes ; Brennan. Was Mr. Brennan in Kilmainham at that time? — I rather think he was in another gaol. Did you know what Mr. Brennan was — what his occupation had been ? — I know he was an agitator. Did you know he was connected with the League ? — Oh, yes. I think I must have known that. Did you know he was secretary, or treasurer, or what ? — I knew he was an official of the Land Leaoue. Now, on that occasion, Mr. O'Shea — I am speaking of the visit to Eltham — were the out- rages discussed? — Oh, yes; largely discussed. Will yoii tell us what was said, the substance of what was said, between you and Mr. Parnell on that occasion, when he was on that visit, before he went back to Kilmainham ? — Com- munications were being carried on by the govern- ment at that time, and in the course of those communications naturally the question of the release of prisoners came up. It is only fair to CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 245 Mr. Parnell to say that he never made any con- ditions himself in the discussion of these matters as to the conduct he should adopt — Sir C. Russell. — Oh, no, no ; your communica- tions — The Attorney-General. — No, Mr. Parnell's future conduct. The Witness. — He authorized me to say that he would do his utmost to do what he afterwards said in the Kilmainham letter. The Attorney-General. — Well, we are not going into the Kilmainham letter at present. What did he authorize you to say he would do ? — Put down outrages. Did he say anything in regard to rent? — Yes. What did he say? — That a No-rent Manifesto should be drawn up. Did he say anything about advice to tenants as to payment of rent? — I take it that that was included in the drawing up of a No-rent Mani- festo. Do you remember whether he referred at all to intimidation or boycotting ? — Yes. What did he say? — He had always thought that if the question of arrears were settled it would be a matter of material benefit ; that out- rages would be put down and boycotting also ; and he would endeavor to do that by the aid of his friends. 246 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Sir C. Russell. — Would your Lordship allow the shorthand writer to read that answer? The President. — Certainly. The shorthand writer having done so, The Attorney-General, resuming the examina- tion of the witness, asked, Did you embody the result of your conversation with Mr. Parnell in a written memorandum ? — Hardly, but — Did you at the time embody it in a memoran- dum ? — Yes. Which you handed, I think, to a member of the government ? — It was by myself or a member of the government. The President.— " Or " or ''for?"— With a member of the government. The Attorney-General. — Have you got that ? The witness produced a document which was handed to the Attorney-General. The Attorney-General. — Whose handwriting is this in? — Mr. Chamberlain's. The document was handed back to the witness. The Attorney-General. — What I want to ask you, looking' at that, is. Did it at any rate truthfully represent the substance of what Mr. Parnell had said to you? Up to that time I mean ? — Yes. The Attorney- General. — I put tliat in, my Lords. Sir Ci Russell. — Well, I have not seen it, and CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 247 do not know whether it is evidence ; but I do not object. The President. — I understand you do not object, Sir Charles ? Sir C. Russell. — No, my Lord ; I would rather the document was read. The President. — Will you look at it. Sir Charles? Sir C. Russell. — If your Lordship pleases. The document was handed to Sir C. Russell and then to the Secretary of the Commission, who proceeded to read it: — " 22d April, 1882," — That is in pencil on the top left-hand corner — "72, Prince's-gate, S. W. If the government announce a satisfactory plan of dealing with arrears, Mr. Parnell will advise all tenants to pay rents, and will denounce outrages and resistance to law and all processes of intimidation, whether by boycot- ting or in any other way. No plan of dealing with arrears will be satisfactory which does not wipe them off compulsorily by composition, one- third payable by tenant, one-third by the State from the Church Fund or some other public source, and one-third remitted by the landlord^ so that the contribution by the tenant and the State shall not exceed one year's rent ; the balance, if any, to be remitted by the landlord. Arrears to be defined as arrears accruing up to 1881." The Attorney-General. — Now, Mr. O'Shea, did you, on April 23 — only answer my question, 248 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. yes or no— -write a letter to Mr. Chamberlain ? — Yes. Of which I think you have a copy ? You need not trouble to read it, only answer my question. I think it is April 23, 1882 ? — Yes. In substance, on the question of outrages, pay- ment of rent, boycotting, and intimidation, do you remember, prior to Mr. Parnell's returning to Kilmainham, anything more passing between him and you — I am speaking of that period prior to your going to Kilmainham ? — I do not remember anything else. Mr. Parnell went back to Kilmainham — just answer my question, yes or no — did you continue the negotiations which had been commenced before and continued while Mr. Parnell was in London, after he went back to Kilmainham? — Yes. On April 27, 1882, did you consider it desirable to go to Kilmainham to see Mr. Parnell yourself? —Yes. Did you know, Mr. O'Shea, with reference to what passed before and while you were at Kilmainham, whether the fact of your negotia- tions was known to the other members of the party? Sir C. Russell. — My Lord, I object to that question. The Attorney-General. — I think my learned CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 249 friend does not quite understand my question, I meant from Mr. Parnell. The Attorney-General having repeated his question, the witness said — During my interview in Kllmalnham I was told they were not. The Attorney-General.— Had anything passed between you and Mr. Parnell prior to, your going to Kilmainham as to your going there ? — Yes, a letter. * Had anything passed in conversation as to your going to Kilmainham ? — I do not remember. Have you the letter — had you received a letter ? — ^Yes, I received a letter. Upon this particular matter with reference to your going to Kilmainham ? — Yes. Do you want the letter ? I want it if you have It there. Witness handed a letter to the learned counsel, and it was read by the secretary as follows : "April 27, 1882. "My Dear O'Shea:— Wednesday's proceed- ings were very promising so far as they went. I think it would be well now to wait and see what proposals are made, as an appearance of over- anxiety on your part might be injurious. The journey from London was very fair and quiet, and I got as far as Holyhead without being recognized. If you come to Ireland I think you 250 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. had best not see me, for reasons I will explain hereafter, "Yours very truly, " C. S. Parnell." The Attorney-General.' — Do you know what Wednesday's proceedings were ? — Yes, a Wed- nesday's debate in the House of Commons on a Bill brought in by one of Mr. Parnell's col- leagues. Which of his colleagues ? Do you remember ? — Mr. Redmond, I think. I am not quite certain, but I am almost certain. Did you receive a telegram from Mr. Parnell about the same time ? — Yes ; but I do not think I received it until I returned from Kilmainham. That period does not come till afterwards. You had left London before the telegram arrived. Did anything pass between you and Mr. Parnell while at Kilmainham with reference to what he referred to in that letter as to the desirability of your not seeing him? — Yes; but arising out of that he told me he should, on my leaving, im- mediately inform Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Kelly that some one had been to see him. Anything more ? — Not that I remember. I do not want to anticipate or come to the interview, but I want to know whether or not Mr. Parnell referred to the reasons he mentions in his letter for not seeing you. He says, you CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 251 know, in his letter, " if you come to Ireland I think you had best not see me, for reasons I will explain hereafter." Did he refer to those reasons when you met ?— As far as I remember he did not. He thought it was injudicious that I should see him at that time at Kilmainham among all the others there. You had an order to see him? — Yes, Mr. Forster gave me an order, so that I might make it clear to the Cabinet how everything was going on. You went to Kilmainham, I think, in a four- wheeled cab ? — Yes, with the Deputy Chairman of the Irish Prisons Board. Was a letter written by you in Kilmainham and signed by Mr. Parnell? — No, the letter was written by Mr. Parnell. Written while you were there ? — Yes, written while I was there. The whole of that letter was written by Mr. Parnell ? — Yes, the whole of it was written by him. Before that letter was written, will you tell us what conversation passed between you and Mr. Parnell on the subject of outrages, intimidation, and payment of rent ?-^Yes ; I explained to him that this was a very important matter to several members of the Cabinet, and must be clearly set out, and we had a long conversation, the outcome 252 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. of which was the letter, in which, I think, he stated exactly what he wanted. I will read the letter, of course, presently, but was only a hurried reference made to the ques- tion of outrages ?-:— Oh, no ; much more than that. There was an earnest conversation respect- ing the No-rent Manifesto and outrages. Apart from my official character, I asked Mr. Parnell privately if he was sure he would be able to carry out the guarantee he had given with the aid* of his colleagues, and to put down boycotting, outrages, and the no-rent movement ? He gave me that assurance, saying that the outrages were largely committed by the sons of tenants in arrear. The Arrears Bill, he said, would, of course, have a good effect on them, and that he had every confidence that his authority and that of his colleagues was so great that I might assure the Ministry that he would be able to do what they wanted. Do you remember whether this particular part of the conversation occurred before or after the letter was written ? — I should think both before and after. The Attorney-General. — My Lords, I think it is best to try and get the whole of the conver- sation before I read the letter. Inasmuch as I understand that the conversation took place before the letter was written, I will not divide it. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 253 (To Witness) Did Mr. Parnell refer to any par- ticular men or names ? — Yes. To whom ? — He spoke of what ought to Le done in the case of my success in getting his release, and carrying the negotiations through, on which his release' would, of course, immediately take place. It is due to Mr. Parnell to say that his condition of release was never put forward as an absolute condition. No ;. that is not suggested. What I want to know is this — do you remember his referring to anybody else in connection with the putting down of outrages ? — Yes ; we had a long conversation about it. He was anxious that certain men should be released. Who were they? — Boyton and Sheridan. Will you tell me what he said about Sheridan ? — He said that he had been an organizer in the west, that he knew everybody, and that Mr. Par- nell believed that, if he were released and he could see him, he would be able to use him for the purpose of putting down outrages. I am not quite sure, however, that It was a question of release in Sheridan's case. I think there was merely a warrant out against him. Did Mr. Parnell tell you anything you were to do or to say with regard to Sheridan ? — Yes ;^l was to repeat what he had said to Mr. Forster, and I did repeat it to him. ^ Just give us as a collected statement, if you can, 254 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. of what you were to repeat to the government with regard to Sheridan. — That he had been an organizer in the west of Ireland ; that he had made many acquaintances in the district, and that he would be a most useful man to use for the purpose of putting down outrage and boycotting if Mr. Parnell saw him. The Attorney-General. — '^ If Mr. Parnell saw him." I do not know whether your Lordships heard the end of the sentence. The President. — Yes, we did. The Attorney-General. — Now, did he say anything more as to the necessity of his seeing Sheridan? — Yes, he said that he was very anxious to see him in the case of his own release. You mentioned a short time ago something about Boyton. What did Mr. Parnell say about Boyton ? — Very much the same thing, only he had been an organizer, not in the west, but in another province. Did he name the province? — Yes, I rather think that it was Leinster; but I am not at all certain. In this conversation was Eoran^s name men- tioned at all ? — Yes. What did he say about Egan? — He said he was anxious to see him, and that I ought to get Egan back also. Did he say why you should try and get Egan back ? — I have no doubt he knew CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 255 Sir C. Russell. — No, no. Tell us, please, what he said. The Attorney-General. — As far as you recol- lect tell us what Mr. Parnell said about Egan ? -^He said he should be anxious to see him, as then he should be able to show him the advan- tages of the policy he was adopting. Now, do you remember asking him anything about these three men collectively as to his power over them — that is to say, over Egan, Sheridan, and Boyton? — Yes. - What did he say? — In the course of conver- sation he told me several times that he was con- fident that if he saw them first he should be able to induce them to do what he wanted. Do you remember the actual expression he used when he said if he saw them first ? — Yes. He said if he got the first run at them. Had you yourself any knowledge of the work- ing of the Land League ? — No, no private knowl- edge ; none except what was in the general knowledge of the public. I had no private knowledge of its affairs, and I was never con- nected with its affairs. Had you ever been connected with it ? — No. Now, in the course of this conversation, was Mr. Davitt's name referred to ? — Yes. What passed at Kilmainham with reference to Mr. Davitt? — Very much the same conversation passed with reference to him as to the others. 256 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. He was In a different position, as he was in penal servitude. Mn Parnell said he was very anxious to see Mr. Davitt released, and he was anxious that the release of the other men should include Mr. Davitt. Do you remember anything being said at Kll- malnham as to when Mr. Davitt should be re- leased ? — No, because nothing was arranged at that time about his release. Did anything pass on that occasion about Mr. Parnell seeing Mr. Davitt or not ? — All I can say is that Mr. Parnell said that he was anxious that the release should include Mr. Davitt. Now you have referred to these three men — do you recollect any conversation taking place about keeping these persons in prison ? — That subject was not referred to then. Did you bring away a letter signed by Mr. P^ir nell ? — Yes. What did you do with it ? — I took it the next morning — Sunday — to Mr. Forster, at his house. Have you a copy of it ? — No ; but It has been published. You have not got the letter itself? — No ; it was handed to the Cabinet. Sir C. Russell. — How can you know that ? The President. — You ought to leave out the reference to the Cabinet. Of course you ought not to know what was done there. (Laughter.) CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 257 The Attorney-General., — Was that letter read by Mr. Parnell on the 15th of May in your hear- ing in the House of Commons ? — Yes ; but it was read by Mr. Parnell with certain omissions. The Attorney-General. — I will read the whole letter as it was signed by Mr. Parnell. The ac- tual print of it is to be found in "Hansard," vol. 269, p. 672, as it was read by Mr. Parnell himself in the House of Commons. It is dated from Kil- mainham, April 28, 1882, and it is in the following terms : — 17 CHAPTER XVIII. MY DEAR MR. o'SHEA, " I was very sorry that you had left Albert-man- sions before I reached London from* Eltham, as I had wished to tell you that, after our conversation, I had made up my mind that it would be proper for me to put Mr. McCarthy in possession of the vie\ys which I had previously communicated to you. I desire to impress upon you the absolute necessity of a settlement of the arrears question, which will leave no recurring sore connected with it behind, and which will enable us to show the smaller tenantry that they have been treated with justice and some generosity. The proposal you have described to me, as suggested in some quar- ters, of making a loan, over however many years the payment might be spread, should be abso- lutely rejected, for reasons which I have already explained to you. If the arrears question be settled upon the lines indicated by us, I have every confidence — a confidence shared by my colleagues — that the exertions which we should be able to make, strenuously and unremittingly, would be effective in stopping outrages and in- 258 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 259 timidation of all kinds. As regards permanent legislation of an ameliorating character, I may say that the views which you always shared with me, as to the admission of leaseholders to the fair- rent clauses of the Act, are more confirmed than ever. So long as the flower of the Irish peasan- try are kept outside the Act there cannot be the permanent settlement of the Land Act which we all so much desire. I should also strongly hope that some compromise might be arrived at this Session with regard to the amendment of the ten- ure clauses of the Land Act. It is unnecessary for me to dwell upon the enormous advantage to be derived from the full extension of the purchase clauses, which now seem practically to have been adopted by all parties. The accomplishment of the programme I have sketched out to you would, in my judgment, be regarded by the country as a practical settlement of the land question, and would, I am sure, enable us to co-operate cordially for the future with the Liberal party in forwarding Liberal principles ; and I believe that the Govern- ment at the end of the Session would, from the state of the country, feel themselves thoroughly justified in dispensing with further coercive meas- ures. " Yours, truly, "Chas. S. Parnell." 260 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. The President. — To whom is that letter ad- dressed ? The Attorney-General. — It is addressed to " My dear Mr. O'Shea.'' The President. — The witness says that the whole of the letter was not read by Mr. ParnelL The Attorney-General. — The letter is dated from Kilmainham on the 28th of April, 1882. It was in Mr. ParnelFs handwriting, and is signed by him, and is addressed to Mr. O'Shea. When the letter was first read in the House of Com- mons by Mr. Parnell some words were left out, were they not ? — Yes. Do you recollect which words they were that were left out? — Yes, they were these: — "And would, I am sure, enable us to co-operate cordially for the future with the Liberal party in forwarding Liberal principles ** in measures connected with Ireland. Mr. Parnell read from a copy I gave him. A few minutes afterwards the omission was challenged by Mr. Forster, and I read the omitted passage. The Attorney-General. — However, were the omitted words contained in the letter which was signed by Mr. Parnell ? — Yes. And within a few minutes after the first part of the letter was read in the House of Commons the omitted portions were read also? — Yes. In fact, they together appear on the same page of "Hansard"?— Yes. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 261 I am afraid I must go back to one matter that has escaped my recollection. Do you recollect Mr. Parnell mentioning any names of persons to whom he would, after your departure, make a communication ? — Yes ; he said he would make a communication to Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Kelly. He said that he would let them know as much as was good for theju. Do you recollect any other references which he made to his fellow-prisoners at that time ? — No. When you came back to London did you give a letter to Mn Forster on the 30th ? — Yes ; on Sunday morning, which I believe was the 30{h. , Did you continue negotiations on the basis of what had passed between you and Mr. Parnell on your return to London ? — Yes. Do you remember it being determined to re- lease Mr. Parnell and some of his fellow- prisoners, such as Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Kelly? —Yes. , They were released on the night of Tuesday, the 2d of May ? — ^Yes. ., Had you any communication between your interview at Kilmainham and the 6th of April with regard to Mr. Davitt's release ? — With Mr. Parnell when he returned to London. How soon after his return to London did you communicate with him ? — Very soon after ; I think on the Thursday morning. When he returned to London, did he come and see you ? — Yes. 262 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. What did he say to you ? — I told him that Mr. Davitt was to be released, and he said to me that it would be inexpedient that he should be released until he saw him, and asked me to see the proper authority on the subject. As to what?— As to Mr. Davitt's release being postponed until he should be able to go down and see him personally. Did you do so ? — ^Yes. Did Mr. Parnell on the same occasion when he came and saw you say anything further about Sheridan ? — Yes. What did he ask you to do as regards Sheridan? — He asked me, when I saw the proper authority on the subject of deferring Mr. Davitt's release, at the same time to get the warrant which was out against Sheridan cancelled. The two matters which Mr. Parnell spoke to you about when he came to see you were, first, the deferring the release of Mr. Davitt until he had seen him, and, secondly, the cancelling of the warrant which was out against Sheridan i^ — Yes. Did anything more of importance occur on that occasion ?— I cannot remember now. Now, answer this question, yes or no. Did you make a communication to the authorities as to Mr. Davitt's release being delayed ? — Yes. Do you remember the date fixed until when his release was to be delayed ? — Yes ; it was Satur- day, the 6th. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 263 Did you communicate to Mr. Parnell the result of your interview with the authorities? — Yes, with respect to Mr. Davitt and Sheridan. Did Mr. Parnell subsequently go down to Portland ? — Yes. With whom ? — I think with Mr. Dillon. On the morning of Saturday, the 6th? — Yes. Did anything else of importance pass between you and Mr. Parnell after that, prior to the Phoenix Park murders ? — I do not recollect. Did Mr. Parnell come to you on the Sunday morning? — Yes; at No. i, Albert-mansions. At what time on the Sunday morning did Mr. Parnell come to you ? — It was early in the day ; I do not recollect the exact hour. Do you recollect that day a manifesto being referred to ? — Yes. How many interviews did you have with Mr. Parnell on that day ? — Several. Do you recollect going to see Mr. Hamilton at Mr. Parnell's request ? — Yes. Wno was Mr. Hamilton ? — He was secretary to Mr. Gladstone. Did Mr. Parnell say whom he had seen about the manifesto ? — Yes ; he told me all about the matter. Tell us what he said. — He said the manifesto had been drawn up. I do not know that I saw it before he showed it to me at Mr. Chamberlain's house, ir CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 265 At what time of the day was that? — In the afternoon. Did he say by whom it had been drawn up ? — Yes ; by Mr. Davitt, and that it was a mistake for me to suppose that he was not in favor, of the manifesto, as he was in favor of it, as it was necessary to pander to Mr. Davitt's vanity ; but he added that I must draft it. Oh, I see; he objected to the English of it. It was the bombast of the document he objected to ?— Yes. Do you recollect on one of these occasions on that day Mr. Parnell saying anything about himself? — Yes, he spoke of the danger in which he was. When was that? — That was in a cab on the way back from Mr. Chamberlain's house. Do you remember what he said? — Yes, he said he was in personal danger, and asked me to get police protection for him. Did you do anything for him ? — Yes. What?" — When I returned to Albert-mansions I found there a request that I should go to Sir William Harcourt immediately, and I went. Did you make any communication to Sir William Harcourt in reference to police protec- tion ?- — Yes. Do you know whether it was granted ? — Yes. Was any one else present besides Sir William Harcourt when you made that request ? — I do not recollect, but I rather think his son was. 266 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Just answer this question, yes or no — ^Was a communication made to you by Sir William Har- court the same day with reference to the with- drawal of the warrant against Sheridan ? — Yes ; that was what he had sent for me for. He told me — You must not tell me what he told you. Just answer the question, yes or no, because I am sup- posed to know what you can say and what you cannot say. Did you have an interview with Mr. Parnell afterwards ? — Yes. Did you say anything to him about the Sheridan difficulty ? — Yes. What did you say ? — I told him that I had been informed that Sheridan, whose warrant was can- celled on the previous Thursday at my request, was a murderer and a concocter of murder, that the police had informed the Home Secretary of the fact that he could not be allowed to remain in this country without arrest, but that, having been informed of that, I — having been the cause of his warrant being cancelled — had begged that he should be given at least " short law.'* I said that he must be communicated with immediately. Mr. Parnell told me that he had no communica- tion with him directly, but knew a person who could communicate with him, and he went out for the purpose of seeing that person. Did he say who it was ? Did he mention the name of the person ?— -No. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 267 How long was he gone? — He was gone for some time. What did he say when he came back? — He said that he thought that it was all right. Did you learn from Mr. Parnell who was the person who could communicate with Sheridan ? — 1 do not remember. I do not think so. Now will you look at the signature to that let- ter dated the 15 th of May, 1882? Sir C. Russell. — Is that the alleged Parnell letter ? The Attorney-General. — Yes. In whose hand- writing do you say that signature is? — I know nothing about signatures. I know you are not ain expert. But as far as you can say — in whose^ handwriting do you be- lieve that signature to be ? — It appears to be Mr. Parneirs signature. Now just look at the two letters of the i6th of June, 1882. Whose signatures do you believe these to be ? — I believe them to be Mr. Parnell's. Can you tell me, did the occurrence of the Phoenix Park murders appear to affect Mr. Par- nell's health ? — ^Yes, I think they did. They cer- tainly affected his spirits. What was the condition of his nerves and health about this time and for a month or five weeks afterwards ? — I can only say that he was very much dispirited by what had occurred. Now just look at this document of the, 9th of January, 1882. 268 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. The President. — What is this document and the letters of the i6th of June? I do not carry their nature in my mind. The letters were the'n handed up to the Presi- dent. Subsequently, the witness's attention was again called to the letter of January 9, 1882, and he said, — I believe the signature to be that of Mr. Parnell. The Ati^orney-General. — ^Just look at these other three documents. Their contents, my Lord, are not material. They are put in merely for the sake of the handwriting. (To witness.) Now take those three letters in your hand and tell us whose handwriting you believe them to be ? — I believe them to be Mr. ParnelPs. Where are you now engaged, Mr. O'Shea— in what business or place ? — I am not engaged in business, but I am engaged on business in Mad- rid. Are you obliged, to leave England? — Yes, it would be very inconvenient if I were detained here, or if I had to come back for the purpose of attending the Commission. Is your business in Madrid pressing ? — Yes. The President. — Now, Sir Charles. Sir C. Russell. — The latter part of the wit- ness's evidence, my Lords, has come upon me by surprise — namely, that part which relates to the opinion of this witness as to the signatures to the letters, I would suggest whether it would not be CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 269 convenient to go at once into the whole case of the letters. It will be possible for me in a day or two to cross-examine this witness and thus save the necessity of his returning from Madrid. The President. — I understand your difficulty, is due to the evidence as to the handwriting. Sir C. Russell. — Not wholly, my Lord. I own I could not ask Mr. O'Shea to come back to be cross-examined as to that part only. The Attorney- General. — May I make one ob- servation in reference to this application ? I shall not for one moment .oppose any suggestion in this matter that your Lordships think reasonable, but I do respectfully submit that to postpone the cross-examination of this witness without some ground being shown is very inconvenient. My statement as to Mr. O'Shea's evidence was made on Tuesday or Wednesday last, and I submit that no adequate ground has been shown for post- poning this cross-examination. Sir C. Russell. — I have not made the appli- cation to your Lordships idly or without a full recognition of my responsibility in making it. _. The President. — I think it right to state that, so far as the examination has proceeded, we are unable to see any reason why the cross-examina- tion should be postponed. In a matter of this kind, however, we are obliged, and we are usually justified, to rely on the statement made by coun- sel. If Sir Charles Russell says that he is not in 270 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. a position to cross-examine now, we feel bound to grant his application, but it is right that I should point out that if, from any unforeseen causes, we should not have the advantage of this witness's attendance again, his evidence must be taken without the cross-examination. Sir C. Russell. — There can scarcely be a ques- tion as to obtaining this gentleman's presence except under circumstances beyond human con- trol. He lives and is a resident in London. The President. — It is not necessary to enter into any discussion. I have stated the view of the Court on this point. Sir C. Russell. — I feel that we should have a clear understandino-. Am I to understand that the power of the Court will not be used to com- pel the attendance of Mr. O'Shea at a later stage ? The President. — We, of course, would use the powers of the Court to compel the attendance of a witness if necessary. But I must repeat that if, from any unforeseen cause, his attendance cannot be procured, his evidence already given must be taken as un-cross-examined. Sir C. Russell. — I hope I am not unduly pressing the Court in asking for an assurance that the ordinary powers of the Court will be used to enforce the attendance, if necessary, of Captain O'Shea for cross-examination. The President. — I have already said so. The CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 271 Court will exercise its powers to enforce the attendance of an)^ witness it deems necessary. Witness. — Might I make a statement, my Lords ? The President. — With regard to your attend- ance? Witness. — Yes. I would ask that no unreason- able delay should take place. It would be very hard on me to be kept here. Sir . C. Russell. — I have already made a prop- osition which I thought might be considered by my learned friend. I did not know this witness was to give evidence on the genuineness of the letters. The President. — You say that this evidence has surprised you, Sir Charles Russell ; but your application for the postponement of the cross- examination was made before that evidence was given. Sir C. Russell. — That is so. But The President. — I cannot see why, because some unexpected evidence has been given, you cannot cross-examine. Sir C. Russell. — If the whole case with regard to the letters was gone into, then in two or three days I would be ready to cross-examine the wit- ness. Perhaps my learned friend could say when he proposes to take that part of the case. The Attorney-General. — I cannot make any statement on that point. We will lay the evi- 272 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. dence before your Lordships as far as we can in proper order. I have applied to your Lordships to take this witness out of the proper order because he is obliged to leave England. It is altogether unreasonable of my learned friend to ask me to enter into any arrangement or bargain. Sir C. Russell. — I ask for no bargain. The President (to witness). — When do you propose to leave London ? Witness. — That depends on your Lordships. I did propose to leave to-morrow. The President. — When do you propose to return ? Witness. — I would return when your Lordships wish — at your Lordships* convenience. But I should prefer to wait here until after my cross- examination. The President. — It appears to me, Sir Charles, that you should prepare yourself within the next few days to cross-examine this witness. Sir C. Russell. — I should be in no better position then than now unless the Attorney- General is prepared to accede to my suggestion. I am afraid your Lordships do not fully appreciate my difficulty. The President. — ^You have something in re- serve that you do not feel at liberty to disclose now ? Sir C. Russell, — I do not say that exactly, my Lord. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 273 The President. — I can do no more than repeat what I have said. We shall, of course, insist upon Mr. O'Shea's return if it appear necessary to do so. But if from any accident whatever he is not here when we desire his presence, we shall deal with the evidence he has already given. Sir C. Russell. — Does your Lordship say that it will be a matter within your Lordship's dis- cretion whether Captain O'Shea shall be required to return ? The President. — Certainly, certainly. Sir C. Russell. — Then, my Lords, under those circumstances I must go on. The President.— Very well. Sir C. Russell then proceeded to cross-exam- ine the witness : — When, Mr. O'Shea, were you first applied to by The Times to be a witness in this case ? — On the 3d of August. What are you reading? — Merely certain ex- tracts from my diary. Let me see them. Was it by letter that you were applied to? — Indirectly. I was asked whether I had any objection to give information to The Times, By whom were you asked ? — A letter was writ- ten by Mr. Buckle. Have you got it ? — No. It was not to me ; it was to Mr. Chamberlain. Did Mr. Chamberlain see you ?-^-Yes ; but I do 18 274 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. not think he was asked to see me. I went to see him on another matter. Where ? — To his house. On what business ? — To talk over the attack made by Mr. Parnell on Mr. Chamberlain and myself in the House of Commons. What was the date of that attack ? — The 3 1 st of July, I think. In the present year ? — Yes. And you went to consult with Mr. Chamberlain as to what course he ought to take ? — Yes. ^ To talk over matters and consider whether you ought to make some answer in the public Press or he in the House of Commons? — No; I had already written to The Times, and my letter ap- peared on the 2d of August. And in the course of talking over the matter of Mr. ParneH's attack on you and Mr. Chamber- lain he introduced Mr. Buckle's letter ? — Yes ; he told me he had received a letter from Mr. Buckle. Did he show you the letter ? — I am not quiet sure. Will you swear he did not ? — I do not think he did. I am not sure whether he showed it to me to read or not. What was in the letter? — Whether I should mind giving evidence in the case. What date do you give for that ? — The first days of August. I should think the 3d. Was it in reference to this Commission or to CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 275 " O'Donnell v. Walter " ? — Oh, in reference to this Commission. " O'Donnell v. Walter " had been over for a long time. Did you agree to give that evidence ? No. When did you agree to give evidence ? After I had been subpoenaed by Mr. Parnell. When were you subpoenaed by Mr. Parnell ? — On Thursday, the 23d of August. Then did you see Mr. Chamberlain after that? No ; Mr. Chamberlain had left town. Did you communicate with him ? — -Certainly. You professed your readiness to give evidence for The Times? — Yes, on the 24th of August. I said I would do so in order to have an opportu- nity of refuting the slanders circulated about me by Mr. Parnell and his friends in regard to these letters. Then you volunteered to give evidence in order to have an opportunity of refuting these slanders, you say ? — Certainly. It was a matter of personal concern to your- self? — Yes, of great personal concern. To whom did you make that communication ? —To Mr. Buckle. Direct ? — No. Through whom ? — Through Mr. Houston. Who is Mr. Houston ? — He is a journalist. Connected with any paper .'^ — I do not know. Where does he live ? — In Cork-street, London. Are his initials E. C. ? — I think so. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 277 Is he secretary to the Loyal and Patriotic Union ? — I do not really know. Have you not heard that he is ? — I do not know that I have. I have an idea that he is. Is not this the union that is supported by a combination of Irish landlords — I will not call it a landlords' land league — but is it not somethingr of that nature ? — I know nothing about it. I have seen its pamphlets, but I do not know how it is supported.' How did you come to be in communication with Mr. Houston ? — Mr. Houston called on me on Sunday, the 12th of August. In the present year ? — Yes. Was that your first acquaintance with him? — I had known him before. Did he tell you his connection with this matter? — ^Yes ; he told me that he was very anxious that I should give information on the political part, of the question to himself or Mr. Buckle. Did he tell you how he came to speak to you in the matter? — No. Did you ask him? — He said he called on the part of Mr. Buckle. ^ Did you ask him in what character or capacity ? No. I knew he was interested in the case of The Times. Did you ask him whether he had anything to do with the publication or with the letters ? — I did not. 278 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Have you seen him since that interview? — ^Yes, I have seen him several times since. In reference to this matter ? — Yes. Did you make a statement to him of your evi- dehce ? — Yes. It was he who took down the statement of my evidence for Mr. Buckle. Was that taken down at one interview or sev- eral ? — I think it was taken down at one interview. Can you give me the date of that ? — I think it was the day on which I asked The Times to sub- poena me — the 24th of August last. You gave that statement to Mr. Houston, and he took it down ? — Yes, in shorthand. Did you speak to Mr.*Houston about the case ? Yes, in a cursory way. Did he produce the letters to you ? — No. Or speak to you about the letters ? — I should say he must have spoken about the letters. Did he speak about the letters more than once ? — I have no doubt he did. Did he tell you what part he had to do with the letters ? — No. Did you ask him how the letters had been ob- tained ? — Yes. He told me it was a State secret in The Times office. I would-ask you to allow me to turn back and give a fuller answer to a ques- tion you put to me a few moments ago. You asked me what he told me about the letters. He told me that he had heard that Mr. Parnell and his friends had stated that I was engaged in a con- . CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 279 spiracy to get these letters, and that it was through me that they were got. As I have never stabbed a man in the back, I was naturally very anxious to come here and state on my oath that this state- ment was not true. Then Mr. Houston told you there were rumors about you ? — Yes, ,Not only about you, but others ? — Yes. When did he tell you that? — He spoke about the matter several times, 18 CHAPTER XIX. WHEN O'SHEA HEARD THE SLANDERS. BUT he told you this at the first interview ? — I told him that I knew that these slanders were being circulated. Did he refer to this at the first interview ? — Most probably. Did you learn from him whether The Times had got the letters all in one batch or separately ? —No. Did you ask him ? — No. When did you first hear of these slanders ? — I returned home in July, and heard the matter spoken about then. I think I heard first of the matter as an absolute certainty on August i, when Mr. Chamberlain told me that Mr. John Morley had informed him of it. What did Mr. Chamberlain say ?— That Mr. Par- nell believed that I had had something to do with procuring what is generally called the fac-simile letters. I am not perfectly certain whether this 280 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. . 281 occurred on the ist, 2d, or 3d of August, but it was on one of those days. Whom else have you seen from The Times in addition to Mr. Houston since this question arose? — I have met Mr. Buckle at dinner. It was on Auofust 2 2d at the Hotel Previtali. Who were there beside yourself and Mr. Buckle ? — Sir Roland Blennerbasset. Who else ?^ — No one else. Were you the host or the guest ? — I was the guest ; Sir R. Blennerhasset was the host. He was, I believe, formerly member of Parlia- ment for Kerry, and one of Mr. Butt's Home Rule party ? — Yes. He has not been in Parliament since 1885 I be- lieve ? — I think- that is so. * Did you discuss at all on that occasion the question where these letters had come from ? — No, I do not remember that they were mentioned ; but if so, there was no discussion. Do you know the name of Pigott? — Yes, I know the name. What is the Christian name ? — I do not know. You know the person to whom I allude ? — I suppose you allude to a former editor of a news- paper in Dublin. Quite so. I am told his. Christian name is Richard. Is that so ? — Yes, I believe it is. Did you hear his name mentioned in connec- tion with these letters ? — ^Yes. 282 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Did you learn from Mr. Houston that he had obtained them from Pigott ? — No. What I heard was that it was said that I had entered into some combination or conspiracy to get these letters with Pigott. No ; I am not quite certain of that, I think he was one of those who were named, but I am not certain. What did he say about Pigott? — I do not re- member anything particular that he said besides what I have just told you. What did he say about Pigott in relation to the letters ? — He said, if he mentioned Pigott's name — of which I am not certain — that the report spread about was that I was connected with some men, of whom Pigott was one, to obtain these letters. Was any other name mentioned ? — Yes ; Mr. Philip Callan, whom I have not spoken to for four years. Did he say anything pro or con as to Pigott's connection with the matter ? — Not that I remem- ber. Then the suggestion was that there were ru- mors that you and Pigott and Mr. Callan and another person had to do with the letters ? — ^Wait a moment ; you are going too far with the name of Pigott. I do not remember for certain that Pigott's name was mentioned, that he was men- tioned as being one of the confederates who ob- tained the letters. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 283 You personally do not know PIgott ? To the best of my belief I have never seen him. I cer- tainly do not know him. The other gentleman — Mr. Callan — you have not spoken to for several years ? Not for five or six years. Did Mr. Houston tell you that he had taken Pigott to the solicitor for The Times? No. Do you know that he did ? No. Do you say that Mr. Houston's communication to you with respect to the letters amounted to nothing beyond what you have told us ? Nothing more. He made no statement about the origin of the letters or as to who was the medium in their pas- sage to The Times? .No. He made no statement as to who took the let- ters to The Times ? I am sure he did not. At no time ? To the best of my belief he did not. Do you know who took them ? No. Have you been told who brought them ? No. Now, having had this letter, was that before or after the date when you made your statement ? it was before I made the statement. On the 1 5th, the Wednesday before, I had seen Houston again, and I told him that I might tell Mr. Buckle the political matter. But even then I withdrew the offer on the 1 7th. When finally did you come to an agreement? On Friday, August 24th. 284 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Where? I went to Houston's room, at 3 Cork Street, and he took down from me in shorthand the accounts of the Kihnainham Treaty. When, if at all, did you go to Mr. Soames ? On Wednesday last for the first time, to ask when I should be called. Did you hand the documents to which you have referred to-day to Houston ? Yes ; but they never left my possession. You mean that you showed them to him, keep- ing possession of them? I do not think I showed all of them. I showed those to which the Attor- ney-General has referred to-day. You told my learned friend in your examina- tion-in-chief that you were in Parliament in 1884 and 1885 as member for Clare. At the last elec- tion for Clare you were not supported by Mr. Parnell? No. Did you complain that he had treated you un- fairly ? Yes. Broken faith with you ? Yes. In not supporting you ? Yes. Can you tell me when the members of the Irish party agreed to the arrangement which, I believe, is generally called the pledge — the arrangement as to sitting and acting together ? No, I do not remember. Was it not in October, 1885, j^st before the election ? I should say that was very probable. CHARLES StEWARt PAR NELL. 285 You declined, I think, to take that pledge ? Certainly. I am told it was not in October, but it was before the election. You declined to accede to the arrangements, and in November, 1885, you stoodfor the Exchange Division of Liverpool ? Yes. Were you supported at your election by Mr. Parnell? Yes. As we know, that was a short Parliament? Yes ; it was dissolved after the rejection of Mr. Gladstone's Home Rule scheme. In the spring of 1886 you stood for Galway? Yes. And you were supported by Mr. Parnell ? Yes. Against the wishes of some of his colleagues ? Yes. You gave an assurance that you would act with the Irish members ? I agreed with Mr. Parnell without giving any pledge. It was arranged that I should contest Galway as a Liberal, that I should go there and receive his support, and that I should not sit with his party for a short time. During the heat of the contest he telegraphed to Colonel Nolan, asking Oh, we cannot have that. ' But you asked me. He telegraphed to ask whether, if he came to Galway, I would allow him to say that I would sit on the same side of the House as one of the party. 286 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. And you were returned for Gal way by means of his assistance ? Yes, and Immediately wished to resign on account of that pledge. When did you resign ? I resigned on the day after the division on the Home Rule Bill. Had you made an application for the Chlltern Hundreds ? Yes, at that time. Do you recollect when the Home Rule Bill went to a division on the second reading? No ; but I should think on June 8th. You did not vote on that occasion ? No. You walked out ? Of course I did, as I did not vote. I mean you had not paired ? No, I had not. As you have told us, you committed suicide to save yourself from slaughter ; you resigned ? That is your comment upon my action. 'But it is a fact, is it not? I do not know. I resigned because I thought it my duty to resign. Nobody knew for certain that there would be a dissolution CHAPTER XX. CAPTAIN o'sHEA's RESIGNATION. Give me the date of your resignation. The day of the division on the second reading of Mr. Glad- stone's Home Rule Bill, or the day before. The date of the notice as to the Chiltern Hundreds was the day after the division. Did you, in the beginning of 1886, state that certain persons knew that Mr. Parnell had paid for the escape of tHe Phoenix Park murderers ? No, I do not think I said that. I said that it had been stated not of the Phoenix Park murders, but of one Byrne. You stated that people had said so. On what date ? I do not remember the date. Who stated it? It was told me, I believe, in the first instance by a man called Mulqueeny, and I inquired into the statement. The statement had reference to a letter acknowledging a check which has since come out. I caused inquiries to be made as to whether the statement was correct, and I understood that it was not. I understood that the authorities had had no such letter. 287 288 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Who is Mulqueeny ? He is an Irishman resi- dent in London, who assisted me greatly when I was canvassing an East-end constituency for a friend of mine. I met him at a meeting in White- chapel. What is he ? I think he is employed as a clerk by one of the dock companies. He told you this, then ? I think he told me first. I am not sure as to the date. Who else told you ? I do not remember. Am I to understand that any one else told you, or that you do not remember whether any one did? I think you must take it that I do not re- member. It is a very serious statement. Yes ; but I in- vestigated it and found that the authorities knew nothing about it. Who were the other persons besides Mul- queeny? I do not remember anybody else. ^ Was there anybody else? I may have made inquiries of others, but I cannot remember. I want to get to the bottom of this matter. I want to know from whom you heard this state- ment besides Mulqueeny, if from anybody. I cannot say that I heard it from anybody else, although I have the idea that I did. Can you say when you first heard it ? I have just told you that I cannot fix the date. Was it before you heard the story from Mul- queeny ? I have said that I have no recollection CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 289 of hearing it from anybody else. I cannot go further than that. Was the first statement from Mulqueeny? I should say so. You say you investigated the matter ; to whom did you apply ? I asked Mr. Chamberlain. Any one else? Through him the Minister of the department which had to do with the matter. Did you yourself apply? I do not remember. I heard that nothing was known of the letter. When Mulqueeny made this statement, what did he say ? He said that a letter had been taken from the Land League rooms in Palace-chambers — a letter from Byrne acknowledging the receipt of money from Mr. Parnell. Taken by whom ? He believed that it had been taken by the police. It was on that account that I asked for information. Mulqueeny told you nothing more ? I do not . remember. Then he told you that the police had taken a letter from the Land League chambers in London, which purported to be a letter from Byrne ac- knowledging the receipt of money ? Not quite that. He said that a letter had been taken by the police acknowledging the receipt of money. I do not desire to press you unduly upon this point, but I may have to press you upon it later on. Try and fix as nearly as you can the dafe 290 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. when that communication was made to you. I do not think I shall be able to fix the date. Try and fix the time of } ear. I do not think I can go any further. Surely you can tell us what the year was ? No, I really cannot. How long ago ? I cannot say. You see the matter did not impress itself much upon my mind when I heard that the authorities had not got the letter. Do you know Mulqueeny's address ? No. He called upon me recently and told me that he had left his house. When did he call ? Within the last few days. I think on Saturday last. Did you believe the information to be correct as to the payment to Byrne ? As I have intimated, when we inquired into the matter and found that the letter was not supposed to be in the hands of the authorities, I did not, I presume, pay much more attention to it.' Did you ever see that letter from. Byrne ? No, except in the newspapers. Yes, but not the original letter ? No. It was after that statement by Mulqueeny that you became a candidate for Galway ? I should say that was so, certainly. Well, of course, you could not have believed this statement about Mr. Parnell at that time? Oh, no, certainly not. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 29 1 You had come to the conclusion that it was not true ? I have no doubt of it. I believe Mr. Parnell did go to Galway to speak for you ? He did. After your inquiry whether such a letter had been obtained, did you tell Mulqueeny the result of your investigation ? I certainly didr How did you make appointments with Mul- queeny? He used sometimes to call upon me. Casually or by appointment? Generally, I should think, casually, if I had not some election- eering for him to do. Electioneering, where? In the East-end of London. Mr. S. Montagu, member for White- chapel, is a personal friend of mine, arid I was anxious to secure his return. It was at one of his meetings that I first heard of Mulqueeny. You are not able to charge your recollection with having heard about the Byrne letter from anybody besides Mulqueeny ? No, I am not able. Did you ever hear from Mulqueeny how the Byrne letter w^as supposed to have been got from the office ? , Yes, how he supposed it had been got. You found that the statement was not correct ? I inquired whether the letter was in the hands of the authorities, and the person applied to replied that he had no knowledge of the document. If it had been taken by the police the fact of its existence would have been known in the CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 293 department where you applied? I suppose so; I do not know. You told Mulqueeny that it was not known in that department ? Yes. Did you discuss at all how it could have been obtained ? I have heard. Is Mulqueeny a member of any secret society? I do not know. He is a NationaHst. Whether he is a member of a secret society of course I cannot tell. He has told me that he .was an advanced Nationalist. Did he ever tell you that he was a member of a secret society ? He never told me that he was. He conveyed it to you, then ? He told me that he was an advanced Nationalist and at one time a member of the Land League. Did you see him anywhere else than in your own place? Yes, at meetings when canvassing the constituency in the East-end. " Only there ? Only there. Do you know the house of a Mrs. Lynch in Wardour Street? It is very likely that I have been there once. I ask you, do you know the house ? I am not certain that the woman's name is Lynch; but I was once in a house in Wardour Street. What is the house remarkable for? In what way? In any way ? I do not know what it is remark- able for. 294 CHARLES STEWART, PARNELL. . How did you come to go there ? I went there because a number of advanced Nationalists had signed a declaration protesting against my exclu- sion from Irish politics, and I was told that I should meet some of them there. The President. — I understand that this house is a public house ? Witness. — Yes, my Lord. Sir C. Russell. — When you use the phrase ''advanced Nationalists," do you mean to convey to the Court that these persons were Fenians? I mean to convey that they were members of the old Nationalist party. Do you mean to convey that they were Fenians ? They never told me that they were. Is that the impression in your own mind? I was never told that they were Fenians. You believe they were ? I do not know whether they were or not. You say they signed a testimonial to you? No, a declaration protesting against my exclusion from politics. Mulqueeny brought the declara- don to me, and it was with him that I went to this house. Were you there only once ? Only once. Whom did you meet there ? I cannot remem- ber. These persons who made the presentation complained of your exclusion from politics ? Yes. Were they all residents in this country? I do CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 295 not know. The men of their party in the county of Clare were always great supporters of mine and very much devoted to me. They were the old Nationalists. I always told them how foolish I thought their adventures were, but they hated outrages as much as I do myself Surely these men were ex-Fenians. Was that society pretty strong in Clare ? I do not know. Can you form any opinion? No; I have no means of forming an opinion. Were there any signatures of persons residing in Paris to that document? I do not know. I am sorry I did not bring the parchment to court with me. Were there any signatures from foreign parts ? I cannot say ; I have not seen the parchment for some time. Was the signature of a man called Patrick Casey among them? I do not remember; but you will have the document. , The Attorney-General. — Bring it with you to-morrow, please. Sir C. Russell. — Do you recognize the name ? I do not remember whether or not the name is on the document. Do you know who Patrick Casey is ? No, I do not. Do you mean to say that you have never heard of him ? No, I do not mean to say that ; but I have no knowledge of Him. I have never seen him. 19 296 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Do you know that he is a professed dynamitard? No, I do not. Do you not know that Mulqueeny went to Paris to get the signature of that man — aye or no? Well, now that you mention it, I think it is possi- ble. I do not remember it, but it is possible. Did you send him for that purpose ? No, I did not. Have you given Mulqueeny money?, I have often given him money. Did you pay the expenses of his journey to Paris ? I should think not. Do you say "No?" It is very likely if he asked me for the money afterwards that I paid it. Do you recollect that he asked you ? No. What did you give Mulqueeny money for? I took a liking to the man. He was extremely use- ful to me at the time of the election and I liked him and his father, and when they wanted money I gave it to them. I have very often given money to Irishmen. Did you meet at the house of Mrs. Lynch any persons besides those who signed this paper ? I cannot recollect any names, but I remember what occurred. I explained my views upon politics and dwelt on the advantages to be derived from sup- porting the Liberal party. Is this address framed and glazed ? No ; it is on parchment. Did Mulqueeny tell you whether he had seen CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 297 Casey or not when he came back from Paris ? I do not remember the name of Casey. Did he tell you he had been over ? I have no doubt he did ; but I do not remember. What did he tell you he had been over for ? It was not the only time he went to Paris. He went to Paris for a definite purpose, after which you paid his expenses? That I paid his expenses is not so likely as that I gave him a lump sum of money. Now I have asked you about one statement, the statement made to you by Mulqueeny with reference to the Byrne letter. Did you in the winter of 1885-86 make any other statement, or was any other statement made to you ? Of what nature ? Was any statement made to you by any one in the winter of 1885 suggesting that there were let- ters compromising Mr. Parnell? I do not re- member. Did you hear any one state at any time in the winter of 1885-86 that there were some American Fenians in London who were hostile to Mr. Par- nell, and who held documents supposed to com- promise him ? Do not answer without thinking. I have not the slightest intention of doing so. I remember perfectly telling Mr. Parnell that I had heard there were Irish-Americans in London at one time, but I have no recollection whatever of saying that they were hostile to him, or that they 298 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. held compromising documents. I may have said that they were hostile to him, because I believe they were hostile to him ; but I do not remember the other matter. You believed that the Fenian body were opposed to his policy? Well, I mean the men who might come here for the purpose of promo- ting outrages. I believed Mr. Parnell to be abso- lutely free from any connivance at outrage. You believed these men to be opposed to his policy? Of course, if his policy was not dyna- mite, and they came over with dynamite, they were opposed to his policy. You believe he was opposed to dynamite ? Most certainly, I believe Mr Parnell was opposed to the policy of dynamite and of outrage. Up to the end of June, 1886, I was perfectly confident that Mr. Parnell was a man of the highest honor. And were perfectly confident that he had a sincere desire to follow out his agitation on con- stitutional lines ? Certainly. I was a member of his party myself. It is only within the last two or three months that 1 saw a correspondence be- tween Mr. Herbert Gladstone and Mr. Arnold Forster, in which Mr. Forster stated that Mr. Par- nell had been in constant communication with Sheridan at the time that Sheridan was organizing crime. I was so astounded at the statement that I wrote to Mr. Arnold Forster to ask him about it. I did not believe that he had had anything to do CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 299 With Sheridan. He told me so often, and I be- lieved it, even after I believed nothing else. I am now speaking, of course, with regard to Sheridan only. Now, I wish to know what altered your opinion in July, 1886? Negotiations took place at that time, previous to the division on the second read- ing of the Home Rule Bill, and certain things came to my knowledge at that time which abso- lutely destroyed the good opinion I had hitherto held of Mr. Parnell. Tell us anything whatever with regard to Sheri- dan which came to your knowledge. Mr. Parnell wishes you to state fully anything ; you said you changed the opinion which you had held of Mr. Parnell up to June and July, 1886, in reference to Sheridan. No, no; I changed it owing to some- thing which came out during these negotiations ; but I did not say it was on account of anything connected with Sheridan. I beg your pardon. You said you had told him that there were American Fenians in London who were hostile to him. The President. — He has never used the word Fenians. I noticed that what he spoke of was American-Irish. CHAPTER XXL ABOUT ADVANCED NATIONALISTS. Sir C. Russell. — ^When you talk of advanced Nationalists do you not mean to convey the Fenians ? Not necessarily, because there are other organizations — the Clan-na-Gael and others. When you talk of the old Nationalists do you mean the old Fenians ? Yes ; a very different class of men from the dynamitards and Invincibles. Who gave you the information that there were American-Irish who were in London and were hostile to Mr. Parnell ? I did not say there were American-Irish here who were hostile to him. I did not qualify it in that way ; I am sure I should not have done so. I do not know who told me. Do not know who told you? Try and re- member. It is a very long time ago, and I do not suppose that I attached much importance to it. But we do. Who told you ? Very likely Mul- queeny told me something about it. It might have been in conversation. I believed they were hostile. Did he tell you where they were, or where they were staying ? No ; but he told me he had been threatened by one. 3Po CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 3OI Did you make any further inquiries ? ^ No. I must press you ; did you not tell Mr. Parnell at the time I refer to — namely, in the winter of 1885-86, that American-Irish were in London and had letters compromising Mr. Parnell ? I will swear that I did not say anything about letters relating to Mr. Parnell ; that is, with as great certainty as a man can swear to anything so long ago. To the very best of my belief, I did not say anything about letters. You say that Mulqueeny told you that one of these men threatened him ? Yes. Did he give you the man's name ? Yes. Go on. I am not quite sure whether he told me it was one of those men, or another man who had threatened him. What was the name ? I think he mentioned the name of a General Carroll Thalis, or some such name. As being one of the men in London ? No, as being one of the men who threatened him. Who was the other ? Not an American. What was his name ? I do not know, but I think he was a civil engineer. Was his name Hayes ? I think it was. And did you know him, sir ? Yes. Why did you not tell us at once ? Because it had gone out of my head ; I was not certain. What is Hayes ? I am told he was a civil engi- neer. 302 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Is he an American ? I do not know anything about him. What did Mulqueeny report to you about him ? He reported to me that he had seen him, had gone to see him at an hotel, and had been threatened by him, chiefly about the testimonial made to me. Mulqueeny got a letter telling him to go and see him. Where ? I think in Covent Garden. The Bedford Hotel, perhaps ? I do not know. And he went ? Yes ; and saw this man or men, and they threatened him, if I remember rightly, on account of this testimonial or declaration of mine. Is Hayes an Irish-American or not? I know nothing about him except that I have been told he is a civil engineer. Did Mulqueeny tell you what he was ? He told me that he was a civil engineer. Well, when he came to tell you this story, you asked him who Hayes was? He told me that Hayes was a civil engineer, and, I believe, estab- lished in London. Well, what had a civil engineer established in London to do with any testimonial presented to you ? I do not know. I presume it was owing to some action taken by some of my enemies who prevailed on these people to act in this way. I am asking you, did you not inquire from Mul- queeny what he was ? He told me he was a civil engineer. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 303 Did you not ask him what party in politics he belonged to ? He told me he was a very violent man. Did he tell you that Hayes was an emissary from New York ? No ; I think he told me that Hayes lived in London. Did you see Hayes ? No. Are you certain ? Yes, I am certain I did not. Did you know he was supposed to be implica- ted in the attack on London Bridge? Yes, I had heard that. You had no doubt, I suppose, what his charac- ter was ? He was evidently very much opposed to me, for one thing. Did he mention any other name to you ? Yes, this General Carroll Thalis, or whatever his name was. Any other name ? I do not recollect. Do you recollect the name of Cassidy ? No. Do you know anybody of that name ? No. Did you visit the hotel in Covent Garden? No, I did not. Are you certain ? Yes, I am certain I did not. You say you are certain that you did not visit any hotel in Covent Garden at that time ? I am certain — that is, with regard to these people. I may have gone to an hotel in Covent Garden in the whole of that year. In reference to seeing any persons whom Mul- queeny had mentioned to you ? Never. 304 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. What hotel do you suggest that you went to ? I did not suggest that I went to any hotel. I say that in the whole year I may^ossibly have called at an hotel in Covent Garden. The reason I stopped to guard myself in this matter was that I remember going to call on Mr. Edward Dwyer Gray and Mr. Daniel Gabbett also, at an hotel in Covent Garden. And with that exception you did not call at an hotel in Covent Garden ? I swear it. After you had heard from Mulqueeny of the presence of this General Carroll Thalis, or some such name, and of Hayes, civil engineer, did you send Mulqueeny to Paris ? I have not the slight- est recollection of doing so. Did you send him there to give a warning to Casey? No; I never had any intention of warn- ing Casey. Did you send Mulqueeny to give a warning to Casey? No, certainly not. Did you send him to Paris after you became aware of the presence of the American-Irish in Covent Garden ? I cannot remember that I did anything of the kind. To the best of my belief I did not That is a thing you would recollect. You. are positive you did not, are you ? Yes, I am posi- tive ; I have no recollection of doing so whatever. Are you able to say positively you did not? Yes, I say positively I did not. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 305 It IS not an event that occurs every day, to send Mr. Mulqueeny to Paris ; you are able to say positively you did not ? Oh, yes, I am sure I did not. Have you kept up your intimacy with Mul- queeny? Not exactly an intimacy; I had not seen him for a long time, until some months. ago, and had just come back from abroad and met him in Cannon Street, and he told me of his father^s death, and I think I have seen him since then — once in July and twice since. Since the political events of 1885-86, Captain O'Shea, when you tell us that you were badly treated by Mr. Parnell, have you threatened him ? How do you mean, threatened him — threatened Mr. Parnell ? I am not talking about personal violence. Do you mean have I threatened him with retribution ? Threatened. Answer my question. No, I do not know that I have. I may have been angry ; certainly I was angry with him when I turned him out of my room in the Shelbourne Hotel in Dub- lin ; but I did nothing that could be called a threat. That incident occurred either at the end of Oc- tober or the beginning of November, 1885. Will you just explain how you turned Mr. Par- nell out of your room ? I told him the sooner he went, the better I should be pleased, and that I did not Want to see him again. I did not use any force. 306 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Have you said you would be revenged on Mr. Parnell ? I do not remember the expression. Will you swear you did not ? No ; because one says so many things when one is angry ; but I do not remember saying anything about revenge ; I never have been revenged, at all events. Have you said that you had a shell, charged with dynamite, to blow him up? I should say not. What kind of shell ? I do not know. I am not suggesting it was really dynamite. Oh, no. When did you first hear of the letter which is called the fac-simile letter ? When I saw it in The Times on the day it was published. I saw the letter itself for the first time last Wednesday. I presume it was at Mr. Soames' office ? Yes. And you had not heard from any one, until that letter appeared, a suggestion made (excluding the Frank Byrne letter) that there were any letters in existence compromising Mr. Parnell ? No, I was astounded when I saw it. At this point the Court adjourned for luncheon. On its reassembling Sir Charles Russell continued his cross-examination of Captain O'Shea. You were understood to say that except the statement made to you by Mulqueeny, which rela- ted to the Byrne letter, you had heard no state- ment from any one and made no statement yourself as to any other compromising letters and documents? Then I was not distinctly CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 307 understood. I never said that I had not spoken about them. Am I to understand you that, though you can- not recollect the persons or person, you did hear that there were in existence compromising docu- ments or a compromising document? Are you talking about the Byrne letter ? No ; you have told us you did hear of that let- ter. I am not troubling any more about that. My question was, first of all, did you hear from any one and at any time before the publication of the fac-simile letter that there were in existence any letters or documents of a compromising char- acter ? That is what I answered you before I left the Court, that I do not think I did so. Is it that you do not recollect, or do not think, or are you in a position to say positively that you did not ? I am as positive as possible that I never spoke about compromising documents. Nor do I remember any one speaking to me of there being in existence compromising documents. In fact, in other words, I know nothing about these letters. I am not talking about these letters particularly. There are many more. Oh, yes. Any letters? I have had nothing to do with any letters. You do not appreciate my point. Did you until the publication of the fac-simile letter have it suggested to you by any one that there were in &^ ^ •V.«' CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 309 existence compromising letters ? To the best of my belief, no. Very well, you are pretty positive about that ? Yes. You have spoken about your acquaintance with the advanced Nationalists. You say they are the old Nationalist party, who are opposed to out- rage? Certainly. The Physical Force party ? The men who con- sidered that they could fight their country's battle on the hillside against the British forces. They were not persons who went in, or pro- fessed to go in, for assassination ? On the con- trary, they always spoke of it to me with the greatest abhorrence. Some names have been mentioned here, among others, John O'Leary. Was he an advocate of assassination ? On the contrary, as far as I am aware. Was not, in point of fact, the policy, if it can be so called, of that Physical Force, or Hillside party, opposed to the constitutional party altogether ? I mean up to a certain point ? Most decidedly. And you are aware, are you not, that for years after, in fact, up to the present time, the Fenians have been among the most strenuous opponents of Mr. Parnell's party? Certainly; I kept them apart as long as I could in county Clare. How do you mean, '* Kept them apart in county Clare?'* I pointed out the folly of their ideas, 3IO CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. and always considered It well that they should not join the Land League. Among your reasons was one that the Land League was hostile to yourself? Certainly. You have not made any concealment of your influence with that party ? I do not, in the least, say here, or ascribe to myself, any influence with that party. What I do say is that there are a num- ber of men in county Clare who have not only given me cordial support, but have shown me the greatest personal devotion. I am always proud .of the support of those honest, honorable men. You have expressed those opinions to Mr. Chamberlain ? I expressed those opinions every- where. Then probably to him ? Probably. I may have expressed them to you. It is a matter of such common conversation. Up to May-June, 1886, you told us you believed in Mr. Parnell's honor, and that you knew he was opposed to outrage ? Certainly. And you stated that you knew he was opposed, and always had been supposed to be opposed to outrages. You continued of that opinion until a much later date ? Yes. And I think you fixed the date of the change of opinion upon the question of outrage at the ap- pearance of Mr. Arnold Forster's letter? No ; I await the judgment of the Commission. I have quite an open mind upon the subject. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL, 3 1 1 Then, so far as concerns yourself, you have not, so far as Mr. Parn ell's attitude towards outrage is concerned, altered your opinion ? I have altered my opinion regarding Mr. Parnell, and, of course, that must affect a man's mind. 20 CHAPTER XXII. CHAMBERLAIN^S LOCAL GOVERNMENT SCHEME. Was it the fact, also, that in the Home Rule dis- cussion you were very anxious to get Mr. Parn ell's support for the modified or local government scheme of Mr. Chamberlain ? The what ? The Home Rule scheme of Mr. Chamberlain ? No ; that was not at all the scope of any nego- tiations at the time. Sir C. Russell. — I am not talking of any nego- tiation. Witness. — The Home Rule Bill had nothing to do with local government. Sir C. Russell. — Were you or were you not in favor of Mr. Chamberlain's local government scheme? The local government scheme had nothing to do with the question. The President. — Are the witness's opinions on such a subject material to our inquiry ? Sir C. Russell. — As a matter of opinion, cer- tainly ; as a matter of conduct, no. Mr. Justice A. L. Smith. — ^Why, as a matter of opinion, certainly ? 312 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 313 Sir C. Russell.— Because it explains the po- sition he took up ; but I do not think I should be asked to give my reasons for a question asked in cross-examination at this stage. The President.— The object of my interposi- tion was to see the relevancy of the question. Sir C. Russell. — I do not think it irrelevant ; but it is not a first-class matter, and I must ask par- don if I was a little brusque in an observation I made just now. All I want to do is to explain that the question put to the witness was one I was justified in putting. To witness — You took Mr. Chamber- lain's side in the discussion. You declined to vote for the Home Rule Bill. That is a fact, is it not? That is a fact ; but not for the reason you have just stated. Sir C. Russell. — I have not given any reason. Witness — You suggested the matter of local government. Sir C. Russell.— Well, were not Mr. Chamber- lain's opinions in the direction of a Local Govern- ment Bill ? Certainly not. ^ Very well, we differ about that. It was after the incident of May-June, 1886, that you altered your opinion of Mr. Parnell ? Yes. You have told us quite candidly you are await- ing the judgment of the Commission. Am I wrong in saying that you made a reference to Mr. Arnold Forster's letter ? I spoke to you about it in the course of my cross-examination. 314 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. In which you stated you were astonished at it ? Yes. So much so, that I had an interview with him about it. In relation to your negotiations with the Govern- ment — when did those begin ? In the year 1881. I would like to remind you, my Lords, who may not recollect it, the state of things was that there was the Coercion Act of 188 1 in operation. The Attorney-General. — You mean Mr. Forster's Act ? Sir C. Russell. — Certainly. The Attorney-General. — ^The suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act. Sir C. Russell. — It was not generally called that. It was called the Protection of Life and Property Act. Was that so ? Witness. — Yes. The Land Bill that afterwards passed was under discussion ? Yes. You are aware that there were some three or four very important points for which the Irish members were contending in relation to the Land Bill. First of all, a comprehensive scheme for arrears ; next, that the improvement, or Healy clauses, as they were subsequently to be called, should be framed so as to prevent the possibility of the tenants' improvements being taxed ; and, next, the inclusion of leaseholders. Those were three important points, were they not? Yes, the last I considered very important, indeed, and I supported it to the utmost in my power. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 315 However, the Bill was passed without any of those points being dealt with ? The Healy clause was there. Without being dealt with in the way the Irish members wished? Yes. There was another point they were anxious about — the strengthening of the Bright clauses of the Act of 1870, so as to enable the tenants to more easily acquire their own holdings? Yes. When you entered into communication, as you call it, with the government, was that with Mr. Parnell's knowledge in the first instance? At his request. In the first instance ? Or was it after you had written ? Witness. — In 1 88 1 ? Sir C. Russell. — Yes. Witness. — What I offered to Mr. Parnell was that if the Land League were broken up Those words were put forward? I am not quite sure. What were the words then? The chief condition was that the Land League should be broken up on condition of the Irish landlords reducing their rents within a certain time, and that they should get compensation from the Ex- chequer. Well ? That was the principal proposal. The whole proposal at that time ? Certainly. By letter, was it not ? Certainly. 3l6 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. At all events, you communicated Mr. Parnell's principal point by letter ? Yes, by letter, the prin- cipal part of which was that point. I do not say other points may not have been mentioned. That was a letter to Mr. Gladstone? Yes. Do you suggest the phrase was used of *' break- ing up the Land League " ? I certainly used it to Mr. Gladstone — dissolve the Land League. In your letter ? The letter was written after my conversation with Mr. Gladstone. He said, 'Tt is a very serious matter, and must be put before my colleagues." He said, ** Put it down," and I put it down. In that letter ? I cannot say. That was the only communication you had with Mr. Gladstone ? At what time ? At that time. Yes. All the rest was the communications which re- sulted in the release of certain persons from Kil- mainham and which passed through yourself, and your principal medium of communication was Mr. Chamberlain ? Oh, yes, but Mr. Chamberlain did not come in until the communications were put on foot by Mr. Gladstone, when I re-opened the com- munications with Mr. Gladstone in 1882 ; and it was subsequent to this, when the communications were entertained, that Mr. Gladstone delegated to Mr. Chamberlain, who knew nothing about the matter before, the business with me. I use the words ** communications" and "business" because CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 317 I believe Mr. Gladstone objects to the word " ne- gotiations." Sir C. Russell. — ^That is rather what I put to you — that after the re-introduction of the matter, the renewed negotiation was with Mr. Chamber- lain ? Yes, that is after the matter was taken up again. What date do you fix as the beginning of the renewal of these negotiations ? An early date in April. Was that renewal without any communication with Mr. Parnell ? Yes. Or without any communication with any of his colleagues ? Yes. Entirely upon your own motion ? Yes. And the first intimation, as I understand, was made to Mr. Parnell on the occasion of his being allowed out on parole to attend the funeral of his relation ? Yes. Now, as regards the conversation, I think you say you had, I wish to make this clear. Is it not true that, when you mentioned the question of re- lease, Mr. iParnell said that that must not even be discussed, or in any shape or way made a condi- tion? Certainly, that was the case, and on the other side there was no bargain. Of course, one takes those things with a grain of salt, but that was the declaration on both sides. Did not you understand that Mr. Parnell was most anxious as to the peace of the country, and 3l8 CHARLES STEWART PARNELt^ that, among other things, the Arrears Bill should be settled ? Certainly. Is it not the fact that in every reference that he made to the attempts to put down outrages he referred to the proposed measure of the Govern- ment as one which would help to tranquillize the country ? Certainly. And you agreed with him ? Yes, having no knowledge as to what the Land League was myself. Do you see any reason to differ from him now ? No, and I have had codsiderable experience of Irish tenants myself What was the date at which the memorandum in Mr. Chamberlain's handwriting was written out ; is the date on it in pencil correct? I cannot say. When was that date put upon it ? I have no doubt at the time. The Attorney-General. — What is the date ? Witness. — April 22, 1882. It must have been either the 2 2d or 23d. Sir C. Russell. — Was that document left with you ? Yes. Did you interchange any copy of it with Mn Chamberlain ? No ; I wrote a note in reply to it. Repeating it ? Yes. There may have been a little, alteration in the words, but substantially the same. Now, with reference to the discussion at Elthani, was anything discussed between you except the CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 319 Arrears Bill ? Oh, yes ; there must have been a great deal more. Are you able to say there was ? Certainly. Was that the principal subject of discussion ? The Arrears Bill, the general arrangement, and what would come out of it. ^ You were aware that Mr. Parnell had drafted in Kilmainham a Bill dealing with that question ? Yes. That was the Bill which was introduced on a Wednesday? Yes. When he, in his letter of April, refers to Wed- nesday's proceedings being satisfactory so far as they went, he refers to that Bill ? It certainly meant that. Did it mean anything else than that ? I mean you shook your head as if there was something more. Yes. The Arrears Bill was not the only matter of discussion, and although the Bill was brought in on the Wednesday everything was going on very satisfactorily. No, no. He says ** Wednesday's proceedings were very satisfactory so far as they went.'* That referred to the Bill introduced on the Wednesday ? Well, not only. That referred to the way in which it had, by arrangement, been received. Now, whatever the discussions between you and Mr. Parnell were, they were ultimately em- bodied in that letter which was afterwards read in the House of Commons ? Yes. 320 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. That is the document, is it not, which you your- self gave to Mr. Parnell ? (The document was handed to the witness.) I do not know that it is. It is in my handwriting. Sir C. Russell.— Your Lordships will recollect a portion of the letter was not read. It is headed "private and confidential," Kilmainham. It stops at the words '* outrages and intimidation of all kinds." The President. — Without the reference to the Liberal party ? Sir C. Russell. — Yes. Sir C. Russell then read the letter as it is set out above down to the words *' outrages and in- timidation of all kinds." Sir C. Russell. — At that discussion do you recollect Mr. Parnell suggesting it would be far better to allow him and his colleagues to remain where they were for a few months more till the Arrears Bill was passed ? No. Did he say it ? I should think certainly not. Do you say that he did not ? No. I do not recollect it. Did not Mr. Parnell tell you, and did not you know apart from his telling you, that the "No-rent" manifesto had been in point of fact a dead letter for some time? — No. It was not satisfactory to myself or to others that no statement had been made on that point. Did Mr. Parnell state to you that in point of CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 321 fact the "No- rent" manifesto had been for a month at least a dead letter ? — I do not remember his saying so to me then. Did he say so to you in Kilmainham ? — Yes, certainly. You have said that Mr. Parnell especially stipulated, or desired to stipulate, that Mr. Davitt's release should be delayed until he saw him ? — Certainly. Di^ he tell you why ? — Yes, because he wanted to see him before anybody else did. Yes, but did he tell you why ? — He wanted to see Mr. Davitt before anybody else did in order to explain to him the situation and policy. Did he express any fear that Mr. Davitt might refuse to accept his release on a ticket-of-leave ? I should think that that must have been after- wards. I ask you whether that was not so at the time ? — Certainly nothing of the kind. The statement he made was what I have just said — that he wanted to see Mr. Davitt before anybody else did in order to talk politics over with him. I am asking you was it not mentioned by him whether Mr. Davitt would accept release on ticket-of-leave ? — No. You are clear about that ? — Certainly. In discussing the release of other persons who were prisoners, do you recollect him saying any- thing about the desirability of his being able to 322 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. communicate with all of the executive of the Land League together? — I cannot remember any such broad statement as that. I mean those men of whom he was speaking? — I do not remember him saying he wanted to see the whole of the executive of the Land League. I mean persons more or less in authority in the League? — I presume they were not all in gaol. I am speaking of those who are in gaol.-^-He wanted Egan to return to England before the release of Boyton and Sheridan. And Brennan ? — No. What did he say about Brennan? — He said there were some men it would be advisable not to let out. And Brennan was one of them ? — Yes. Who else ? — I do not know. Did you ask him who they were ? — Certainly I did. What did he say ? — He said there were some men it would be injurious to let out. Did you ask him who they were ? — One was Brennan, but I do not remember the others. Were there more than one ? — I cannot remem- ber the name of anybody except Brennan. I cannot remember how many there were, but there were more than one. Very well. I think you stated that you dis- cussed this matter with Mr. Chamberlain. Have CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 323 you any memoranda ? — ^The bulk of the memo- randa relating to the matter were destroyed in 1883, at a time when there was a danger of a Select Committee of the House of Commons having to be appointed to inquire into the Kil- mainham Treaty. Was that done at Mr. ParnelVs suggestion ? — No. Or Mr. Chamberlain*s ? — No. Or yours ? — No. It was suggested to me that it was politically expedient that the utmost re- ticence should be kept upon the subject. By whom ? — By Sir William Harcourt. (Loud laughter.) He stated that it was the opinion of another person — Mr. Gladstone. The President. — ^This is the first occasion on which there has been any manifestation of feeling, and I take the opportunity of stating that I must request that everybody will refrain from any exhibition of the sort in the future. Sir C. Russell. — Was it then that you de- stroyed the memoranda ? — Yes. How is it that you have the memoranda which passed between you and Mr. Chamberlain? — A certain number of the memoranda were in a box, and I did not find them until afterwards. Perhaps the most important lot ? — Certainly not the most important to me. Sir C. Russell, to the Secretary. — ^Will you give me the letters put to the witness on the 324 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. question of handwriting ? (To witness.) Would you repeat the statement about Sir William Har- cou'rt ? My learned friend behind me desires it. Witness. — There was a danger impending that the government would have to agree to appoint a Select Committee of the House of Commons to inquire into the circumstances of the Kilmainham Treaty, and I was informed by Sir William Har- court that it was Mr. Gladstone's wish that I should be as reticent as possible on the matter, as it was expedient politically to be so. Is that the whole of the matter ? — Yes, that is the whole of the matter. And upon that you destroyed the documents in your possession ? — Yes, and other documents were destroyed also. ' Had you the name of being a gabbler or a bab- bler that you had to be warned to be reticent ? Why did Sir William Harcourt come to warn you to be reticent ? — That you had better ask of Sir William Harcourt himself. (To the Commis- sioners.) My Lords, I have a correction I should like to make. On thinking over some of the questions of Sir Charles Russell, I think I spoke rather too positively, because it has come back to my mind that Mr. Parnell did speak of the possible refusal of Mr. Davitt to accept a ticket- of-leave. On the Thursday I went to Sir William Harcourt in reference to Mr. Davitt's release standing over till the Saturday. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 325 What was the reason given for postponing Mr. Davitt's release? — The reason given for that was that Mr. Parnell should have an opportunity of going down to Dartmoor. Was that with a view to meet the possible objection on the part of Mr. Davitt that you have mentioned ? — It is possible that that was one of the reasons. I believe the real reason was that Mr. Parnell wanted to see Mr. Davitt before he was released. Was that the reason given by Mr. Parnell for his journey to Dartmoor ? — I am not certain that he did not mention that as a reason. It was not the only one. Did he give any other ? — Yes, that he wanted to see him first. Have you ever stated with reference to these negotiations that you were led to expect that you would be made Chief Secretary for Ireland? — No. Did Mr. Chamberlain ever promise you that you would be made Chief Secretary ? — No. Nor intimate it to you? — ^That if the local government scheme had been adopted, he would have thought of it. I believe a baronetcy was spoken of? — Never. I have never heard of such a notion before, ex- cept from some scurrilous speakers in Galway during the Galway election. I never made any reference to such a thing myself. 326 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. You have corrected one serious misstatement — namely, the statement made by the Attorney- General that Mr. Parnell was opposed to signing the manifesto with reference to the Phcenix Park murders. That is not true? — It is an absolute mistake, as I have stated just now. On the contrary, did you not know that Mr. Parnell was so stunned and shocked by that crime that he was actually contemplating retiring from public life ? — Yes, I took his letter to Mr. Gladstone that morning offering to retire from public life. You knew enough of the political situation of the moment to know that a more cruel blow at Mr. Parnell's policy and the interests of the people you were both representing in Parlia- ment, could not have been struck? — So I con- sidered it. And consider it so still ? — Certainly. How many letters have you received from Mr. Parnell altogether ? About a dozen ? — Oh, a great many. How many would you say?— I really cannot say. A great many. Have you received a dozen ? — Yes, certainly, and a great many more. Have you got them? — No. I very seldom keep letters. Have you half a dozen of them? — No. Have you any ?— Yes, I have. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 327 How many? — I do not know. I cannot tell you. Two or three ? — Yes, more. You say you have received a dozen letters from Mr. Parnell? — Certainly, and an immense deal more, but I really cannot tell how many. I was on intimate terms with Mr. Parnell for several years, and to talk of only a dozen letters passing between us is absolute folly. The number must have been largely in excess of that. When were you first asked your opinion about the handwriting of these letters? — On Wednesday. By whom ? — I went to Mr. Soames*s office, and they were there shown to me. With whom did you go? — By myself The letters were shown to me by a gentleman in the office — probably Mr. Soames's managing clerk. You had not seen the originals before ? — Never. Of none of them. ^ Did you perceive any sign of any attempt at dissimulation in the character of the handwriting? —No. Did all the letters occur to your mind as being natural and genuine ? — Yes. I have a very strong opinion on that. That they are ? — Yes. Do you feel equally strongly as to all of them? — I observed differences. 21 328 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Will you take them in your hand and select those of the batch which you think are different ? — I may say that I had no intention of giving evidence with regard to these letters at all. My question was this — Does the signature in any one of these letters strike you as being more clearly in Mr. Parnell's handwriting than the others ? Or is your evidence equally strong as to all ? — I believe they have all been written by Mr. Parnell. If these letters had come to me I should have said they were written by Mr. Par- nell ; but I am really no judge in the matter. I am not asking you as a expert. Does it strike you that there are any of these letters as to which you would have a stronger opinion than as to the others ? — I think they are written by Mr. Parnell, and I cannot say any more than that. My question is — Are there any of these letters, or signatures, which appear to you more strongly like Mr. Parnell's handwriting than others? If you cannot answer the question say so, 'and I will proceed — The President. — May I be allowed. Sir Charles, to suggest another form of putting the question? Are there any of the signatures as to which he has any doubt ? Sir C. Russell. — Yes, my Lord, but I should prefer to have an answer to the question as I put it. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. The President. — You are referring him to an imaginary standard. Sir C. Russell. — Quite so, my Lord ; but it is a standard which each man forms in his mind. (To the witness.) What do you say ? — I do not know. As I have said, I am not an expert. No, and I am not going to trouble you to enter into a minute criticism of the writing. I want to know whether your opinion is equally strong upon every one of the letters? — Yes, I under- stand the question, but my difficulty is in answer- ing it. I think the handwriting is Mr. ParneH's, and I cannot say more than that. I will repeat the question once more. Do all the letters seem to you to be equally unmistak- ably in the handwriting of Mr. Parnell, or are there any that strike you as less likely to be so than others? — I cannot answer the question. They all seem to me to be in his handwriting. Very well. Now, you recollect the appearance of the fac-simile letter in The Times? — Yes. Have you ever discussed with any one the question of how The Times got it?— I have often spoken about it, but I have never discussed with any one how The Times got it, because I do not know. Not even how they might have got it ? — I have heard various statements made about it in con- versation. 830 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Just tell US what they were ? — I cannot, really. It is impossible. Tell us, in substance, what where the sugges- tions you discussed and made as to how The Times got the letter. — I have seen various theories started about it in the newspapers. What were they ? — I do not know now. Have you ever made any suggestion on the subject yourself? — No. Did you hear any suggestion made as to whom it was addressed to ? — There is one which com- mences " Dear E.'* Do you take that to mean Mr. Egan ? — Yes. I am now talking about the fac-simile letter ? — I have never heard any suggestion as to whom that might be addressed. Nor formed an opinion yourself? — No. At first when I saw the letter I did not think it was genuine. My idea was that if you told a corre- spondent to show a letter to a man, and at the same time told him not to let him know your ad- dress, it would be rather insulting to him. Did you suppose that the signature had been first obtained and the letter written above it ? — No, I did not think anything about it. Why did you believe the letter not to be gen- uine ? — I could not understand why a man should say, "You can show him this letter, but do not tell him my address." CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 331 Is that the only reason why you thought it was not genuine ? — That was the only reason. Although you had no doubt about the hand- writing? — I had no doubt about the signature. Can you suggest anybody as the writer of the body of the letter or letters ? — No. Do you know the handwriting of Mr. Camp- bell, Mr. Parnell's secretary? — I have often re- ceived letters from him about the meetings of a company of which he and I were directors. A land company was it not ? — ^Yes, but I have not got any of the letters. An emigration land company was it not? — Well, you ought to know as you were a director, (Laughter.) Take these letters in your hand and tell me whether the body of any of them is in Mr. Camp- bell's handwriting ? — I do not know, I cannot tell. Just turn them over and look at them ? — I have looked at them. Are you speaking of all the letters ?— Any of them. Is there any one in Mr. Campbell's handwriting ? — As well as I know Mr. Campbell's handwriting, I cannot say anything of the kind. As to that you will express no opinion? — I know nothing about them. There are only two other points I want to ask you anything about. You say Mr. Parneli asked you to have police protection for himself? — ^Yes. 332 ' CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Are you certain of that ? — Absolutely certain. Did you not get police protection for your own house ? — Yes. Did you not get police protection for your own rooms at Albert-mansions ? — Yes. Do you suggest that beyond watching your house where Mr. Parnell was staying, that Mr. Parnell was watched or followed by police ?— Certainly, that is to say, Sir William Harcourt told me he should have them. Police in uniform or detectives? — I do not know. I asked for police protection. Did you at the same time ask for police protec- tion for Albert-mansions ? — Yes. Where you lived? Mr. Parnell did not stay there?— No. Then I understand you asked for three things — you asked for police protection for your house, for personal protection for Mr. Parnell, and police protection for your rooms in Albert-mansions ? — I do not know whether it was for Albert-mansions. I was promised that I should be looked after. Do you recollect a discussion in the House of Commons as to certain interviews you had with Mr. Forster ? — ^Yes. It IS suggested to me that you had police pro- tection in 1886 at Albert-mansions. Is that so? — Not that I know of, but one does not always know what the police do. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 333 I believe you wrote a letter to The Times news- paper on May i8, 1882?— Yes. Sir C. Russell. — I will read the letter from the Freeman's Journal, where it also appeared. ^'Sir — Lest there should linger in the public mind the slightest misconception as to my repudia- tion of Mr. Forster's public version of my private conversation, I beg that you will insert the follow- ing statement : " My assertion that I had been in frequent com- munication with him, Mr. Forster has had the coolness to describe as incorrect. I retort that, besides previous communications, I talked the whole situation over while walking with him from the House of Commons to the Irish Office, and while standing outside the latter building on Wednesday, the 26th of April. On Friday, the 28th, I walked with him from the Irish Office through the Park to Downing street, stopping several times on the way, as men often do when in earnest conversation. Among the matters of our discussion was a foolish answer which he had drafted to Mr. Cowen's question respecting the imprisoned members, and which he was fortunately not allowed to give in the House of Commons. I had another conversation — 2. short one— with him later in the day, at the Irish Office, and a third interview of some length in his room in the House of Commons, to which I was invited by him through the Irish Solicitor-General, During CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 335 this last one he suggested the best plan for visit- ing Kilmainham unostentatiously. But I confess he appeared nervous and demoralized, and I was obliged to point out and make him correct an extraordinary error in the letter which he handed me, addressed to Captain Barlow, deputy chair- man of the Irish Prisons* Board. That error was nothing less than the substitution of another name for mine in the order for special facilities which he had just written. The order must be in Captain Barlow's possession. Let it be pro- duced, for Mr. Forster's worst enemy cannot suggest its being concocted. ** Now, as to the memorandum alleged by Mr. Forster to represent my conversation with him on April 30. In it he informed the Cabinet that I had used the following words : — * The conspiracy which has been used to get up boycotting and outrages will now be used to put them down.' The following are the facts: — I myself know nothing about the organization of the Land Leao-ue. But I told Mr. Forster that I had been informed by Mr. Parnell the day before that if the arrears question were settled, that organiza- tion would explain the boon to the people and tell them that they ought to assist the operation of the remedial measure in the tranquillization of the country. I added that Mr. Parnell had expressed his belief that Messrs. Davitt, Egan Sheridan, and Boyton would use all their exertions, 336 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. if placed in a position to do so, to advance the pacification, and that Mr. Sheridan's influence was of special importance in the west, owing to the fact that he had been the chief organizer of the Land League in Connaught before his arrest, while Mr. Boyton had held a similar appointment in the province of Leinster. On these points I had heard no more, I knew no more, and I said no more. " Your obedient servant, " William Henry O^Shea. " House of Commons.'* Sir. C. Russell. — That is correct ? — Perfectly correct. You will bring the testimonial to which we have referred into court to-morrow morning ? — Yes. The Attorney-General then asked whether any of the other parties desired to cross-examine the witness, and negative replies being given, he left the box. Mr. Healy then rose and said, — I wish to put a question to Mr. O'Shea. The witness having beei> recalled, Mr. Healy said, — You were opposed at Gal- way by some members of the Irish party, and you went there on a Saturday ? — Yes. Do you remember a paragraph in the Freeman's Journal announcing your candidature ? — Yes. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 337 By the next train you were followed by certain Irish members ? — Yes. Who were they ? — Yourself and Mr. Biggar. We immediately addressed meetings against you, and attacked and denounced you by every means in our power? — Yes. Mr. Healy.— Quite so ;' that is all I want. There was no re-examination of the witness. CHAPTER XXni. THE INFAMOUS LE CARON. And now, passing by days consumed in tedi- ous wranglings and the reading of the public speeches of the accused by the Attorney-General, as well as the evidence of small-fry informers, I come to the 5th of February, when the infamous spy, Le Caron, gave his testimony. On this side of the Atlantic, at least, his career, as he told it on the witness-stand, will be read with deep interest. Major Le Caron, who wore the badge of the Federal Army, was called and examined by the Attorney-General. What is your name ? My baptismal name is Thomas Willis Beach. Where were you born ? I was born in Col- chester. Under what name have you passed during the last number of years ? I have been known for the last twenty-eight years as Henri Le Caron. What is your age ? I am forty-eight years of age. I gather that you have been to the United States. When did you go ? Soon after the breaking out of the war of rebellion in 1861. 338 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 339 Did you enlist in the army ? I did. The American army ? The Northern army. Did you attain any rank in the American army? I did. I entered as a private at the commence- ment of the war, and after serving two years as a private and non-commissioned officer, I became second lieutenant, first lieutenant The President. — ^What did you ultimately be- come? Witness. — I was regimental adjutant with the rank of major. I was known as Major Le Caron. The Attorney-General. — Did you pass con- tinually under that name during the twenty-eight years you were in America ? I did altogether. Were you not known by any other name? Never. Now, you must please answer these questions I am about to put to you directly, either yes or no. In the year 1864 did you become acquainted with a person named John O'Neill ? I did. Captain John O'Neill ? Yes. Did he make any communication to you re- specting the Fenian organization ? He did. In the year 1865 did O'Neill make a communi- cation to you with reference to the invasion of Canada? He did. . Did you communicate with your father ? I did. Now, just answer, yes or no, please. Do you know whether communication was made tp a member of Parliament ? 340 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Sir C. Russell. — Really, my Lords, I must ob- ject to that question. The President. — Of course, we must not get behind that phrase "does he know." The Attorney-General. — Did you yourself communicate with a member of Parliament? I did not. In consequence of a communication made to you did you communicate with the Government ? No. Did you take any part in the expedition against Canada ? I allied myself — — Sir C. Russell. — I must ask, my Lords, whether this is evidence ? The President. — Of course, at present it is not. The Attorney-General. — It is necessary to lead up to subsequent matters. The President. — I do not think that what took place in 1865 can throw much light on the inquiry. The Attorney-General. — Very well, my Lord. (To witness.) Did you at any time join the Fe- nian organization ? I did. In what year? In 1865 or the beginning of 1866. Tell us where you joined it? At Nashville, Tennessee. Had you any office or position in that organiza- tion ? Not at that time. Had you at any time ? Yes. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 341 When ? Would it be permitted to me to state that part of my story ? You had better simply answer my question at present. When did you obtain any office in the Fenian organization? In the spring of 1868. What was the office ? Military organizer. Where ? All over the United States. What was the name of the office in the organi- zation? I was called on the pay-roll of the or- ganization military organizer. I was commissioned with the rank of major in the Irish Republican army. Now, just answer yes or no, please. When you were holding that office, was there a convention at Philadelphia— in 1868? In 1869. What work was being carried out by the organ^ ization in 1 869 ? It was contemplating the invasion of Canada. Did you take any part in the preparations for that ? I did. What? I acted as inspector-general and after- wards as adjutant-general for the Fenian Brother- hood. I was intrusted with the laying of arms and ammunition and war material along the Canadian line of territory. I attended every council of war that was held in the organization. Did you communicate what \(ras going on to the Canadian Government? I communicated every detail to the Canadian Government. Was any descent made on Canada ? There were two— on May 30, 1866, and June 12, 1870. 342 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. One was attempted following upon your efforts to deposit arms along the border ? Yes. Was that the one in June, 1870? Yes. Was that a failurej* Both were lamentable failures. Did you at that time know J. J. O'Kelly? No. When did.you first know Mr. J. J. O'Kelly? Sir C. Russell. — He has not said that he ever knew him. The Attorney-General. — Did you at any time know Mr. J. J. O'Kelly? Personally or by repu- tation ? Personally ? I first met him personally In the House of Commons in the month of March, 1881. Now, only just give me the date, please. When did you first know him by name ? I first heard of him in the year 1875. You say you met Mr. O'Kelly in the House of Commons ; you mean Mr. J. J. O'Kelly, member of Parliament ? I do. What did you do after the invasion ? I returned to the West, completed my studies, and graduated as a doctor of medicine. Did you hear something in connection with the Fenian organization ? Only answer yes or no, please. Yes. Where were you at that time? At that time I was practicing medicine inBraidwood, near Chicago. How far is Braidwood from Chicago? About fifty miles. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 343 Who first made a communication to you about any organization In connection with the old Fenian body ? I first heard of it In New York city, but not in an official way. From whom? In 1875 ^ became acquainted with the fact. 1 only want to know from whom ? Colonel Clingen. Where did he reside ? At Chicago. On hearing of this did you communicate with London ? Yes. With whom ? Did you communicate with the Government or with whom ? With the Government. Did you receive any instructions ? Yes. Did you join the organization? Yes. Who proposed you? Alexander Sullivan, of Chicago. The name of this man your Lordships will find connected with a number of things in this case. He is one of the persons charged. Sir C. Russell. — No, no. He is charged as one with whom the members associated. CHAPTER XXIV. LE CARON JOINS THE ''V. C.'* The Attorney-General. — Very well, an asso^ date and not a member ; that is the distinction, my Lords. (To witness.) Just tell us who Alex- ander Sullivan was ? At that date he was a member of the executive body of the United Brotherhood, a body known as the V. C. I want to ask you, first, had Alexander Sullivan any business ? He was clerk to the Board of Public Works in Chicago, Had you known him before he proposed you ? Yes. How long ? About eleven years. Had he been connected with the Fenian organ- ization or not ? Yes. Do you know whether, prior to 1875, he had been connected with the Fenian organization? I do. Sir C. Russell. — Does he know of his own knowledge ? The Attorney-General. — Do you know of your own knowledge ? Yes. 344 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 345 What was the name of the organization for which you were proposed ? The United Brother- hood. Was it spoken of as the United Brotherhood of the V. C, or in any other way ? Always as the V. C. . Just explain this —V. C. were taken as U. B. ? Yes. That is the letter following the letter which was intended was used ? Yes. So that U would become V, and B would be- come C ? Yes. Do you know the name Clan-na-Gael ? Yes. What was that ? Sir C. Russell. — Does he know what it was ? The Attorney-General. — Do you know of your own knowledge what it w^s ? Yes. It was a secret organization known as the V. C. The V. C. was the same as the Clan-na-Gael, then ? Yes. Now, just tell me a little more about the cipher, please. What would Ireland be ? Jsjti. No, that is *Trish ;" I want to know what Ire- land is ? Jsfmboe. What was the governing authority called ? The F. C. I do not quite know how that was obtained ? From the words Executive Body. That is to say, the E of the Executive became the F, and the B of Body became the C ? Yes, sir. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 34/ Was there any sign for the secretary ? He was known as Y. Treasurer ? — Z. Chairman ? — X. Now, you have said that you were proposed by Sullivan. Do you know whether Alexander Sulli- van was a member of the Executive Body ? On that exact date, no. Was the country divided into districts at all for the purposes of this body ? Yes, sir. How were these districts named or known ? By letters of the alphabet, from A to N. Was there any directory ? Yes, sir. How nominated ? The directory or Executive Body at that time consisted of district members, one in each district, in connection with the chair- man, secretary, and treasurer. How was the district member known ; had he any symbol ? Yes, sir. /What ? A cross. Was a cipher used for him or not ? No, none. D, M, and E. N. at another time. CHAPTER XXV* OBJECTS OF THE ** V. C." And what was the object of this U. B. (United Brotherhood) ? It was to bring about the estab- lishment of an Irish Republic, of an independent Irish Republic in Ireland, and the independence of that nation ; and it was believed that the only method whereby that could be accomplished was by the force of arms. The wretched informer here identified copies of the " Constitution " and by-laws, etc., of the V. C, and under the skillful lead of the Attorney- General brought to the attention of the Royal Commission a large number of documents, copies of which had been sent to him as Senior Guar- dian of the Camp to which he belonged. His story throughout was a most exciting one to the hundreds of thousands of Irishmen here and else- where who were identified with the "United Brotherhood," either directly or indirectly. He told of the secretly arranged plans of " the Ex- ecutive Body " to raise funds, to keep alive the enthusiasm of the rank and file, and of his own 34S CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 349 election as Senior Guardian of Camp 463, Illi- nois. Attempting- to connect Mr. Parnell with the " U. B.," the Attorney-General asked : Do you remember the visit of Mr. Parnell and Mr. Dillon to America in 1880? — I remember it by public report. Do you know whether any other members of Parliament went over with Mr. Parnell and Mr. Dillon in that year ? — I do not know. Did Mr. Healy come at that time ? — I believe he was there at the same time. Did you know, as an officer of the body about which you have told us, who arranged the meet- ings attended by Mr. Parnell, Mr. Dillon, and Mr. Healy ? — Invariably, without exception, during both the western and the eastern tours, the ar- rangements were exclusively in the hands of the leaders of the revolutionary organization. In the hands of the leaders of the United Brotherhood, or Clan-na-Gael ? — :Yes. Tell us whom you mean ? — I mean such men as Alexander Sullivan, J. F. Finerty, Judge Prender- gast, Judge Moran, W. J. Hynes, J. M. Smythe, Joha Devoy, J. D. Breslin, Martin Pigane, James Gallagher, J. D. Garroll, W. D. Carroll, James Tracey, and Fitzgerald. After reading circulars issued by the patriot John Devoy, the Attorney-General continued : Tell us what passed between you and De- ^CQ CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. voy ? — I spent four days with him and had a series of conversations with him. He informed me that it was contemplated by the organization to inaugu- rate a new system of warfare — cold-blooded mur- der and destruction of property. The President. — What organization ? Witness. — Our organization, that to which he and I belonged ? The Attorney-General. — Go on with the con- versation, please. — It was to be a warfare char- acterized by all the rigors of Nihilism. Anything further? — He spoke of the condition of the organization in Ireland. While the execu- tive of the I. R. B. (Irish Republican Brotherhood) were not in favor of inaugurating a movement of this kind, yet it was a very difficult matter to re- restrain the fire-eating element which would be very likely, when evictions commenced, to attack some of the flying columns in portions of the country where the organization was powerful, mentioning particularly the county of Mayo, where he said the organization was more power- ful than in any other part of Ireland. This would result disastrously to those engaged. He also stated that the movement then being inaugurated by O'Donovan Rossa was alienating from our organization some good men whom it was desirable to keep, but who could not be kept unless active operations were commenced. The President. — This is your summary of a CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^cj conversation which passed between you and De- voy during several days ? Witness. — Yes,^ my Lord. The President. — It is his opinion of what Was likely to occur? — Yes, my Lord. The President. — If that is a correct summary of it, I am of opmion that it is inadmissible. The Attorney - General. — The summary scarcely included the first part. The President. — Very well ; 1 cannot exactly follow all he said. The Attorney-General. — I will bring out the point in another way, my Lord. (To Witness.) In 1880 or the beginning of 188 1, had you a con- versation with Alexander Sullivan ? — Yes ; I re- peatedly saw him in the beginning of 188 1. Do you remember seeing Sullivan with Patrick Meleady? — No; I saw Patrick Meleady with John Devoy. Was Alexander Sullivan a member of the ex- ecutive ?-— He was. Was Patrick Meleady ? — He was a prominent member of the United Brotherhood. Did you have any conversation with Sullivan as to any plan of warfare? — Yes; in the begin- ning of 1 88 1. What was it ? — I ascertained The President. — No, no; what did he say? Witness, — Alexander Sullivan told me that tKere was an intention to reorganize the organiza- ^(-2 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. tion, to inaugurate a species of active warfare on this side of the water, and attack the enemy se- cretly and silently whenever an opportunity might present itself. He said that the organization on this side of the water, from some lack of courage of the leaders, .could not be depended upon. Sir C. Russell. — Is England or Ireland re- ferred to ? The President. — He means this side of the water with regard to the Atlantic. Witness (continuing). — He said that opera- tions would be directed from the United States side ; the matter was in good hands, but it would take time to complete. Did you have any conversation with Meleady ? —Yes. Do you remember a man named Whelan being mentioned? — Yes; he was mentioned by Patrick Meleady in company with Colonel Flynn and John Devoy. It was said he had invented and sub- mitted to the New York organization for use a new hand grenade and torpedo, composed of something more explosive than anything at that time known. It was made in a very compact and portable form, so that at least a dozen could be carried in a hand-satchel. By means of a system of time-fuse they could be located in a number of places by the same man, who could be well out of the way before any of them exploded. Patrick CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^53 Meleady also said that he was well acquainted with this side of the water, and he volunteered his services to come over and engage in that part of the work. What part? — Locating and planning matters relating to destruction by dynamite, torpedoes, aod hand-grenades. Where did this conversation with Meleady in Devoy's presence take place ?— It took place in my office, in New York, in the fall of 1880. When you refer to the revolutionary organiza- tion, do you mean the same that you have previ- ously alluded to ? — Yes. You have spoken of a circular which Devoy sent to you; did he lecture in your neighbor- hood ? — Yes. I presided over one of the demon- strations and introduced him. The lecture was given at Braidwood, 111., about the beginning of April, 1 88 1. Do you know whether any of Devoy's lectures at which you were present were reported in any papers ? — I could not say. If I looked over a file of the Irish World I could find them if they were there. How long did Devoy stay with you at Braidr wood? — I saw him at intervals extending over three weeks, and continuously for four days. Do you remember his saying anything about a rising in Ireland? — Yes; he said he anticipated - cj . CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. that if there should be a rising in Ireland it would result disastrously. Did he fear it or expect it ? — He feared that a premature movement would take place. Did he say anything about O' Donovan Rossa ? — Yes. He considered that something should be done to prevent some of the more rabid, who were demanding that "something should be done," from flocking to the standard of Rossa. He said that it would be necessary for us to do something to keep them in the organization. What do you mean by the "standard of Rossa"? — After the Convention of 1879 Rossa was ex- pelled from the organization for malfeasance in office — for misappropriating some $13,000 of the Skirmishing Fund. I understood you to say that he was expelled after the Convention of 1879. — He was a dele- gate at that Convention, and was expelled some year or so after. He then formed an organization bitterly opposed to the leaders of the V. C. (United Brotherhood), desiring to be one himself. He was not a leader of the V. C. (United Brotherhood) after 1879? — No; but he was a member of the United Brotherhood. Following these questions were many which introduced and sought to implicate in the move- ment the Hon. Patrick Egan, U. S. Minister to Chile, the Hon. Thomas Sexton, Lord-Mayor of Dublin, Dr. Kenny, Mr. O'Kelly, T. P. Brennan, V.:^ ^ - 5 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. and other prominent men. The arrival of Patrick Egan was dwelt on repeatedly, and the fact that he was the guest of Alexander Sull,ivan after which Le Caron presented to the Commissioners the following extracts from the Revolutionary Directory to the Senior Guardians : " These instructions are for the exclusive use of S. G.'s (Senior Guardians) only, and are not -to be read or mentioned as being received by any one else under any circumstances whatever, but are to be enforced as coming from the Consti- tution or laws, when they are prohibitory or man- datory. When, however, the suggestions con- tained herein require that some one take the initiative, or when they require organization or action, the S. G. is looked to to put the sug- gestions into operation both by counsel, action, and example. "I. It shall be the duty of the S. G.'s to dili- gently inquire, without informing the parties or any one else, the names and address of the men best fitted for private work of a confidential and dangerous character, and report the same in a list made out or furnished for that purpose to Y (the Secretary), and this list shall be made out at such stated periods as they may be demanded. "2. S. G. will prohibit any and all argument, discussion, or reply to any and all statements or charges^ from any source, affecting the welfare of CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^^7 the organization of which he is to be the judge, either in writing or interview or in any manner whatever by any member of the organization. **3. It shall be the duty of S. G's. to urge or organize military companies, rifle clubs, signal corps, or schools of skirmishers, such as may be best adapted to the locality and the tastes of the men, and they shall report in writing the character, number, and resources of the same. " 4. In cities and towns accessible to navigation it is deemed important to ascertain all the persons skilled in navigation available to the purposes of the organization, and report their names, ex- perience, and character to the foregoing address. •t» •!j» •I' •«• *»» •l» " 6. S. G.'s are instructed to make their places of meeting so far as possible their own property by lease or ownership. Where the same is pos- sible several clubs should be established, the profits to revert to the order. "7. As the successful working, increase in mem- bers, and the resources, is always largely due to the personal exertions of S. G.'s, it is urged that every S. G. be active and energetic in in- creasing the strength and resources of the or- ganization. D.'s (camps) of instruction for officers and D.'s should be held as often as pos- sible, and every man drilled to perfection in his place in the work of meetings. D/s should be ^-g CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. opened promptly, and the work of the order carried out rigidly in order to inculcate fully the spirit and habit of obedience. ****** '* 9. S. G.'s are requested to take such steps as may be practical without increasing expenses to the organization to fully organize every locality within their reach, where there is at present no D., and put the same in complete working order. To fully carry out the spirit of this suggestion the contingent funds of D.*s or private subscriptions is suggested as the best means of furnishing any necessary funds. ** Where possible and practical S. G.'s and other officers and the D.'s in a body are requested as often as possible to interchange visits and social reunions. « :{: « 4: * * "12. Where it is deemed important that some able or distinguished brother might do good by visiting or addressing the D., the S. G. will make the same known to Y. (the Secretary), and where practical or possible their wants will be sup- plied. "13. When possible and practical, and the same can be done without interfering with the work of the organization, it is urged that the open organization (National League) be aided as far as possible. " 14. The complete development and training CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^cg of all branches, military, naval, and civic, likely to be useful in a struggle such as we are waging is deemed of the very highest importance^ and it is made the duty of the S. G/s to spare no effort to make their local organization of whatever nature as effective as possible in some particular branch and art of warfare. ''15. All communications must be carefully destroyed or returned to Y. if so desired, after being read at successive meetings as often as directed. " 16. The following suggestions are made with a view of indicating locations best adapted to particular branches of the art of war, but in every instance S. G.'s will use their own judgment or follow the instincts of their men in adopting the art or branch of war to be cultivated. " The seaports and coast lines for navigation — torpedoes and artillery. " The Western Territories — calvary. " The mining regions — engineering, explosives, and sharpshooting. " The Western States — infantry and artillery. "The Southern States — infantry, cavalry, and artillery. "Where there are more than one D., and less than three they should take each different branches of warfare for study. " In the cities of New York, Brooklyn, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia D.'s might by a mutual ^5o CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. understanding each select some of the technical higher branches — one for telegraphy, one for signals, one for arsenal and repair work, one for commissairies' work, one for scouts and spies, one for general instruction* in the art of wan "In all cases the very you ng^est members should be selected for the schools, as they are more sensitive to new ideas, and more easily learned. When the work is once commenced a thousand suggestions and improvements will oc- cur to the S. G/s of D/s, all of which they are earnestly requested to push forward as rapidly as possible. ** Respectfully and fraternally, "The R. D. (Revolutionary Directory) and F. C. (Executive Body)/' CHAPTER XXVIII. THE LOMASNEY-GALLAGHER " INCIDENTS." Le Caron's testimony about the sad death of Mr. Lomasney is of interest. He was asked: You were saying, in connection with the Mackey Lomasney incident, that the matter was mentioned at the meeting of the Convention in 1888; who were present there? — At that meet- ing ? By name ? Yes. — Luke Dillon, Patrick Egan, Samuel Mor- rice, John Devoy, O'Meagher Condon — That is sufficient for my purpose. Now, what passed, only with reference to this Lomasney in- cident ; what was said about anything being done for his family ? Was any resolution come to ?— ^ Yes, it appears in the official report of the pro- ceedings of that meeting. The discussion was; brought up by the delegate from Detroit, Michi- gan. He cited the amount appropriated s9on after the supposed death of Lomasney for his old father and his wife and children. The Attorney-General. — Will your Lordships permit me to postpone putting in this document 361 -52 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. in order of date ? It is necessary on account of the Lomasney incident being finished in 1888. I try to be chronological. Now I will just read the resolution this gentleman has referred to : — **The case of Mr. Lomasney, whose two sons were sacrificed in the cause of , was then brought to the attention of the Convention. It was ordered unanimously that the executive body be instructed to look after the welfare of the fam- ily." On his cross-examination the spy, Le Caron, was asked : Had you any business in America besides the patriotic business ? — Yes, sir. What was it ? — I have " run " — I practiced medicine soon after graduating. I graduated in the spring session of 1872 as doctor of medicine, and I have practiced medicine at intervals from that time to this. I have also been the proprietor at times of three different chemists' shops, and have also been president of a pharmaceutical as- sociation. Did you make your living at that or was it a pretence ? — I made a very large amount of money at that. time. More than sufficient to live on. Now about this U. B. or V. C. (United Broth- erhood). You told us yesterday that you were high up in the military branch of the organization? —Yes. But as regards the Civil Council, the Executive 2 54 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. — you were not a member of the Executive Body? —No. What did you call the head of the organization? — At one time the district members composed the Executive Body. At another time the number of six composed the Executive Body. At another time the triangle. At another time it was in- creased to seven. You have not answered my question. Was there any designation for the head of this organ- ization ? — Yes, sir, the Executive Body. No, no, that would consist of several. — That was the name given to the leaders. Was there no one person who corresponded to the Fenian centre or head centre, or something of that kind ? — They acted collectively. They chose a chairman or presiding officer of the Executive Body from time to time. Then there was no one who would correspond to what we have heard described in reference to Fenianism as head centre? — We had no such name as head centre. Or any corresponding name ? — ^The Executive Body, sir, the council. Can you tell me who is supposed to be at the head of the organization now ? — ^Yes. Who ? — I submitted the official list yesterday. CHAPTER XXIX. "THE EXECUTIVE BODY." Who ? — Bradley, of Philadelphia. Patrick Egan is the first name on the executive. You know that of your own knowledge? — Yes, sir. I voted for him and saw him elected. O'Meagher Condon and Luke Dillon are mem- bers of the executive. You do not follow me. Who is the head, the present head ? — I think they elected Bradley as chairman of the Executive Body. You say you think. You do not seem to have a personal knowledge. — I have a personal knowl- edge of that. If you will allow me to, refresh my memory with a list I could tell you. My own knowledge is that I voted for Mr. Bradley. You mean you did ; you know you did ? — I do not like to swear ; I might commit myeelf. Now you mentioned yesterday, I think, the numbers of this V. C. or U. B. at some period. What was the number you mentioned yesterday ? — At an early date it averaged from ii,ooo to 13,000. 365 ^^^ CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. In 1877 about 11,500? — Yes, sir; and it got as high as 23,000. When was that ? Was that in the end of 1881 ? —Oh ! a little later than that. The beginning of 1882? — Yes, sir; 22,000 in 1882. Do you recollect the suppression of the Land League and the arrest of the Irish leaders ? — Yes. That gave a great impetus, did it not, to the organization in America ? — The first arrest in 1881? Yes, toward the end of 1881 ? — ^Yes, it did, sir. Did not the highest point of your membership occur at the end of 1881 and beginning of 1882 ? — No, sir. When do you say it was ? — To-day ; it always increased. You think the numbers are greater to-day than before ? — Yes ; and I can prove it by reports I can submit to you. You have reports that will show that ? — Yes. Which you can give to the Court? — I can, sir. Reports sent over from time to time to Ander- son ? — Yes. Mr. Cunynghame, will you kindly give me those two bundles of documents? (The Secretary handed the documents to Sir Charles Russell.) Sir C. Russell. — The first document which I have here is the constitution of the V. C. (United CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^^y Brotherhood) No. i, in 1877. It was then a secret society ? — Yes. Bound by a secret oath ? — It was. And except the members of the society, who, I presume, had certain signs and passwords, the ordinary world would know nothing about it ? — Excepting the public name which they had, and meeting as a public society by a public name at a public hall. You mean in the districts where they were strong they belonged to some club, or something of that kind ? — Either strong or weak, every dis- trict, every camp was compelled to be known by a public name only. Ay, ay ; but what I mean is the outside public would know them — take your own illustration — at Braidwood by the name of the Emmett Club ? —Yes. Would any person who was not prepared to take, or had not taken, the oaths of the secret so- ciety be eligible for the Emmett Club ? — I would like to hear that question again. Would anybody except a sworn member be eligible for membership in the Emmett Club ?^ He became a sworn member as soon as he became a member. You mean that when he joined the Emmett Club he was obliged to take the oath ? — Yes. Then no persons were eligible for the Emmett Club unless they became members ? — The Em- «58 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. mett Club was the secret organization and noth- ing else. Yes, I understand now^ the public name of the secret organization. You have handed in a docu- ment, John Devoy's report in 1880, as envoy? — Yes. Is John Devoy a member of the United Broth- erhood, or V. C, or whatever name it is known by now ? — Yes. Have you known him as such ? — For years, sir. Recently? — Yes, sir; I met him as a brother delegate of my own at the last Convention in the month of June, 1888. What is John Devoy ? — He has been a jour- nalist. What paper ?^— Years ago he was telegraph editor of the New York Herald. After that, in company with others, he was editing a paper known as the Irish Nation. After that? — He was lecturing through the country, subsisting in part upon that. Upon the proceeds of lectures ? — Yes. He has been actively engaged in politics. He is what I would term an Irish professional politician. In America, you mean ? — Yes. Is he connected with journalism now or not ? — I could not say. Were there many of these printed documents which you produce here — this report of the pro- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^69 ceedings of the ninth general Convention of the V. C. (United Brotherhood) — were there many of these printed ? — I have no means of ascertaining the exact number. Who had charge of that ? — ^The Executive Body, with the assistance of their paid secretary, prob- ably. You have suggested rather than stated in your evidence that you had to do with Gallagher and Lomasney. Did you take part in any deliberation at which either of these wicked plots was devised ? — Yes, sin You yourself took part ? — ^Yes, sir. And advised in them ? — I did not deem myself of sufficient importance to make suggestions and put myself too forward in these matters. You appeared to advise? — I offered no objec- tion. And gave information at once ? — Immediately. On the first opportunity that presented itself. And did you suggest, that you knew that Gal- lagher was the agent in the one case and Lomas- ney in the other ; did you suggest that you knew at the time that either of these was selected ?— Before they were suggested? Did you know when they were selected ? — The actual time, no, sir. Did you know that they had been selected ? — —Yes. You knew that they had been selected ; you 24 ^MQ CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. knew the persons ? — I did, sir, and was able to describe the persons. And knew when they left the country ? — ^The exact date, no ; approximately. I suppose you had persons in your pay helping you in this business ? — Not in my pay. In your service ? — I had friends. When did O' Donovan Rossa, according to your opinion, cease to be an important factor in this wretched movement ? — He commenced to be a bone of contention immediately following the Convention of 1879. And after that did his power wane away ? — It did in that organization. Do you suggest that he set up another? — I say that he did. At what date ? — I cannot give you the exact date, as I did not belong to it. Can you fix the date at which O'Donovan Rossa was expelled from your organization ? — At this moment, no. It was after the circular of April 19. Are you clear it was after ?— It was after the Convention of 188 1, in fact. In this same circular of yours it is stated that at a regular meeting of the V. C. (United Brother- hood) a resolution was adopted expelling Rossa from the V. C. on account of this same action. How do you reconcile that with your statement ? — Kindly give me the date of that. 272 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. April 19, 1880. — ^That is the truth if it so states. My recollection is that I received notice of his expulsion either in the beginning of 1882 or the end of 1881. Now, during the period from 1880 to January, 1882, what names would you give to their Lord- ships as those of the most influential and most leading men in your organization ? — W. J. Hynes, Alexander Sullivan, J. F. Finerty, Dr. Guirey, Judge Prendergast, Judge Moran, John Devoy, D. Cronin, J. D. Breslin, Judge Fitzgerald, Fitzpat- rick, J. F. Armstrong, of Georgia ; Luke Dillon, Dr. Carroll, J. E. Fox, Reynolds, J. D. Carroll, D. K. Walsh. You have mentioned the names I wanted, but if you wish to add any I do not wish to stop you. —No. Now, give me four or five of the most consid- erable — the most influential — men in the U. B. (United Brotherhood) from 1880 to 1882? — I could not give you the names of any four ; there would not always be the same four ; it changed hands in 1881. CHAPTER XXX. THE INFLUENTIAL MEN. Well, from August, 1881, to the end of 1882? — Alexander Sullivan, W. J. Hynes, Michael Bo- land, John Devoy. Now, I think that of these four names, you have mentioned two as those of persons you saw with a view of bringing about what you describe as an understanding? — Yes, a better under- standing. Those two, I think, were Sullivan and Devoy? — And Hynes. Now, I want to ask you about some of these men whose names you have enumerated. What is Sullivan? — He is a lawyer in Chicago, 111. What is his position ?— As a lawyer or in so- ciety? As a lawyer. — Very good, as a lawyer. He does not move among the aristocracy of Chicago? — By no means. Have you partaken of his hospitality ? Were you intimate with him socially ? — Yes. Then he was not unworthy of your society? — No; he was very useful. (Laughter.) Z7Z ^y. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Finerty I think you mentioned?— -Yes. What was he — I mean as the world knew him, not as a dynamiter ? — He was first oil inspector for the city of Chicago. Petroleum, I suppose? — ^Yes. It is a political office. Was he a member of Congress? — Yes; he has been for one term. As far as America is concerned, would you say that these men were respectable American citi- zens, speaking of their general repute? — As far as America is concerned, yes. Was Sullivan born in America ? — He was born in Canada, the son of a British soldier and pen- sioner. Finerty ? — Born in Tipperary. Judge Moran? — He was Judge of the Appellate Court of Illinois. Is that the Supreme Court? — An intermediate court between the Circuit and Supreme Court. Is he Irish-born ? — I could not tell. Is he a man who holds a respectable position as far as America is concerned? — He is very much respected. As a Judge ? — Yes, and as a man, I believe, in that community. Judge Prendergast; is his reputation good? — As a lawyer and as a judge, among a certain party very good ; with the other party very bad. He is a Democratic judge, and is biased in favor CHARLES STEWART TARNELL. 375 of his own party, and unpopular with the other party in consequence. What is Agnew? — He is now a builder and contractor. Is he a respectable man ? — Personally, yes, I think you mentioned Smyth ; what is he ? — One of the largest furniture merchants in Chicago. Michael Boland; what was he ? — By profession a -practicing lawyer. Did he serve in the army during the war? — Yes. Is his position good as a lawyer ? — No. Not as good as Sullivan's ? — He has not prac- ticed law for some years ; he practices spasmod- ically. What is his private character ? — Bad. He has been expelled from the organization for misap- propriation of funds, and has a very bad name. From the U. B. (United Brotherhood) organiza- tion ? — Yes. Dr. Carroll, of Philadelphia ; what do know of him ? — As far as I know, a very fine gentleman, and a man of education. General Collins, Boston ? — As a politician, very high. Did he also serve in the war ? — Yes. Did you mention him as a member of the U. B. (United Brotherhood) ? — I did not. He was President of the Land League, was he not ? — He was one of the original presidents. ^^5 CHARLES STEWART PARNELU Well, now, is his a position of undoubted re- spectability ?— As far as I know, yes. As far as his political position is concerned he was chairman, was he not, of the Democratic Convention in St. Louis which nominated Presi- dent Cleveland ? — Yes ; at the last Convention. Was it not in 1 88 1 that General Collins was President of the Land League ? — Yes. I think you said that at the Philadelphia Con- vention in 1883 he was again proposed? — Yes, his name was mentioned there. You know, do you not, that the members of the V. C. (United Brotherhood) objected to him be- cause he had spoken in very strong condemnation of the murders in the Phoenix Park? — Yes, it was generally mentioned. Do you suggest that General Collins was in any way in sympathy with any except constitu- tional movements ? — At this date you are now speaking of? Yesi— I do not suggest that at this date he w^as* Weil, 1882.— Not in 1882. In 1883?— Nor in 1883, "P^ even afterward to my knowledge. I can only speak of him since 1881.^^ ^ . '' ^ You are speaking as far as you know him?.r— Yes. Boyle O'Reilly ; was he a member of the U. B.? —Not to my knowledge. What is he ?— Editor of the Boston Pilot. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^7^ Is He, or not, a respectable man ? — He is. In good position ? — Among a certain class, yes. What is he in politics ?• — A Democrat. Is he in that set a man of good position and respected ?— Yes. Hynes you spoke of ; what is he?— A practic- ing attorney in Chicago. Has he a large practice ? — Now, a very good one. Judge Fitzgerald ; he is a Cincinnati gentle- man, is he not ? — Yes. What is he? — He has been admitted to the Bar, and has been a police magistrate and aldermaii. James Reynolds ; what was he ? — Engaged in mercantile business, I believe. Where ?— New Haven, Connecticut. What is his position?-^! could not pass an opinion. Then may I take it that as far as the American world IS cohcerni^d the men I have mentioned, with the exception of Boland, were men of rer spectable position ?— In a certain class, certainly. Wheri you talk bf a tertkiri class, do you mean with regard to politics ? — Not altogether. . What distinction do you draw ?— Politics con- stitute one thing, respectability and morality another. A man pointed out as charged with murder could not move in respectable society. J am asking, a;sr fkr a$ the world is cdnpbrried, ij^g CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. and not with regard to any felonious designs which they may or may not have in concert with yourself? — Not all good. A great many of them — Most of them. I think the majority. Am I not right in saying that if by any means the control of the nomination of the permanent chairman of the Land League Convention had been lost, with him rested the appointment of the executive ? — Not always. That was done by vote of the Convention. The majority in the Con- vention decided that matter always. In reply to Sir Charles Russell's cross-ques- tions, Le Caron considerably modified a part of his previous testimony. For instance, he swore that ** it was perfecriy true that the Parnell League meetings in every State were honored with the presence of hundreds of governors and mayors of States and ex-governors and mayors of States, the judges of the State Supreme Court, of literary men of eminence, of clergymen of every denomination, and men of distinction in every walk of life — Americans, not merely Irish." Le Caron*s attempts to make the Commission believe that the League officers were almost all U. B. men were upset by Sir Charles Russell's sharp fire of incisive questions. Thus the latter reading aloud this list : The Hon. F. A. Collins, president ; Patrick Cronin, vice-president ; T. V. Powderly, second vice-president; Lawrence ^gQ CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Walsh, of Waterbury, and T. Flaherty, treasurers, asked Le Caron, Do you suggest that any of these were members of the United Brotherhood P-—^ Powderly. The Mayor of Scranton ? — ^Yes, he was a dis- trict member. Of the U. B. ?— At that time V. C. Anybody else ?• — That is the only one I recol- lect. What was Powderly ? — District member. I do not mean with regard to organization, what was his position in the world ? — He was mayor of Scranton, in Pennsylvania. But being mayor was not his business. What business had he ? — As long as I have known him he has had no business. He might have had af one time. He is one of the originators of the organization and has supreme command of the Knights of Labor. Do you suggest that Powderly was a man in favor of a villainous policy of dynamite outrage ? — In 1880? I would not judge the man. Here is another failure in the same direction : Was General Jones a member of the United Brotherhood? — He was not a member of the U. B., but he took a very important part in the work of the organization. Was he a member of the U. B. or not ? — No. I will explain. He was always an active worker in connection with the U. B. or the V. C. (United CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^gj Brotherhood) men, and was the negotiator be- tween the Russian Minister at Washington and the Revokitionary Directory, to form an alliance to make war upon a Power then at peace with Russia. The first negbtiatioiis commenced — The President.T^Do you want to follow this up, Sir Charles ? . Sir C. Russell. — ^^Nb, my Lord. (To witness.) Did you make a report upon - that to your em- ployers?—! did. CHAPTER XXXI HOW LE CARON WAS PAID. The best way in which I can tell my readers the inside facts about the payment of blood- money to Le Caron by the British Government and its representative on American shores— the Canadian Government — is to quote the fellow's own sworn testimony. Cross-examined by Mr. Reid. — ^Who first in- troduced you to the U. B. in America ?— I intro- duced myself. When was that ?— In 1865. Did you not become a member of that associa- tion on the invitation of anybody ? — My particu- lar friends were J. D. O'Reilly and General John O'Neill. Who introduced you to the U. B. or V. C, or whatever it is called ? — Alexander Sullivan, per- sonally. You told us that for the first three years you received no pay from the government?- — Not one cent. 382 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. ^^^ During that time were you communicating with the government to the same extent and with the same frequency as afterward ? — Oh ! dear, no. You only occasionally communicated with the government, then, during those three years? — My communications only extended over some six months altogether at that time. In the first three years ? — -Yes. When was it that you first became in the regu- lar pay of the government? — In February, 1868. What was the arrangement about your pay ?-r- That I should have sent to me from time to time no specific sum but ample funds.. And that arrangement, I suppose, was acted upon until the present date ; until quite recently ? —No. When did that arrangement terminate ? — It ter- minated in the month of August, 1870 — that is, the specific arrangement. During that period did you receive large sums ? — During the whole of that period I received ;^50 a month. Was any part of that money spent by you on your own expenditure ? — During that time it did not cover my expenses. You spent more than ;^5o a month ? — I did. Do you mean in paying other persons ? — No. How did you spend the money then ? — in what way? — In traveling about the country and in sup- porting my family. ^34 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. In anything else ? My general expenses were very high. Of course, supporting a family is what we all have to do, whether we receive money from the Government or not. (Laughter.) ' But I am speaking of your expenditure in reference to your commission from, or duty to, the Home Govern- ment. What was your expenditure during that period ?—r received during that period far more than the sums I hav^ mentioned for expenses, biit not from the Home Government. Do you mean from private persons? — No } f am now referring to the Canadian authorities; ■ How much money in all did you receive from the Home Government, or from the Golohial Government? — Altogether, I should put it alt about ^2,060. '■ ■ During the three years? — Yes. About that. That includes expenses for men who were in daily communication with me. Men who were in your pay? — No; their sala- ries were paid by either the Home or the Cana- dian Governments. I merely paid their expenses. How much of this ^2,000 do you say you spent for public purposes, apart from what you ex- pended for your private requirements? — ^^Every cent. What was it that you spent it in? I do not want the names of persons, but the class of ex- penditure. — Well, sir, I can produce oiie import-i CHiVRLES STEWART PARNELL. ^Sj ant item. I lent Mr. Johii O'Neill $365.40 to save his reputation and to secure a strong hold of him. He was in default, and that gave me an immense control over the man. ]L think you told me that it included the expedi- ture.for the support of your family ? — I did. My family lived upon a portion of the sum. Yqu say that the arrangement was altered after 1870. Was some new arrangement made? — It was. .. >..:;■ ■■.• ■ -^ Have you been receiving sums of money since ? Very considerable sums of money? — In the aggregate, yes. ;. :i: . c < . - - ^* And I suppose you lived upon it as well as spent it for the purposes in which you were en- gaged ? — ^Yes, I spent it in many ways* CHAPTER XXXir. THE FORGED LETTERS. It was on Thursday, February 14th, that the London Times people put their solicitor, Soames^ on the stand, to talk about the alleged Parnell letters, fac-simlles of which had been printed m the Times, He swore that the Times obtained all of those letters from Pigott, and that the price paid for all of them, including the famous letter of May 25th, was less than ^25,000. Soames produced five letters, and the Attorney-General said they had been photographed, at the same time handing photographs to Chief Justice Han- nan. Soames said the letters were submitted to an expert in April, 1887, but before that genuine specimens of Parnell's writing were collected, and other specimens were since gathered. He submitted genuine specimens of Mr. Parnell's signature, which he had obtained since the fac- similes were published, including letters and summonses, which Parnell signed as magistrate, orders of admission to the House of Commons, a paragraph written for a newspaper, and the Kil- malnham Jail book, one containing nine signa- 386 CHARLES STEWART TARNELL. 387 tures, the first written in December, 1881, and the last in May, 1882. Soames said he believed that the body of the famous letter was written by Mr. Campbell, Parnell's private secretary, and the signature by Mr. Parnell. He spoke of other letters written by Egan, O'Kelly and Davitt, which were found in informer Carey^s house and elsewhere. The first payment for alleged letters to Pigott was^i,ooo; the successive payments, which were all made by Houston, Secretary of the Loyal Orange Patriotic League, were ^200, /30, /40, £11, /180, /550, /342 and ;^ioo. In all Pigott turned over twelve of Parnell's let- ters up to January, \%ZZy and these, with the later letters of Egan and others, made a total of seventeen. On the following day, Parnell and his friends were put in high glee by the result of evidence given before the Commission by Soames* attor- ney and MacDonald, tlie manager of the Times, It was generally acknowledged that such an ex- posure of imbecility and recklessness on the part of men controlling the greatest newspaper was rarely before seen. MacDonald confessed that when he published the forged letter he had taken no means whatever to examine its authenticity beyond a reference to one handwriting expert. He had never asked for ' information, had not even asked the name of the recipient of the letter.* He did not know, and did not ask for months CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 389 afterwards, from whom the letters had been ob- tained by the Times agent, and did not know till this day whom they were supposed to be directed to. The people in the Court almost stood aghast at this open confession of the incredible reckless- ness with which the charge of .incitement to assassination was mad6 by the greatest paper in England. A part of the examination revealed a nice, little counterplot going on for weeks. Parnell knew months ago that Pigott had forged the let- ters. Labouchere, who is warm in favor of the Irish party, and who has great love for amateur detective work, got into communication with Pigott, and from his own lips received a confes- sion of forgery. The forgery was not by tracing over, but by imitating the handwriting for a long time. The exposure of the signature to a micro-* scope reveals that it was broken at several points/ showing trepidation and slowness. ' Forger Pigott xarefully considered a long time whether it was better to make a clean breast,, in hopes of reward, to Labouchere, or to stick to the Times, And now I come to the memorable day Aat brought Pigott oii the stand, and it is neces!s|iy for a thorough understanding of this aged ruf&n's testimony and perfidy that I should quote Secre- tary Houston's evidence on cross-examination. He said he destroyed Pigott's letter to him, in accordance with an agreement made between them,, that they were intended for the. witness^ 390 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. eye alone, and were not to be used publicly. Up to the time the witness went to Paris, Pigott had not given him the names of any of the persons connected with the letters secured by the Times, He did not consider that a knowledge of the men from whom the letters were obtained was impor- tant in connection with the question of their genuineness. Witness said his part was done when the letters were obtained. He accepted them without securing any means of testing Pigott's statement in the event of their genuine- ness being questioned, because he understood that it was useless to attempt to make a complete case, and further inquiry would only handicap himself. He had no means whatever of testing any part of Pigott's story, which he regarded as probable, especially as the newspaper reports of the dispute between Mr. Parnell and the American extremist, to some extent, confirmed Pigott's story that the letters were left in a bag found in a room in Paris. Witness showed the letters to Lord Hartington and asked his advice as to their disposition, but his Lordship refused to advise him. He did not offer the letters to the Pall Mall Gazette. He saw Mr. Stead, editor of the Gazette^ before he ob- tained possession of the letters, and asked him to make up matter that would lead to the disclosure. Mr. Stead said he had lost ;^3,ooo by the publica- tion of the ''Modern Babylon" articles, and he CHARLES STEWART TARNELL. 39 1 would not like to touch anything else unless he knew it would be successful When witness visited Paris he had no genuine specimens of either Mr. Parnell's or Mr. Egan's writing. He accepted the letters solely on Pigott's words. *4f," said the witness, *' Pigott had been needy or fraudulent enough to attempt to commit per- jury, my actions would have assisted him, but I do not admit that he was either. Pigott's inter- views with Mr. Labouchere shook my faith in him, and, therefore, my mind was not easy until he had signed the sworn declaration." Witness further said that he might have told Mr. Stead that Messrs. Sexton and Dillon were implicated in the Phoenix Park murders, but if he did so, it was on the authority of a statement made by Eugene Davis to Pigott, a copy of which was produced by the witness. He did not know where the original was. Two days before the commis- sion opened, Pigott wrote him an abusive letter, demanding that after giving testimony before the commission he should be given ^5,000. Mr. Houston said that Pigott told him to whom several of the letters were addressed. He did not think that Pigott's statements were very accu- rate, because Pigott only repeated what other persons said. Between October, 1886, and Jan- uary, 1888, he had paid Pigott ^200, but the Twtes paid the bill from May, 1887. He understood 25 392 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. that PIgott obtained the second batch of let- ters from the same friends that supplied the first batch, but he did not inquire about the matter. He did not think it strange that the second batch was not obtained earlier. Prior to November, Pigott informed witness that Mr. Welehan, a Tullamore solicitor, had called upon him and in- formed him that a gentleman from America wanted to have an interview with him in London. He did not say that the man came from Egan. Welehan asked Pigott if he had any of Egan's letters, as he was prepared to purchase them at a high price. Pigott, when he wrote to witness, demanding ;^5,ooo, said he had been coerced in Mr. Soames* office, into making a statement under false pre- tenses. Witness did not answer the letter. Attorney-General Webster read a copy of the notes made by Pigott of the latter s conversation with Eugene Davis. According to these notes, Davis stated that Egan took him into his con- fidence. Davis knew that the I. R. B. and tlie T. B. were connected with the League one working openly and the other secretly the *'B. S." finding men and the League finding money. Egan was in Paris with Parnell, O'Kelly, Dillon, Brennan and Harris, in 1 88 1 . He told Davis that he had had long conferences with those gentlemen, and that all had agreed that the situation rendered reprisals against England imperative, and that England's power could be neutralized only by removing as CHARtES STEWART PARNELL. 593 many of her leading men as possible. Walsh, Sheridan and others were to be sent to Ireland to plan the murders. Immediately after-^ Parnell's arrest, Egan appealed to the Fenian leaders to execute the work more energetically. Walsh went to Dublin and appointed Carey, Mullett and Cur- ley as chief men. Tynan, Byrne, Colbert and Sheridan were also associated with him, Egan was invariably consulted regarding projected out- rages and murders. Egan strongly reproved Tynan for failing to appear at Kingbridge in time to give the signal for Mr. Forster's murder. Davis was present in a cafe in Paris when Tynan related the whole history of the Phoenix Park murders. Tynan took pride in having given the signal for the attack. Egan professed to be highly delighted, but regretted that Tynan had not com- menced work earlier. Egan gave Byrne a letter, a fac-simile of which was published by the Times, There was a plot to murder the Prince of Wales and Mr. Gladstone, during the carnival at Cannes. Byrne and Tynan were under the instructions, but did not attempt to carry out the plan. Houston, under cross-examination, said he did not regard all oi the statements as accurate. This reply was greeted with laughter. Houston said that the suggestion that he destroyed Pigott's letters be- cause they cast doubt upon the genuineness of the letters published by the Times, was without foun- dation. He destroyed them because he believed 394 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. that, if they were allowed to exist and were pub- lished, the lives of certain persons would be placed at the mercy of certain assassins. Reply- ing to Sir Charles Russell, Houston said that Davis was in England iand that Soames subpoe- naed him. PIGOTT, THE PERJURER. Richard Pigott, a well-dressed and benevolent-, looking man, apparently about sixty years of age, was then called. He testified that he was pro- prietor of the Fenian organ, the Irishman, in 1865. He belonged to the Supreme Council, F. B. All the members of the Amnesty Association in 187*0 were Fenians. Parnell belonged, and about 1871 Biggar, Barry, Harris, Nearey, Mullett and Mur- phy belonged to the Supreme Council of the I. R. B. Witness belonged to the R. B. until August, 1 88 1. He was not an active member. He detailed the negotiations in 1879, by which the Irishman and the Flag of Ireland were sold to accompany in which Parnell and Egan were shareholders. He did not doubt that the Leagues provided the money. Later Egan said he pro- posed to render the lives of the English officials in England not worth an hour's purchase, and, replying to a question, said that of course Parnell was aware of this proposal. The witness continued slightly in touch with the I. R. B. after the sale of his papers. Directly ^fter Egan's flight to Paris, Pigott received .a letter ^ CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 395 in which Egan asked for the address of Davis, who was a writer for the Irishman, and who had gone to Paris to prepare for the priesthood. Pigott corroborated Mr. Houston's testimony with refer- ence to the preliminstry negotiations regarding the search for documents. It was understood that the affair should be kept absolutely secret. He did not know Davis then, except as a contributor to the Irishman, Davis signed his articles, '* Owen Roe." CHAPTER XXXI. THE END OF "DIRTY DICK." THE sensation of the next day's proceedings was the production at the opening of the court, by Sir Charles Russell, of two letters which "Dirty Dick Pigott'* wrote to Archbishop Walsh, of Dublin. The first of them is worthy of publi- cation, inasmuch as it was written only three days before The Times published the forged Parnell letters. It read as follows : " Private and Confidential : My Lord — The importance of the matter about which I write will doubtless excuse this intrusion on your attention. I briefly wish to say that I have been made aware of the details of certain proceedings, which are in preparation, with the object of destroying the influence of the Parnellite party in Parliament. I cannot enter more fully into details than to state that the proceedings referred to consist in the publication of certain statements purporting to prove the complicity of Parnell himself and some of his supporters in murders and outrages in Ireland, to be ibllowed, in all probability, by the (396) CHARLES STEWART PARNEL 397 institution of criminal proceedings against those parties by the Government. Your grace may be assured that what I speak is with full knowledge, and I am in a position to prove beyond all doubt or question the truth of what I say ; and I will further assure your grace that I am also able to point out how these designs may be successfully combated and finally defeated. I assure your grace that I have no other motive except to re- spectfully suggest that your grace would com- municate the substance of what I state to some one or other of the parties concerned [on, however, the specific understanding that my name be kept secret] to whom I could furnish details and ex- hibit proofs and suggest how the coming blow may be effectively met. For reasons which, no doubt, your grace will have no difficulty in discovering, I could not apply to any of the parties direct, and that is why I venture to ask your grace's interference. At the same time I know that in adopting this course I run the risk of incurring your grace's displeasure, but perhaps the deep interest which your grace is known to take in the preservation of the integrity of the party that is so seriously threatened will plead my excuse. Moreover, I am forced to beg your grace's assistance from a strong conviction in my own mind, founded on what I have learned and the evidence relied on, which is prima facie serious, that the proceedings, unless met in the way I can sqgg^est, will succeed 398 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. in their object. In any case, therefore, I trust your grace will regard this letter as private and confidential, except that it may be referred to in furtherance of the motives with which it was sent. " Pi S. — I need hardly add that did I consider the parties really guilty of the things charged against them I should not dream of suggesting that your grace should take part in an effort to shield them. I only wish to impress upon your grace that the evidence is apparently convincing and probably would ensure conviction if submitted to an English jury. "Richard Pigott.'* One other incident was very significant. Be- fore asking a single question in cross-examination. Sir Charles Russell directed Pioott to write the following words on a sheet of paper : ** Likelihood, livelihood, proselytism, Patrick Egan, hesitancy." Pigott spelled the latter " ency " instead of" ancy," and the same mistake was made in the forged Parnell letter. On being closely pressed on the witness stand, Pigott voluntarily exclaimed : " I may say at once that the statements I made to Archbishop Walsh were unfounded." This, of course, produced a sensation, which was intensified when Sir Charles Russell said to him, "You deliberately wrote lies." CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 39S He admitted having written to Patrick Egan, attempting to blackmail him for the sum of /500, and having also on June 2, 1881, offered the late William E. Forster, then Chief Secretary for Ireland, papers which he said would break up the league for ^i 500 or ;^iooo, Forster then loaned Pigott ^^150 as a "private loan." Sir Charles Russell produced letter after letter until the wit- ness became jiazed and forgot everything, or pre- tended to, declaring that wl:iile the letters were his, he'* had no recollection' of them."- He de- nied hody having "fabricated the forged let- ters." On the morning of Saturday, February 23, 1889, Pigott went to the residence of Mr. Henry Labouchere, and in the presence of Mr. George Augustus Sala, signed a confession stating that the letters upon which the Times based its charges acrainst the Irish members of the House of Com- mons were forgeries. He said that he had forged all the letters secured by the Times, which pur- ported to have been written by Patrick Egan, Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Davitt and Mr. O'Kelly. That statement or confession was pre- sented to the Commission on the following Wednesday amid the greatest excitement. Pigott was called to again take the stand, but he did nSt appear. It was found that he had fled, and war- rants were issued for his arrest. It is due to my good friend, the Hon. Patrick Egan, that I should CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 401 State here and now that he was the man who dis- covered PIgott's vile plots, unearthed his forgeries and sent such complete information on those sub- jects from America to Parnell that the latter was able through Labouchere to wring a confession of his guilt- from " Dirty Dick." On the 1st of March, 1889, Pigott was arrested at the Hotel Des Ambassadeurs, in Madrid, Spain, where he had registered under the name of Ronald Ponsonby. When he was arrested he apparently took the situation calmly, and thus threw the officers off the scent. With the excuse that he wished to get his overcoat he retired to an alcove and there shot himself in the mouth with a revolver. He died instantly. Attorney-General Webster tendered an apology on behalf of the Times for the publication of the forged letters, and the Times editorially, while endorsing that apology, said: "We deem it right to express our regret most fully and sincerely that having been induced tp publish the letters as Mr. Parnell's or to use them in evidence against him." That really ended the Times case and vindicated Mr. Parnell triumphantly before the world, Mr. Parnell, finding it impossible to respond to the multitude of letters he received from both Europe and America, congratulating him upon the col- lapse of the Times case against him, thanked the writers through the press, which nobly stood by 402 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. him in every quarter of the globe. The com- munications received by Mr. Parnell comprised letters from unexpected quarters and from persons in the highest ranks of art, literature, and science. THE O'SHEA DIVORCE CASE. The trial of the O'Shea divorce case began in the Divorce Court, in London, on Monday morn- ing, November 17, 1890, before Justice Butt and a special jury. A few days before that Mr. Pair- nell inspired his followers with courage and set at rest the hopes of the Tories and the fears of the Liberals pro tempore existente by the following letter which he sent to the Irish members : " Dear Sirs — You will permit me, in accordance with my usual custom, to remind the members of the Irish Parliamentary Party that the session will open on Tuesday, the 25th inst., when it is most desirable that our full strength should be available. " I wish to lay stress upon the necessity for the attendance of every man upon the opening day, as it is unquestionable that the coming session will be one of combat from the first to the last, and that great issues depend upon its course. I am, dear sirs, " Yours truly, " Charles Stewart Parnell." Contrary to public expectation neither Mrs. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 403 O'Shea nor Mr. Parnell were represented by counsel at the hearing of the divorce suit. As neither the respondent nor co-respondent made any defense, the case was given to the jury on the morning of the day on which it was opened, and they returned a verdict that adultery had been committed by Mrs. O'Shea and Parnell, and that there had been no connivance on the part of Captain O'Shea. The court granted a decree in divorce, with costs to the petitioner, and also awarded him the custody of the younger children. This trial marked the beginning of the end of Parriell's career as an Irish statesman. It is but simple justice to Mrs. O'Shea and to our departed friend and leader to say that there are grave doubts among well-informed parties as to their guilt. Both of them proud, high-strung, and, to a large extent, imperious. in their natures, disdained to go before a divorce court, either to explain or palliate the alleged questionable trans- actions in which Captain O'Shea declared they were guilty participants. As Mrs. Delia T. S. Parnell says of Mrs. Kate O'Shea, " She comes of illustrious ancestry, not one of whom have at any time been- even suspected of being guilty of anything dishonorable. Her immediate family were on terms of the closest intimacy with Queen Victoria and the members of the royal family, and all of them were proud to recognize her as her friend. Her ardent love for Ireland, although 404 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. differing in race, her deep and earnest sympathies for the suffering and down-trodden peasantry, naturally attracted Mr. Parnell to her. They moved in the same social circle, and being a woman of great influence he naturally sought her presence to gain that influence for his people. It is difficult to describe — in an adequate way — the tremendous excitement that the issue of the trial raised in every part of the civilized world. Calls were heard on all sides, imperiously demanding that Parnell should "retire^' from the leadership of his party. Calls equally loud and equally as imperious were made upon him to "stand firm," and unfortunately, indeed, for the success of the Irish cause the members of the Irish Parliamentary Party became divided. Fre- quent meetings of the party were held in caucus and fiery speeches made by his friends and opponents, resulting finally in a split and the formation of opposing clans who have now gone down to history under the titles of " Parnellites '* and "Anti-Parnellites." The minority stood by him and the majority, largely through the influence of Healy, Dillon, Davitt and O'Brien, named Justin McCarthy as their leader. At this time John Dillon and William O'Brien were In this country, having escaped the detectives who held warrants for their arrest. They were accompanied by Ex- Mayor O'Sullivan, of Dublin, T. P. O'Connor, T. P. Gill, and Timothy Harrington. They had CHARLES STEWART PARXELL. 405 come for the purpose of raising money for the Irish Parliamentary Fund, and had addressed immense mass meetingrs in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. They had already raised almost Jioopoo in a brief stay of but a few days, when the news was flashed over the cable of the orrave situation in Irish affairs. o Numerous conferences were held by them with leading Irish-Americans. I pardcipated in a number of those conferences, and am free'to say that at all of them the most kindly feeling was invariably exhibited on their part towards Mr. Parnell. They finally decided, after a 'letter had been published from Mr. Gladstone, demanding Mr. Parnell's retirement, that for the sake of the cause which they represented he should at least retire temporarily. On Friday, November 28, 1890, Mr. Parnell issued a manifesto to the Irish people, and set forth why, in his opinion, it would be disastrous to the best interests of the party for him to with- draw at that time. He defied his political opponents and appealed to the people of Ireland to sustain him in the stand he had taken. A canvass made that same day among the members of the Irish Parliamentary Party disclosed the fact that fifty-three of its members were opposed to his retention of the party leadership. On the same day, a meeting of Scotch Liberal members of Parliament was held, at which a resolution was 406 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. adopted, declaring that "Mr. Parnell ought to retire." Two days afterwards he heard from the American visitors, John Dillon, William O'Brien, T. P. O'Connor, T. P. Sullivan and Thomas P. Gill. They declared against his continued leader- ship and condemned his manifesto for its attitude towards Mr. Gladstone and the English people. On the previous Saturday he had called a meet- ing of the Irish members at the Westminster Palace Hotel, London, and only twenty-four of them attended. The Catholic Hierarchy, without exception, and all of the Irish clergy had now declared against him. On November 30th Mr. Gladstone said : " Mr. Parnell's manifesto has widened the gulf made by recent disclosures and separated him from the Liberal party, who have now to consider the great and noble cause of justice for Ireland apart from any individual name. But I am glad to think, so far as appears^ there will not be a severance between us and the Nationalist party, for Mr. Parnell throws over his colleagues. He acknowledges in them no right or authority, and goes past a constitutional representative of his country In his fanciful appeal to the nation which had chosen him to speak its wants and wishes," On Saturday morning, December 6, 1890, Messrs. Redmond, Sexton, Healy, Leamy, and the two Parliamentary whips, Power and Dersey, a committee appointed at the previous day's CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 407 meeting of the Irish members of Parliament to confer with Mr. Gladstone, drove to the residence of the Liberal leader. Their deliberations lasted an hour. At Mr. Gladstone's instance, no refer- ence was made directly or indirectly to the ques- tion of Mr. Parnell's leadership. Mr. Gladstone gave no definite promise, but Messrs. Healy and Sexton reported that he said sufficient, in their opinion, to justify the Irish party in considering his assurances satisfactory. These were that he would make a genuine attempt to deal with the constabulary and Land Questions to the satisfac- tion of the Irish people. The strtfe of the opposing clans continued to increase, and Parnell announced his intention of "Re-organizing the League." Messrs. O'Brien and Gill sailed for France from this country, and whilst they were on the ocean, Mr. Parnell and a party of his friends seized O'Brien's newspaper, the Unitedire land, A conference was finally arranged at Boulogne between William O'Brien and Mr. Parnell. CHAPTER XXXIII. THE BOULOGNE CONFERENCE. THE details of that conference were, at the instance of Mr. Parnell, kept secret, and that secrecy was the cause for over a year of many disputes, for while one faction gave its version of what they believed took place and insisted upon its truth, the other one was equally emphatic in denial of its accuracy. ' The conference was held on Thursday afternoon, December -30, 1890, and the parties present were the Redmonds, Kenny and Clancy, O'Brien, Gill, and Parnell. It was not until the loth of November, 1891, that the truth of what took place at that conference was published. Gn that date, Mr. William O'Brien published a long letter in the Freeman's Jmrndl, denouncing the'conduct of Messrs. Redmond and Harrington in trying to deceive the Irish public by pretending, on the strength of their hope that he had lost Mr. Parnell's letter, that it disclosed some dark treachery towards Mr. Parnell or their Liberal allies. Mr. O'Brien now gives the letter to sthe world, together with hisi own reply— the only letter he WTOte to Mn Parnell during the (408) CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 409 Boulogne negotiations and not yet published. Mr. Parnell's letter to Mr. O'Brien recounts at length what had already been done, and, as new proposals, suggests that Mr. McCarthy interview Mr. Gladstone and get a written memorandum, embodying assurances already given, anent land and police, transferred to the custody of O'Brien ; that if the memorandum was satisfactory to both Mr. Parnell and Mr. O'Brien, the former would announce his retirement from the chairmanship ; that the terms of the memorandum should not be disclosed until the Home Rule Bill was intro- duced, and not tlien unless the bill was unsatis- factory, but that after the passage of a satisfactory bill Mr. Parnell .should be permitted to publish the memorandum. Instead of a two years* limit within which the constabulary should be disarmed arid converted into a civil force, Mr. Parnell aofreed that the time mlo^ht be extended to five years, but he said it was of vital importance that some limit should be fixed. The letter in cort- clusion gives Mr. O'Brien permission to show it to the Redmond brothers and Mr. Gill. Mr. O'Brien says that on receiving this letter he telegraphed it to Mr. Harrington, who replied that Mr. Parnell's proposals were subject to Mr. O'Brien's accepting the chairmanship. At tlie same time Mr. O'Brien wrote to Mr. Parnell to the effect that the proposals were feasible, pro- vided M£/ McGaithy coritiriu^^ as diairman; CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 411 bther'wi^e, as the Hawarden plan involved the employment of Mr. McCarthy in a painful trans- action, they would raise a formidable difficulty. Mr. O'Brien concludes with an expression of the belief that they would be able to devise some other equally. satisfactory plan. In. a postscript, he say's he consulted Mr. Redmond's Bill, and all agreed that,, when ]they meet next May, they will be able to arrange a modus vivendi, r Mr. O'Brien now contends that the foregoing disposes of the ParnelUte plea that Mr. Parnell's retirement was to be a sham, and that he was to have the riorht of veto in: connection with the Home Rule Bill. Mn O'Brien declares that he no more repre- sented the Liberal Party in the Boulogne negotia- tions than he did the Mikadp. He did not possess a shadow of authority .in the matter, except frpm bis American brother delegates. < Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Par n ell held two con- ferences at Boulogne Sur Mer, in the Hotel Du •Louvre, on January 6ch and 7th, 189 1, What took place at those and the previous conferences Mr. .O'Brien's. tetters tell pUir^ly and unequivocally, / The Irish Parliamentary Party's differ-en were., as far as ever frpiri a ScLtisfactoryJ^blution, and the split became .of Sifch a pronounced char* ^acter that Parneirs friends and foes A^ery^ioften ■attacked one another iiii open, meetings. ;_Each ^^rty denounced ^ the other, jb4?^^ ^^^ 412 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL.' up Its own candidates for Parliament. For the purpose of sustaining his campaign, at this* juncture, Mr. Parnell sent as envoys to this country James O'Kelly, John Redmond, John O'Conner, and Henry Harrison. Their stay here was brief, but they were successful in raising a large sum of money. On Wednesday, March ii, 1891, a largely- attended convention was held in Leinster Hall, Dublin, to which 1 1 5 organizations sent delegates and ninety other organizations sent letters assur- ing the convention that they would stand by it in Its decisions. The " Irish National Federation ** was then formally organized and an executive committeer appointed, consisting of McCarthy, Condon, Davitt, Deasy, Dickson, Murphy, McCar- tan, Arthur O'Connor, Sexton, Sheehy, Sullivan, Webb, Dillon, and O'Brien. The first branch of that organization in this country was formed in Philadelphia at a meeting held in Independence Hall. Dr. Joseph Fox, M. P. for Kings county, is now on a tour of the United States as the propagandist of the new departure. He reports that it is eminently successful, and I have no doubt whatever of the truth of his statement. MR. PARNELL MARRIES MRS. o'SHEA. On the evening of March 13, 1891, Mr. Par- nell issued an address to the Irish in America, ■MHp MRS. OSHEA PARNELL. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 415 calling upon them for assistance and eoneluding with the words : " with a confidence even greater than in 1880, I appeal to you once more to assist me in quelling this mutiny and disloyalty to Ire- land ; to help me in securing a really independent Parliamentary party, so that we may make one more, even though it be; our very last effort to win freedom and prosperity for pur nation by constitutional means/* At ten o'clock on Friday morning, June 26, 1 89 1, Mr. Parnell and Mrs. O'Shea were married at Steyning, by the registrar, who was enjoined in the most strict manner not to give any infor^ mation about the marriage. He promised to preserve the closest secrecy in regard to the matter. The only witnesses to the ceremony "were two servants from Mrs. O'Shea's house at Walsingham Terrace, Brighton. Mr. Pamell had procured a special license on the preceding Tuesday, setting forth that the marriage would occur within two months. The Associated Press cablegram relating the circumstances attending the ceremony says that " an order was given to have a solitary one-horse phaeton in readiness at six o'clock this morning, instead of the usual order for horses or a carriage for exercise, as was customary when Mr. Parnell was stopping at Brighton. When the conveyance was ready, Mr. Parnell and Mrs. O'Shea entered the phaeton and orders were oriven to the coachman to drive to ^1% CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. the westward. After the party had left Brighton behind them, the driver was directed tQ proceed to Steyning, by a circuitous route. Steyning was reached at nine o'clock, at which time a heavy rain was falling. Upon entering the town, Mrs. O'Shea, who was familiar with the place and knew the situation of the registrar's office, re*? lieved the coachman of the ribbons and drove direct to the office herself." For months subsequent to this event a hot and bitter contest was waged all over Ireland for polit- ical supremacy. Day by day the Parnellites lost ground but they manfully fought their opponents to the last ditch, and now, although but a hand- ful of them is left, they seem as determined and as vigorous as when they first began the fight under Mr. Parneirs leadership. One of the prime causes of dispute amongst the contendinof clans is the distribution of what is known as -" the Paris Fund." This '' Paris Fund '■ was made up entirely of moneys contributed in the United States and the Canadas, as well as in Great Britain and Ireland and the Australian colonies, for the relief of evicted tenants. It has been placed in the hands of Munroe & Co., a celebrated banking firm of Paris, France. The London newspapers, always on the alert to foment discord among the banks of the Irish party, have published statements to the effect that Mrs. Kate Parnell, and Joha Howard Par- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 41T ndl, ks the heirs of Charles Stewart Parnell, could claim the distribution of half the deposit belonging to the " Paris Fund.'* These statements so exas- perated Healy and other members of the majority faction that they have been saying very bitter and cruel things about Mrs. Kate Parnell. Healy has been especially severe, so much so that Mr. MacDermott, a nephew of Mr. Parnell, gave him a sound thrashing for his misconduct. Healy was not daunted by the beating he received, for he reiterated his uncomplimentary remarks about Mrs. Parnell at a public meeting held twenty-four hours afterwards. The " Paris Fund '^ having been placed in bank subject to the joint order of Justin McCarthy and Charles Stewart Parnell, Mr. Parnell's death has complicated the situa- tion. Mr. John Munroe, who is the head of the banking firm, in speaking to a friend of mine who was in Paris on October 13, 1891, said: "I shall not part with the fund or any part of it until I am satisfied by my solicitors that I will carry no responsibility. I shall wait until a judicial de- cision is arrived at, which will remove all responsi- bility from my shoulders. Personally^ I have no interest in the matter and I am not called upon to decide with either party. I am simply its temporary custodian ; a custodian who would be very glad to get rid of his charge.*' Mr. Munroe declined to state the exact amount of the fund, but intimated that it consisted mainly of 418 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. American securities, the interest accruing on. which has been duly drawn by the two depositors, and that the real value of the fund had varied from time to time, but that at present it was about ;^40,ooo. CHAPTER XXXIV. THE LAST SAD SCENE. AND now I bring this work to a close with the story of the funeral of "The Uncrowned King.'* On Sunday, October ii, 1891, Charles Stewart Parnell was laid to rest in the famed Glas- nevin Cemetery. The Dublin Freeman, in describ- ing it, says that " the monster funeral procession, which was the most impressive feature of the ob- sequies, was worthy of the great Irish Chief and the people for whom he labored and suffered and djed. As an expression of national sorrow it stands unequalled. No greater upheaval of emo- tion has ever been witnessed in Ireland. It was the most imposing public cortege that has passed for half a century through the metropolis, which has during that time seen many a remarkable, political funeral procession — the Thomas Davis, the O'Connell, the Terence Bellew McManus, the Manchester Martyrs, the. John O'Mahony, the Color Sergeant McCarthy and the Kickhani funerals, for instance, to mention only a few. The Parnell Funeral has admittedly transcended all these demonstrations in significance, in grandeur (419.) 420 CHARLES STEWART PARNEtL. and in solemnity. And there were, indeed, many reasons why it should be what it was — an intense, a touching and a pathetic demonstration of gen- eral sorrow. The unexpected news of Mr. Par- nell's death fell on Ireland like a stunning blow, producing stupor, amazement and consternation. This sudden, untimely, tragic ending of a great and noble life awakened the profoundest grief among all parties, classes and creeds of Irishmen. The reviling tones of hatred, calumny and abuse —and even the voice of just and fair criticism- were, with just two insignificant exceptions in the Irish press, hushed, and, let us hope, hushed for- ever so far as Parnell is concerned, in the eternal silence of the grave. He was remembered only as the Parnell of old — ^^as one of the greatest patriots we have ever known — as the leader, and not alone the leader, but the very idol of the Irish race. The memory of his former greatness, and of all he suffered and endured for Ireland, only remained. His fallen fortunes—^his eclipse during the past few sad and terrible months, were remembered but to add an additional touch of poignancy to the overwhrfming grief and be- reavement of the nation. Edmu nd Bu rke com- plained orice of the hunt of obi dquy which pur- sued him through life. So it was, too, alas I with Charles SteA\^rt Parnell. From the very opening to the very close of his public career he had to endure envy, calumny, hate and pain. But it is all over now. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 421 " ' Mow peaceful and how powerful is the grave that hushes all ! ' as the poet sings. Nothing was heard on Sunday from that mighty mass of people which followed the dead chief to his last resting place but expressions of uncontrollable grief— the subdued sobbing and weeping of strong men and the loud wailing of women. The fascination of that impenetrable, inscrutable and mysterious personality ended not with his death. During life Parneirwas, eminently, a man to en- kindle enthusiasni and command' devotion. The same potent influences, rise even from his ashes, as the demonstration on Sunday proves. It was as pathetic a picture of mingled affection, devoted Joyalty and desolate bereavement as the streets of Dublin have ever witnessed. It was, indeed, a memorable fu neral procession. Who that saw it will ever forget it ? ' I was at Parnell's funeral,' shall be a proud yet melancholy boast in days to come. It was a singuljar, strange and impressive event, the funeral of Mr.fParnell— from its open- ing in Brighton at nopn on Saturday to its close on Sunday evening at six o'clock. Dublin was astir before morning dawned on Sunday. The silence of the streets was broken by the tramp of men at a very early hour. Crowds converged on Westland row from all points of the city and suburbs, though a cutting wind and a drizzling rain prevailed. The train conveying the body from Kingstown was more than an hour late, 422 CHARLES. STEWART PARNELL. owing to a delay in starting the mail boat at Holyhead and an exceedingly rough passage; but the people waited patiendy, notwithstanding the discomfort of the morning, in Westland row and Gf^at Brunswick street. At last, at eight o*clbck, the sad strains of "The Dead March," played by a brass band, announced the arrival of the co7'tege, and as the hearse, with a body guard of Gaels with camans draped, and followed by Mr. Pafnell's Parliamentarjr colleagues, passed between the thick files of people, every hat was raised, and cries and soIds of ancruish rent the air. On the melancholy procession marched in a drenching downpour of rain to St. Michan's Church, Church street. In the vaults of this sacred edifice the Brothers Sheares, who were executed in '98, are interred, and in the grave- yard attached are buried Charles Lucas, the founder of the Freeman's journal, and one of the first of the Irish constitutional patriots, and Oliver Bond, who sought in '98 by other methods to restore the freedom of Ireland. It is said the uninscribed tomb of Emmet is there also. Here, thien, in this sacred edifice, rich with Irish National associations, the prayers for the dead, according to the ritual of the Protestant Church, were re- cited by the Rev. Mr. Fry, Rector of All Saints, Manchester. Is there any church in Dublin in which this sacred function could have been CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 423 friore appropriately discharged for the dead Irish Tribune? The lying in state of the body of Mr. Parnell in the large circular room of the City Hall, to which it was conveyed after the services in St. Michan's Church, was another very impressive ceremonial. The coffin was placed on a low bier just below the massive statue of O'Connell by Hogan, the base of which was draped with the well-worn and tattered colors of the two regi- ments of Volunteers raised by Sir John Parnell, the incorruptible Chancellor of the Irish Ex- chequer, in VVicklow, and brought up from Avon- dale for the melancholy occasion. The coffin was entirely covered with the wreaths, artistically ar- ranged by loving hands, and at its feet was raised the floral offering of Mr. Parnell's colleagues, a Celtic cross five feet high. To the right of the coffin was the statue of Charles Lucas, to its left the statue of Henry Grattan and the bust of Denis Florence McCarthy, and inscribed on a white ground, hanging in graceful Venetian folds from the heavily draped pillars of the hall, were the last words of Mr. Parnell— "Give my love to my colleagues and to the Irish people." The hall, which was open to the public from ten till one o^clock, was visited by 30,000 persons. Meanwhile, from a far earlier hour than ten o'clock, preparations for the funeral procession 424 CHARLES STEWART I»ARNELL. were afoot. Special trains crowded with deputa- tions, accompanied by bands, arrived from North, South, East, and West, at the various termini of the metropoHs, and poured their thousands oh the streets. The weather continued inclement, yet even during the early forenoon the city was thronged with people who moved about the streets unheeding the bitter wind and the rain, and the mud and slush below. The shadow of a deep desolation seemed to hang over all. The walls of the city were extensively placarded with huge posters, in heavy mourning borders, the letterpress of which was headed with the lines — FUNERAL OF THE IRISH CHIEF, in large black letters, followed by particulars as to the order of the procession. Another poster also heavily bordered in black, which attracted considerable notice, was the following: HIS LAST WORDS. "My love to my colleagues and to the Irish people." " If I were dead and gone to-morrow, the men who are fighting against English influence in Irish public life would fight on still ; they would CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 425 Still be independent Nationalists; they would still believe in the future of Ireland a nation ; and they would still protest that it was not by taking orders from an English Minister that Ireland's future could be saved, protected or secured. ^'Charles Stewart Parnell. "At Listowel, September 13, 1 891:" While the deputations were assembling in pro- cessional order in St. Stephen's green, and in the neighboring streets, every possible position that could afford a view of the procession along' the line of route was occupied. The windows were crowded, the footways were thronged. The streets through which the procession was to pass from the City Hall to Glasnevin were literally swarming with men, women, and children — curious, interested, and sympathetic — every one, almost, wearing th^ emblem of the mourners, a piece of crape set off with green ribbon, and eagerly awaiting the appearance of the cortege^ Street vendors did a roaring trade in portraits of : the Dead Patriot, and in ballads singing his virtues. From many windows hung green flags trimmed with mourning; from .others floral wreaths were suspended ; and in the poorer portions of the city through which the procession passed, in Thomas street, James' street, and along the Northern line of quays — pictures of Mr. Parnell were liberally displayed. , The deptli, reality^ and iateqisity^ of 27 426 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. the sorrow felt by the people — spectators as well as processionists — for the death of their Chief was unmistakable. As the monster procession, starting from the City Hall at a quarter past two, wended its slow, sad, and solemn way, to the mournful cadences of forty bands, through serried files of people — up Lord Edward street, past Christ Church Cathedral, along Thomas street, James' street, down Steevens lane, crossing the Liffey at Kingsbridge, proceeding along the, northern line of quays, re-crossing the river over Grattan bridge, advancing up Parliament street, passing the City Hall again, proceeding down Dame street, past '* the Old House in College green,'' through Westmoreland street, over O'Con- nell bridge, up O'Connell street, through Rutland square, along Blessington street, over Berkeley road, through Phibsborough, and thence to Glas- nevin Cemetery — the keening and clapping of hands of the women were frequendy heard: heart- rending sobs burst from many a man, and tears were seen on the cheeks of not a few. As the hearse approached every hat in the thron^g on each side was doffed, and prayers for the dead were muttered. It was, indeed, a spectacle to touch the most callous heart to see the hearse — a splendid vehicle drawn by four sable horses, with outriders in mourning costumes — the coffin on top, com- pletely hidden by floral wreaths, and the crushed and bruised and sorrow-stricken collea^jues of the CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 427 heroic, the militant, the kingly Irishman who lay dead inside, surrounding it as pall-bearers. The demeanor of the people throughout the trying day was magnificent for its solemnity, dignity, good order, and sobriety. It was apprehended, it is true, that evil and angry passion would be aroused, and that the laying to rest of the Great Irish Leader who is gone from us for ever would be marred by riot and bloodshed. Thank Heaven, there was nothing of the kind. Thank Heaven that not the slightest violation of the law — that not the least infraction of the] public peace marred this solemn and mournful occasion ; and the only way the services of the police were brought into requisition was in the aiding of the marshals and stewards to clear the way and pre- serve unbroken the march of the procession. From the opening of the sad proceedings to their close no hitch occurred; no disturbance took place, no accident happened, and neither jarring note nor a word of anger nor imprecation was heard. It was half-past five before Glasnevin Cemetery was reached, and then, at six o'clock, just as the shades of night were falling, with the gathering gloom lighted up by a half moon in a cloudless sky, after prayers had been recited, the dull thud of the earth clods on the cofidn of Charles Stewart Parnell was heard amid mur- murs of sorrow from the multitude thronorlnor round. The tragedy of that terrible moment to 428 eHARLES STEWART PARNELL. the devoted colleagues of the Dead Chie* may be imagined but it cannot be described.'* «* Dead, our mighty Leader lies, "Weep not for him with useless cries. Mourn for him as true men ought." [Lz^iiJ^^oi^Li ©i!\i Lr-olfX. CHAPTER XXXIV. WILLIAM EWART GLADSTONE. The history of William Ewart Gladstone is the history of England for fifty years. Beginning as '' the rising hope of the stern, unbending Tories," he has come to be the standard-bearer of ad- vanced Liberalism, almost Radicalism. In this process of evolution he has figured conspicuously in every important movement in English national life. Mistakes he has made. False steps he has taken ; some of them terribly wrong. But he has had the English people largely with him through them all; and no other man has been so con- stantly and so perfectly an individual exponent of the aims, the feelings and the very^ soul oi England as he. His history, indeed, is in great measure the history of the whole world for an important half century, for in that time Great Britain has been involved in relations, hostile or friendly, with all other nations, and upcrn those relations the impress of Mr. Gladstone's charac- ter is invariably to be found. In the compass of a few pages it is impossible to present more than a meagre outline of his life-work, or more than a slight hint of the principles -that have guided this illuatrious statesman, theologian, orator, and 43^ 432 CHARLES STEWART PARNELU author through a career which has scarcely a rival in modern history, "Who is this Mr. Qladstone?'' inquired an elector of Newark, England, one day in Decem- ber, 1832, when he was asked to vote for him to represent that borough in the House of Com- mons. **Who is this Mr. Gladstone?'* Not many of the Newark electors could have answered the question. It was addressed, however, to the steward of the Duke of Newcastle, and he made reply: "Mr. Gladstone is a young man, the son of a millionaire merchant of Liverpool, who was a friend of Canning; and he is the protege of the Duke of Newcastle.'* That meagre biography was sufficient for electoral purposes, and Mr. Gladstone was elected. "Vote for Gladstone,'* the Duke practically said to his tenants, "or I will turn you out of doors." Under this miser- able rotten borough system was sent to Parlia- ment the man who was destined in future years to sweep that system away forever. He was then twenty-three years old, having been born at Liv- erpool, December 29, 1809, the son of Sir John Gladstone. The family is of purely Scottish origin, and in early generations was connected with royalty itself. With almost boundless wealth behind him, the future Prime Minister enjoyed the best educational advantages England afforded. He spent six years at Eton ; then studied pri- vately under Dr. Turner, afterward Bishop of CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 433 Calcutta ; and finally spent three years at Christ Church College, Oxford, being- graduated in 183 1, with the highest honors of the class. He then went to Italy on a pleasure tour, and for the good of his health, which was then delicate. While he was there the Reform Act of 1832 was passed, and the Duke of Newcastle summoned him home to stand for Newark In the ensuing election. His authentic ancestry may be traced briefly from William Gladstone, a brewer, of Biggar, who died in 1728. He left three sons and a daughter. One of these sons left eleven children, one of whom was named Thomas, Thomas Gladstone had sixteen children, the eldest of whom was John, afterward Sir John Gladstone, the father of the subject of this sketch. John Gladstone built up his great fortune chiefly through the slave trade and the products of slave labor in America. He accepted the abolition of slavery with good grace, however, and thereafter continued greatly to increase his wealth. The friendship of Can-' ning and the patronage of the Duke of Marl- borough got him Into Parliament as Member for Woodstock, a pocket-borough of Marlborough's, and he was still a member of the House when his son, William Ewart, was elected as his colleague from Newark. The first importai^t act of the Parliament to which Mr. Gladstone was first elected was the abolition of slavery. This was effected in 1833. 434 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. In the debates on this topic Mr. Gladstone made his first parliamentary speech. He was not op- posed to emancipation, but he demanded that it be done gradually, and that slave-owners be in- demnified for their losses. To any such thing as immediate and absolute abolition of slavery he was strongly opposed. In other debates that year he displayed his prowess, and he was made by Peel, in 1834, a Junior Lord of the Treasury. It rs, by the way, an odd circumstance that while Mr. Gladstone throughout his public career has especially excelled as a financier, he was when in school the dullest of dullards in arithmetic. A few months later the Tories were turned out of office, and Mr. Gladstone retired for some years to the Opposition benches. Peel returned to power, however, in 1841, and made Mr. Gladstone Vice- President of the Board of Trade and Master of the Mint. That Ministry was one of the most notable in modern English history, and in its im- portant work Mr. Gladstone took a leading part. It was he who prepared the revised Tariff sched- ule, which largely abolished duties on imports and inaugurated the era of British free-trade. He soon succeeded Lord Ripon as President of the Board of Trade, and in that capacity secured the abolition of restrictions on the exportation of machinery. The next year, 1844, he carried his railway laws, which compelled railways to run cheap trains, established a system of electric tele- CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 435 graphs, and provided for the purchase of railways by the Government — a provision which has never been executed. ' The achievement of these important measures within three years marked Mr. Gladstone as the coming leader of British politics. They showed, too, that Tory as he was, he possessed a spirit of independence above party trammels, and was in- spired with ideas of advancement and reform that must in time make him a Liberal. The Liberal party of later years was not then in existence, and as between the Tories and the Whigs there was litde for a reformer to choose. Meantime Mr. Gladstone had paid much attention to ecclesi- astical as- well as fiscal politics, andhad published two works, **The State in its Relations with the Church" and ** Church Principles Considered in their Results." The ideas expressed by him in these were not in harmony with the bill for the endowment of Maynooth College, introduced by the government in 1845, ^^d he accordingly re- signed his office. He held the view, since aban- doned, that it was the business of the government to uphold *'the true religion," by which he meant the Church of England. Maynooth was a Roman Catholic college, and toward Romanists and Dis- senters alike Mr. Gladstone would show no favor. In 1845 he favored customs discrimination against slave-grown sugar. Then the Corn Law question eame up^ His free-trade notions made^ him favor 436 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. their repeal. But his patron, the Duke of New- castle, to whom he owed his Newark seat, opposed repeal. So he resigned his place in the Commons and went back to private life, powerfully aiding, however, by voice and pen, the campaign for the repeal of the obnoxious laws. When that cam- paign was finally triumphant he was re-elected to Parliament as member for Oxford University. He still ranked as a Tory, but day by day showed that he was drifting hopelessly away from that party. He favored the removal of the political disabilities of the Jews, thus directly opposing the Tory policy. He also spoke and worked strongly for the repeal of the navigation laws and for a reformed system of colonial administration. In 1850 he made a speech on the Greek question, which fixed his reputation as one of the three or four greatest parliamentary orators of Europe. Sir Robert Peel had begun as a protectionist and a Tory, and had now become a free-trader and pjractically a Whig. Mr. Gladstone had ac- companied him through this transformation, and was now a conspicuous member of that small but able body of men known as Peelites. That body was broken up by the death of Peel in July, 1850, and thenceforth Mr. Gladstone's progress towards Liberalism was more marked and rapid than ever. In 1 85 1 he visited Italy again, and observed the tyranny of the King of Naples. What he saw stirred him to the core, and he wrote a number of CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 437 letters to Lord Aberdeen, passionately appealing to the common humanity of the world against such brutalities. "I have seen and heard," he said, " the strong and true expression used : * This is the negation of God erected into a sys- tem of government.' '* These letters greatly aroused public sentiment against the tyrant, and hastened the revolution led by Garibaldi. The next year (1852) he first faced squarely his great rival, Disraeli, who was a member of the govern- ment under Lord Derby. Mr. Disraeli brought forward a Budget, and Mr. Gladstone attacked it so vehemently and convincingly that it was reject- ed by the House, and the Ministry thereupon resigned. In the Coalition Ministry which was then formed Mr. Gladstone was of course made Chancellor of the Exchequer. He signalized his accession to this important office by bringing forward another great scheme of financial reform. This was nothing less than a plan for reducing the national debt. , It was adopted, and worked admirably until the Crimean war broke out. He was still earnestly moving for free trade, which had not yet been established to his satisfaction, and his first Budget made sweeping reductions and abolitions of duties,- amounting to more than $25,000,000. Mr. Glad- stone has generally been regarded as particeps criminis in the terrible iniquities of the Crimean war, and so strong was public opinion to that 438 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. effect that he was constrained to publish an apolo- gy for his conduct in that crisis. He accepted office under Lord Palmerston after'the fall of the Aberdeen Ministry, but soon resigned because Lord Palmerston would not oppose Mr. Roebuck'^ motion for an investigation into the mismanagement of the war. This was one of Mr. Gladstone's great blunders, the first of the series. Although a professed opponent of war, he helped lead the nation into the Crimean conflict, and identified himself with the shameful mismanagement that marred the honorable fame of England. Then he resigned his office because his chief would not shield him from an investigation. Mr. Gladstone arrayed himself against Lord Palmerston in 1857 on the Chinese question, and led against him a motley band of Tories, Radicals ^and Peelites, who had nothing in common but their hatred of the Prime Minister. Lord Pal- merston was defeated; but he appealed to the country and was returned to office stronger than even The next year, however, he was beaten on another measure and resigned office. Lord Derby succeeded him, and Mr. Gladstone was again a supporter of the government, though not a mem- ber of it. The great India bill, transferring the government of India from the old company to the Crown, was now adopted, and Mr. Gladstone suc- ceeded in getting into it a clause forbidding the use of Hindoo soldiers outside of their own GLADSTONE PRESENTING THE HOME RULE BILL, 1886. 440 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. country, except by special permission of Parlia- ment. In November, 1858, Mr. Gladstone was sent to Corfu by Lord Derby as High Commis- sioner Extraordinary to the Ionian Islands, and a few years later those islands were formally united to Greece. At about this time, too, Mr. Gladstone published his great work entitled "Studies on Homer." In this he argued vigorously that Homer was an actual personage, that he was the author of the works ascribed to him in their en- tirety, and that the events related in the poems were real and not fabulous. . He has been all his life a careful student and constant reader of the great Greek epics. Mr. Gladstone again entered Lord Palmerston's Cabinet in 1859, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and was enabled to carry out still further his free- trade principles. He assisted Mr. Cobden in negotiating an important commercial treaty with France, and still further reduced and abolished duties on imports. He proposed to do away with the paper duty, but the House of Lords refused to sanction dhis part of his scheme. Thereupon he introduced and secured the passage of a reso- lution in the House of Commons, declaring that the right of granting supplies to the Crown is vested in the House of Commons alone. This was the first of his battles with the House of Lords, which have grown steadily more bitter and have now come to a determination on his part, if CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 441 possible, either to remodel and reconstruct that Chamber or do away with it altogether. In 1861 he founded the Post Office Savings Bank system, which has been of incalculable benefit to the people of England. In the Budget of this year the paper duties were abolished, despite the opposition of the Lords, Mr. Gladstone embodying this and all other financial ^propositions in one bill, and pre- senting only the alternative of passing the whole or none. If the Lords would not agree to abol- ishing the paper duties, the Commons would vote no supplies for carrying on the government. For a time a serious constitutional conflict seemed im- minent, but at last the Lords yielded to Mr. Gladstone's compulsion. During the three or four years that followed, Mr. Gladstone steadily removed duties and lightened taxation. Soon after the outbreak of the rebellion in America, in i86"i, Mr. Gladstone committed the second big blunder of his life, and one for which, like the first, he was afterwards compelled to apologize and express contrition. In a public ad- dress at Newcastle he exultingly declared that " Jefferson Davis had created a nation," and pre- dicted the irretrievable dissolution of the Ameri- can Union. Thenceforward his sympathies and his influence were altogether on the side of the South. It is not profitable to speculate upon his motives in thus siding with slaveholders against freedom. 442 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. Doubtless his heart warmed for the Confederates because of their emphatic free-trade principles. Free trade in America would, he thought, be greatly to England's commercial advantage ; and the breaking up of the Great Republic would in many respects inure to England's benefit. That so great a man, and one so full of love for human- ity, should be swayed by such mercenary motives, is a fact to be remembered only with pity and re- gret. In taking this position Mr. Gladstone dif- fered not only from his opponent, Mr. Disraeli, but also from his close friends, Mr. Bright and Mr. Forster, all of whom were steadfast friends of the Union. At the general election in 1865 Mr. Gladstone stood again for Oxford, but was beaten by Mr. Gathorne Hardy. He obtained a seat in the House, however, from South Lancashire. Lord Palmerston died soon after, and Earl Russell became Prime Minister, with Mr. Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. His Budget in 1866 showed a surplus of ^6,500,000, and further reduction"~of .taxation followed. He then brought in a sweep- ing Reform bill, intended to extend the franchise to about 400,000 more electors. After its second reading the bill was defeated by a motion of Lord Dunkellin, -and the government resigned after less than a year s existence. Lord Derby formed a new ministry, Mr. Disraeli succeeding Mr. CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 443 Gladstone in the Exchequer; and a year and a half later Mr. Disraeli became Prime Minister, reaching that coveted goal in advance of his great rival. But although in opposition, Mr. Gladstone, during this time, exercised an important influence on legislatibn. He and Mr. Bright largely shaped the Reform bill of 1867, which enacted household suffrage, pure and simple, in the boroughs. His bill abolishing compulsory church rates was adopted in 1868 ; and after a long debate his reso- lutions declaring for the disestablishment of the Irish Church were carried by a heavy majority. Then he brought in a bill putting these declara- tions in effect. It was adopted by the House of Commons but rejected by the Lords, whereupon Parliament was dissolved. On' the appeal to the country a great Liberal majority was returned, Mr. Disraeli resigned, and Mr. Gladstone became Prime Minister for the first time, December 9, 1868. Backed up by an overwhelming majority in the Commons, he was able to do much as he pleased, and a period of great legislative activity ensued. The most important measure passed by this government was the Education act, for which credit is due chiefly to- Mr. Forster. The Irish Church was disestablished in 1869 and the Irish Land act became a law in 1870. When the Franco-German war broke out, Mr. Gladstone declined to define the attitude of England, and tbereby provoked much dissatisfaetioii. In 1871 444 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. the royal warrant abolishing the system of pur- chasing army offices was issued, and the treaty of Washington, for settling by arbitration the disputes with America, was concluded. These disputes were finally setded by the arbitratocs at Geneva in 1872, and England was mulcted in a heavy sum of damages, a just result, but one which gave Mr. Gladstone much unpopularity at home. Other laws passed in this and the following years were the Ballot bill ; acts protecting the public health, prohibiting adulteration of food and medicines, and regulating the management of mines ; and an Education act for Scotland. The government tried to settle the Irish University question in 1873, but were beaten by the narrow margin of three votes. Thereupon they resigned, but resumed office again on Mr. Disraeli's refusing to form a ministry. Cabinet dissensions followed, and in a fit of temper Mr. Gladstone in 1874 unexpectedly dissolved Parliament. The ensuing elections gave the Conservatives a large majority in the House of Commons, and Mr. Gladstone resigned office, and was succeeded by Mr. Disraeli. He also re- signed the leadership of the Liberal party, and was temporarily succeeded by the Marquis of Hartington. In his retirement from politics he now busied himself with theology, writing an "Essay on Rit ualism," and a sharp pamphlet on '* Vaticanism/' in which he, vigorously attacked the doctrine, ot CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 445 Papal Infallibility. These utterances involved him in a spiritual controversy with Cardinal Newman. The outrages perpetrated by the Turks in Bulgaria, in which the British government declined to inter- fere, called him back to politics. At great public meetings throughout the country he scathingly arraigned the government for its inhumanity ; he denounced as unconstitutional the bringing of Indian troops to .Malta; the Anglo-Turkish treaty he declared to be insane ; the purchase of the Suez Canal shares he pronounced an act of madness, in which he made another mistake, as that invest- ment has proved to be in all respects one of the best ever made by any government ; he condemned the Afghan war ; and generally criticised the policy of the government in the severest possible manner. In 1880 Parliament was dissolved, and Mr. Glad- stone, as member for Mid-Lothian, came into the new Parliament with a great Liberal majority, and became for the second time Prime Minister. Irish affairs largely monopolized attention now. A stringent Coercion act was passed, the Land League was ruthlessly suppressed, and the Irish parliamentary leaders were imprisoned wholesale. Lord Frederick Cavendish, Irish Secretary, was murdered, and a most harsh and arbitrary act for the prevention of crimes was adopted. A second Land bill was passed after a third battle with the Lords, and an Arrears act, both intended to ameliorate the condition of. the Irish -peasants. 446 CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. An Affirmation bill, to admit Mr. Bradlaugh^ tKe infidel, to the House without the customary oath, was advocated by Mr. Gladstone vigorously, but was rejected. Important laws were passed relating to tramways in Ireland, bankruptcy, emigration, and agricultural holdings. The Franchise bill, establishing almost universal suffi-age, was passed after a struggle with the Lords that at one time threatened a revolution; and a bill redistributing parliamentary seats so as to reorganize the House of Commons entirely, followed. Foreign affairs gave much trouble. A war was begun in Egypt, Alexandria was destroyed by bombardment, and a number of battles were fought, which were mere massacres of Arabs. These operations have been generally condemned as a needless waste of life and treasure, and Mr. Bright resigned from the Cabinet to mark his detestation of them. General Gordon was sent to Khartoum and there abanr doned to his fate, the government shamefully breaking its promises to him and calling down on its head, at his death, a storm of execration. In Afghanistan, Russia made great aggressions, and a war seemed imminent, but it was averted by the simple policy of yielding to all of Russia's indolent demands. Finally the government was defeated on their Ctistoms and Inland Revenue bill, and resigned in June, 1885. ;: - : i:. ;• .:? The new election und^r tthe FraMMse ai^d Redistribution aets took placei that falli smd.Mn CHARLES STEWART PARNELL. 447 Gladstone was again returned for Mid-Lothiart, with a large Liberal majority in the House. Lord Salisbury held on to his office for a time, but was unable to command a working majority, so he resigned, and Mr. Gladstone became Prime Minis- ter for the third time on February 6, 1886. He soon put forward his scheme for Home Rule in Ireland, which caused a revolt in the party. Lord Partington, Lord Selborne, Sir Henry James, Mr. Bright, Mr. Goschen, Mr. Chamberlain and other great Liberal leaders opposed him and formed the Liberal Unionist party. Thus his scheme wa^ rejected by the House, and Parliament Was soon dissolved; The new election resulted in an over- whelming majority against Mr. Gladstone, who thereupon resigned in July, 1886, and hais since been the leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons. His political activity has been very great since his retirement from office, and he has made num erous valuable contributions to the periodical literature of the day. Mr. Gladstone, by the unanimous verdict of critics, is the greatest English orator of our tittxei He is gifted with a marvellous voice and an unfail- ing command of words. Wordiness, indeed, some^ tinies becomes his fault; and he was once char- acterized by his great political opponent as **a sophistical rhetorician, intoxicated with the exuber- ance of his own" verbosity." His noble ojunte- nance iand intense manner make his speeches moit 448 CHARLES STEWART FARNELL. effectual when listened to ; but on account of their involved construction they do not read well, and can never be quoted to advantage. He is not a successful party leader, because of his dogmatic and arbitrary ways and his lack of tact in dealing with men. He possesses great wealth, and lives at Hawarden Castle, a fine estate in Wales. He has outgrown the delicate health of his youth, and enjoys a robust and vigorous old age ; delighting in intellectual labor and physical outdoor exercise, felling trees being his favorite recreation. His personal popularity with a great portion of the English people is very great. Years ago he was sneeringly called **The People's William.*' Of late years his devotion to the cause he deemed right, and the splendid vitality of his declining years, have given to him the popular title by which he will doubdess always henceforth be known— ** The Grand Old Man/' This book is a preservation facsimile. It is made in compliance with copyright law and produced on acid-free archival 60# book weight paper which meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (permanence of paper) Preservation facsimile printing and binding by Acme Bookbinding Charlestown, Massachusetts 2006 DATE DUE UNIVERSITY PRODUCTS, INC. #859-5503 3 9031 029 27365 3