The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-04-02
Mike Walsh.
The New York Herald has the followi


ed that he was born in Yanghull, nineteer
+ miles from Cork, Ireland. His father
came to America during his infancy, anc
for some time kept mahogany yard at 9;
Barclay street, (number since changed y
While residing there Mrs Melony, a frienC
of Mrs Walsh-or Welsh, as he spelled
his name-arrived from Ireland brngin,
letters from Mrs. Walsh expressing hel
desire to join her husband in this country
Mr. Walsh had been doing his best to
| make arrangements to send for her and
the family, and forthwith did so; but be
Tfore their arrival he had moved into Hud
son street and opened furniture store
there Upon the arrival of Mrs Walsh
and Mike, Mr.. Walsh gave quite party at
his house in honor of their arrival. and
there are parties now living in the city
who were present on that occasion Mix e
is said to have been four or five years old
when he came to this country. There are
also in the city certificates Of Mikes chris
tening in the church of which his parents
were members in Ireland The question
of his citizenship having been raised in
| Congress, committee investigated the
matter, and they reported that he was a
! citizen.
The decedent early learned the litho-
graphic business. and was very skilful at
II. When about twenty years of age he
left the city and took a trip to New Or
leans and the south. sometimes paving his
way 10y manual labor and by working on
/ the river boats. Shortly after returning TO
tins city he organized a society called the
Spartan band, for the purpose Of counter
balancing the influence Of the Unionists
Nearly all the Democratic Young men of
the city belonged to the Spartan Band at
one time. Mr. Walsh soon after became
an editor, and started a weekly paper call
ed the hntck,rJocker, which only lived four
or five weeks
ON the 18th Of July, 1913 Mr. Walsh is
sued the first number of little weekly
paper called the .Soitsrraasaa 1t was
printed by kimbcr n Kraft the office be-
ing III Subterranean square, now called
Tyron row. He continued this paper re
gularlv every week until sept 2s l>44
the date OF his last issue. The .S,Jter0,te-
an was then united with the Working Uo,,' 5
Aaroca'e--an organ of the National Reform
ASsociation-the first number of which
was issued Oct l., l>ii Shortly after
commencing the publication Of the Setter
ra,,san several libel suits were brought
against him III the court of sessions This
did not intimidate the dcccdcnt he CON
,inued TO write with his usual boldnee-
declaring in his paper on the very day al
ter he had been convicted Of four libels
that Earth, heaven or hell have no ter
rors tor us. These four libels were found
against HIM on the lUth Of November
1913. The recorder then addressed him
as follows
Mr Walsh YOU have been convicted in
this court IN four eases; one for a libel on
John Magnes, another for IA libel on Levi
d. >lamn, the third for libel on Abram
= Millard. and the fourth for libel on
Joseph l. >outhard The fines were. for
the first Ctcl So for the second 500 for
the third 80 and for the fourth sixty
days i'll the penitentiary.
on his way to BlackwelIs Island Mr.
! Walsh attempted to commit suicide by
drowning himself, but the parties in the
preventing him from lcapin. overboard-
/ The idea of going To the rcnltcntIary was
! greatly against hi- pride of character
, During his imprisonment on Blackwell :
/ Island he continued 70 edit the S.'5t.rTaH,-
/ an a friend OF his going over to the island
( every week in a boat. getting the PRISON
/ ers copy. and bringing II over to New
/ York 10 the printers.
! The .S,d..rraasaH dated Jan. l3, lSii,
! contained leader commencing As follows.
! ON Wednesday, III last the term OF my
/ Imprisonment expired This morning was
u-hcred IN bv a salute of twenty-One guns
/ bv the heroic Murat, and AT eleven o clock
/ the foot Of Sixty-tirSt street was literally
crowded with sleighs, wagons, coaches and
! single horses \ salute of tweuty-one
! guns was fired from the wharf, after which
! ! crossed the river got in a four horse ba-
! rouche provided for the occasion, and
| drove down. accompanied by about 300 We
7 IL. IL Of h..
{ Bulls Head hotel At every step was
! greeted by the most enthusiastic cheers.
| The article went on AT length 10 describe
! the reception that the subterranean pOpu-
| lace of New York gave to Mr. Walsh after
/ his release from prison. computing the
persons assembled in the City Hall Park 10
! greet him at 10000, and ending thus -
Who would not take two years of impri-
! sonmcnt for such reception?'
| Mr. Walsh had now served out the term
/ of imprisonment prescribed for the fourth
! libel; but the fines for the first three Ii
! bells, which amounted in all to Sl.5, had
not been paid. and the sentence of the
court was that until they were paid the
defendant should be remanded 10 prison.
So Notwithstanding his famous reception
he was almost immediately thereafter
lodged in the city Jail On the 2Oth of
January, 1914, he NIoic slo ici
lows -
Il am now in jail for fine of sl115, not
one cent of which would pay to save the
| souls of every one connected, if ] had ten
millions
On the 9th of January. lS44, Judge In
graham discharged him from jail on hi.
own petition because the sheriff had moi
the proper authority for holding him.
After dscontinuing the publication o
his paper the deccdent continued to b'
quite active in city politics. In 1916 h'
was elected on the regular Tammany tick
ct to the State assembly, from the -Four
, tecnth ward In the ensuing year he IA,
as an Independent stump candidate for thu
assembly and beat the regular Democratic
nominee.
In 1862, Mr.. Walsh was elected to Con
: gross from the Fourteenth Congressiona
district of this city, Patrick Kelly runnin;
): against him. In 1884 Mr. Walsh again raj
. for Congress, but was defeated by Johl
/. / Kelly.
/, In 1855 he went on mission to Russi
in a two-fold capacity, partly for an em
d nent shipbuller, of this city. and partly
as is reported. on secret mission for tn
government of General Pierce He tr:
=. veled through Russia, Egypt, Turkey, ant
: visited Sebastopol during his absence.
:: Returning from Europe, he visited Me>
y leo in April, 1853, as an emissary fron
d some southern fillibusters who otfere
their services to the Comonfort govern
ment, which were declined. Since his n
| turn to this city, the dccedent has bee
!" more or less connected with the city pres
!, At quite an early age Mr.. Walsh becam
r the husband of Miss Catherine Wiley, VIII
e has borne him three children, two
ee whom, George and Catherine, are livin,
p the former aged about twenty and the la
v ter fifteen The third, Lenora, is decea
. cd; her death was severely felt by her f
w. ther. as will be seen from the followin
|