The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1861-03-06

Ireland, ran through many centuries. 1t
commenced in the year 9S7. Murtoch
VNeill. who closed his reign and life in
ll6S. was the last monarch Of the race
whose posterity had thus exclusively, &C.
cording to Irish records and Mr. Moorc's
history, occSpicd the throne of Ireland for
upwards of six hundred years. These
O'Neills are conspicuous from the beginning
in the Irish wars, particularly those wased
in the time Of Elizabeth and CROMWELL
The following passage gives touching pic
ture Of the state of penury to which the
last but one of the Clanaboy branch of this
family became reduced, before it became
finally extinct:
Retiring into the village of Slane, Sir
Francis O'Neill, sixth baronet, the dcscen.
dant of race of the kings, representative
Of the dashing dragoon of Edge Hill, and
the cousin Of three peers, Morn,ngton,
Dunsany, and Meath, rents a cabin of four
apartments, and keeps in it small huck-
ster's shop and dairy, the produce of two
cows, while his two horses and carts, last
remnant Of his stock, attended by his sec.
ond son, John O'Neill, cart -four for hire
from the mills Of Slane to Dublin. In that
humble cabin the aged and poverty stricken
baronet was visited in the month of May,
1898, by John, the first Viscount O'Neill,
and his two sons Charles and John, the late
earl and the last viscount, on their way to
Shane's Castle; for John, the first Lord
O'Ncill, princely in mind as he was exalted
in station, never turned his face from poor
relation. On that occasion Sir Francis
O'Neill took melancholy pleasure in show
ing to his lordship the last remnant Of his
family plate, silver cream ever and table
spoon, cngraven with his crest, the hand
and dagger, also the patent Of baronetcy,
with its large old-fashioned wax seal, and
his parchment pedigree, tracing his dcs-
cent from the prince schoolmaster, Niul OF
Scythia and Egypt. And in a little out.
house or shed, open at three sides, in that
humble yard, he also pointed out his broken
carriage, emblazoned With his arms, the ret
hind Of Q'Neill, which was almost effaccd
and illegible from exposure to wind and
rain. Fit emblem it was of the broken
fortunes of his house. The noble viscount
did not live to fulfill the promise he then
made to better the condition Of this reduced
gentleman Of his house, for in a short
month afterwards he was in his grave
barbarously and treacherously murdered at
Antrim by the rebels of Killead. Sir Fran
els O'Neill himself, shocked by the event,
and by the feeling that the last reed on
which he depended was broken, soon follow
ed, and in the year 1893 was placed beside
his father, Sir Henry, in the grave inside
the ruins Of the old church of Mount New.
ton. In year and half after, his wife,
the Lady O'Neil, was laid by his side."
The son of this Sir Francis O'Neill is yet
living. He has had an evcntful life. He
enlisted at about eighteen years Of age ia
tho English army, has seen much service
in Portugal, Spain and France, and was
discharged as sergeant major Of the Eighty.
eigth regiment, with q pension Of two shil.
lings and two pence day, in 1880. In
that year ''he was appointed by the corpo.
ration Of the city Of Dublin chief officer Of
the Newgate guard-a quaint looking corps,
dressed up in costume not unlike the Royal
Artillery, who required strict discipline
rian like Sergeant Major O'Ne,ll to presid.
over them. He was discontinued in this
Office at the breakup Of the guard, in 1886,
when he took two houses in Cook street
Dublin, in one Of which, No. 95, he now
resides, with his eldest son, Francis O'Neill
a coffin-makcr."