East Saginaw courier., 1866-05-02

"A BTooRAPAIcAL 6KErcH. .-Jamea
Stephens was born /. in Kilkenny in
in the year 1897. His father was
auctioneer's clerk, and his mother was
Of q family Of the highest respecta-
bility, but in reduced circumstan
BE betrayed signs Of extraordinary
ability, even in his school boy days.
30 far as any historical data are con-
cerned, he appears to have passed his
life until eighteen years of age at Kill
kenny, In he usual round of Irish
boyhood. At the age Of eighteen he
left home and the next we hear of
him Is that he found employment
upon the railroad near Dublin. This
was about the year 1845-three years
before the elimination of the affair
of l848. He had at even this
period become remarkable in no small
degree for the fervid earnestness Of
his political viewA always siding with
the cause Of Irish ehabiliation, and
expressing at times opinions which
were daringly revolutionary and anti
British in their tendencies. In the
year preceding 1s4S he became
prominent member of the Young
ireland Club, and in this capacity the
young Irish patriot attracted the at
tention of Smith O'Brien, and elected
no little commendation from that
popular Irish leader, on account of
the fiery revolutionary spirit of his
addresses at the meetings of the Irish
Confederation. Stephens was one of
the most active of O'Brien's adherents
at Ballingarry. In a scrimmrge in
the vicinity Of which town he was
wounded in the thigh with a bullet. -
Stephens fell directly in front of the
barracks, but had the presence of
mind, the assailants having been re-
pulsed, to crawl away and screen
himself in gutter, whence he was
removed in a semi-lifeless condition
by the Irish peasantry. The moye-
ment Of 1s4s collapsing, the family
of Stephens spread report that he
had been fatally wounded in the
affray at Ballingarry, carried out the
senioaanee oah CO. y, i's S us'.n ~ ;nss''ut.ns lung
- ~ n;va @ %rtbar nv onnosr ~
anoa &c a. .sn..:s ppo"
o D. - u a & " sno ".Ie' az" ''on o'..,
Dy 'nose ,,' 1ans ,r1 .n1 '.os
W. W. oon;pes o S i..noJ O." Gnu
,St VIII 'uSp,0'o up aaS ha ~" I.en -. , % s;.S @
nens, wno' uaIel sne .a.u =. :l .a':
=. ~, narses; naS st oeoh IL .nean.,"e a raP.u
y Ieoo'eiin : avii % n.s ~o"su e'.aPeu
~ t,anos ~ 'ne ea,Se =, ,auy
r sy.ns y w"y =. -. .n' "n
ic ! - tei'inoo ~. = sn. o.Hn' iI' anr
ai'oi " ctu 'os "S nEns uA.A
no sl.iyeu ~ ar'' Ii : aiis no
l',eu ioiso.eia, ea,s' '.Ppnis mn
sen Dy s'ins .s;.e' ;; ;.;s.aI ~ .ne Lns Ish
!, nsuage, anu ,;.;s, n,,ans 'as,ua.s,y as wisn
Tue numerous Poii.ioai leiueoeS S Suo
phensI Iand O'Mahoney lived togeth-
er in Paris, and it was during their
sojourn there that the Fenian move
ment was planned. From Paris
Stephens came to America, where he
found ample materials among the
Irish for building up the organization
contemplated by himself and O'Ma-
hony.
Some time during the year 1896,
he returned to Ireland and travelled
the conptry, giving lessons
in the modern languages In Dublin
he was employed for some time in the
family of Judge Fitzgerald as tutor,
and in several other families at inter
walls. The Phoenix Association about
this time began to attract attention,
until the close of 1888 the name OF
"Shook" became terror to the au-
thorities, and the gentleman bearing
that ominous title began to be anxi-
ously sought for by the detectives. -