Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-12
A LAWYERS ROMANTIC LIFE
His Adventure With ''The Yelled MUIR
deress" Many Years Ago.

Troy ". y Special TO tie Yelc ork World, 9Th
Yesterday afternoon the remains of John
OBrien, the veteran member OF the bar
who died on Friday at the Marshall In
Urinary in this city, were consigned to
earth in the old st. Mary's Cemetery.
The old lawyer had a very mysterious
and romantic life history. He was born
63 years ago in Ireland, his father being a
priest, whose haisOn with lady of high
rank created much excitement at the
time. His mother, who was a Protestant
kept his birth secret, though he was
tenderly cared for, and provided with all
the luXuries Of life, and when he was 10
years old was sent to this country.
He was sent to CaZenOYia College, in
the central part of the State, and received
monthly remittance Of $25. 1t was in
tended that he should enter the ministry,
but he refused to do so, as he had a strong
leaning towards the Catholic Church. He
left the college and went to Utica, and as
the remittance from home ceased at about
the same time he concluded that his
mother, whom he had seen several times,
and for whom he had a strong affection,
was dead. While in Utica he fell in love
with beautiful young girl, but broke the
engagement because she wanted to be
married in Protestant church. After
ward he greatly regretted this step, and it
cast shadow of sadness over his whole
bachelor life.
He left Utica and came to this city,
where he was admitted to the bar. One
evening in the winter, while sitting in his
office on the southeast corner of Third
and Congress streets, he was surprised to
find woman standing before him dress
ed in black. She told that she, like him,
was born of noble parents, but had been
cast adrlft, and wanted to hear the details
OF his own birth. He refused to tell her
and the woman left.
About three weeks afterWard the COM
munity was startled by terrible tragedy,
In which woman known as '.the yelled
murderess" performed a prominent part.
a few days after the woman had been ar
rested, Constable Kipp called on him, and
showing him handkerchief marked with
the initials u, OBJ" asked him whether
1t was his. The Constable stated that he
mad found it in possession Of ''the veiled
murdereSs," Mr.. O'Brien denied
having owned the handker-
chief, but after the COnsta-
BILE was gone examined his wardrobe and
found in fact that one of his handkerchlefs
so marked was missing. He then remem-
bered that his clothes had come from the
laundry on the night Of the visit from the
mysterious woman in black. He had, no
doubt that She had taken the handker-
chle1 from the open bundle, which was
close to where she had been sitting. and
that she was no other than the ''veiled
murderess." Fearful of being mixed up
in the trial, he kept the fact a secret until
long afterward.
For many years Ire was regular at
tendant at the Police Court He was
always attired in black broadcIoth, with
coat buttOned to his chin, and his
peculiar manner of dress more than any
thing else attracted the attention of the
curious, who saw in the man a character
of the extraordinary kind. Although in
later years he was reduced to extremes,
he was, nevertheless, proud to the last,
and when his friends intimated that a
collection among the members of the bar
could be easily obtained he exclaImed:
"For heavens sake, don't do that. 1
wouldn't want them to know anything
about it!''