Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-05-18
AN IRISH CKIEFTAIN.

From the St. james Gazette.

From the st. James Gazette.
1t is Just quarter of century since
ODonovau Rosa became public
character. He was then %. strongly
built, Overlooking with life and abound
ing in frolic. In those days he kept q
shop in Skibbereon, selling everything
in the way of food and clothing re-
quired by his neighbors. His neigh
bors meant everybody-peasants and
townspeople-for miles around; and
Rosa, being universally popular. was
| q thriving man. His proper name was
jeremiah O'Donovan; but as there was
quite q tribe of ODonoyans in that
quarter, and score at least of ferries,
our shopkeeper got an additional and
distinctive appellation, taken from his
| birthplace-Rosscarberry.
Rosa was an early convert to Fee
nianism-or, as it was called by the III
itiated on this side of the Atlantic, the
Irish Republican Brotherhood
ing been sworn in so far back as 1858
He was already man of mark, not
| undeserved; for, beginning life at 16 a
poor, friendless lad, his strong qualities
and business aptitude had made him
comparatively rich. He was just the
sort of recruit that the shrewd Ste
phens-who never troubled himself
with the stag rag" of the brotherhood,
delighted to make. Having name I
Rosa the district G., the "captain"
went his way, leaving the new officer
to swear in as many of his acquaint-
ances as he could persuade 20 Join.
Putting his heart into the work, Rosa
gathered regiment some hundreds
strong in and about Skib5ereen. This
done, he followed the example of his
fellow chiefs elsewhere, established
mechanics institute and reading room
| and bee anne an ardent social reformer.
He dubbed his literary association the
Phoenix Club, in compliment TO O'Ma-
hony, whose branch of the conspiracy,
not then so strong as it afterward be-
| came, was known as the Phoenix Asso-
citation. And under the cover of this
club he carried on the business Of the
conspiracy with much skill.
James Stephens usually kept tight
hand over such clubs, and assuredly
would not have permitted number of
vagaries in which Rosa and the Phoe
nix men iEdulged in 1858 had he been
at home. AS it happened, he spent the
earlier half of that year in America,
teaching O Mahony, who was greatly
| in need of the lesson, how to organize.
And in consequence the demonstra-
tive and aggressive Rosa, being left
very much to himself, contriyed to at
tract the attention of the government t.
The whole affair was very curious, and
on Macy accounts merits calculation.
Suffice it to say now that Rosa and
number of his associates were arrest
ed, tried and convicted. But was the
interest OF everybody concerned TO
make as light of the affair as possible,
so that the prisoners, after many
months ofimprsonme nt, were released
in 1859 on condition of coming up for
judgment when called upon. They
were now all marked men: so most of
them took themselves off-some to
America, some to England, and one Or
two to Dublin. Among the last was
Rosa, who came out of prison to fad
his business ruined.
His fellow PGeaix men drifted alb ut
in the world; he was far too useful
personage to be allowed to drift Sc
phens took him as a confidential aid.
and kept him employed-now as an or
ganizer in one or the other Of the Irish
provinces, now in breaking up the
meetings of such Nationalist as re.
fused to conspire, and now as one of
the series of messengers that were con-
stantly coming and goiHg between the
American and European branches of
the cons piracy. In all these avocations
Rosa distinguished himself by zeal and
address, as well as by a turbulence
which was thoroughly good humored
ana Irish in those days.
At length that notorious journal, the
Irish People, WAS established toward
the close of 1868, and Rosa became the
wife for the second ime, fading con-
siderable difficulty in getting a priest to
perform the ceremony, in such disre-
pute at the time was the conspiracy
with the great body of the Irish Roman
Catholic clergy. Saortly afterward
Rosa started for America on Fenian
business. After a snort stay on the
other side Of the water he returned to
Ireland toward the end of July, 1865,
iu company with Messrs. Z. w. Dunn
and P. w. Meehan. These two gentle
men were deputed by O'Ms hony to do
certain business with Stephens as to
the rising, fixed to take place on the
ensuing anniversary of Emmett's exc.
cution. In stepping ashore Meehan
lost some important papers in q way
that has never been fully explained.
These papers were picked up and placed
in the hands of the authorities. The
leading conspirators were greatly dis
mayed and hardly to be restrained by
Stephens and Rosa (the latter being u
merciful man in those days from pun
ishing Meehan severely.
The government took no action un-
til within few days of the date fixed
for instruction. Then, however, it
flung its net over the Fenian leaders,
and caught nearly every one OF them
of any consequence at a single sweep.
On thu night of the 18th of S sutemo Der
the office of the Irish people was taken
possession ofby the police, and half an
hour later Rosa himself, who, like
most Of tue other leaders, had been ex-
pecting it, was arrested. Like the
others, too, he believed that his incar-
ceration must end in very few weeks
by the success of the rebellion.
On the 10th of november Stephens
was caught and plsc ID in the next cell
to Rosa in Redmond Bridewell. An
excellent Fenian, one Frank Byrne,
ex soldier of the Papal Brigade, was
one of the warders, and Stephens es-
capped. Thanks to Byrne. Rosa and
the others were perfectly aware OF
what was going on that night, and lay
still, confident that their turn would
come ere long. We all know how mis-
erably they were disappointed.
At the trial that followed, Rosa rem
dered himself conspicuous above his
fellows by audscity and energy. In
return he gothic heaviest sentence of
any-penal servitude for HE. When
released in 1871, he was an altered man.
He was no longer Eght-hearted aud
rollicking. He had lost his geniality
and fun. He seemed to have lost
altogether his rough but hearty kind
ness. At the same time he preserved
all his Intelligence, frmness and
energy. He was q Tor rather they
Fenian martyr, and he had the repute
of being the most honest and trust
worthy of all the chiefs. 1t was nat
ural, therefore, that he should gather
to himself a strong party of the Ameri-
can Fenians, and as natural that the