Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-29
KINsELLA's ECCENTRICIrIEs.
UndOing Many of the Things Done 4
Life on His Deathbed

UndOing Many of the Things Done in
Life on His Deathbed.
Thomas KinselIa, who edited the Brook
lyn Eagle, and who last week died, saws
New York letter to the Chicago Tribune.
lived singular life, some Ofthe strangest
eccentricities of which have not come to
light in the papers hereaway. His plucky
fight for recognition; his climb from a
common ''case" Of the typesetter in the
office through all the intermediate posi-
tions to that of editOr-in-chiet and mama
ger-all this has been dwelt On-but his
matrimonial ana theological versatility
lne local papers have dropped veil over,
hlnsella was an Irishman and a CathO-
lie, as was his first Wife, who bore him
i've daughters. All went well till
ne fell in with the wife of politician and
0fhceholder of local celebrity, known as
Tom Fields. OF her he became deeply
enamored, and after short cOurtship, as
II We're, divorces were obtained, at his in
stlgatlOn, all al Ound, and Mr.. Kinsella
and Mrs. Fields were duly married by
Henry Ward Beecher. Fields brought
SUIT against kinsella for alenting the af-
tectlOns OF his wife and won the suit. the
jury awarding him $4,000. He declared
that he didn't want the money for himself
but wanted to deposit it in the name of
his erring spouse, for her to use whenever
her new admirer should desert her. This
he did, and the $780, 900 has been on interest
ever since-till last week.
Mr.. klnsella's daughters abandoned
him and followed the misfortunes of their
CASTOR mother, while he and MRS. Fields
hlnsella," as she has always been called
in Brooklyn, took a high-priced pew i'm
MIR. Beecher's church, of which they be-
came members. This all happened some
years ago, and Mr.. Kinsella was an ardent
supporter of the great Plymouth pastor
during his trials.
When Mr.. Kiusella was brought face TO
face with death in his last illness he sent
for Mr.. Beecber, who came and prayed
with him and talked with him. but it did
not seem to ''gO to the spot" he said
The old menaces of the life to come which
had been instllled into. him by the Catho-
iIc Church when a child rose imperativelv
before him. He was afraid to die, and he
admitted it.
His latest wife guarded his haunted
bedside, but he induced some friend to
carry a note to a Catholic priest. with
whom he was well acquainted. The
priest came but could not get in. Mrs
'flelds"-klnsella assured him that if she
wanted him she would send for him. but
that at present his services were suDer-
fuous. He retreated reluctantly, was
again summoned, and boldly made his
way to the sick mans bedside, Kinsella
wanted confession, communion, baptism
and the rites of the Catholic Church. The
caller told him he could not be buried as
a Catholic except by speedy repentance Of
his sins, especially the sin of putting
away his wife and marrying another.
He was in mortal agony and mortal
fear. He said he would do as he was told
Under the urgency of his spiritual ad-
wiser he called Mrs. "Fields"-
into the room and formally discarded her.
and ordered her to pack up and leave, and
then bis former wife was called to his bed
side. The will was changed. This is the
strange story told and generally believed.
suppose Il is correct. And now the first
wife who shared with him the hardship
OF his early struggles and her daughters
VIII inherit his great wealth, and Mrs.
,FIelds"-kinsellah has already, it is said,
drawn from the bank the $4,000 obtained
from Kinsella. But if he had lived l
wonder who would have been his wife .,