The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1884-03-29
Doing Justice ON His Death BED

From Cronort's New York Letter
Thomas Kinsella, editor Of the Brook
}vn EdgIe, lived q singular lite, some OF
The etranoest eccentricities OF which have
mt come to light in the papers hereaWay.
Ills nIuckv recognition, his climb from a
common cease" Of the type-setter in the
office through all the Intermediate pssi-
1ions to that of editor-in chief and manager
all this has been dwelt on--but his mat
rimonial and theological versatility the
local papers have dropped veil over.
hinsella was an Irishman and a Catholic,
Us was his first wife, who bore him five
daughters. All went we'll till he fell in
with the wife Of politician and office
holder of local celebrity, known as Tom
Fields. Of her he became deeply enam-
ored, and after short courtship as it were,
divorces were obtained at his instigatiOn
Ill around, and Mr.. kinsella and Mrs.
Fields were duly married by Henry Ward
Beecher Fields brought suit against
Kinsella for alternating the affections Of
bis wife and won the suit, the jury award
ing him $50, 600. He declared that he did
not 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 900 has been on interest
ever since till last week. Mr.. Kinsella's
daughters abandoned him and followed
the misfOrtunes of their cast-off mother,
while he and "Mrs. Fields-kinsella,' as
she has always been called in Brooklyn,
took high-priced pew in Mr.. Beecher's
church, of which they became members.
This all happened some years ago, and
nr. hinsella was an ardent supporter Of
The great Plymouth pastor during his tri-
ais. When Mr.. kinsella was brought face
TO face with death in his last illness he
sent for Mr.. BeeCher, who came and pray
ed with him, but it did not seem to ''go to
life to come which had been instilled into
him by the Catholic church when a child
rose imperatiyely before him. lie was
afraid TO die, and he admitted it. Ills
but he induced some friend to carry note
10 Il Catholic priest with whom he was
we'll acquainted. The priest came, but
could not get in. "Mrs Fields kinsella''
would send for him, but that at present his
services were supertluous. He retreated
reluctantly, was again summoned, and
boldly made his way to the sick mans
bedside. knsclla wanted confession, COM
nunion, baptism, and the rites of the
Catholic church. The caller told him he
could not be buried AS Il Catholic except ]
by speedy repentance Of his sins, especial
Y the sin of putting away his wife and
marrying another. He was in mortal ag- :
my and mortal fear. He said he would do
IS he was told. Under the urgency of his ,
spiritual adviser he called Mrs. "Fields- I
\insclla' into the room and formally dis !
>ardcd her, and ordered her to pack I'D .,
and leave, and then his former wife was 7
recalled TO his bedside. The will was ],
This is the strange story told, q
aud generally believed; I suppose it is
correct. And now the first wife who shar- (
ca with him the hardship of his early '
struggles and her daughters will inherit =
his great wealth, and Mrs. "Fields-kin- I
se1'a' has already, it is said, drawn from
the bank the O,OO0 obtained from Kin
scf}a. But if he had lived wonder who
would have been his wife?