The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-27
EDITOR
Scenes About His Death-Bed Changing
Wives in Fear of the Future.

Scenes About His Death-Bed changing
Wives in Fear of the Future.
New York Letter in Chicago Tribune.
Thomas Kinsella. who edited the Brooklyn
Eagle, and who last week died and was buried,
lived a singular life, some of the strangest &C.
centricities of which have not come to light in
the papers hereaway. His plucky fight for recog-
milton; his climb from a common lease" of the
type-setter in the office through all the inter
mediate positions to that of editor-in-chief and
managerial this has been dwelt on-but his
matrimonial and theological versatility the local
papers have dropped a veil over. Kinsella was
an Irishman and a Catholic, as was his first
wife. who bore him five daughters. All went
well till he fell in with the wife of a politician
and office-hOlder of local celebrity, known as
Tom Fields. OF her he became deeply enam-
ored, and after a short courtship. as it were,
divorces were obtained, at his instigation, all
around. and Mr.. Kinsella and Mrs. Fields were
duly married by Henry Ward Beecher.
Fields brought suit against Kinsella for
alternating the affections of his wife, and
won the suit, the jury awarding him
money for himself, but wanted to deposit it in
SAe name of his erring spouse, for her to use
whenever her new admirer should desert her.
This he did, and the $50, 900 has been on interest
ever since-til last week.
MIR. Kinsella's daughters abandoned him, and
followed the misfortunes of their cast-off moth
er; while he and Mrs. Fields kinsella, as she
has always been called in Brooklyn, took a high
priced pew III MT. beectefS cHurch, OF WHICH
they became members. This all happened some
years ago, and Mr.. Kinsella was an ardent sup
porter of the great Plymouth pastor during his
trials.
When Mr.. Kinsella was brought face to face
with death in his last illness he sent for Mr..
Beecher, 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 instilled into him by
the Catholic church when a child rose impera-
tivp1U hafo1Na 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 ac-
quainted. The priest came, but could not get
in. Mrs. Fields Kinsella assured him that if
she wanted him she would send for him, but
that at present his services were Superfuous.
He retreated reluctantly, was again summoned,
and boldly made his way to the sick mans bed
side. Kinsella wanted confession, communion,
baptism and the rights 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 adviser
he called Mrs. Fields"-Kinsel into the room
and formally discarded her, and ordered her to
pack up and leave, and then his former wife was
recalled to his bedside. The will was changed.
This is the strange story told, and generally be-
lieved. / suppose it is correct. And now the
first wife, who shared with him the hardships OF
his early struggles. and her daughters, will in
sella has already, it is said. drawn from the
bank the $50, 900 obtained from Kinsella. But
if he had lived l wonder who would have been
his wife3