The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-03-06
O'DONOYAN ROSA.
Americas Famous Dynamite Chieftain's Ca
reer.

count of the life of O'Donovan Ross
prior to his removal to America. Sine
that event MIR. Rosa has figure
prominently as the head OF what
known as the skirmishing fund, and
has become the fashion, wheneve
there have been developments of
sensational character in connection
with the Irish revolutionary party il
the United Kingdom. to attribut
them to the Vaccinations of Rosa AIT
his confederates upon this side of tn
Atlantic, whether or not with justlc,
it is hard to tell but certain it is tina
Mr.. Rosa has not sought to evade the
notoriety that this might bring him
The Gazette article says: sit is just {
quarter of a century since O'Donovar
Rosa became public character. He
was then about %, strongly built,
overlooking with life, and Astounding
in frollc. In those days he kept a
shop in Skibbereen, selling everything
in the way of food and clothing re-
quired by his neighbors. His neigh
bors meant every body-peasants and
townspeople miles around, and
Rosa, being universally popular, was
a thriving man. His proper name was
Jeremiah O'Donovan; but, as there
was quite tribe of o Donovans in that
quarter, and score at least of ferries,
our shopkeeper got an additional and
distinctive appellation, taken from his
ce-Ross-carbcrry.
"Rossa was an early convert to Fen
ianism-or, as it is called by the initia-
ted this side of the Atlantic, the
I(rish) Republican, (rotherhood)-
having been sworn in so far back as1S53.
He was already man of mark, not I'M
deservedly; for, beginning life at 16
poor, friendless lad, his strong quail
ties and business aptitude had made
him comparatively rich. He was Just
the sort of recruit that the shewd
Stephens-who never troubled himself
with the 'tag-rag' of the brotherhood
delighted to make. Having named
Rosa the district c., the captain
went his way, leaving the new officer
to swear in as many of his acquaint-
ances as he could persuade to Join.
Putting his heart into the work, Rosa
gathered regiment some hundreds
strong in and about Skibbereen. This
done, he followed the example of his
fellow-chiefs elsewhere, established a
mechanics institute and reading-room-
and became an ardent social reformer. |
He dubbed his literary association the
Phoenix club, in compliment to O'Ma-
honey, 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 such skill
"James Stephens usually kept q
tight hand over such clubs, and as
suredly would not have permitted a
number of vagaries in which Rosa
nd the Phoenix men INDUCED in 1858,
mad he been at home. AS it happened,
he spent the earlier half of that year
in America, teaching O'Mahoney, who
was greatly in need of the lesson, how
to organize. And, in consequence,
the demonstrative and aggressive Rosa,
being left very much to himself, con- |
rived to attract the attention of the [
government, The whole affair was t
very curious, and, on many accounts. S
merits calculation. Suffice it to say I
low, that Rosa and number of his
associates were arrested, tried and
convicted, But it was the interest of
everybody concered to make as light
II the affair as possible, so that the
prisoners, after many months of i'm v
'rlsonment, were released in 1859, on a
onditioa of coming up for judgment S
When called upon. They were now all n
marked men; so most of them took
themselves off-some to America, some t
England, and one or two to Dublin. fl
Imong the last was Rosa, who came O
ut of prison to find his business ru- t.
ned. d
His fellow-Phenixm men drifted about is
d the world; he was far too useful a A
IAN to be allowed to drift. Stephens Ct
ook him as confidential aid and kept q
i'm employed-now as an organizer il
one or the other of the Irish prov CT
ices, now in breaking up themeetings o.
such nationalist as refused to CON 81
oire, and now as one of the series of n
lessengers that were constantly COM IL
lg and going between the American p;
nc European branches of the con- I'll
piracy. In all these avocations Rosa fu
stinguished himself by zeal and adj tn
ress, as well as by a turbulence which sc
as thoroughly ood-humored and ca
ish in those days. &C
AT length that notorious journal, pl
he Irish People. was established to- bl
ard the close of 1868, and Rosa be- flu
me the nominal proprietor. He now sa
ok wife for the second time, find dc
g considerable difficulty in getting fie
TEST to perform the ceremony, in We
oh disrepute at the time was the wi
.nsspiracy with the great body of the tn
lsh Roman Catholic clergy. Shortly to
terward Rosa started to America on TT
'nlan business. After short STAY to
the other side of the water he re- an
rned to Ireland toward the end of co
ny, 1865, in company with Messrs. tw
w. Dunn and p. j. Meehan. These Sp
% gentlemen were deputed by O'Ma- on
ny to do certain business with of
ephens as to the rising, fixed to pu
Se place on the ensuing anniversary pie
Emmet's execution. In stepping Fo
bore Meehan lost some important Nc
pers in a way chat has never been the
iy explained. These papers were as
a l.. 4 II.