Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-01
srpPoRTERs oF PARNELL.
A Group of Noted Irish NatiOnalists--
Komance Of the Esmonde Family.

A Group of Noted Irish NStiOnaltsts-
Romance Of the Esmonde Family.
From the Nelo York -Star.
LONDON, April 6.--,James Francis Xa-
yjer O'Brieu, member for South Mayo,
though not the only one, is yet the most
marked representative Of the Fenian
movement of now near twenty years ago
it only seems like Yesterday Mr. OBri-
IN WAS ready to take the field in those
days. and in the abUrtiVe rising OF '6I ne
red an armed party to attack a police
harrack. He was captured, however
and put on trial TOR treasOu-ieOny. On
his trial 1t trauspired that, the 0arrack
taking fire and some women and children
being in danger, OBrien, who might nave
made good bis escape, preferred TO RISK
his life ia saving the women ana chli-
dren. The Judge, in passing sentence
mentioned this episode with admin atlOn,
but he nevertheless sentenced OBrlen,
according to the barbarOus English STAT
ue, to be hanged, drawn ana quartereo:
To be "drawn" meant 10 be dragged
through the streets TO the place OF eNecu-
ton on a hurdle without wheels; ana
sSquartered' meant that the body, atter
hanging for some time, but before DEAN
had ensued, should be split in four parts
like a sheep, the custom then being 10 I'M
Ddlb lnc Utdu anu GdCu liOl tACh va = -
IN some elevated public place. Ameri-
cans will find it hard to credit thai IN Inc
latter part of the nineteenth ceatury, and
in enlightened England, such piece OF
medieval barbarism could be sanctioned
hylaw. Yet it is the privilege OF the
Irish party to number man on whom
such n sentence was passed among It's
members. The sentence was aflerward
committed to penal serVitude for life, and
~, hp a nj nnIifin1I nTIGOnnrE some
years la(er Mr.. O'Brien was released.
MI O'Brien is a gentle, practical, assid-
nous man of business, and lives chiefly in
Cork.
TO MIR. John Joseph CLANCY, one OF the
lnemD ers for Dublin county, is largely
due the victory OF his party at the polls
both in Dublin city and Dublin county.
BY mis- legal acumen and Indetatigable
zeal the registration Of the Nationalist
IN these places was so advanced that the
Nationallsts qualified to vote, instead of
beiug 10 a Minority as usual, found them
selves in secure majority. Mr.. Clancy
is one of the leading members of the staff
of the Dublin Nation. He is a man OF
wide culture, is Master Of Arts of the
Queens University, and before going into
journalism was classical master at the
Holy Cross Seminary, Tralee.
Sir Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde,
Bart, Mr.. Clancy's colleague in the rep
resentation of Dublin county. is young
man on whom the mantle Of his illustri-
GUS gre at-grandfather, Henry GTattan, is
supposed to have fallen. He is certainly
Ike the earlier portraits Of Grattan-a
Grecian nose in straight line with his
forehead, he looks the type of an aristo-
crat-and the few speeches be has al
ready delivered have been not unmarked
by the fire Of his ancestors OratOry. He
belongs to an old and renowned family in
Ireland OF mingled Norman and Celtic Or
lgln. There ls a romance in his history.
One Of his ancestors, Sir Lawrence Es-
monde, was Major General Of all the royal
forces in Ireland under Elizabeth; and
subsequently, under james. by whom he
was raised to the peerage, with the title
OF Lord EsmODde, Baron of Limerick. On
one Of his expeditions in COnnaught he
fell in love with the beautiful sister of
. Flaherty, King of COnuaught, daugh-
ter Of the celebrated Princess Graune-
nuaile, whom he married. Lord EsmOnde
had ioreswOrn his ancestral creed, aud
Lady EsmOnde, being a devOut Roman
Catholic, fearing that her child, a boy
Thomas. might be brought up a Protest
ant, formed the resolution of carrying off
the infant by stealth and returning to her
family in C0nnaught. Esmond thereup-
on declared hat thus act rendered the mar
riage invalid, and he married again
p granddaughter OF the Earl OF OrmOnde.
His son. meanwhile growing to mans es-
tate and attaining great distinction in
the armies Of Charles l., was, through the
Influence of his maternal uncle, Lord
MeyO, created a barOnet. and, his father
dying without issue OF the second mar
rlage, all the family estate, but not the
peerage, fell to him. II is from this an
cestor that the present baronet, the
eleventh Of the line, is descended. and the
story OF the spiritiug away OF her son by
the DVnast OF COnnaughts sister ac-
counts for the family remaining Roman
Catholic. Many members of this family
We're distinguished in the Irish Brigade
OF France and in the Austrian service,
and one had the distinction of being hang
ed on Carlisle bridge. Dublin, as rebel
in '9S. The late Sir Thomas EsmOnde,
who was an NJ. P.aud Lord of the Treas
ury, married Henry Grattan's grand
daughter, whose son now hopes that by
Delng staunch Parrel.ite while he sits
IN Westminster be may carve out bright
career for himself as a member of "Grat-
tan's Parliament restored TO his coun-
try by aud by.
Alexander Blame. member for South
Armagh, is the ''workmgman's repreeen.
tatIve" OF the Irish party. Mr.. Blame f.
by trade working tailor, and in his To-
cality, where he has been the active agent
OF the Registration Association, be has
won great popularity by his vigilance, in.
telllgence and honesty.