The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1890-12-13
Pen PIu7URE OF PARSELl.

The most interesting pen-pieture Of
Mr.. Parnell yet printed IS furnished By
the eonfessedly uRfriendly hand of
George W. Smalley, one Of the best
known Of London correspondent:
~Mr. Parnell, be the merits or demerits
ofhis home-rule policy what they may,
has been, at any rate, a great figure in
public life. He has led not a great
party, but party large enough to
hold the balance of power IN English
politics, with extraordinary ability
ami power. When he enter
ed the House of Commons the cause
Of home rule was the cause of de-
spised and powerless minority. To-
day Mr.. Parnelfs watchword is written
on the banners of all that is lett-and
the greater part in numbers is Left
of the Liberal party of Great Britain.
He accomplished this amazing result
by methods not less amazing. He
allied himself first with one party, then
with the other; used both. despised
both, hated beth, and was by turns
the master of both.
''He studied the rules and orders of
the House till there was, save the
Speaker, none who knew them SO well
as he. He mastered them in order TO
misuse them TO peryert them, over
throw them; to destroy them and the
legislative efficiency Of the House to-
gether. He invented and perfected
the art Of obstruction. lie was not,
and is not, good speaker, nor even,
in the ordinary sense, good debater.
Yet, in the end, he subdued this proud
assembly to his will. He conquered
his place.
"Mr. Gladstone, like the House, had
to capitulate. A capitulation is not
an unconditional surrender, and there
were conditions in both cases. But in
both cases 1t was surrender. Mr.
Parnell is entitled to the glory of hav-
ing brought both of his chief enemies
to terms, and to very hard terms. Mr..
Gladstone's surrender was perhaps the
more humiliating of the two, and GER
tainly the more complete and on the
harder terms. Within five years from
the day upon which Mr.. Gladstone
locked up Mr.. Parnell in Kilmainham
jail, Mr.. Parnell had forced Mr.. Glad
stone to abandon his Irish policy, to
renounce his Irish principles, and to
march the remnant of his shattered
legious, with arms reversed and drums
muilled, into the Parnellite camp.
"Mr. Parnell has always been tho
mystery man of politics, and people
now think that tho mystery is cleared
up. The mystery was Mrs. OShea
When Mr.. Parnel was not in the
House of Commons he was at Ethan
in her society, or at some one of the
many other places in which this long
intrigue was at different times carried
on. His absences were often COM
mented on, never publicly explained.
Never did any man carry secrecy and
mystery so far. His own party, his
own followers-comrades he had none
never knew where 10 find him or
how to reach him. During the ses-
sions he gave no address but the House
of Commons; often he was not at the
House for days, sometimes not for
weeks. A great pile of unopened let
ters and kilograms would be waiting
for him when he came; they were
never forwarded because nobody knew
where to forward them. When he
arrived he opened tho kilograms and
sometimes the letters. Sometimes, not
always. lie has been seen to put a
great packet of sealed letters into the
fire without looking at them.
ale cared nothing for society, but
of late years some Of his new Liberal
allies or their wives haye sought him
and asked him to dine.
"IIis party never knew whether
they might count on him or not.
What they did know was that mes
sages and entreaties were thrown away
on him. If a great Irish debate were
on Mr.. Parnell might or might not be
present. None but himself was in his
confidence.
"But the odd thing is that he had
the same regal manners toward Others
of far higher position. Ho was not
careful to keep an appointment even
though the appointment was with Mr..
Gladstone and tho subject Of confer
ence one vital to the policy he had at
heart. Nay, even bis confidential adj
visers In the two most important mat
ters of business he has ever had 10
transact were not trusted with his adj
dress, or not for a long time. With
them, as with bis political puppets, the
same mystery prevailed; there was
the same suggestion of some occult in
lluence that was all-controlllng and
all-powerful with Mr.. Parnell.'
Mrs. OiShea Is no ordinary woman,
aud least of all is she an adventures,
She is of the bluest English blood, and
Is woman of intellect and refinement
Her brother, Sir Evelyn Wood, is one
Of the best generals in the British
Army, ard, after Lord Wolseley and
Sir Frederick Roberts, who are both
Irishmen, next IN the line of promo.
ton for Commandcr-in-Chief Mrs
O'Shea is handsome, with a pearly
white skin, wealth of golden hair,
and graceful, voluptuous figure She
has fascinating manner, and is charm.
ing in conversation, with cultivated
literary tastes and mans knowledge
of politics. The breath of suspicion
had never touched her until she met
ParneIl. She started in to help him
/, politically and ended by becoming in
fatuated with him. The fascination
was mutual.
O'Shca is the son of Limerick at
torney who left him large fortune
which he squaudercd in horse-racine
and gambling. When he lost bis
money he left the army and lived Oh
: his wife's, spending it freely on wine
:. women and horses. lie often remain.
ed months away from home aud utter
" neglected bis wife. Getting into
Parliament for County Clare through
the influence Of Catholic Bishops, b'
foisted himself on Parnell through his
wfe's entreaties aud proceeded to carr
n good Government berth By making
himself useful. He closed bis eyes tt
what everybody knew, aud finally onl,
acted from mercenary motives. lie Il
D tt,o ,,ost thnrauehlv dnsnised cad in