The Irish standard., 1890-03-01
THE o'sHEA DIVORCE sU Tr.
What it Was That Aotuated Capt, O'shea
il Suing for q Divorce, Etc. B. .s


has fallen fat because Parnell has
grappled with it like man. His health
is completely restored. [ have never
seen him in better form in every way
than he is at present. In talking with
his leading colleagues to-day he assured
them that if the case should ever be IN
vested they need have no fear that his
honor would be furnished or that the Irish
cause would be compromised. Though
their loyalty to him would not have been
materially affected whichever way it
went, they we're greatly pleased at this
assurance, which they implicitly accept.
Only today leading Irish member who
has been put in possession of the main
facts of the case, SAID that 1t would be a
great victory for Parne]l; that, from
what he had heard, Pigott's lnfamy was
small and trivial compared with O'Shea's
history. OF the O'Shea suit against Mr..
Parneil it is sufficient to stamp it as
fraud. It has it's source partly in poll
tical intrigue and partly in pecuniary
motives. Parnell can prove the COM
>plicity of Houston in the transactions
preceding the filing of the suit. O'Shea
has no money and lever had any. His
wife has always supported hum out of
her fortune. Recently Mrs. O'Sheas
mother died, leaving her all her pro-
perty, valued at about $3.50, 900, and
b. queathed nothing to anv of her other
sons and daughters. These relatives
have instituted suit to set aside the
will. The O'Shea divorce proceedings
were calculated to prejudice Mrs. O'Shea
IN unfolding her title to the money.
Besides, considerable part of this
money is held by Mrs. O'Shea in trust
for the children by her husband. If
O'Shea can set aside the will he may get
life interest IN this sum by securing
the custody Of the children.
O'Shea made an affidavit the other day
Tin the proceedings for contempt of
court against the Dublin Freeman for
comments on his casey in which he swore
that he had always been on terms of
intimacy with his wife's family, and that
they sYmpathized with him in his di.
vorce suit. The second part of that
statement is plainly true. while the first
part is as plainly untrue. Sir Evelyn
Wood and O'Shea's other marriage con-
nections always kept him at safe dis
tnnce until they had common interest
for attacking Mrs, O'Shea.
It is believed that O'Shea is already
in serious difficulties with his lawyers,
whom ne has probably been quilting.
His attorney is Young man without
experience, whose only claim on o Shea's
patronage lies in the fact that he being
the son of Judge Day, one of the Judges
of the Special Commission. The Soil
citor-General has been engaged by
O'Shea, but as his fees are heavy. and
as O'Shea has not cent, the question
Is, who supplies the money? Or is the
Solicitor General acting for nothing, IN
the hope of reaping his reward by poll.
tical preferment, should he succeed?
O'Shea has changed his tactics. His
original petition charged adultery against
Parnell at various places since 1886. He
now intends to ask the Court to allow
him to amend his petition so as to ex-
tend the charges back to 1880. This Is
striking change. In 1856 O'Shea
went over to Chamberlain on the Home
Rule question and he has virtually been
supported since by that party as a
weapon against Parnell. To begin the
petition from 1885 has, therefore, lent an
additional suspicion to very shady bust
ness.
Since 1856, until the last few months,
Parnell has been in bad health, The
charges are now to date from 1880.
O'Shea is to pretend that thla intrigue
was going on under his nose for SIX
years without his knowledge, and that
he only discovered it when he separated
himself from Parnell. The whole case
is, on the face of it, rotten one, and
when tried it will probably turn out to
be another painful surprise to the poll
t1oians who, having failed to rnin Par.
nell's public reputation, now seek to hit
him through his domestic lite.
Parnell himself is full of activity. He
has been preparing for some time past
for his attack on the Government. The
session will be one of violent storm and
strifo, in which the Irish party will play
q prominent part. New facts proving
the connection between the government
and the Times will be disclosed imme-
diately on the opening Of Parliament.
Parnell suspects strongly that when Sir
Henry James made the proposal to the
Times for settlement OF his libel action
his principals were aware Of the nature
nf Al1n rofornnnn IN tho ,1n,,.1,,,.t <,e M.