The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-11-22
PARNELL'S SHAME.
Disgraceful Disclosures Made in the Lon
don Divorce Court.

don Divorce Court.
| LONDON, Nov. 15-The trial Of the
| O'Shea case opened in the divorce court
! this morning. 4 large audience was
| present to listen to the proceedings,
Justice Butt presided. \ special jury
had been empanelled to try the case.
| Messrs. Clark, Inderwick, Lewis and
Coward appeared for Capt. O'Shea, the
! plaintiff; Messrs. Lockwood and PritCh-
ard for Mrs. O'Shea. The respondent
and Mr.. Mccall for Mrs Steele, sister OF
| Mrs. OShea, against whom there is a
counter charge of adultery with Capt.
O'Shea Mr. Parneil, the correspondent,
was not represented by counsel. Capt.
O'Shea was seated in front of Mr..
1nderwick, and was the only prominen nj
figure present.
Mrs. O'Shea's counsel said he did not
intend to cross-eXamine any witnesses,
or call any witness IN behalf of Mrs,
O'Shea, or take any part IL the proceed.
ings. This collapse of the defense has
caused an immense sensation, and in
wolves the condemnation of Mr.. Parnell
to pay the costs.
Mr.. Coward briefly opened the case
for the petitioner. He said that as he
understood the case the respondent de-
MED that she had committed adultery
as did also the correspondents The
respondent, he said, i'll addition
to her denial, further alleged that the
petitioner had connived at her adul-
terry, had wilfully separated himself
from her, and was guilty Of unreason-
able delay in bringing the action against
her.
Mr.. Lockwood, for the respondent,
stated that he did not intend to cross
examine any of the witnesses called for
the petitioner.
Mr.. Clark, of counsel for Capt O'Shea,
said that Mr.. Iockwood's announce
| ment had SO seriously altered the posi-
ton now that neither Mr. Parnell nor
Mrs. O'Shea would take any part in the
case.
Mr.. Justice Butt here remarked:
"The situation is quite new to me-" and
asked, Does any one appear for Mr..
Parnell? ?"
81 have inquired" responded Mr..
Clark, 'but find that no one appears for
him. 1t is therefore an undefended
| case"
Continuing, he said that in the inter
markable pleadinys, it would bc neces-
sary to prove the petitioners case by
sufficient evidence. The petition for
divorce, he said, was filed in December
last. Mr.. Parnell had then put in a
simple denial of the charges. Mrs.
O'Shea did not content herself
with a denial, but made counter
charges against her husband, alleging
that he had committed adultery with IA
number of different persons, including
her own sister, Mrs. Steele. She also
charged him with cruelty, and with
having connived at her adultery fer
of years. The plea almost
amounted to confession. The
husband was cruelty annoyed at the de-
PENDANTS charges, but he CLARK would
be able absolutely to disprove every
possible suggestion against him. He
could show that the charge of comfy
ance was groundlcss; that when
O'Shea first heard Of the
intimacy between his wife and
Parnell he challenged Parnell to fight Il
duel on the continent; that con-
tinuous acts of adultery had
been committed by the respond
ent and the correspondent would be
placed beyond doubt. Witnesses would
prove that while the respondent was
visiting in Bedford Square she was Wis
tied by Parnell, who went I'M
der the name of Smith At
another house he visited her as Mr..
Stuart. On one occasion he had to es-
cape by balcony to avoid detection by
O'Shea.
The respondent and Mr.. Parnell, Mr..
Clark maintained, had actually lived to-
gether at Eastbourne and Brockley.
Mr.. Parnell, he sand, could not face the
evidence. He allowed judgment to 90
by default because he dared not
go Tito the witness box. Tha criminal
law had terrors for some People whom
the moral law could not bind. He did
not wonder at Mr.. Parnell's refusal
to answer the charges of faith
lessness and false hood, and betrayal Of
the friendship of the man who was
trusting him. Capt. O>Shea stoc! for
Parliament in 1850. lie was then
with him and Mrs. O'Shea, Mrs. Steele
being one of the party. Nothing eX
cited Capt. O'Shea's suspicion until
1881, when Mr.. Parncll visited
the respondent at Ethan. His an
noyance over Mr. Parnells ap-
breaches to his wife led Capt. O'Shea
to send the challenge to Mr.. Parnell.
Mrs. Steele saw Parnell, who assured
her that there was no ground for Jealous
suspicious. ,O'Shea wrote 10 Parnell,
and the latter replied that
he had answered through the
assurances he had given Mrs. Steele.
Afterwards affectionate relations be-
tween O'Shea and his wife were
continued, and Parnell was again
invited to Ethan. In 1882, after
Parnell had been released from Kill
mainham Jail, he renewed his visits to
Ethan and almost habituallv slept
there. Parnell used to drive from Par
lament 10 Ethan and Mrs. O'Shea
would 90 down stairs to meet him when
he arrived. Sometimes she slept
away from the Iouse when Parneli
was not there. Capt. O'Shca wrote 10
his wife demonstrating against these
visits. and declaring his intention Of
vacating his seat in Parliament. Fur-
Gus scenes occurred between him and
his wife. On one occasion he had
found a portmanteau belonging to Mr.,
Parnell at his house and carried it OFT,
throwing it out of railway station.