St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-14
THE LIFE OF pARNELL.
Thomas Power O'Connor's Book
on 1t Appears.

LONDON, oct. 13.-Thomas Power
OConnor's life of Charles Stewart Par
nell has just appeared. All previous
biographies of Mr.. Parnell accord to
Avondale the honor of his place of
birth. Mr.. O'Connor says lie heard Mr..
Parnell state that this is incorrect. He
was born at Brighton. Among his
earliest influences were the stories he
heard in his childhood from an old sery-
AMI of the family, narrating the horri-
bic cruelties the irish suffered during
the rebellion. These made Parnell the
man he became. From his mother also
were derived traditions thoroughly hos
tile to the existing relations of England
and Ireland.
Enough intensely Irish in sentiment.
Mr.. OConner always regarded Mr.. Par
nell in,physiQue and character-in char
acter above allan American. While
he was studying at Cambridge he was
more devoted to athletic sports than he
was to his studies. 1t is doubtful
whether he ever read poem or novel
throughout his life-not even the poems
of Thomas Moore. He first read Irish
history while a prisoner at Kilmainham.
Tilted in America.
In his early manhood he was of un-
stained moral character. He became
engaged to a young lady of Rhode Isl
and, who Tilted him for another. Refer
ring to his first appearance in parlfa-
ment, Mr.. O'Conner says that the Irish
members then led a life of
isolated struggle. The awful loneIl-
ness of Parnell must always be
borne in mind. when one considers
the terrible event that ultimately dark
ened and destroyed his life and brought
about his untimely end. Isaac Butt
then led the party. In present mo-
ments, when passionate friends of Par
nell denounce his opponents as murder
ers, 1t is we'll to recall the fact that Par
nell undoubtedly helped to break poor
Isaac Butts heart and to hasten his end.
After resume of known pointS>in his
parliamentary career, the writer alludes
to the charge leyeled at Parnell that he
misled Intimate friends as to the truth
in regard to his relations with Mrs.
O'Shea. He says: "Parnell may have
said that he came out of the trial with
his character untarnished. Certainly he
so wrote to one of his most affectionate
and faithful friends. What he proba-
bly, meant was indicated in few
words he spoke the day after his re-
election by the party, in which lifting
as ne said, "a corner of the curtain he
denied emphatically that he had be-
trayed friendship, abused hospitality or
broken happy, united home. The cir
cumstances seemed to ParnelI, as IN the
case of Lancelot,to make dishonor hon
orable and falSehood TRUTH"
The Fateful Manifesto.
The effect of Mr.. Parnell's subse-
quent manifesto on the Irish delegates
then in America is thus described:
Every member of the delegation ex-
cept Timothy Harrington was indig-
nant. Disbelief. disgust and despair
succeeded each other. We rushed out
to the first station whence it was posi-
BILE to SEND cablegram, and announced
to our colleagues in Ireland that hence
forth we were TO be counted among the
opponents to Parnell's leadership. 1t
has been represented that we acted on
the cablegrams of others. This is false
and unjust to Parnell. Our judgment
was reached on Parneli's own Words.r
proceeding to comment Oh the alter
alton OF his appearance and character
after the divorce disclosures, it is re-
marked that he had been described as
having been murdered. The hand that
struck him down was his own. Strange
~ enough, the idea that he would one
day ruin himself was familiar to his
colleagues for many years.
A stranger visiting the house Of COM
cons would find it hard to understand
why he produced such an effect there.
He stumbled constantly. He had
very scant vocabulary, and by no means
large stock of ideas. He was also
very careless in preparing materials.
which work he put Off to the last mo-
ment, 1t was quite common to find him
at Tilvary blowing laborIouSly through
figures, of which he had 10 mastery
whatever, at time when he ought to
have been at the house ready to speak.
On such occasions his colleagues went
through untold agonies.
Cnder His Spell.
"At the last moment he would appear
armed with bundles OF papers badly ar
ranged and digested: but the house,
sensitive as barometer to his personal
character. always felt the full force of
this extraordinary mans strength.
When he rose to address it he spoke in
low tones, often with inattention to the
audience,s which made the speech like
soliloquy. But on rare occasions there
were outbursts of the fierce, devastat-
ing passion raging within. Then his
voice changed to hOarse, sullen sound
and his mouth was almost cruel. His
right arm was then held forth in de-
nunciatiOn. l have seen the house
quail before such an outburst of savage,
though seemingly cold rage.
I'm most parliamentary gifts he was
vastly inferior to some of his colleagues,
but he was consummate tactician. By
instinct he seemed to know the right
thing to do. l-never regarded him as
highly intellectual man. He was es-
sentially narrow, and to this narrow
Il ff,.il, 70