Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-12-31
raBNEL1 MEYER roseAvE HIM.
A Joke Which bitterly Inccnscd tho
Great Irish Lcaslcr.


Fyoeada's Journal, were bitter enemies
Tor couple OF years previous to the lat.
ters death. The feud was so bitter that
Mrs. Gray, q gifted woman, besought
Archbishop Croke to use his influence to
make a truce. He did so, but it was u
hollow one, and Parneu never really
forgave Gray for slight which
he unjustly believed the latter had put
upon him. This was caused by wag-
gish journalist named Frank Power,
better known to newspaper men as
Ghazi Bey. Power was the son of the
manager Of the Dublin National Bank,
q clever artist and an extremely versa
tile and somewhat erratic genius. IIu
had been lieutenant of hussars in the
Austrian army and later on an officer
in the Turkish army, whence he got the
title of hey; he won it at the bloody
fight at PlcYna under Osman Pasha
The boys used to treat his title with
irrcvefence and chaif him on his war
record, which they all knew were true,
but they liked to make Ghazi mad.
After the close of the Russo.rurl1ish
war, Power returned home to nurse a
wound in his neck, caused by splinter
Of shell received in a Plevna redoubt
He was scion of theroyal Dunns of
Queens county, who looked with CON
tempt on what they considered the
mushroom descent Of the Cromwallian
settlers who had usurped their lands
around the foot of the Sieve Bloom
range. Ghazi turned his hand to sketch
ing for illustrated papers. lie was en-
ployed as reporter on the Freeman,
when he caused the embroglio between
his editor-in-chief and Parnell. He used
to tell the story thus: II had been din
ing at the mess of the Fifth Dragon
Guards; my sister had been married to
one of the officers a week or so before,
and we were feeling pretty good. A
couple of the fellows proposed going
down town after mess; the regiment
was lying at the island bridge barracks,
and, OF couise, seconded the motion.
We hailed jarvey and drove down to
the Imperial Hotel, on Sackville street,
then the headquarters of the National
lists. We got into the coffee-room and
proceeded to enjoy ourselves.
In one corner of the room was Mr.
Parnell and my esteemed editor, Mr.
Gray. In an undertone pointed them
out to the two young officers, who, like
myself, were rather the worse for the
inequalities of the mess table. They
Wore their oyercoats, and one of them
said: Ill bet you five pounds,
Power, that you won't 60 over and tell
MIR. Parnell that we are police, and
going to arrest him. The fellows were
not unlike metropolitan police in APP
pearance, and, like a double distilled
fool, primed with champagne, did so.
Both Parnell and Gray skipped in a
hurry, and the dragon handed me over
the amount of the bet. We had a jolly
time, but the next morning, when /
came to realize the bad break | had
made, never more thoroughly realized
that what may be fun to some is dse.h
to others, as the fable says. concluded
the best thing to do would be to tell Mr..
Parnell the whole truth, and take the
chances of the result. On going to the
Office learned that he had spent the
night at Gray's house, and / got there in
double-quick time, and in a decidedly
repentant frame of mind.
Mr.. Parnell heard my story coldly,
and when | said that | wished him TO
apply the money bet to any purpose he
might select, he pushed it back without
a word. He sent for Mr.. Gray, to whom
| repeated the story, and with tone of
concentrated bitterness | can never for
get, he said: MIR Gray, presume you
employed this reporter to make fool of
me- Both Mr.. Gray and myself tried
every argument, but they were useless;
he left the house, and ever after there
was bitter feeling in his mind against
MIR. Gray. ! always regretted this piece
OF folly, which did great deal of harm
to the cause which | had at heart as
much perhaps as either of the men.
The next week when | called for my
salary | was referred to the city editor,
who blandly Informed me: Mr.. Power,
you have hitherto been receiving a
salary of f6 week, in future you will
receive G3; that is the price Of your
practical Joke and reminder not to do
it again.
The writer met Power shortly after
this episode and he bitterly regretted
that his folly had resulted in that serious
quarrel between Mr.. Parnell and Mr..
Gray. The last time he related the story
was before he left London on the Cor
don expedition to the Soudan, where he
went with Edmund ODonovan. The
latter was war correspondent of the
Duty Ne1s Power went in his ca
pacity OF artist, and their bones, with
those Of chivalrous Chinese Gordon, are
bleaching in the desert sands around
Khartoum. O'Donovan was the son OF
John O'Donovan, the great Gaelic
scholar and collaboration with Eugene
O'Curry, of the translation of the
"Annals of the Four Masters" Willie
O'Donovan was well-known news.
paper man in New York some eight OF
10 years ago. The O'Donovans were cx.
treme nationalist, and Edmund was
pretty generally credited with being the
man who drew maps Of the defence OF
Dublin castle, and the various forts and
barracks in and around the city.
He was a brilliant descriptive writer
AID man of wonderful nerve. He was
an extensive traveller, and has been 0
| prisoner for two years iii Central Asia
in Kheya, think. There are not few
men who knew him who believe that liz
is still alive and that he materially
| aided in the mahdi's war of the de
fence OF Upper Egypt against British ag
| erosion. This, however, is mere surnise
poor Ghazi Power is pretty we'll know
10 have been killed at Khartoum witt
Chinese Gordon. Anyhow, neither eve
returned to tell the tale Of death ant
disaster at the junction Of the Blue anc
White Miles. Both Edmund and Will,
oDonoyan participated i'll the Com
munist defence of Paris and were mem
beers Of the celebrated French Fran,
Iireurs. Previous to the Franco German
war Willie had served against Til,
Garists in Spain and was taken prisono
there and detained for several months
with several narrow escapes from beinl
shot BY his captors.