The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-02-06
LIFE OF mitchell.
A. Pen Portrait of That Illustrious
and Distinguished Irishman
and Patriot.
HIS GREAT LITERARY ABILITY
Many of His Works Remain as
Lasting Testimonies of His
Wonderful Genius.

Lasting Testimonies of His
Wonderful Genius.
In the summer of 1861 writes John Au-
gustus O'Shea + went to Paris, where
John Mitchell was residing as the CORE
spondent OF New York paper. called
on him in the Rue de Rivoi to present a
letter Of introduction with which had
been favored by John Martin. He open
ed the outer door Of his suite OF rooms
for me himself, informed me that he was
about changing his quarters to the board
ing g.house Of Madame Bonnery, in the
Rue de Lacepede on the left bank Of the
Seine, whittier he advised me to go my
self. It was cheaper and quieter part
of the town. His reception was the re-
verse Of eifusiye It struck me as reserv-
ed for an Irishman, but Mitchell was an
Irishman of Scotch blood, and naturally
of distant disposition. He did not jump
at friendships--did not, as some effusive
persons I could mention, squeeze the
blood to your finger tips at first rencon-
TIRE and forget all about your tomorrow
or next day. He was no disciple of gush,
but cool, discriminating, with disciplined
emotions. lie wanted to fathom his
man before he gave him his confidence,
but that once given was thoroughly
given, and was not readily shaken or
lightly withdrawn. Like Martin he was
q passionate admirsr Of Scott, but Dumas
he esteemed the foremost and most fas-
cinating of romapcers, so crisp and witty
in dialogue, SO daring of invention and
fertile in surprise; and s'Monte Cresto"
he esteemed as the masterpiece OF Dumas.
He cured the dumps in us with many a
college joke, the scene Of which was laid
in Holy Land" popular resort of the
students of his time, lying due south of
the college park. These jokes borrowed
nothing from their telling, for they were
given forth without any variation Of &C.
oent or unctuous hint that he revelled in
them. Mitchell was no raconteur, had no
Elasticity of countenance and little play
of voice; and still he could relate an arl-
ecdote effectively His affection for the
late John Dillon was deep seated, and he
often lamented his untimely death, and
accusingly attributed it to those who al
lowed him to 60 sea bathing when he
was suffering from dangerous illness.
ssMeagher of the Sword" SO nicknamed
by Punch, but who lived to fling back
the taunt with the flashing emphasis of a
blade drawn for freedom on the field of
s5rife-Meagher he discrited to me as
the grandest specimen of manhood he
had ever gazed upon, as he was in their
Australian banishment, nodded like
Hercules duplicated with an Apollo,
frank, fearless, handsome, muscular as a
gladiator, with the courtly manners Of
knight and the bearing of a born chief
tain. have often since recalled his
opinions of Goldwin Smith--a pedago-
gish ape in love with his own personality,
an owl with the concelt of cockHtoo,
an jlnpostor in the domain ofthe intellec-
tual.
PEN AND INK PORTRAIT OF A PATRIOT
Ii is difficult to give such personal
description OF Mitchell as will set him be.
fore the reader in recognizable sinilitude.
The faculty OF rendering q vivid and
faithful portrait in few bold touches is
rare and restricted to writer's genius like
Ruskin and Michelet. a stroke Of the
informed pencil is worth labored page
with the pen. He was tall, gaunt, and
dark as five mon out OF every six may be,
and in his saturnine face there was no
peculiarity that would fix itself on the
nemory. There are some faces which
once seen can never be forgotten. Not
SO his. It has to be studied before assur-
ance could be felt that one could identity
it again in; a crowd. Eyes gray and
piercing, features bony and sallow, coat
ed with faint amber from exposure,
cheeks high, chin determined, whiskers
short and grizzled, moustache thick
such are the hasty notes find by me of
an attempt at q photograph of the man
as saw him. In his youth he must
have been powerful in physique, and even
then, worn as he was by durance and sor-
row and most awful malady-none can
realize what the agonies of asthma are
but those who have experienced them
he had the appearance OF one whom it
would not be safe to insult, q tough an
tagonist, deficient neither in biceps nor
pluck But, though strong he was not
qparrelsome. never saw him out Of
temper should not have liked 10 have
IIseen ! hirn h slowly and with