The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1893-05-06
WILLIAM O'BRIEN,
The Family History of the Member
For Cork is Strangely and
Terribly Sad.
HIS JOURNALISTIC CAREER.
In the Days of "Buckshot" Forster
He Edited United Ireland
Under Difficulties.

He Edited United Ireland
Under Difficulties.
William O'Brien comes from a good
stock, and was brought un from his ear]i-
est years in those principles of which he
has become SO prominent and so vigor-
GUS an advocate, writes his feAlow-jour-
nalist and patriot, T. P. O'Connor On
the day his elder brother was born, in
1S48, the sub-inspector of police in NAL
low had warrant to search the house
for firearms, but desisted from using it
because of Mr.. O'Brien's illness, and on
Mr.. O'Brien giving his word that there
were no arms in the house. O'Brien's
father was one of the fercest and most
resolute spirits of the Young Ireland
party, but afterwards, ikeso many Of the
mon who survived the terrible abcrtive-
ness of that time, was by no means
friendly to physical force movements.
In time he had to demonstrate with
some of his own offspring for their adhe
sion to Fenianisn; but his mouth was
closed, whenever his remonstrances be
came too vehement, by an alluslon to
this episode in the days of his own
naughty youth.
William was born on Oct. 2. 1852, in
Mallow, with which town the family on
10 ~ +ol
from time immemorial. He received his
education at C]oyne Diocesan College.
This was mixed school, attended by
both Catholic and Protestant children.
There was not the slightest sectarian
animosity between the children of the
different creede, but there was plenty Of
political argument and differences. The
Catholic Nationalists in the school
formed sort Of small Irish party, and
held their own; William O'Brien being
successful in carrying off the class prizes
while bis brothers and others carried off
the honors in cricket, football and the
like. William from his earliest years
had the same principles as be Processes
today. Apart from the example of his
father, he had in his brother strong
apostle of the epistle of national rights.
10 this brother, his senior by some
years, he looked up with that mixture
of affection and awe which an elder
brother often inspires in a younger.
This brother was indeed Of type to cap
tivate the imagination of such nature
as that of his younger brother. He was
man of inAexible resolution, great dar-
ing and boundless enthusiasm. Among
the revolutionaries of his district he was
the chief figure, and there was no raid
for arms too desperate, or no expedi-
tion too risky, for his spirit. He took
part with Captain Mackey. who was one
OF the boldest of the Fenian leaders, in
many of the raids for arms on the police
barracks and other places in the county
of Cork. He was arrested, of course,
when the habeas corpus act was sus
pended, and underwent the misery and
tortures which, as has already been de-
scribed, were inflicted on untried prison
ers under the best of possible constitu-
tions and the freest Of possible govern
nents. With this episode in the life of
his elder brother, the brightness of the
life of William O'Brien for many long
day ceased. His family hist ry is
strangely aud terribly sad. In the
O'Brien household there ere at the ore
moment three members of the family dy-
ing. The father of the family had died
before, and now two of bis SONS and his
daughter were lying on their deathbeds
at the same time.
The two brothers died on the one day,
and fortnight after the sister died also.
The shock to nature so fercely and in
teneely atfectionate as that of William
O'Brien can we'll be imagined. The
death of his father and the illness of his
brother had thrown, to a, large extent,
the support of the entire family on his
hands, and to them he was not merely
brother, but to a certain extent helpful
parent. It seemed for a time as if he
we're to be swept away by the same
disease which had proved fatal to SO
many OF his kin. He was only saved
from death by q journey to Egypt, but
he has never really recovered from the
shock to his mind and heart which this
family tragedy caused, and he is, ard will
be forever, haunted by its memory.
The first thing which William O 'Brien
ever wrote was sketch ct the trial Of
Captain Mackey. This attr acted the at
tention Of Alderman Nagle, the proprie-
tor Of the Cork Daily Herald, and he
was offered an engagement upon that
paper. There he remained until some
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