The Irish standard., 1893-04-29
WAR REPORTERS.
Army Correspondents Who Have
Written Graphic Accounts Of
Warlike Exploits.
SEVERAL NOTED IRISHMEN.
Sketches of Russell, McGahan,
O'Donovan, Finerty, O'Shea,
Power and O'Kelly.

Power and O'Kelly.
To an Irishman is due the honor of be-
ing the first war correspondent in the
modern acceptation OF that term, says
Eugene Davis in the Boston Pilot. Will
liam Howard Russell it was who can
Justly lay claim to the glory of being the
pioneer of these soldier pressmen who
have accomplished such wonderful feate
and made such astounding scoops in
the arena of journalism during the past
halt century. Russell's maiden effort in
this line was his work for the London
Times throughout the insurrection of '48
in Ireland. He was born in the hamlet
OF Lilyvale, County Dublin, in 1921, and
was at an early age sent to Trinity G l.
lege for his studies Like some other
geniuses he made no mark and took no
prize in the classic halls, having too
much Bohemianism in his nature to
settle down to the humdram routine of
an educational curriculum. The result
was that he left the establishment with
out winning diploma. Possessing, how
ever, literary talents Of an exceptional
character, he proceeded to London. and
secured a post on the parliamentary re-
porting staff Of the Times, towards the
middle Of the fcrties. In AZ he was des-
patched by the managers OF that newspa-
per to Ireland to report the horrors of
the famine, and subsequently in '48 he
'chronicled the outbreak in Tipperary,
which was headed BY Smith O'Brien,
Dillon, Stephens and others. Mr.. Rus
sells descriptions OF this gallant but
hopeless struggle were unfortunately
tiDged with an anti-Irish virus, which
proved that he was at the time only a
mere tool Of the "Thunderer of Printing
House Square" and wrote to order. Re-
called to London, he was afterwards the
representative, of that journal in the
Danish war, and in 1854 accompanied
the British expedition to the Crimea,
where he assisted at the battles Of Alma,
Balaklava, lnkermann, Redan and Mala.
kof. His caustic criticisms in the Times
Of the wretched and Impoverished coudi.
tion Of the British Commissariat made
him very popular with the troops but
won him the undying hatred of the Eng
lish Etat-major-with tho result that his
letters at the close of the campaign we're
not as accurate or as newsy as their pre-
deoeseors, owing to the fact that he was
more or less boycotted by the leading
British commanders, who considered
themselves insulted by the newspaper
mans critical observations. The other
historical events described by the facile
pen Of Howard Russell were the corona
tion Of the Gear Alexander H., the Indian
Mutiny, the Franco.Austrian war in Italy,
a portion Of the American Civil War, the
laying of the Atlantic cable, the German
Austrian campaign of 1866 and the
Franco -Pruesian one in 187O-71. Rus
sells sympathies with the South, as we'll
as his BIASED description of the battle of
Bull Run, made this country so hot for
him that he had to pack up his trunk and
scamper back to England long before
hostilities had ceased between the boys
in blue and the boys in gray. Russell is
now residing in London, where he is edit
ing the Army and Navy Gazette. Some
years ago he was awarded the degree
L. l.. D. by the very university that re-
fused to give hima simple diploma in his
student days. I A. McGahaD, an Irish
American by blood, was, perhaps, the
best war correspondent ever employed
by the New York Herald. He repre-
sented that newspaper in the Russo
Turkish war, and wrote from the various
scenes of battle in that campaign the
most thrillingly interesting letters that
ever emanated from the pen of a
Especial" His subsequent campaigning
in the Oxus, and the success Of his ex-
plorations in Asia, thanks to the tact
with which he had ingratlated himself
into the good graces of the Russian
officers, are too we'll known to be recap
itulated here. His account of the Fall
Of Khiva is one Of the most graphic
pages Of modern history.
F1NERTY, o'DoNovAN AND o'sHEA.
John Frederick Finerty, whose exploits
as 9 war correspondent have been con-
fined to this continent, was born il Gal
way in September, 1876, received his ed
ucation ct the hands Of tutor IN Tip
perar where he had access to the we'll
stocked and patriotic library Of his friend
Father Ken 81, off ,lB lame and r. T. 81
lsgpp aanxl !alsriived IS tthis coulnrf-