The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-08-18

Russell was assisted by an eminent law
! yer from this country who though moi
qualified to plead as an advocate, was moi
debarred from Offering suggestions or
marking ont the line Of defence. O'Don.
nell was the man who shot Carey, the
infamous informer On the PtRnix Park
trials, and the corcobter Of the murders
notwithstanding the most brilliant advo-
cacy, and the greatest astuteness in the
conduct of this case, Sir Charles client
was sentenced to death and hanged.
But cases OF . Tar naJre worldwide re-
uown, because OF the rank OF the par les.
the grossness OF the immortality alleged,
the consequences involved, were the
Crawford Va. Crawford land Dixie aud
Campbell vs. Campbell. Sir Charles
Russell was 'aeadir counsel in each OF
these cases, which revealed facts unsur-
passed by the orgies IF Claus5fs, the gel
lantries Of the Restoration, OR the imag-
Eination OF Ba]zac. The last great Case IN
which the life and death of his client
was at stake and in which Sir Charles
Russell appeared for the defence, was
that OF Mrs. Maybric She is of Ameri-
can extraction. is the daughter of the
Baroness Won Roqu.s, and was married
to a cotton merchant in Liverpool. If
the case had been tried in this country,
it is almost safe to say the accused would
never have been found guilty. The
charge was If arsenical poisoning. The
deceased was found to be an arsenic
eater: but because the accused had made
usesof an Americanism in a letter to her
friend Brickley, that her husband twas
sick unto DEATH" and because she ad-
mitted in statement volunteered in
court, that she administered white pow
ders to her husband, though ignorant OF
their nature, her guilt seemed to have
with the other circum-
stances of the case taken into account.
Sir. Charles Russell is said to have been
opposed to the accused making the state.
,ment on her own behalf She was sen..
tenc. a to death by Sir James Fitzjan,es
Stephens, one of the abiast judges who
them sat on the English bench. Her cen
gtDnca. .syas: committed to zpanal servitude
forlife. -
In 1880 Sir Charles Russell wss elected
to the Imperial Parliament as member
for Dandalk. It was about this time ne
was commissioned by the London "Daily
Telegraph" to write up the causes of the
distress in Ireland. The plain facts
which he revealed, and the evident fair
neea of bis opinions, together with the
publicity afforded them by the ''Tele-
graph" helped in no small degree to pre-
pare English public opinion for the Land
Act of 80, and subse quent ameliorative
legislation. know no other account OF
the sufferings of the Irish peasantry, SO
feeling, 80 argumentatlve, and SO true, as
Sir Charles Russell's "New Views on Ire.
land" Few Irishmen will not endorse
The quotation, which he makes the test
of his articles: "In climate soft as q
mothers smile, in the soil fruitful as
Gods love, the Irish peasant mourns.'
In IS Mr.. Russell became Attorney
General, and was knighted. His income
is said to have suffered to the amount Of
$4,000, his new promotion giving him
the rank of leader of the bar, but cutting
off other business to which the duties OF
his new office rendered him unable to
attend.
The climax of Sir Charles Russell's
legal career was reached in the famous
Parnen Commission case. Everybody
remembers his cross examination OF the
spy, LIE Caron, and the skilful manner in
which he extorted the truth from the
unfortunate Pigot. IshaIl not now enter
into any further detail of that drama
which began when Sir Charles addressed
gPigot in his blandest tones, and asked
him to write the word "hesitancy" which
the torger spelled ''hesitency.' The last
speech delivered by Sir Charles Russell
in the House of Commons was ON the
Behring Sea Arbitration, in which it will
be remembered he represented the Eng
lish. Government at Paris last year.
When the death of Lord Bowden rem
dered vacant the seat Of Lord OF Appeal
in Ordinary. Sir Charles Russell re-
.ceived the appointment, with. q life peer
age, which had this curious result; that
OF the four judges OF Appeal in the last
resort, not one Was English, three were
Irish, Lord McNaghten of Antrim, Lord
Morris of Galway, Lord Russell # Down;
two are Catholic, Lords Morris and Rus
sell: Lord Watson is Sootcnman.
It is the unanimous opinion OF the
English press, of the bench and bar, that
mo more fitting selection could be made
for the Chief Justiceship of England
than Sir Charles Russell, an appointment
.hs received on the death OF Lord Cole
ridge in June last. The salary attached