The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1894-12-13

MM6$A nor pure CelC1C
lLsR9A8f2 blood. Although
yabs4lK his people were
in humble cir
cumstances, SteIhens had received a
systematic education and adopted the
profession Of a civil engineer. At the
age Of "a he joined the "Young Ire
land'' party and aided in establishing
"olubs' and fomenting the rebellion
movement. His work was done with
the utmost secrecy and caution, but the
whole enterprise collapsed after sin
gle attempt at insurrection at Ballin-
garry June 30, 1848. The blow was
miserable failure, and four leaders,
O'Brien, Meagher, McManus and
O'Donahue, were condemned to death.
Stephens, with two others, after long
wanderings, with the police like blood
hounds on their track, reached France.
There they remained, quietly plotting
by means Of correspondence for five
years, when Stephens drew the lot to
proceed once more to Ireland and organ
ize ''new conspiracy" AS prepara-
tion for the work he made house to
house canvass of the Emerald Isle,
walking over $500 miles and appear
ing in cabins and farmhouses vaxiously
disguised, sometimes as priest, some
times as farm servant and again as "a
mendicant on crutches He likewise
managed to reoonnoiter carefully all the
leading strongholds Of Ireland used for
the incarceration Of political prisoners.
While Stephens was secretly laboring
in Ireland other agents were plotting in
America, and the result was the extern
sive organization known as 'The Irish
Republican Brotherhood or "Feni-
ans" More than million Irishmen
in America enrolled themselves and
half that number in Ireland. Of this
vast conspiracy Stephens was chief or
ganizer, or ''head CENTER" and his aim
was the formation Of an army fitted to
cope with the armies Of England. The
followers enrolled were to undergo So
we're military discipline and arm and
equip themselves with the best modern
weapons and munitions Of war. So for
midable did the movement become that
at the close of the American civil war,
when thousands Of sworn Fenians, many
Of them officers Of rank, were discharged
from the Union and Confederate armies,
the British government determined to
stamp out the brotherhood in Ireland.
The chief newspaper organ Of the So
ciety, The Irish People, was seized in the
summer Of 1866 and detectives put on
the track Of the leaders. For years 1t
had been mystery on both sides Of the
Atlantic as to who was the SO called
"head CENTER" the master behind that
vast machine, the czar at whose word
1900, 900 armed men would spring into
the field and assail the British power in
Ireland. Through treachery the govern
ment spies had long known Of Stephens,
but so rapid were his movements and
SO clever his disguises that he was able
for months to battle them. Finally, to-
ward the close of the summer Of 1855, it
was generally believed that the "head
center" had left Ireland and sought
asylum in Paris or New York.
About that time a gentleman known
as Herbert established his household in
mansion called Fairfield House. on
prominent suburban avenue in Dublin.
Besides Mr.. Herbert there were wife
and daughter, and the mansion was re-
fitted and opened on a lavish scale. Mr..
Herbert seldom ventured beyond the
grounds Of the estate, being apparent
ly occupied in experimenting the i'm
provements in and about the mansion,
and much of the time actually disguis-
ed as a gardener, but his wife and
daughter frequently visited the markets
and bazaars Of the city, where their we'll
filled purses made them welcome. On
their return from one Of these shopping
excursions early in November the un-
suspecting pair were attended afar off
by female detective from Scotland
Yard, who had identified Mrs. Herbert
as the wife of James Stephens, Fenian
"head center" and the man wanted
above all others by the British crown.
During his journeys as an organizer Ste
phens had years before met and won
handsome Tpperary girl, who had sub
sequently followed his fortune and be-
come known to the police agents as the
constant co apanion Of the renowned
Fenian leader.
Unsuspicaous Of danger, the Herberts
lived on under the eyes Of detectives
watching ths house. A couple of days
later three prominent Fenian conspira-