The Irish standard., 1895-05-04
NEARING DEATHS DOOR.
Particulars of tine Attack Made
Upon the Life of Mrs. Della
& 4. S. Parnell.
~ ~! 70 'trs.t = L
The rlotl1er of the Former Great
Irish Leader Struck Down
Near Her Home.
Now in Her Eightieth Year, Re-
4# covery Seems Beyond the
s. Range of Possibility.

E covery Seems Beyond the
Range of Possibility.
I Mrs. Della T. S. Parnell, mother Of the
famous Irish leader, Charles Stewart
Parnell, lies at her home near Borden
town, N, j., at deaths door. She was
struck down on the borders of her prop
erty. by an unknown person and since
then has not fully recovered conscious
ness. The cause for the deed is thought
| to have been robbery.
Mrs. Parnell is in her 80th year, but
she has kept her activity despite her
years, and frequently visited Borden
town on business, or pleasure, entirely
unattended. It was when returning from
such an expedition that she was assault
ed. Mrs. Parnell has lived for years
upon the estate once owned by her dis
tinguished father, Rear Admiral Charles
Stewart and which has been christened
after him, sIronsides.' The property
has a beautiful location, overlooking Bor-
dentown from high bluff, round turn
| in. the river, and embraces ITS acres.
Fifty years ago it had all the appearances
Of a fine country place, but today the
buildings on It have fallen into sad dilap-
| idation r
A fallen roof and ruined walls mark
the site of the old spring house, the
stables are only fit to shelter birds and
| the family mansion, once a model coun-
ltry house, is now rattle-trap structure,
paint denuded and having all the signs
Of rapid dissolution. Here Mrs. Parnell
has lived for years.
Recently here life has been that Of a
recluse. It is true that Charles Casey,
the son of her former tenant, spent the
|winte1%nights under her, roof and attend
led to her fires, but lately the old lady
has spent her time entirely alone People
often cautioned her about roaming
abroad after dark by herself, but she
laughed at their warnings and told her
we'll wishers ''No one would harm an old
woman like me- She had never large
sums OF money III her possession, and
was. entirely devoid Of timidity. There
was really no seeming reason why any,
one should select her as the object for a
crime, but her sense Of security led to
the condition in which she now finds
herself.
Thursday evening was bright and clear
and Mrs. Parnell having received a
check for $40 from her New York banker,
started to Bordentown to settle some Of
her debts. At one of the stores she had
! this check cashed, where she. paid a bill
Of $2.1O. The balance of $3.50 she placed
in a small cloth handbag. in which she
habitually carried her purse and various
letters. This amount is said positively
to be the only money she had in ber pos
session when the crime was committed.
After her business transactions Mrs.
Parnell started for home, it being then
shortly after Z o'clock.
There are two methods Of reaching
Ironsides-either by taking the round
about Burlington road, or more directly
by walking down the railroad tracks of
the Amboy division Of the United Rail-
roads Of New Jersey. These run direct
Ely past the bluff upon which stands the
Parnell house. A cinder path skirts the
edge of the bluff and leads to the proper
| ty. The bluff is a high one and right in
the middle of it is hollow in it's face
that marks famous resting place for
tramps, who make it a fayorite rendez-
fYous.
Almost every night some of these gen.
try sleep there and the ashes of their
camptires are always hot at this time of
/ the year. Mrs. Parnell was not afraid of
tramps, but she was a little tinid about
crossing a short trestle span in the rail-
/ road Just below the stile that leads to the
cinder path just spoken Of. Therefore
Fit was her habit to have the switchman
at the telegraph house midway between
the railroad station and the beginning Of
the path escort her over this dangerous
ground of three or four hundred yards.
The night watchman is named Samuel
Griffin. He prides himself on being an
Irishman and was only too glad to be
g. help to the mother of Parnell. On
Thursday night just before o'clock,
he was ready to light her with his Ian.
tern and walked with her down the track.
as far as the stile. ~
BY a strange coincidence Mrs, Parnell
seemed to- have a premonttion Of evil,
for she walked slowly and told her es-
cort In explanation that she felt uneasy
Eand 1t made her feeble. She appeared
to have no foundation for these sad
Ethoughts,, however, and Switchman 9rif-
i fin set them down as naught, and
after seeing her safe to the cinder path
left her to find her way home by herself
| Just: before he left her her little dog,
that had come out to meet her and, after
the manner of his kind, was running
hither and tflfther among the bushes,
barkel at somebody sor something, and
there was rustling Of leaves as though
III nerson was moving away. SWitchman
EGIfffin thought no more Of this than he
dsof rureTious nervousness and went
haEk III the telegraph station while she
up the path The
me- elhnnan
e ss,ii coh{e 6t,
81
= llss
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