The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-03-09
cURRAN's sARcopHAGus.
The Remains of the Great Orator Rest
in G1aSnevin

=
the ready wit which had distinguished
him throughout his life. The end
came in October, 1917 in London, says
the Dublin Independent.
Curran fell with the leaves in Dc
toher. 1877, and passed away in the
bitter blasts which swept over the
graveyard. Il fear you cough with
more difficulty this morning." said the
English doctor who saw him in his
last illness. "'rhat is strange" replied
the dying man, 'for have been prac-
ticing all night They laid him in
faddington cemetery. near London;
but his closing thoughts were given to
the land he had served. ''The last du-
ties will b. paid by that country on
which they are devolved," he said:
''ncr will it he for charity that little
earth will be given to my bones. Ten.
derby will those duties be paid. as the
debt Of wcll-earned affection and of
gratitude not ashamed of her tears"
twenty years had passed away, dur
ing which time he slept amid the roar
of Il great city-his last wish not vet
fulfilled. The time had now come
when the mother earth of ireland fond
ly claimed her own On Dec. ], 1854.
his son and bographcr. William Henry
Curran. thus responded to the request
made by the committee of Glascneyin
cemetery:
cat the period Of my fathers death
it was very much upon me that the
duty and responsibility of disposing of
his remains devolyed. Upon that oc-
caslon ! was not without a natural
anxiety in reference to him. merely as
departed relative, that the land of his
birth should be his final resting place;
aud ! further was assured that this
feeling could not be INDUCED to excess
i'll respect to one who, having risen
from among the people, and lived in
dishonest times, had firmly and to the
end resisted every temptation to turn
upon those from whom they had
sprung, thereby establishing for his
memory in tho hearts of his country
men a strong and general wish
amounting to q right that what TO
NAMED Of him should be among them
but difficulties some of them legal
ones. and needless now to be specified
or disclosed intcrvcncd and accord
iEgly, acting ut the time to the best of
my Judgment, but Sorcly against my
Feelings as son and countrymHn. | ac-
QlIiesced in the arrangement by which
his remains were committed to their
present place of deposit. I did so, how
ever. under a persuasion that the do
post there would be only tcmporary
AND the particular place was selected
will, view to tire facility of removal
whenever it might be demanded by his
country"
ContrctcmpS once more came to de-
lay the payment Of Il sacred debt. The
late Andrew Carew O'Dwycr, a charm
ing gentleman and most persuasive
orator, had long cherished the hope of
seeing the remains of Curran restored
t" Ireland. and could not understand
why any difficulty should arise in at
tanning this end. Some of the difficult
ties anl delays are accounted for in
the following graphic letter from
ODwye" to the late w. j. Fitzpatricll:
Magnificent burial placcs-n which
the dust of Professionals and Catholics
might mipgle, sanctiticd. too. by the
cercmonials of the faith in which the
followers of each religion had lived
and dicd-wcre established in the me-
tropolis," writes O'Dwyer: land with
funds raised from the operations Of
this scheme the cemetery committee
among other honorable works, under
took the pous duty of transferring
the remains of Curran to Ireland This
was attended with some difficulty and
considerable expense. 1t was neces-
sary to obtain faculty from the con-
sistorial court to warrant the proceed
ing. The body, however, being OK
luumcd, and the necessary arrange
ments having been accomplished an
der the direction of an eminent under
taker. with the consent of the late AID.
SIT Nj. Wood, it was removed to his
house in George street. Westminster,
where it lay for one night, think, and
was then transferred to Ireland, in
charge of a worthy man dcputed to SUI
pcrintend the arrangements; and being
on its arrival received by Mr.. w. III.
Curran and Mr.. O'Kelly, a jealous
member Of the committee, was deposit
ed temporarily in the mausolcum at
Lyons, the residence of Curran's init
mate friend, Lorh Cloncurry, and it was
finally removed. attended by w. II.
Cnrran, John Finlay, Con Lyme (who
was one of the mourners at the funeral
when it took place originally at Pad
dington), and myself, to a grave pre-
pared for it's reception at Glasnevin
where it now reposcs.
'"There We're some circumstances at
tendant on the removal of the remains
from the mausoleum at Lyons to the
cemetery which invested the proceed
ings with melancholy interest 1t
was OH very gloomy day of Novem-