The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-12-21
Forced His Way to Honor and Distinction
at Hostile Bar by Hard
Painstaking Work.
Left His Own Country to Achieve Fame by
Fair Fight and Real Merit
and He Succeeded.

r. Barry O'Brien, prominent Irish
barrister, who, like the great lord
chief justice, went to England to prac-
tice his profession, has written bf-
,ography of Lord Russell of Killowen.
which has been published by Smith &
Elder of London. Mr.. O'Brien is a
gentleman pre-eminently qualified for
the task in many respects, and not in
the least that he was for quarter of
a century a cherished friend of the
man whose life he has penned. Aud a
marvellously we'll written life it is,
and faithful and truthful besides, be-
cause manifesty it has been Mr..
O'Brien's aim, as he states in his pref
ace, "to write in good faith, and to
of man who was, above all things,
true and fearless"
On Nov. 10, 1892 Russell was born
at Ballybot, Newry. His early work
as a solicitor was done in Belfast.
Strangely enough, it was in Belfast
last year that Mr.. O'Brien heard Of
the news of the lord chief Justices
death.
"From Belfast" says the biograph-
er, che had set out to brave the storms
of life, to seek fortune-to find sue
cess, honor, fame-and now Belfast
rang with the tragic news of his sud-
den death. Next day I lowered
around the haunts associateu with his
early years. There, at 73 Donegal
street, is the house in which he began
his career. Hard by is Waring street.
There at No. II, then the Victoria
Hotel, on the night before he left
Belfast to begin life anew in England,
a party Of forty, forty young friends,
met to give him a dinner and send
off. I am the only one Of the forty
now alive said my companion, and
little any of us thought that night
that Charles Russell would die lord
chief Justice Of England The gentle
man referred to is, if we mistake not,
says the Belfast Examiner, our re-
spected fellow citizen, Charles McLor-
imam, T. G., to whom Lord Russell, on
his promotion to the bench, wrote
kind reminder Of the fact that he was
one Of his lordship's oldest friends.
In January, 1854, Charles Russell
began to practice as solicitor in Bel
fast. Denis Holland, the editor of the
Belfast Nationalist organ, the Ulster
man, was friend of Russell. Russell
wrote for the fisherman, and some
times when Holland was away
brought out the paper. Mr.. O'Brien
mentions parenthetically that the
bookkeeper in the FISHERMAN Office at
this time happened to be gentleman
destined in after years to meet Charles
Russell under dramatic circumstances.
His name was Richard Pigott. At
that period in Russell's life, and to the
end, the characters in Irish history
whom he liked best were Henry Graf
tan and Thomas Davis, and for this
reason, says the biographer, "because.
animated by the purest motives Of
patriotism, they strove to unite all
classes and creeds for the common
object of creating national spirit
which should inspire the public life
of the country" In 1856 Holland was
engaged in a controversy with Bel
fast contemporary. Russell objected
to one Of the articles in the FISHERMAN
because it was not sufficiently nation
al" in tone. He wrote in private let
ter: 1T talks too much of the social
and Industrial and almost shuts out
completely what alone gives US
strength and health-the national
idea"
Russell was drawn away from Bel
fast. according to Mr.. O'Brien Q) by
the necessity of having to make liv-
ing. and (2) by the determination to
go to the bar where. by fair f1ght-and
not, as was the practice under the
English regime in Ireland. by becom-
ng the hack Of some political party
re hoped to force his way to honor
and distinction.
Very Rev. Father McCartan, P. F..
14arne, who saw him fash his sword