The sun., 1901-03-30
FOUNDER OF THE FENIANS.
JAMES STEPHENS DIES IN DUBLIN AT
THE AGE OF Is.
one Of the Leaders Of tho Irish Revolutionary
Movement Of 1855 Slow He Escaped
From Prison His Agitation In This Coun-
try Ended Disastrously on the Other Side.

try Ended Disastrously on the Other Side.
speeiaI Cable Despatch to THE Sun.
DUBLIN. March 2s.-James Stephens. who was
usually spoken Of as the founder Of the Fen
Lans, died in Dublin this morning. He was
"a years old
The funeral Of. Mr. Stephens will take place
on sunday The remains will be inferred
In Glasnevin Cemetery, where Charles Stew
art Parnell Ia buried. II IL expected that
the Nationalists will take advantage Of the
occasion to make a big demonstration. Mr.
John Redmond has telegraphed TO Mr.
Stephens's relatives In behalf Of the Irish
Parliamentary party. expressing profound
sorrow for the disappearance OF the heroic
figure Of the old Fenian chief
To those Interested in the Nationalist move
-o.nt in Ireland and elsewhere to-day the
name Of James Stephens Ia little more than
rnemory. They have heard OF him as great
vsnisn leader Of other days, but he is not re-
,r.mbersd. as, for instance, they remember
O'Connell and Parnell. Nearly half century
.go. however. James Stephens was the most
prominnt Irishman in or out Of Ireland.
IA believed In liberatins his country by
,bvs,cal force. and at one time he was all but
srccessful In launching well-developed
revolution.
st.phens was born not far from Dublin. and
x,s educated at Dublin University. He was
Great linauist, a fluent speaker. and is said
IN have been the greatest organizer which
the Irish Nationalists ever had. He had a
ueculiar faculty 4 convincing the masses
that what he said was right and that what he
promised would be fulfilled. He was in the
Young Ireland rebellion Of is4s, which began
with a splurge and ended so ingloriously in
the cabbage garden at Ballingarry. Fired
by his association with Irish patriots at that
time, stephens began almost a. soon as the
rebellion Of IS collapsed. TO plan for another
In ten years his plans had so far matured
that drill classes we're meeting nightly in
Dublin and vicinity. and young lrishmen
INDUCED high hopes Of freeing their native
land.
What the Irish patriots needed. though
WA, skilled military leaders. These they
bad not, but the Civil War in the United States
furnished a school for Irishmen on this side
Of the Atlantic in which 70 learn the art Of war
and the skill 10 command. which they hoped
II be able 10 practice in Ireland when the
Civil War was over. Under Stephenss direc-
ton active enlistment in tn" various Fenlan
societies was undertaken in 1854. and secret
drilNngs we're carried on all over the little
green island.
This activity had been preceded the year
before bv A convention In the tied States,
at which Stephens was proclaimed the prac-
tcal head Of the Irish nation or, as he was
called by the Fenians, the Central Organ
izer OF the Irish Republic. John O'Mahoney.
was chosen Head Centre for the United States.
Stephens founded, In the meantime. paper
called the Irish People, and in its columns the
cause OF Tree Ireland was advocated,
The first movement OF the new organiza-
tlon was in the riot in Dublin on FEB. a.
1854 In September OF the following year
twenty-five persons were arrested in Dublin
and the Irish People was seized and sup
PRESSED. With the close of the Civil War
many Irishmen who had won fame In the
Union Army on Southern battlefelds re-
turned 10 Ireland, having been led to believe
through stephens's representations that d
uood-sized army Of irish patriots had already
been organized and equipped. and was only
waiting for competent commanders. Among
those who returned to Ireland at that tint
were Gen Michael Kerwln. Gen. Dennis
Burke of the Irish Brigade Gen. william
Halpin. Col. Thomas j. Kelly. Capt, james
Murphy and John Nolan. When these dis
tinguished soldiers had been in Dublin for
time they became dissatisfied with stephens
methods. When il was urged upon him tina
the time for action had arrived. stephen
insisted upon delay, and he was openly ac
cused Of being a braggart, of being vain AM
altogether incompetent
What might have happened had the reYo
luton actually begun no one can tate. IN
fact il that the British GoveInment got VIM
q stephens plans found rb hR ,h af fSTiIi, bmbin
through the skill OF the famous Detectiv'
Dawson. and On the morning OF Satutday =
ss the sg5eiST Was prlon Th4e SH
davs later he was arraigned before Masis
trate Stronse, .,..,,o, ~,
before he could be. brought into court agar
he had escaped from prison His escap'
planned by c2Pt S9hn AZ krSsn wa Dnn whS %a
sSpetyi.cd s1S shaldY' and m approved by Gen Kerwin
If so happened that man named DAME
Byrne Fenian sympathlzer, was niEh
another Fenan symplthizer named JONI
Bresiin was a steward in the prison hospltttl
Byrne was the custodian OF the Keys 20 thT
cells for certain period every night. J.
WIS arranged that an impression OF the, ke'
10 stephens cell and TO the main door OF th
prison should be taken ~ wax ana G rarrie' i,'
10 Capt kirwan by Breslin. From the I'M
nression thus made keys were made by
Fenian locksmith carried back by BreSlil
10 Byrne. who, about clock IN ne q mOrnin!
cell and conducted him TO the inner wall OF IN
nrjson The night was favorable for al
escnna as the rain poured down In torrents
stephens reu chcd the top Of the wall by mean
oS n ladder lowered himself down 10 tn
ground and pulled himself oyer the QUITE
wall bv means pf rope MnlCh was thToW
10 him bv col Thorn ~ j. Kelly ana com
parlon who were waiting outside =,
For time stephens was concealed IN IN
house Of a widow named Jane Butter, az
Kildare street Later he made ms way yss,
Trlnce where he remained untll May lHo'
when he CgTnc to New York. He was receive
here With great honor by the Fenlans, Ah
during his stay lived al tho old MeiroEoHti
ro,cI Iro had little money and nnally gt
n lob rs the agent Of French wine h0us'
NJ. once wns in Warren street. ON No|
"a isgG, bn was reported to have sailed froI
lie I rited states When the report reRche
Ergl4nd the British Government ofered
rcw1rJ of $40 900 for his capture. As mn,
Ter Of fact, stephens did not sail at al
although all the plans for his Salilng mao pee
made bv col Kelly At the last momei
hr gave hil ticket 20 his hrothcr-ln-iaw an
rera!nad in New York His friends wei
verv bitter against him for TINS trick an
r,.de no bones Of asserting that he was
coward Not long after That he Ieturh1
10 France where ho remained until 1850
mat ypor tho French Government lniorme
him that his presence on French soil was
longer desired and he came TO the Inltt
~'qtes While he was here on th9t last NlS
q fund Of $40 900 was raised Tor him throus
the EFFORTS of the Irish World
In lspl stephens was unoricia!ly lniormt
that II he would give UP all further REM
agitation he might return to Dublin. J.
was in ill-health and gladly accepted q
opportunity, aging that be was thus ena bl'