The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-04-13
LANES STEPHENS
THE BOLD REBEL
His Physical Force Organization Caused
the British Government
to Tremble.
Graphic Story of His Arrest and Escape
From Richmond Bastile
is Related.
A Reward of One Thousand Pounds Offered
for the Brave Felon by
the Castle.

The peaceful death in Dublin Of
James Stephens at n good old age, was
a rather commonplace termination to
a stormy career, particularly so to
those who knew Mr. Stephens init
mately a. generation or more ago,
writes John Il. Fincrty in the Chicago
Citizen. This much maligncd man
had in him many contradictory quail
ties. Physically brave, as he proved
himself Mt Kellenaul and Ballingarry
in 1915, when others wavcrcd in the
face of danger, he was morally timid.
He did not fear to expose his own per-
son to the bullets of the enemy, but
he shrank from precipitatlng Il rcvolu-
ton which might have been successful
had he given "the word' In The fall
Of 1865, before the seizure Of the Irish
People office. when the Irish srrgcants
of the Dublin garrison offered to seize
the Castle, the Pigeon House fort and
the artillery barracks, and so begin
| the work with shock of war that
would have loosened the foundations
of the British empire. Mr.. Stephens
had much less excuse for his wavering
policy than O'Conncll had in 1SA3,
when the Clontarf meeting was nrbi-
trarily suppressed. The latter never
was--hnd never pretended to bc-n
revolutionist, in the physical force"
sense of that term. Mr.. Stephens, on
the other hand, never advocated other
than armed means for Ireland's lr-
dcmption, and had practlced what he
preached in his early manhood. We
confess, we never could understand his
crawfishing policy OF 1865, and we
have never met anybody, including
Mr.. Stephens himself who could eX-
plain It. His conduct after his escape
from Richmond prison was equally in
explicablc. In 1867 he seemed to have
parted with common sense ana fOrtf-
tude He was unlucstionably n great
organizer. No man better understood
the nature OF the Irish people, and,
because of this knowledge, Ire sue
cccdcd in making them condonc his oc
caSiOnal arrogance and intolerance.
His Judgment was frequently faulty,
and this led him into many blundcrs.
We have no doubt whatever of his
base and brutal the attack made on
his memory by malevOlent critics in
many British and some American
newspapers. TRAITORS" don't shivcr
in unfurnishcd garrcts for want OF
fuel, or go about in shabby garments,
with empty stnmachs, us poor Ste
phens, to our personal knowledge, Of
ten did, after the failure of the INcnian
movement lie made mistake in mar
rying beautiful young wife on the
supposed eve Of insurrcction, and her
want Of caution finally led to his cap
ture and ruin; but tho act was one of
impulsc-entircly characteristic Of n
man who had two idols in his life
Ireland and woman. TO both he was
ever a true chevalicr. a profoundly
learned man, and q cOnversatiOnalist
of supcrlativc gifts, Stephens was Il
fascinating parsonage in the days Of
his prime. lie was iconinc both in face
and FORM and had activity of body as
well as mind. In sarcasm he had few
rivals, and, taken for all and all, he
was most remarkable charactcr-:l
human puzzle not to be solved by or
binary powers of perception. In CON
junction with John O'Mahcny, who did
for the Irish in America what Ste
phens did for the Irish in Gre at Brit
ain and Ireland, he succeeded in maxi
ing the Irish race more Formidable to
the British power than it had been
since tho Volunteer period, or the hey
day of the United Irishncn. Having
created the force, he failed to use it
to full advantage, and suffered ac-
cordingly, both in fortune and prestige.
In his old age, widowed and lonely. he
was indebted to few generous souls
among his countrymcn for the hum
: bic home in which he breathed his last.