The Irish standard., 1905-11-18

rent of Daniel O'ConnellS duel with
j. N. DEsterre, says Preuss' Catholic
Fortnightly Review, and we believe we
Shall do our readers a favor by con-
densing the story of this famous en-
counter as told by O'Connells latest
and best biographer, Michael Mac
Donagh, who writes with full knowl-
edge of the sources and without the
usual prejudice of Irishmen in favor
of, or of Englishmen against the
Great Liberator."
In an address at meeting of the
Catholic Board, held on January 90
1915, O'Connell, then a rising young
lawyer, referred to the Corporation of
Dublin as "beggarly.' The speech was
reported in the newspapers, and three
days afterward O'Connell received a
letter signed, u. N. D'Esterre," OBJ
jecting to the appellation "beggarly'
applied to the Corporation of the city,
of which he was member, and asking
for an explanation.
| O'Connell sent curt reply in which,
without admitting or disclaiming his
use of the expression objected to by
Mr.. D'Esterre, he said: Il deem it
right to inform you that from the
calumnious manner in which the re-
ligion and character of the Catholics
Of Ireland are treated in that body,
no terms attributed to me, however
reproachful, can exceed the contempt
uous feelings 1 entertain for that
body in it's corporate capacity, although
doubtless it contains many valuable
persons, whose conduct as individuals
q lamenD must necessarily be con-
founded in the acts of the general
body
D'Esterre was curer of beef and
pork and contractor for supplies of
these sailed food-stuffs to the navy
and represented the Guild of Mer-
chants in the Common Council of the
Corporation a body composed almost
entirely Of Orangemen or ultra-Prot-
|estants, antagonistic to Catholic Eman-
cipation. The epithet "beggarly,"
which O'Connell had applied to this
body, was barbed with a sting from
the fact that several of the members,
among them D'Esterre, were known
to be in embarrassed circumstances.
DEsterre was candidate for the
office of city sheriff, and he may have
thought he would secure his election
by fastening quarrel on O'Connell.
There is no ground for believing that
his action was inspired solely by po-
litical and religious animosity to O'Con-
nell personaily-as Is asserted in most
accounts of the affair-for he was
man of broad views in politics and
supporter of Catholic Emancipation,
and, curious to relate, he was the only
member of the Common Council who
opposed the resolution of the Board
of Aldermen requesting the concurrence
of the Common Council in that anti
Catholic petition to Parliament which
had called forth O'Connelrs offensive
epithet There was much in his sub
sequent conduct which lends color to
the supposition that he did not really
think O'Connell would fight He hoped
probably to achieve fame and perhaps
the retrieval of his broken fortunes by
his appointment to a civic office, by
publicly humiiating O'Connell in the
eyes of the anti-Papists.
O'Connell had already had two chal-
lenges to Il duel, but in neither case did
he actually come under fire. Early in
his career at the bar, relative named
Siggerson, whom he had insulted in a
speech to the jury, sent him a challenge,
which, however, he withdrew the next
morning on discovering that he had a
valuable portion of his lands under
lease for the term of O'Connells life
Under these circumstances" he wrote
Il cannot afford to shoot you, unless,
as II precautionary measure, you first
insure your life for my benefit. If you
do, then heigh for powder and ball! I'm
your man." The other case ended all
most as ludicrously. In a trial in 1918
O'Connell interrupted his learned
friend, Counsellor Maurice Magrath,
who was engaged on the other side, by
|eXclaiming: That's lie, Maurice!"
And Magrath replied by flinging the
volume of the statutes from which he
| was quoting at O'Connelrs head, and
| then kicking him on the shins O'Con-
nell sent a challenge, which, Of course,
Magrath accepted. When the two OPP
ponents stood facing each other with
pistols cooked, O'Connell exclaimed in
deep emotion: Now l am going to fire
at my dearest and best friend" Ma
grath was so touched by these words
that he lowered his weapon. The Guel
was stopped and the seconds arrived
at an amicable adjustment.
D'Esterre wrote Il second scolding let
ter, but no challenge. At length the
rumor got abroad that he intended to