The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-07-13
NOW RECALLED
Incidents In the Early Life Of
Michael Davitt.
How He Lost His Arm in q Bax.
50 enden Mill.

May 81, Twelve months ago, dS t!!'
twelfth hour had almost struck, thu
soul of one of the greatest Irish
men Of his day passed to its eterna
reward. says the Dublin Irish 1nde.
pendent
Not a long time in the life OF ma
ton but yet what a gap is left, a:
wide today as 1t was when the first
dire news Mortified all Of Irish blood!
And how he was missed from his
accustomed place at the last great
Convention of the people. for he had
come to be regarded in the light Of
fixture upon the certainty of whose
appearance no doubt could be enter
tanned. And how there were those
amongst the great assembly who cat
ech!sed their consciences as to the
wisdom of what was being done from
the point of view Of the forceful and
unbending character Of the Great Dead.
asking themselves what would Da-
Witt have done in this case?" Truly
a mans influence lives after him
when that man is a Davitt.
1t was in the summer Of 1908 that
Davitt, lecturing in the Wellington
Palace. Glasgow. on behalf of the
Home Government branch, was tempt
ed, for the first time in my recollec-
lection, to draw aside the curtain, as
1t were. and reveal some of the path
etic incidents of his young life. 1t
appeared as if he forgot himself for
the moment. and was speaking as If
in trance as he narrated. in Ian
guage that moved strong men to tears.
tinging through their veins, the cru
el experience Of that eviction at Stra-
ide, when the little family. for failure
to pay six months rent. We're brutality
turned out In the snow on the eve
Of the greatest festival in the Chris
tian Church-Chrstmas left to
battle with the world, friendless. the
victims of a rapacious and tyrannical
landlord. Was 1t any wonder that
his mother went on her knees with
her little family on that bleak win
ter day and made them promise they
would not rest satisfied until the des-
Dot landlord system had been abolish
ed? And Davitt lived long enough
to see the beginning Of the end. the
fruition of his life's work begun with
the Land League.
But it was so like Davitt, ever self
efacing, ever considerate he came to
me after the lecture and asked me Il
at that time controlled an Irish news
paper in scotland) to omit all refer
ence to the incident, which l then as
well as now considered the most in
forgot the title Of the lecture it,
self. OF course l readily complied
with his wish. but l now regret that
l allowed the reporter to destroy his
notes of the speech. for at this date
the full publication of the heartless
picture of the rapacity would throw a
Of the man.
At the time Of the eviction as re-
member the story, the family consisted
Of Davitts father. Martin. and moth
or, Mary. himself and Ann, an infant
Of five days old. Michael being nearly
seven years of age. The parish priest.
Father McHugh. who had married
Davitt's parents, got them refuge from
the icy winter blasts in a new barn he
had built. but not used, until some
thing better could be provided. Then
the father went to England to seek
work. falling i'll. any lying in a hos
pital for nine months. Mrs. Davitt
worked in the fields for her days pay.
spinning fax and wool at night, and
by hard work and long hours man.
aged to save enough to send for her
husband, but before two years had
elapsed the entire family emigrated
TO Lancashire. where they settled in
the little town Of Washington There
after a short time Davitt's father.
never entirely recovered. became i'll
again. and upon his mother, still under
80 years Of age. fell the entire burden
Of supporting the family.
This brings me to letter written by
Miss sabina Davitt some months at
ter her brothers death, correcting GER
tain newspaper accounts of his early
life, to which have not seen any ref
srence in the Irish papers. Mrs. Da-
Witt. according to her daughter. New
Or asked or received meal in char
ity in all her life, either for herself or
for us, as she would rather die than
beg
Martin assisted Father Thomas
Martin, Of County Meath, who was
there on his flrst mission nv teach