The Washington herald., 1907-04-28
LAST FENIAN IS DEAD
John 0'Leary Passes Away
in Dublin Town.
PRECEPTOR OF NATIONALISTs
Did Not Believe that Emancipation
COaid re Accomplished by ParIia-
meatary Methods-studied law in
Youth, bat Gave Il Up for Mesli-
eine-sto~y By an Eyewitness.

a few days ago was horne to the
grave the last of the 4s met" the last.
too. Of the Fenian leaders, writes p.
Bradley. from Dublin to the Pittsburg
Dispatch And, notwithstanding IA storm
OF wind ana rain the Nationalist Of
Dublin in solemn cortege marched four
deep behind the bier of their dead pa
triot on its way TO Glasnevin Cemetery.
The name of John O'Leary has now fig
ured very prominently IN modern Irish
movements. In his youth it is said he
abandoned his studies for the legal pro-
fession because for entrance into that
profession in Ireland an oath Of ailegi-
ance to- the monarch Of England was re-
quired. For that reason also among 9th
ers he could never be prevailed upon to
enter the English Parliament Ireland. he
held. was has country and he refused to
transfer his allegiance TO any other ma
ton. But although John OLeary's name
did not in recent years figure prominent
iy in the newspapers, although lie con-
sistently refused 10 have anything TO do
with tie parliamentary movement, yet he
was ap over in the land He was presi-
dent OF the '96 centenary committee, and
OF Contaminated. and may be regarded
Is the preceptor Of the young Nationalist
party in Ireland. which regards parlia-
mentary methods as futile
Though nowadays John OLeary is
chiefly thought Of as one Of the FeHlan
leaders. he was also connected with the
revolutionary movement Of twenty years
earlier. Ia 1873 while student al Trim
ity College, bee became identified with
revolutionary politics by joining the irish
Confederation, becoming "A member
Of the club of winch Thomas Francis
Meagher T. as president After the arrest
of Smith OBrien and the other 1888 lead
ers. young OLeary took part In an at
tempted rescue from Cl0nmel jail and was
arrested for his pains In the following
year we ind him connected with another
attempted Instruction, which also ended
in failure
Gave Up Law for sIedicine.
In the meantime De had given up law
for medicine ana fer time devoted him
self 10 the latter. pursuing his studies ia
Dublin, Galway London, and Paris. Be
ing. however. in the possession o. pri-
vate means. a profession was not neces-
sity for him. 20 that he was able q fol-
low MS particular bent which was the
world Of letters, rather than the medical
school
In 1886 the first STRINGS Of what culmi-
mated i'm, thu E.a-f4r reasNarfsoff+ rs-afa
gun 10 be fen. aad in that year OIeary
visited the United States Here De met
some OF the men VINO were laying the
plans for the new insuTrection and was
received by them as q valuable accession
20 their body. Returning to Ireland he
net James stephens. the man whose
wonderful power OF organization made
the Fenian movement O'Leary, though
he never took the Feui4n oath. now threw
himself heart and soul into the move
ment. and when, in 1868, the Fenian di-
rect0ry determined 20 establish "a news
paper TO disseminate lis views, John
OLeary was fixed upon as editor, with
Thomas Clarke Luby and Charles J. Kirk
ham as principal writer's, and O'Donovan
Rossa as manager.
The editor OF a newspaper which was
the organ of the secret revolutionary or
llf41 ttft@ AL fttfttt +ttt+tA tlL iAfNt-
ton but o Leary did bis work SO well
that were IL not for tie fact that the Of
fee Of the paper practically became the
bureau for the organization. the gov
eminent would not have been able to get
sufficient proofs against him ia the col
umns Of the Irish People TO sustain its
charge of treas0n-felony. on September
s. 1850 the crash came. The govern
mcut swooped down on the Irish People
seized the paper, broke up the type, and
arrested those found on the premises.
The young Fenian journalist went away
with them 10 be condemned To twenty
years penal servitude Five Of these
years be spent in Jail, ana It is character
istie OF him that about his experiences
he had not a word to say What has
rhat. he said, "to do with the history OF
FeniaHism o.
O'Leary in the Dock.
An eyewitness sives the following de
OF him in the dock on his trial
ia 1850; John O'Lcary stepped 10 the
front with q flash of fire in his dark eyes
and a Scowl on his features. looking ha-
tired and defiance on judges. lawyers.
juTymen. and all the rest Of them. All
eyes were fixed on him, for he was one
Of those persons whose exterior attracts
attention and indicates a character above
the common. He was tan. slightly buil,.
and Of genuemanly department. Every
feature of his then angular face gave toll-
en- OF great Intellectual energy and deter
It's pallid hue was rendered al
most deathlike By The contrast with his
long black hair and flowing mustache and
beard
Easy it was TO see that when the gov
eminent placed john O'Leary in the dock
il had Gagged a proud spirit. and an able
and resolute enemy
His speech from the dock was char
acteristicalIy brief. After scornfuIly repu-
dating the accusations of assassination
leyeled against the Fenian organization
he concluded with TIE words, Z have beer
found guilty of felony. Treason
Is a foul crime. The poet Dante con
signed traitors to. I believe the ninth cir
Gle OF hell bar what kind OF traitors?
Traitors against king. against country. /
against friends ana benefactors. Signey
and Emmett were legal traitors. Jeffreys
was a loyal man and so was N0rbury.
leave the matter there"
After hve years OLeary was released
rom prison on condition that he 60
INTO exile for the remaining fifteen years
Of his sentence. He accordingly went )
sbroad living chiefly I'm Paris. In 1885 he ]
returned to Ireland. receiving a public I
Welcome on his arrival fin Dublin.
In 1900 he went to Paris as the head Of
4 delegation TO present an address of /
greeting and sympathy 10 President Kru- I
ger on MS arrival in the French capital. /
and in 1905 he went on the great Irish |