The Irish standard., 1908-02-08
TOLD Of 0'C0NNEll
A "Speck of British Power"
"Pointed Quotation"

A "Speok Of British Power"
pointed Quotation"
"Validity of a Will" and Other
Stories Credited Him.
OConnell went down to Kingstown,
near Dublin, with a party, to visit a
queens hip-of-war, which was then
riding in the bay. After having seen
it. O'Connell proposed to walk to the
top of Killiney Hill. Breaking from
the rest of his party, he asccnded to the
highest point of the hill. in company
with a young and real Irish patriot,
whose character was brimful of ma
tional enthusiasm. The day was fine,
and the view from the summit of the
hill burst gloriously upon the scight.
The beautiful bay of Dublin. like a
vast sheet of srystal, was at their feet
The old city of Dublin stretched away
to the west, and to the north was the
bold promontory of Howth, jutting
the Dublin and Wicklow mountains, in
closing the lovely vale of Shanganah,
rising picturesquely against the hor-
izon. The scene was beautiful, with
all the varieties of sunlight and shad-
ow. O'Connell enjoyed it with nearly
as much rapture as his youthful ana
ardent companion, who broke forth,
1t is all Ireland! Oh! how beautiful!
Thank God we see nothing English
here: Everything we see is 1rish!" his
rapture was interrupted by O'Connell
gently laying his hand on his shoul-
der, and pointing to the ship of-war
at anchor, as he exclaimed: "a speck
OF the British power!" The thought
was electric. That speck, significantly
pointed out by O'Connell, suggested the
whole painful history Of his fatherland
to the memory of the young Irishman.
Mr.. Goulburn. while secretary for
Ireland, visited Killarney, when O'Con-
nell (then on circuit) happened to be
there. Both stopped at Finn's hotel
and chanced to get bedrooms opening
off the same corridor. The early hab-
it's of O'Connell made him be up at
cock-crow.
Finding the hall door locked, and so
hindered from walking outside, he COM
menced walking UP and down the cor
ridor. To pass the time, he repeated
aloud some of Moore's poetry, and had
just uttered the lines
I'VE tread the land that bore US.
The green flag flutters DER us,
The friends we've tried are by our
side"
At this moment Goulbourn popped
his night -capped head out to see what
was the matter O'Connnell instantly
pointed his finger at him, and finished
the verse
And the foe we hate before us!"
In went Goulburn's head in the
greatest hurry.
In a trial about the validity of a.
will, O'Connell, for the heir at-law,
was pressing on a witness to the will
To more than one question asked Of
him whether the testator was alive
when he signed the document, his un-
varying answer was, There was life
In Mr. So-and so when he was signing
the WILL The able and acute COUNSEL
or thinking at last that he had got
within the willy knave's defenses, cried
out at him. "Now by the solemn oath
you have taken. and as you shall one
day answer for the truth. the whole
truth and nothing but the truth, was
there not a live fly in the dead mans
mouth when his hand was put to the
will?" The trembling witness con-
fessed that it was.
Once at a public meeting: O'Connell
illustrated the system adopted by the
peasants to deprive themselves of little
and give even less than that little to
the rectors. while they We're subject to
the tithe nuisance.
Paddy" says the rector, you owe
me G1 lis 6d."-"What for your rev.
erence ?'-"Tithes, Paddy.'-'Then I
suppose you gave the family some val
uc before 1 was born. Surely you new
er gave anything to me that I remem-
ber. But, please, your reverence, I
have no money.'-"You have a cow,
Paddy.'-"But if your reverence takes
her, what will Norah and the child
her do?"-"Well. Tn sorry, but the
COW must be distrained" -.,
Paddy stamps tithes on the cows
side, and not a soul in the three town
lands will buy her. SO the disap-
pOfnteu' man gets q repinnent and a r,oIf