Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-02
How "Red 0'NeiI|," by a 0es-
perate Act, Won a Kingdom.
FAMOUS NAMES OF BELFAST
Home Of the Earl of Shaftesbury and
Lord Dufferin.
WHERE PAUL JONES FOUGHT
Ellen Sheridan, Granddaughter of
Richard Brinsley Sheridan and
Author of an Olden Ballad.
By WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

By WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald
BELFAST. August %, 1908.
The O. Neills were the kings of northern
Ireland I'm ancient times. and their coat
of-arms was red hand whereby hangs
STARTLING tale. The original ONeill
came over from Scotland with party of
invaders, among whom it was agreed that
he should be king whose hand first touch
ed the soil of Ireland. The boats were
all stranded on the beach. and the cap
tains end the crews were striving desper-
ateiy TO make the shore. when The
O'Neill," with the nerve that has always
distinguished his clan. drew his sword,
chopped off his own left hand at the
wrist threw it upon the beach and
claimed the throne. which was accorded
him. Hence a red hand is the coat-of-
arms OF Belfast.
Neill of the Nine Hostages. who reigned
from A D. 80 to 405. was the most war
like and adventurous of all the pagan
kings and with two exceptions all the
overkings of Ireland. from the time Red
O'Neill tossed his amputated hand upon
the shore TO the accession of Brian Boru.
belonged to this illustrious family And
they gave England great deal Of trouble
Tyrone. aud Mathew who claimed to be
his son.Ewas given the right Of success
sion. Shane. sfhe Proud the legitimate
SON and heir, was a mere boy at that
disputed his half brothers parentage and
apoloefzed for his fathers conduct with
the remark that Being gentleman. no
never refused a child that any woman
named TO be his"
Shane o'Neill's Costly Rebellion.
After the death of Henry VIII Shane
O'Neill iriaugupated a rebellion which cost
England more men and more money than
any struggle that has ever occurred in
Ireland. 1t involved am expenditure equal
to- s1O.OOOUOgSof our present money, De-
sides tens of thousands OF lives and mill
lions in private property that was oe
stroyed After peace was restored III
1i5S Shane was elected The o Neill, IN
accordance with the ancient Irish custom,
and in 1851 he accepted the owe orahch
from Queen Elizabeth. He went To Lon
don at her invitation followed by MS
eaIIowglasses i'm their strange native al,
re loose. wide sleeved. saffron-coiored
tunics reaching to their knees, with shag-
sy mantles of sheepskin over their shoui-
ders their heads bare. their long Hail
curling down on their shoulders and clip
ped short In front just above the eyes.
Last King o,NeiH Died in Italy.
The last of, the Earls of Tyrone was
High O'Neill a son of Shane. who or
sanized another rebellion in 1881 and
being defeated. fed TO his castle in the
dense woods of Glenconkeine and there
waited anxiousIy for Philip of Spain or
Clement VIII. the reiening pope, TO sue
cor him, One BY one o. Neill was deserted
nv all the Irish chieftans except Ror!
ODonnell. Earl of TyrconnelI. ana az
they saw no hope of relief they ned IN
of a
usrty OF ninety-fouf kinsfolk ana re-
tsjners They finally found their way 10
Rome where Paul V. the relgnng pon,ill'
gave. them shelter and expressed ms deep
, sympathy with the Irish eXiles. me 1oi-
lowing year Rory ODonnell. Earl OF Tyr-
conneil. died of Roman fever and III 1910
the last King of Ireland bearing the name
of O'Neill was laid to rest in the church
of San Pietro on the Janecu q. pst tne Sa''
The rnisfortunes which always followed
Hugh o. Neilrs footsteps continued 10 pur-
sue his sons. Henry. the eldest. dleo IN
command Of an irish regiment IN .ne
Netherlands: John. his next brother. sue
,eeded him and died in battle in Cateionia
BERNARD was ASA sinated When pul
seventeen years old: Hugh died OF Romah
fever and Conn. the youngest, VINO iol
some unaccountable reason was lett IN
Ireland in the hurry of his father night,
was arrested taken to London and I'M
prisoned in the Tower. where he Was losl
sight Of and the male line Oh the - -\eiils
became extinct. The living Representative
of the family Baron Edward y Nell o.
Sbane's Castle Antrim, Is descended III
the female line His name Is Shiches'..
until he was created baron in 1868. when
he assumed that of his ancestors. tie nVes
i'm the old castle about fourteen mics
north OF Belfast and is highly respected
by every one.
: Young Earl of shaftesbury.
TT q ,o,a ,f the county however, is the
voun. Earl of Shaftesbury, son OF the
famous philanthropist. who inherits mahF
of his fathers traits and takes an active
mart in religious. philanthropic. political
and municipal affairs. He is very puohc-
spirited and always willing to do his paft
in charitable movements. He has served
ss'aiderman ard lord mayor % belldst
with areat credit. and has heid several
thor inportant positions. He was educdt-
ed at Etou and Sandhurst Military Scii"oi,
>arycd In rho 10th Hussars from ,ie''
through the Hoer War. was 800. 80, 60.
in 19aT- In 1898 he married Lady Cen
stance Grosvenor. granddaughter OF the
great Duke of Westminster ohe III
herited Belfast Castle. the former scat oil
ihe Donegal family, which they have oc-
,1,nied ever since. 1t is about three miles
from Belfast. and entirely mooern. ne
state apartments and picture aanefles ON
The main floor arc very fine. SNORT uis
lance from the castle Is beautiful mite
private mortuary chapel erected by me
iate Countess Of Shaftesbury as burial
place for-the fanny
: Died of a Broken Heart.
on the opposite side of Belfast Tough
is tho seat of the late Lord Dufferin and
Ava. oue OF the ablest and most useful
men in the British empire. Tor many
Years His, figure in bronze under a mar
BILE canopy in the City Hall Park re-
minds the people of Belfast OF his AFFINITY,
his patriotism ard his public services.
He. was Niceroy OF India. governor gen
eral of Canada and ambassador to France,
ItaIy and Turkey. He held other impor-
tant positions and received unusual non
or,s but died here in 1.n2 broken-hearted
because his reputation had been USED by
a evindler named Wright IN promoting
an enterprise that seemed TO him proper
and promising. but turned out to be the
worst kind OF fraud. His situation was
similar to that of Gen. Grant after the
Grant-Ward failure in New York. Lord
Dufferin gave UP all his property as res
titution to the victims of the scheme and
retired to the seclusion of his ancestral