The Detroit times., 1910-12-19
lRlsHMAN, DYING
] IN EXILE, Tells OF
STIRRING LIFE
O'Donovan Rosa, Now so Years OF
Age, waged Fight Against
Wrongs in Ireland and Hes
Glad of II.
He Is Passing His Last Days In New
YORK, Where He Went After
Release From Prison.
az w. G. SHEPHERD.

NEW IOhh, DeC. To- 80
of Jeremiah ODonovan "Rossa cicSe
,n mass of wrinkles and hide them
s.lves under white shaggy br""s
whom he smiles. And he smiles wnen'
ever you use the word "Feniah'
.Fieht." was O'Donovan's motto
h.,f a century ago, when he started
the Fenian movement.
Eight" Is his motto today
.Mv old legs won't take me PACK
,o Ireland" he told me as | sat at
hIs bedside. And anyway, | guess
,r.s mst as we'll Why. men were
S ti,,ed and put in prison for following
me, | was put in prison myself Anu
tm nrison | wouldn't behave. I've just
made a rumpus all my HE.
what did you raise a rumpus
for?" | asked.
share and rich folks getting 100
How did you first discover tnat
moor folks didn't get their share
1T was the funeral OF Jillen Andy
no said. when | was a boy used
to pIay with Thead Andy, who lived
with his mother. When the plague
came on Ireland In lSis Ihead
mother died. The people OF ireland
were so poor then that they had 10
bury their dead with their own hanus;
Thead came over TO my mouse anu
asked my mother IL | couidnt nelp
him dig a grave for his mother, Why
was known as Jillen Andy My moth'
or told me to help Thead and we went
out into the cemetery. we aug 10,
an hour, maybe. and then lheau salo
when the grave was ABOUT TWO iee.
deep. This Is deep enough uon
want her too far away from me
.Then ave neighbor men came. car
rving Jillen Andy on a board. There
wasn't enough money in the village
20 buy coffin, though the English
lanlords were exporting wheat we
& had raised on our rented farms
I've put stone In the grave Tor
moor Jillen Andy's head 10 rest ON
but Jack McCart spoke up and sad
Here. nut my kerchief around ne
stone, So | wrapped the kerchlei
Z around the stone and We placed jill
len Andy's head on that pillow
ITO this day" continued Rosa.
can see how softly the man handled
the shovel, how quietly he laid the
earth down at her feet, how the heap
kept rolling and creeping up unt'i
~ covered her head. and how the big
fsmen pulled their hats over thelf
eyes.
II was only boy but knew this
wasn't right. Jillen Andy's !uneral
Twas what made me mad. and I've
been mad all my life. I've been mad
at everything that made some peo-
,ple poor and others rich.
How did you intend TO stop IL!
Fight" he said Il don't believe
in anything else. II won't do 10 be
have IL never does any good TO De
quiet and polite and full OF requests
The way TO do is 10 demand ana
fight,
~ Il was one OF the founders OF the
Phoenix club. From that grew the
name OF Fenian We formed socie-
ties and drilled. Many OF us were
.arrested Some were calmed down
Inv this. | never was. Some were
hung. That didn't make any differ
lence. We went right on. Finally,
Twas arrested and sentenced 10 %
years in Jail
You've entertained criminal de-
signs said the Judge as he was SEN
fencing me.
Yes said. I've been an Irish
man all my life
Even during the trial | wouldn't
behave. | refused counsel handled
my own case and made the judge and
jury listen TO me.
Then went TO- Jail | wouldn't
behave there. They tied my hands
behind me and made me eat from a
pan like a dog
News OF my troubles in prison
went all over the world Parliament
took the matter mp. Everytme |
misbehaved some one would make a
speech about II, and whenever | was
quiet for a while some one else would |
make a speech about how the move
ment for Irish freedom was dying. !
Then would start 10 misbehave
again
Ross chuckled repeatedly as he
told the story.
Then the folks In Tipperary-co.
elected me to parliament, while I (
was In Jail. Parliament was IN
sultcd."
Rossa's eyes were hidden in n
smile when he told OF this.
1t was q regular election, but the
government forced the Tipperary
folk TO vote again. Again they chose
me. Then the government said that
the man who ran against me was
elected.
SO | never sat in parliament.
THAT made me all the madder
kept kicking up such rumpus that
the government began TO talk OF
pardoning me. Finally they told me
that they would let me go II would
20 TO America. | had IL years TO
serve. I accepted the offer
When | arrived in America the
Irishmen In Tammany hall tried TO
get m eto 20 with them and was
offered a high place in the city gov.
ernment. But | soon discovered that
Tammany hall was against poor folS
and was In cahoots with the rich So
turned my back on Tammany hall.
I've stood for poor folk all my