Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-03-07
JAMES NAPIER TANDY.

Wherever 1.-THE Wearing of the
Green" is heard-and there is no
civilized spot on this earth where its
stirring strains have not awakened
the echoes-the name of Napier
| Tandy is familiar. But there are
many of the sons and daughters of
Irish parents who are unacquainted
with the career of the parsonage
mentioned in the song, and indeed
many assume that Napier Tandy is
poetical personification of Irish
patriotism.
But James Napier Tandy was
something more than a poetic crea-
ton, and in England, little over d
century ago, he was regarded as a
person dangerous to the well being
of the British empire. Tandy was
of good family, high education and
comfortable fortune, and was born
| in Dublin in 1740. He took an active
interest in Irish politics early in
life, and became prominent in the
| United Irishmen. Certain patriotic
expressions made in public caused
his expulsion from the Dublin Vol
unteer Artillery, and two years
afterward he was imprisoned by an
order of the House of Commons for
having sent a challenge to the Solic-
/ tor General.
Anent this incident, Wolfe Tone
remarks in his journal: at is but
justice to an honest man, who has
been prosecuted for his firm ad-
herence to his principles, to observe
here that Tandy, in coming forward
on this occasion, well knowing that
he was putting in the most extreme
hazard his popularity among the
corporations in the city of Dublin,
with whom he had enjoyed the most
lunbounded influence for twenty
years, and in fact, in the event, this
popularity was sacrificed.
In 1898 proceedings were begun
against him for distributing a tract
called Common Sense" which con-
tanned severe structures on the
Beresford family. Finding also that
bill had been found against him
for inducing the Defenders" of the
County Louth to Join the United
Irishmen, he fed to the United
States. He lived in Wilmington,
Del, until 1898, when he went to
France to be at hand when the time
for action in Ireland came.
Napier Tandy was given the pro-
visional rank of General, and en-
barked with a small body of Irish
refugees in the frigate Anacreon for
Ireland in September. The Anacreon
landed at the island of Aran, off the
coast of Donegal, where hearing of
Humbert's defeat at Ballinamuck,
Napier Tandy re-embarked and
sailed north to avoid British cruis-
ers. He landed in Norway and tried
to reach France overland, but was
arrested in the city of Hamburg at
the instigation of British spies.
The local authorities surrendered
him as a prisoner claimed by Eng
land. But the Hamburgers paid
dearly for this despicable piece OF
work. Napoleon, who was the First
Consul, reclaimed Tandy as an Of
ficer of the French army, and de-
clared that II hair of his head was
touched an English officer of equal
rank should be hanged. Instead Of
executing Tandy as "a traitor" the
English were glad to exchange him
with Napoleon for an English pris-
oner OF war. Napoleon levied fine
of four million francs on Hamburg
for its breach of neutrality in sur
rendering a French officer. He spent
the remainder OF his life in Bordeaux.
France. where he died In 1903, aged
sixty-three years.