New-York tribune., 1921-02-06
Parnell's Widow,
76 Years Old, Dies
AT Brighton, Eng.
She Had Lived i'm Seclusion
Since Irish Leader, i'm
Whose Life She FiguredS So
Strongly, Passed Away

LONDON, Feb. 5.--Mrs. Charles
Stewart Parnell died at Brighton this
morning. She was seventy six years
old.
Katherine Wood, daughter of the
Rev. Sir John Page Wood, belonged in
the category of women whose personal
charms have enthralled leaders of men
and changed the destinies of empires.
Had it not been for her the question
of Home Rule for Ireland probably
would be ancient history, settled and
disposed of a generation ago.
In her girlhood pretty and gifted
"Kitty" Wood was married to Captain
William O'Shea, dashing young SOL
dier and Irish patriot and loyal lieu
tenant of Charles Stewart Parnell, who
was then coming TO the fore as the
leader first of the Land League and
later of the Home Rule party.
Through her husband she became ac-
quainted with the Irish statesman, and
presently she became fasc mated W tn
ParnelPs intellectual power and politi-
cal ambitions, while he, bachelor, re-
cluse and almost misogynist, was also
fascinated by her beauty, wit and SYM
pathetic charm.
O'Shea Gets Divorce
They became more than friends, and
their relations continued while Cap
tain O'Shea was Parnell's most active
political lieutenant in Parliament In
1881 Captain O'Shea challenged Par
nell to a dlel. But with her woman's
wit, of which she had an opulent store,
Mrs. O'Shea succeeded in persuadlng
her husband that her relations with
Parnell were entirely devoted to
furthering the cause of Home Rule.
Nine years later, however, the crash
came. Parncll had emerged in triumph
from cloud of charges of treason, IN
citement to criminal violence and what
not, and was looking forward to the
completion of his work for Home Rule,
in partnership with William E. Glad
stone. Then, in 1890, Captain O'Shea
entered suit for divorce on statutory
grounds" and with Parnell as core
spondent. The suit was not defended
and the decree was promptly granted.
The "Nonconformist conscience" of
English Liberals was shocked, and the
Gladstonians who favored Home Rule
declined further to support that cause
unless Parnell retired from the leader
ship. A great meeting Of Parnellites at
Dublin in November, 1890, declared that
in air political matters Parnell con-
tinued to enjoy the confidence of the
Irish nation. But other Irishmen, un-
der the lead of Justin Mccarthy, per-
ceived that without the continued sup
port of English Home Rulers the cause
was hopeless.
"Home Rulers" Split
There followed the famous meetings
in Committee Room, Is, which ended in
the division of the Home Rule party
into hostile factions, the "Justinians,
who followed Mccarthy, and the Fire
Brigade" who followed Parnell. Brit
ish support was alienated and the
cause of Home Rule was hurt.
As soon as possible after the grant
ing of the divorce, Mrs. O'Shea and
Parnell were married and were to the
end of his life-only q few months
later---a most devoted pair Many years
afterward, in 1914, she published The
Love Story and Political Life of Charles
Stewart Parnell, which made the
character and career of Parnell known
as no other writer could have revealed
it, and which also revived for a time
some of the controversies which had
ragged quarter of century before.
In this book she disclosed herself as
woman of rare talent. From the time
of Parnells death to her own, her life
was passed chiefly in strict seclusion.