New-York tribune., 1922-08-23
EgsII h bss zfslIIslI8ll C5fiiiIs .
For Brauery and Fortitide
England Smiled at His Impudent Daredevitries in
ssthe Trouble and Later Ireland Looked Up to
Him for His Patience With Former Comrades

gentry, professional men and others OF
the solid classes did NOS.
! Even In Dublin, where the regard for
Ihim approached idoiatry during the
post-treaty days, he was known by
sight TO many but intimately to few.
His loose -jointed. muscular frame, in
cased always in clothes that missed his
contour widely. VIA soften seen walk
/ ing energetlcaliy about town and it
/ never failed TO excite notice.
\ Tu know him we'll was TO yield him
Thigh respect He was q sparkling,
fluid personality, and a powerful one.
| His widely set gray eyes were capable
lof many tights, They were friendly,
mostly, but they were searching as
we'll and they never wayered. 4
Ndt Born to Purple
He was no gentleman born TO the
4 purple pre-revolution days were
/ passed. in the = British postal serv-
/ ice--but leader born tosthe Khaki of
| the field and the tweeds Of the council
room. And If the tweeds were un-
Eavailablc or mislaid, any other texture
would do.
One night called on him with an
| other correspondent, at his quarters
| in the Gresham Hotel. We were. de-
MED access to him by an attache, but
a half-crUwn induced the porter TO
take us to his room We knocked. He
table and was in his pajamas.
.tCome inn he commanded We went
and for ten minutes he talked eagerly,
Inervously of the situation in the west
where the irregu1ars were up to mis- :
chief When he signalled us to go we
arose and he followed us to the door.
There he stood. just outside, in his
striped pajama suit, gesticulating for
cibly. His room. was on the floor with
the ladies' cloak room and it was the
night of swagger ball. Ladies came
up the stairs, observed the pajamaad
figure in .the door and passed on. The
word got about that it was "Mickey;'
Collins and they, overcoming their
modesty, formed crowd in the hall
until he noticed them and retired
bashfully.
| He was self-conscious man in the
company of strangers unless he was
talking about state affairs. Then his in.
terest overcame his timidity. was hav-
ing tea with party in another hotel
the. Sunday afternoon of the rrst Dub
lin treaty meeting, at which he had
scored q triumph, when he came into
the lounge with Miss Kitty Kiernan,
his fiancee. They took an adjoining
table, We complimented him on his
speech and his reception. He was
fidgety under the attention.
| fThe Irish are warm hearted, i'm
pulsive race" he said. "Theytwill cheer
any speaker WHO gives them a show"
His unbounded Vitality
Stories were numerous in Dublin
while was there of his unbounded
vitality. He was said to require only
four hours sleep a, night.
While he was in London for the con-
ference that resulted in the Free State
treaty he and his colleagues were quar-
tered in one hotel. Early in their ne
gotiations they found the work piling
up and the time. scarcely suffic lent.
Collins announced that he intended to
begin his days job promptly at a. m.
each day and that he expected the
others to join him. They thought it
was a joke, but the next morning when
he appeared at their several doors and
turned them out at that hour they
learned better. It took some time to
convince him that his associates were
not as hardy as himself. He was, it
seems, the life of the party in London.
| A brave man, Collins, and a prudent
one, too. He was hero and he might
lwell have become great statesman.