The Parnell Scandal.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 561, 24 January 1891, Page 3

The Parnell Scandal.

GOSSIP-MONGERS AND POLITICIANS The London correspondent of the Melbourne Argus writes aa follows under date November 21st:— The O’Shea divorce case has had a perfectly astounding effect in the po itioai wor d. Everyone “in the movement,” whether Tory or Radical, has been so perfectly familiar with the fact that Mr Parnell was living, off and on, with Mrs O’Shea, that the approach of the case and pub ication of the details caused little or no excitement. We had ail known for months, nay years, all that came out, and a good deal that never came out — how, for example, the two lovers used to wander for whole days about Rosherville gardens, having their fortunes told by the gipsy, trying their weight on the automatic machine, and shoo ing at the running deer—how Parnell used to be told off to wheel the perambulator for hours round Lee, Plumatead, and Eltham—how young O Shea once found a box of ferruginous puls in his father’s dressing room marked ‘ O' S. Parnell, Esquire, two to be taken at night,” and Sung the contents out of the window on to the heads of the guilty pair. AH this we believed, and more also, and it was with a feeling of disappointment that we searched in vain for many a familiar yarn. But not so the dear old goose of an ignorant, outside public. Lo and behold I the Gladstoniaa host is rent asunder, and its component membars are positively reeling beneath the shook. Tbe Gladston.an baillies of Edinburgh, who granted Mr Par nod the freedom of the City, declare that they never heard a word of the story, and that if they bad, ibey would not have made him one of their treemen. The leaders of Nonconformity say the same thing. The Gladstones and the Parnellites, who also happen to be men of the world, are astounded to learn the Arcadian innocence of their country and caape'-goi<ig colleagues. The name of “ Kitty O’Shea ” |ias been a jest for eight years past, familiar not only to every statesman and man of the world, but to every cabman, every news-boy, every chorus-girl, every betting-man, every stockjobber, every pot boy, every attorney’s clerk, every pugilist, every penny-a-liner in London ; aud here are men, actually in pub io life, frequenting tbe purlieus of the the House of Commons, attending political banquets, lounging in clubs aud reading the society papeis, who were actually ignorant of the whole thing! England is, indeed, built in water-tight compartments. It bad be a arranged beforehand that Parnellites in all parts ot the kingdom were to declare unswerving loyally to Mr Parnell, It was believed that the Catholics as a body would approve of this course, their formula being expressed by aa old priest who remarked to his landlord, “ Ah, sure we all have our wakeneaaes ; and, after all, he’s only a Protestant.” The Liberal leaders had been made aware of, but in no way dissented from, the course sketched out by the Parnellites. Their whqle energies were concentrated in making it sure that no defence would be set up. The resolutions of confidence were duly passed, aud are still pouring in from distant places. They have been met simply by a howl of indignation from the English Nonconformists. The “ Free Churches,” as they call themselves, have bolted dean out of the Liberal paddock. It is the unexpected which always happens. The consequences no man can tell, The Irish have got their monkey tjp, and will not throw over their leader. The quarrel will as-urediy grow fiercer. Likely enough the Parnellites may think the Liberal alliance no longer worth maintaining, give up the Plan of Campaign and boycotting, make & pro forma submission to Mr Balfour, and receive some form of self-government from The Times on terms of disappearing for ever from Westnfinstet*. Such protean and portentious Changes may a woman’s beauty woik in the politics of an empire ’ Mr IJealy said a clever and bitter thing bv way of avenging himself on his noted chief and his lady-love. Yesterday, at the party meeting in Dublin, endorsing, with mock sincerity, what others bad aaid of the folly of swapping horses when crossing a stream, he launched out gracefully into another illustration by advising his colleagues to follow the injunction which has so often met their eyes on the Holyhead boat, “Don’t speak to the man at the wheel,” Nor will they. They have all along writhed under a sense of the danger to th4c cause thus callously courted by Iheir leader. They are furious with him for leading them to believe that in some mysterious way he would be in a position to make a successful defence. That was not the only good thing said by Mr Healy yesterday. Michael Davitt is more incensed against Mr Parnell than any other man on that side, it being understood that Mr Parnell gave him some private and personal assurance that he had a defence, whereas Mr Davitt seems to thick that he ought to have “given away” the ladv to whomsoever might question him about her. And Mr Davitt has made a strong attack on his riyal in his organ, the Labor World, whioh attack has a ! aa very much the lair ot being a bid for tbe Irish leadership—a bid which Mr Healy ha-< answered by quoting tbe saying of Charles II to the Duke of York, “Brother, no one will kill me to make you king,”

The reason why Mr Healy wanted to inflict bis neat little stab on Mr Parnell was th»t it appeared from the divorce proceedings that Mrs O’Shea had spoken of him and a colleague pua late Mr Biggar) as “ sweeps,” and he inferred (hat the names whioh a lady calls a politician are those which she heard her husband or her lover (or both) apply to them.

The Wood family, from which Mrs..O’Bhea springs, is remarkable for the good looks, geniusj and eccentricity of its members. Bir Evelyn is the tamest of them, but he has far more originality and individuality than the average of cTSVer people. The general who decorated him as a boy with the V.C, told him, with a smile, he was in two minds whether to shoot him for disobedience to orders in performing the exploit by which he gained it. Old Lady Wood, the mother of the present generation, was a powerful and somewhat eynioal novelist, Mrs O’Shea is not the only member of the family who has been in the Divoroe Court, Her sister, Mrs Steele, was there a few years ago, but not for a breach of her marriage vqv/— merely . for its uon-performanae. Ae a romantic and love sick girl, she accepted Captain Steele on the ooadi iou that they should live apart, and acting under this understanding, she had parted from her husband at the church door, and nevgr joined him in his home. Veara afterwards, finding that bis strange misfortune was a cloud on his professional career, he commenced a suit for the restitution of conjugal rights by way of clearing his oharae'er, but never acted op the decree whioh he triumphantly ob'ained. In fact, there was no uefeuce, and no other explanation beyond that general family edcen’ricity which has led Mrs O'Shea to sac-ifice her life for an Irish squireen, without humor or small talk, and wearing muddy boots, aa ill-fitting frock coat, and a soft brown felt hat 1