REMARKABLE STORY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8737, 20 May 1914, Page 8

REMARKABLE STORY

THE O'SHEA DIVORCE EXTRAORDINARY REVELATION OF STRATAGEMS. SUBTERRANEAN FRIENDSHIP WITH GLADSTONE. 3y Telecraph—Press Association —CopyrlffU* (Received May 19, 10.50 p.m.) LONDON, May 19. Mrs' Parnell’s book tells a remarkable love story. It is stated that Parnell held that tho marriage bond was not binding when love had ceased. At the end of 1880 he was addressing Mrs O’Shea as “My dearest wife.” After a debate in the House of Commons, he drove to Eltham, where his love was living, talked until daylight, and slept until 4 in the afternoon, when ho went again to tho House of Commons. Mrs O’Shea’s husband in June, 1881, visited Eltham without the customary invitation and challenged Parnell to a duel. Tho book provides an extraordinary revelation of Parnell’s stratagems and devices to prevent the discovery of his intrigue. He used false names, employed cyphers, and once lived for a fortnight at Mrs O’Shea’s house without tho servants suspecting that he was there. While in prison at Kilmainham he wrote letters in invisible ink to Mrs' O’Shea.

He learnt that a baby was about to bo born, and he secured his release on parole for a week “to attend his nephew’s funeral.” He went to O’Shea’s house immediately, and while Mrs O’Shea was upstairs with the dying child, Parnell and Captain O’Shea were below talking Irish politics far into 'the night. When Parnell stole in at daybreak to bid Mrs O’Shea good-bye before returning to prison, Mrs O’Shea put the dying baby girl in his arms. When Parnell heard -of the Phoenix Park murders, he said he would resign, and Mrs O’Shea replied:—“No, you are not a coward.” Parnell read Piggott’s forged letters in “The Times,” connecting Parnell with crime in Ireland, with unconcern, and it was with difficulty that he was persuaded to deny them. The book reveals a close subterranean relationship between Parnell and the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone while they were openly fighting in the House of Commons.

Mrs O’Shea states that she acted as go-between from Parnell to Gladstone, commencing in May, 1882, for ten years. Gladstone knew of her relation with Parnell, and took advantage of it to keep in touch with Parnell, but he changed his attitude after the divorce in deference to the nonconformist conscience.

On September 7th last Mr William O’Brien published a letter in which tho late C. S. Parnell (formerly leader of tho Irish Home Rule party) under date of January, 1890, referring to the O’Shea divorce case, ' said : “If the case were fully gone into it would show that discredit and dishonour are not on my side.” The letter stated that he subsequently told Mr O’Brien that the whole, complexion of the affair would have been altered had he given evidence concerning Captain O’Shea. Ho had impressed up on Sir Frank Lockwood (Mrs O’Shea's counsel) that ho should be examined, and almost came to blows with Sir Frank Lockwood over the matter. The latter, many years afterwards, told Hr O’Brien he was afraid Parnell had been badly treated, and added: "I have some remorse about it myself.” Mr O’Brien said that the letter was important, as it was the only confidential vlimpse in Parnell’s own handwriting of the inmost truth of a transaction which, if it had been fully investigated, would have saved Parnell a most painful part of the discredit, prevented the divorce suit, and revolutionised history during the last twenty years. On September 10th Mr Gerald O’Shea in a letter to the press, stated that his mother was now Parnell’s widow, and he was hastening the publication of Parnell’s letters in order to refute Mr O'Brien’s allegations. On April 23rd. it was said:—Mrs Parnell is publishing in the middle of May. a history of the O’Shea divorce suit, the Parnell love-letters, and political revelations, inclnding_ Parnell’s draft of the Irish Constitution with Gladstone’s comments. ■*’ As Mrs Katherine O’Shea, she acted as Parnell’s go-between in the negotiations with, Gladstone and Mr Joseph Chamberlain.