A Remarkable Cripple.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11756, 6 October 1902, Page 7

A Remarkable Cripple.

"Lucas Malet's" unpleasantly strong novel, "The History of Sir Richard Calmady," which is commonly regarded as one of the most suceeissfmli of recent literary productions, concerns, as most ipeople are doubtless aAvare. the life of a man whose feet grew where the knees should have been. lii spite of this"~deformltv, Sir Richard compelled the respect of quite a wide circle of friends: A London writer, recalling the career of an able Irish member of Parliament, suggests'that it may have given Mrs Harrison the idea for her great work,-and novel readers will undoutbedly be interested in this parallel from real life. The late Mr Arthur McMorrouph Kavanagh, who represented Carlo w in the House of Commons from 1869 to 1880, was practically without arms and lej/s. Ha had to be wheeled into the House, but, deformed as he was, his abilities were universally recognised- A remarkable story attaches to his name. He is said to have been descended from Deiinot McMorrough the King of Leinster, who brought Henry 11. to Ireland to replace him on his throne. At some remote ipefio v d-, nobody knows when, a curse was pronounced oix the Kavanaghs. namely, that "the hear of Boms should be a torso." ''Generations passed," says the London writer, "aird the prophecy remained unfulfilled. The father of Arthur Kavanagh married, after the death of his first wife, Lady Harriet Trench, a relative of my father, who told me ion, later years that he perfectly remembered,, on the occasion of her marriage, how it was whispered in the family, 'I wonder she dare marry Kavanagh, with that cuse hanging over him.' At thati time it was obviously a very old story, and most unquestionable well known before Lady Harriet's marriage." The third son of that marriage was Arthur MacMorrough, who had onl- the rudiments of fingers on his shoulders and of toes on his thighs. The two ekier sons grew up. but died, so that the third son was "heir of Borris," and the prophecy was fulfilled. He made, we are told, one of the very best of landlords, and his success in cqnquering his frightful disabilities, his cour-age and noV>le character were little short of miraculous. "Luoas Maet" seems to have had this story in her mind when she panned her novel. Arthur Kavanagh's mother, it is to be presumed, knew of the old curse, and we are surely entitled tft read something mora than coincidence in the strange circumstances of his birth.