and sudden
death. How did all this come about?

First, as to Mr. Smith-Barry's character. The most advanced
Nationalists, the Fenian papers, the Catholic clergy, all concurred in
blessing him. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Cloyne, Canon Hegarty,
P.P., and Tim Healy spoke of him in the character of a landlord in
highest terms. Sir Charles Russell, Tim Harrington, Mr. O'Leary
(Chairman of the Clonakilty Town Commissioners, a violent
Nationalist), and Canon Keller (R.C.) unanimously agreed that Mr.
Smith-Barry must be exempted from the general condemnation of Irish
landlords. They said he was the "kindest of landlords," and that his
tenants were "comfortable, respectable, and happy." They proclaimed
his "generous and noble deeds," declaring that "there have been no
cases of oppression or hardship, and the best and most kindly
relations have existed." All these sayings are gathered from
Nationalist papers, which would supply thousands of similar character,
and up to the time of O'Brien's interference, none of an opposite
sort. But, as Serjeant Buzfuz would have said, the serpent was on the
trail, the viper was on the hearthstone, the sapper and miner was at
work. Thanks to the patriot's influence, the Paradise was soon to
become an Inferno.

A Mr. Ponsonby wanted his rents, or part of them. His tenants had
lived rent-free for so long--some of them were seven years
behind--that they naturally resented the proposed innovation. Mr.
Smith-Barry and others came to Mr. Ponsonby's assistance, and,
endeavouring to settle the thing by arbitration, proposed that the
landlord should knock off L22,000 of arrears, should make reductions
of 24 to 34 per cent. in the rents, and make the tenants absolute
owners in 49 years. This was not good enough. Judge Gibson thought it
"extravagantly generous," but the Tipperary folks resented Mr.
Smith-Barry's connection with such a disgracefully tyrannical piece of
business, and, at the instance of William O'Brien, determined to make
him rue the day he imagined it. They sent a deputation to remonstrate,
and Mr. Smith-Barry, while adhering to his opinion as to the
liberality of the proposition, explained that he was only one of many,
and that whatever he said or did would not change the course of
events. The Tipperary folks required him to repudiate the arrangement,
to turn his back on his friend and himself, and--here is the cream of
the whole thing, this is deliciously Irish--they soberly, serious