and the Scotland Division of Liverpool, chose to sit for the latter constituency. Charley insisted upon putting up Captain O'Shea for the vacant seat, in spite of strong opposition, even among his own adherents, including Mr. Biggar. The crowd at Galway, which Charley addressed, was a sullen and even a hostile one; but Charley managed to bring it round to his views, or at any rate to arouse sufficient loyalty to himself to get Captain O'Shea returned at the head of the poll. The incident, however, roused many of Charley's most devoted supporters to very plain language as to his using his political influence on behalf of a man with the name of whose wife rumour associated him. I always suspected Captain O'Shea of being a false friend of Charley's, and simply waiting his time to strike a fatal blow. As I said to a gentle- man who knew both parties: "Don't you think, if there was anything in it, that Captain O'Shea would have found it out and taken some action long before the divorce suit?" It was just when Charley's career never seemed more promising that Captain O'Shea filed his petition for divorce, on December 28, 1889. When served with the divorce papers, Charley, as usual, showed no emotion, but negligently threw them on one side. I do not think, however, that he entirely realized how critical his condition was. The trial commenced on Saturday, November 15. -232- |