I have some pleasant remembrances of those days in Liverpool, when I was assisting Mr. Parnell in carrying on the electoral campaign.  One day, as we stood together looking out of the window across Lime Street, he pointed to the hotel on the opposite side of the street, reminding me that it was there we first met.  This was when he came amongst us, a promising young recruit, under the wing of Isaac Butt.  I remembered it well, and the number of questions he asked me about the condition of our people, social and political, in this country, for he knew that I had had opportunities of acquiring a closer knowledge of them than most people.  He often afterwards sought from me such information.  To me, from first to last, he was always most open and friendly, and I never found him so “stand-off” and unapproachable as was the very common opinion about him.

In the Exchange Division of Liverpool, a Mr. Stephens, the official Liberal candidate, had, for some reason, been replaced by Captain O’Shea, who got the full support of the Liberal party.  Following instructions from headquarters, the Irish Nationalists had denounced the candidate of the Liberals, who, when recently in power, had coerced Ireland, and O’Shea was condemned more unmercifully than any of them, as being, besides, a renegade Irishman.

When Parnell himself came on the scene as a candidate for Exchange Division, Captain O’Shea was denounced more fiercely than ever.  Mr. Parnell, however, withdrew on the nomination day, and at a great meeting on the same night, much to the astonishment of all, asked, in a very halting and hesitating manner, that O’Shea’s candidature should be supported.  So great was his power and prestige at the time that, whatever apprehension might be felt, no attempt was made to question his action.

On the morning of the election I went to the North-Western.  Mr. O’Connor was somewhat late in getting to work.  Parnell, noticing, I suppose, that I seemed uneasy about something, asked, “What’s amiss with you, Denvir?” “We would like to see Mr. O’Connor on the ground in Scotland Division,” I said.  He shook his head:  “Ah, that’s the way with him since he got married.”  I smiled and observed “We’ll be losing you that way some time.”  “No,” he replied, as I thought somewhat sadly, “I lost my chance long ago.”

All that day Parnell worked with desperate energy for O’Shea.  He even took some of our men from Scotland Division to help in Exchange.  I expostulated with him, saying, “You’ll be losing T.P.’s election for us.”  As a matter of fact, we won Scotland Division by 1,350 votes.

In point of fact, if O’Shea had got the whole Irish vote he would have won, but Mr. Parnell’s vehement efforts could kindle no enthusiasm among the Irish electors, and there was a small but determined section which—­while unwilling to let any public evidence of disagreement with Mr. Parnell appear—­absolutely refused to support O’Shea.  This lost him the seat.