OBITUARY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8153, 1 June 1906, Page 5

OBITUARY.

MR MICHAEL DAVITT.

Reoeived May 31, 10,29 p.m. jIONDON, May 31.

Mr Miohael Davitt died after midnight at a private Hospital in Dublin.

(Mr Davitt was born in Ireland on March 25th, 1846. He began work when ten years old in a Lan oashire cotton mill. In 1857 he lost his right arm through a machinery accident. He was employed as newsboy, printer's devil and assistant letter - carrier subsequently. He joined the Fenian Brotherhood in 1865, and was arrested and tried in London for treason and felony iu 1870, and sentenced to 15 years' penal servitude; released on ticket-of-leave in 1877; with the late Mr Painell and others he founded the Irish Land League in 1879. He was arrested on a charge of making a seditious speech the name.,year, but the prosecution was abandoned. Mr Jiavitt then went to the United States of America to organise the Auxiliary Land League Organisation in 1880. He was arrested shortly after his return in 188J, ,pnd sent baok to penal servitude. He was released on May 6th, 1882. arrested in 1883, and tried under 'the law of King tidward 111. for seditious SDeech, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. Deceased was first elected to Parliament for County Mealh when a prisoner in Portland Convict Prison in 1882, but was disqualified by special vote of the House of Commons for nonexpiry of sentence for treason-felony. He unsuccessfully contested Waterford City in 1891; was M.P. for North Meath in 1892; unseated on petition, and returned unopposed for North-east Cork the same year. He resigned in 1893, owing to bankruptcy proceedings arising out of the North Meath election petition. In 1895, while in Australia, he was returned unopposed for East Kerry and South Mayo, and resigned in 1899- Mr Davitt has written several books).