The Romantic Life of Thomas Trenor [pp. 130-136]

THE ROMANTIC LIFE OF THOMAS TRENOR
upon his family by giving him a shameful
death, he determined to die by his own
hand, and thus foil their intentions. To this
end he resisted the dressing of his wounds,
tore off the bandages applied by the surgeon, and deliberately rubbed into the flesh
some ground glass, which friends had
secretly brought to him in prison. This
desperate measure caused fatal inflammation; lock-jaw set in, resulting in death in
a few days, and thus perished one of the
noblest of that bright band of patriots
who unhesitatingly sacrificed all they held
dear for their country's good.
Lord Edward was a typical Irishman in
his character, beloved and respected by all
who knew him. It was many months after
the events above related had occurred before Mr. Trenor heard of the death of his
friend, and his sorrow was great and overwhelrrming. The descendants of Mr. Trenor
still possess an engraved portrait of Lord
Fitzgerald, which was considered a striking
likeness. It is a strong and handsome face,
self-reliant and firm in every lineament.
The inscription on its back, written by Mr.
Trenor himself, brings vividly to one's mind
the bitter feelings aroused in those troublous times,
Assassinated by Town-Major Sirr
When dying, Lord Edward removed from
his hand the ring he always wore, and sent
it by a sure messenger to Mrs. Trenor, a
last token of his affectionate friendship for
her; to the last day of her life and she
passed away at a good old age her
friend's token never left her finger.
On Mr. Trenor's departure from Dublin
occurred one of those seemingly providential escapes that had already protected his
flight on more than one occasion. In disguise, and early in the day, he went on
board his ship, the captain not being aware
who the passenger was. The vessel had
cleared at the custom-house, and was to
sail that afternoon. As the captain stood
on deck watching the last preparations for
departure, a boat came alongside, a man's
head appeared above the bulwarks, he
tossed a paper toward the captain, and
then disappeared, to visit the next ship.
On examining the paper, the captain saw it
was a notice from the government of the
escape from Dublin castle of Thomas Trenor, a state prisoner; it also contained a
LORD EDWARD FITZGERALD
full description of his appearance, and a
warning to all ship captains not to harbor
nor assist him in his efforts to elude the
police and leave Ireland.
The captain descended to the cabin,
where his passenger was apparently whiling
away the time before sailing by reading a
book. Spreading the paper on the table,
he called the attention of Mr. Trenor to its
contents. The latter read the notice over
the captain's shoulder, and quickly decided
upon the course he should follow, preferring
to tell the truth and leave the matter to
the captain's sense of justice and humanity: -
"I answer that description," he said,
"now, will you give me up?"
"Never," exclaimed the warm-hearted
sailor, "unless my ship is searched and you
are taken from it."
The captain then suggested, that although
he was ready to sail at once, he feared such
a course might arouse suspicion in the
officials, as the notice of the escape had
only just been promulgated. For this reason
it was decided to lie quietly at the wharf
until night came on. The weather favored
this plan, for the night proved dark and
stormy, and the departing vessel attracted
no attention whatever. Once on the ocean,
both captain and passenger drew a deep
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