At the general election of 1SS5 he was reflected from Cork, and by a political bargain with the Conservative Party secured the election of a nmnber of Conservative candidates, though soon afterwards lie repudiated the agreement and threw his votes on the Liberal side tdannary. ISS61, thus defeating the Conservative Admin istration of Lord Salisbury. Gladstone, who by this change succeeded to office, was now defi nitely committed to the adoption of a measure of Home Rule for Ireland, and henceforth the Irish supported the Liberal Party. IM April S. ISSfi. Glad-toile had a bill introduced to give Home Rule, which ruptured the Liberal Party and led to the formation of the new Liberal rnionkt Party (q.v.l. and Gladstone's Adminis tration was thereupon defeated and resigned in duly, ISS(i. Nevertheless. Parnell introduced a bill for the relief of tenants. which. as a whole, the Salisbury Government refused to accept. though many of its important provisions were subsequently incorporated into the Govt ri ment own measure. Toward the close of the session of lSS7 a sensation was eansed by the publication in the London Times of the fae-simile of a letter purporting to have been written by Parnell to a friend. palliating the murder of permanent rnder-Reeretary for Ireland, Thomas Ilenry Burke, in Phoenix Park, Dublin, in Is'O. On the night of the publication of this document Parnell returned to the Hone famous, from which he had been absent, and demist ced the letter as a 1,..tse and infamous, forgers. But when Charles a Consenatice, t 11 a t. the publisher of the Mitts -1..1111 hr pr, -eeuted for libel at the expense of the I;oNernra•nt, th • Irish members declined on the ground that iii v had no confidence either in the Governnunt i 'r iu En4lish juries. Sonic time atb•rwards, this lett. r and others of a similar nature were foot 1 on investigation by a judicial e( mini--don to he the forgeries of a man named Pigott, c% lat after the exposure tied from the cout.tr.% and di. 1 at by hi- own ham]. Parnell brought suit for libel against the 7 inu g. and reemi•re I 1:10o0 damages. lie was now at the very heigl t of his prestige, but his downfall was near at hand.
For a lung time rmeors had been current in political circles conmeting the name of Parnell with that of the wife (apt. W. 11. II'-‘11.a. formerly r of Parlian'lit tor Galway, and long an enthusiastic follower of Parnell. these
rumors were confirmed a ''ii in Issa I apt. in o'shea applied for a dirk ree from his w on the ground of adultery with Parnell. The case was tried in November. ls.M, and, as no defense was the divorce was grayted. and Parnell was condemned in costs. This dvci,ion ppoed fatal to his reput..tbn and politieal prux? offer to resign the leadership of the Irish party was at first declined, but sckm it beean e known that Gladstone had written to John Morley that the continuance of Parnell'- leadership would be disastrous in the highest degree to the cause of Ireland, implying, that Parnell could no longer have the support and eni;peratbm of the English T.iberals. After this letter had been made public it was supposed that Parnell wool.] raw his offer to resign. As lie resolohly refused to ;live up the leader-hip„ he was deposed by a Note of his Parliamentary colleagues.. The result was a division of the Irish party into Parnellites and Anti•Parnellites. The fallen leader now bitterly denounced both Gladstone and his own I. te e? ( leagues who had turned against him. iii- appeal to the peoide, how-c-s cm, ured by the defeat of three eat dilates who he had nominated. Nevertheh--. he struggle] with desperate energy to r Wilver hi: leadership till his health broke down emnftletely, in 'sapient her. 1'01. In Jiffy of that year I V had n arried O''zhea, and on the tlth of 0.a.ober following he died.
Consult: Hansard. Nero-1,. 1;75-91 his Parliamentary speeehes I : Lucy. loi.ru T'-u Par/Mao,: t 157 London. : 11. try of /he S?tii.clorrru Parlianif I, Is-c; t'! ; t nnunl 1:rgigh rg„ (It (inner, The Porn!! Mor, RH cut, trith n Nkrwil i IriAh P,Irtitg Sire lsl.i 1.00 Daxitt, 77, Cool 'al.:Ai. eh. l.ordon.
; Larkin. Pan. 11 and the Lot d T g IDo.ston. 1k.111. : NLMcIl aiald, Diary o' 11( // 1.on tun. I sou ; 11, id. riot 1 fn (*barb g St, rust Pan • 11, midi a hi, idly by \\ alsh New York. 1.492 ; Mo. • and /lig !gland • London. / ice of Chnrb c St( Wolff rr 11 Lon don Mill NOW York., ic,s,c;? fv?hea. Th. n 11 Jut-ore. Cave I Boston. ; Mal oney, T. /le of Parnell (New York, Issa3) ; rlor ke, Life of Parnell ( Dublin, 1887) ; Clayden, Eng lund Under Lord Beaconsfield ( London, 1880); England Under the Coalition, etc. (ib., 1892).