Catherine O'Leary

Catherine O'Leary
Born Catherine Donegan
c. 1827
Ireland
Died July 3, 1895(1895-07-03) (aged 68)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names Cate
Spouse(s) Patrick O'Leary
Children 3

Catherine O'Leary (also known as Cate O'Leary; March 1827 – 3 July 1895) was an Irish immigrant living in Chicago, Illinois who became famous when it was alleged that an accident involving her cow had started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Born Catherine Donegan, she and her husband Patrick O'Leary had three children, one of whom, James Patrick O'Leary, ran a well-known Chicago saloon and gambling hall.

Great Chicago Fire

1871 illustration from Harper's Magazine depicting a shocked Mrs. O'Leary seeing her cow kicking over the lantern while she is milking.

On the evening of October 8, 1871, a fire consumed the O'Leary family's barn at 137 DeKoven Street.[1] Due to a high wind and dry conditions it spread to burn a large percentage of the city, an event known as the Great Chicago Fire.

After the Great Fire, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Ahern published a claim that the fire had started when a cow kicked over a lantern while it was being milked. The owner was not named, but Catherine O'Leary was soon identified, since the fire had begun in her family's barn. Illustrations and caricatures soon appeared depicting Mrs. O'Leary with her cow. The idea captured the popular imagination and is still widely circulated even today.[2] However, in 1893 Ahern finally admitted he had made the story up.[3]

The official report simply states: "Whether it originated from a spark blown from a chimney on that windy night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to determine".[2]

Mrs. O'Leary testified that she had been in bed when the fire began, and she had no idea what caused it. Daniel "Pegleg" Sullivan, the first person to raise the alarm, said that on seeing the barn on fire, he ran to free the animals, which included a cow owned by Sullivan's mother. He then informed the O'Learys, who were in their home and were unaware of the fire.

Anti-Irish attitudes at the time encouraged making scapegoats the O'Leary family. It was soon claimed that the alleged accident happened because she was drunk, or that she had hidden the evidence of her guilt. Neighbors were reported to have claim they saw broken glass from the lamp, though these "reports" were all unverified. One man claimed he had found the damaged lamp, but it had been stolen by another Irishman to protect the O'Learys.[2]

Other rumors insisted that Daniel Sullivan himself had started the fire, or perhaps it was Louis M. Cohn, who claimed to have been gambling in the barn with the O'Learys' son and others.

Death and aftermath

Catherine O'Leary died on July 3, 1895 of acute pneumonia, at her home at 5133 Halsted Street, and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery. In the PBS documentary, Chicago: City of the Century, a descendant of O'Leary's stated that she spent the rest of her life in the public eye, and she was constantly blamed for starting the fire. Overcome with much sadness and regret, she "died heartbroken".[4]

The last living relative of Catherine O'Leary died in 1936.[5] Amateur historian Richard Bales was able to gather enough evidence on Sullivan to convince the Chicago City Council to exonerate Mrs. O'Leary of any guilt in 1997.[6]

Cultural references

"Mrs. O'Leary's cow" has attracted the attention and imagination of generations as the cause of the fire. Numerous references, in a variety of media, have been made in American popular culture, including:

Films

Television

Late one night, when we were all in bed,
Old Mother Leary left a lantern in the shed;
And when the cow kicked it over, she winked her eye and said,
"There'll be a hot time in the old town, tonight."

References

  1. ↑ Pierce, Bessie Louise (1957). A History of Chicago: Volume III: The Rise of a Modern City, 1871–1893 (2007 rep. ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-226-66842-0.
  2. 1 2 3 Owens, L.L. The Great Chicago Fire. ABDO. p. 7.
  3. ↑ "The O'Leary Legend". Chicago History Museum. Archived from the original on 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  4. ↑ "Obituary". Chicago Tribune. July 4, 1895. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Last of O'Leary Family". Harrisburg Telegraph. 26 December 1936. p. 1. Retrieved 13 September 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Edmonds, Molly. "Did the Great Chicago Fire really start with Mrs. O'Leary's cow?". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  7. ↑ "Lyrics: "Old Mother Leary"". traditionalmusic.co.uk.
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