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w,as affectionately khown.'fo, hlr 'aa ?ocUte?, .yw ;ju 'well known In the business aril social world of jiew Orleans as niost finaiiclere today..
And^wherti,th!? '*'great, generous Irishman who was; both an astute business' man and bon vivant and globe-trotter gave three squares of land in the.'70's for the first Catholic church? on Canal street, and in 1895,-the''year.' before his death, built the; -firRt1 brick structure- -on that site,': his charity and piou3 generosity was talked of by everyone. .. V >*	1
Interest In the , personality of O'Brien'ltj,being reylved now with the anrou'ncemenfr by tlie . Holy Cross fathers that^the ngw ai/ditb-Hum of the, Sacred Heart school at 3200 Canal-street, built on the land given by. the philanthropist, will be named;.O?Brien Hall and dedicated In his memory on the nl[{|U ol Sat-
urday, November 7.
*'
Be Never Married
O?Brien never married'' and so left no . direct descendants, but among the great-nleces and nephews of his in New Orleans today there 1& Mrs. St, Denis (Ville're. She as his godchild remembers.,him better perhaps than anyone alive. She told Saturday something :of the interesting; life of her uncle/
Bom .in Limerick, Ireland,, In 1824, he came with his parents at the age| ot' two to Montreal, Canada. He. .Was educated at Salrit Sophia, ; Canada, and came to New Orleans when a. young nian of 30, in 1844, ? New Orleans was then at tlie height ef its wealth and ha profiled	'wealth' and commerce
of the city, establishing a lucrative,, cotton picking arid? pressing .business,	' . ' ? ?	.	vi
I .	?>
When the war between the States came,: O?Brien was still a British; subject and. fb, did hot enlist,; but his generosity prompted him to out-; fit an entire Confederate regiment.
Following,the close;, ot the war in 1866 "P. B.? left for a -trip , around the world.^ While'in France he was presented* at the cou^t of Napoleon the Third. He spent several years In Paris and was known a.* ?Monsieur O?Brien of New Orleans."-
When he returned ?to New Or-; left'ni he topk up his residence at the corner otf Esplanade avenue and
Jfei TottTed .jTUjTia - v ,
? Mrs. Villerq, in describing ,th6se days said:	v
?He was a large -man who was both.- reserved and ?yet enjoyed ?all of the good ttyngs .cf .life, Attl0e-t ;old.'hous^;pn,ffcploiiade avenue' an* nqembers of the? family'would gath; er for ,dinner each Sunday. The house was filled - with beautiful things he had brought baolc from Europe. Ten years of his life were spent going around the world.?: 1 ,; .O?Brien stood., ae ^godfatherj for Mrs1, vlllere wherv-"she" was christened at the. Jesuit*? church In Ba-ronne street.
. Tho three square*, of land, given by OTBrien to .the . SAcrcd Heart palish were in 4 swamp wilderness he, Jiitd. cleared. One of the original, squares passed out of the hands of the church and is now partly occupied by the Howard Bohool No. l at Loper street and Cleveland avenue, and a second square was sold ahd is built up by, residences now. Hie Sacred Heart church, school, and rnctQry stand ,on the''third square given, by him. .	,;S"
On ore of- his many trips to, Europe, O?Brien met Bishop Kane who interested him in the Catholic University of America in Washington; D. C. Oi) his return O?Brien gave $150,000 for this university. . v. Although ?P. B.? gave lavishly? to charity, educational,??,and- religious^ purposes, and t<?. merrjbers jof his family, at hi*' deathvJp 1896 he? left) a,fortune of $75,ooq.?	->v.w
('He;?cted quickly both in charity and business decisions, Mrs. -Vlllerc , snld. ? This Is KhoWa lti tlie Incident t", when ho met '?%' representative of' the Bout hem Papilla railroad , who w??.to nego^latQ with him tor,! a purchase ? off, the;; O'Brltn cotton pre&Ses. After a- few; minutes talk .O?Brien sent a wire , to' his brother in:New Orleans-readihfe: ?O?Brien company out-of business.?* Thlsr-ale, i saved him from losies in tl>e panjc Of?, 180.6. r
Tlie following \ great-nleces ? and great-nepliews of'O?Brien, inf adc^i-j tion to Mrs.- Vlllere, will take an j active, part ia the .dedication -cere-; monies: Robert; O?Brien, of the Pub?! lie Service, Miss Anna O?Brien, Mrs.i Wilfred Milteriberger,? Mrs. Alfred. Page, Miss May. Richardson,,,, Mrs. Charles Matthewavanct.WilUain and
?
7T*?rt"
Pcrcy Richardw^
NECROI,OClCAI>.
TVtirleU It.
,^Rt night C?l.	1; 1*. O'It
whoso tall,	figure was fan
to tlio people of Nov/ Orleans lor the half a oeutury, died at bi* resident*. Ksphmade street, in tho sov. nly-year of his a^e. Col. O?i?rien *vas In Lluioriek. 1 r^laucl, March IT. 1X24. wont lo Canada Manh -d, l.SUd. 11-educated In Canadian .?eboola, and hk?> ?f twenty y?ars ho imult* a .!?.i t<? Now OrliMii*, jnrlvln^ tu*r<- in He* nitfiijjeit tu Im.siness, rr.nl by in i stmt strict attention ta business i.i'.-faundaUou fur the largo fortune wlii. afterward enjoyed. G<?I. O?l?rien w:i awner nf E#??venil brjfo untLon pi*! a rut presves, I'owdo.^ b?iu^ a in'i< hnvlnir rnlations with leading Iioum Liverpool aiui London. Now ?u. tho groat eoutie fur the cotjojt 1 m? 11 4?ol. 0?nrh?n made a Inrgo fortum-. .
bii4ine:M capacity enabled him t> from destruction during tbe trnu clay.*? of reconstruction. He oiiranb. reglraeut and l'ou^iit on the Cuiif?H) side.
j .After tlio war, In June,	hr*	?
id* 1>uhI?p?h and wont to J??iiro}?<?. lu* KtaU#\c*d liis taste for l'on*U:i t' visidni' tU-o old citlen and towns or land, .Scotland, IreJ>Hid. l**r;i:;?:<?. <;??!; Ausfrla and loly. i-Io	a	Lifin
of time vl.?itlu? iho eol*4?rari*d i:i-oi' eoutluental'JOuroj'o, iju-rra'dnj; iii' knowledge and OKM'tin^ nruiy *? movt. ?-o)('brnted pf.pti- t>i? Hi* .i:i\
I'i?I iii lU'd to No'.v Orliaii- ;?? ?; 11?\- r* *: rind,-4 ?ltirhi^ tlio n?*\i hum ?\\ l?n> ooutlhli.'.l 111-.	\ i-l I I n i' ?
NorilM'iii and S?.i:l 1,.-rn I. Norway. i'*uilaiul, iho ILdy LiumI, i hnlia, China at.u .lupan. rukin^ i w'ond^rs or the arohi]?"la;?o im.i Me .oilie Islands. Ih- i'cmiivioiI to Ai by w'a.v of (.?alUornla, and Him i.iai; tour of tho United States, wiinli; with a visit to his early homo in (?ol. O?Hrlen way one of rhe lu-.-i nnd most, widely luCoiu:?*d men i-? city, a delightful raeojxnur. au.l t pared a volume of his travels and | <*i?ce?. Tho historb- old mausion in I bo resided, nt the eorncr of I0sp!
I avenue and UoyaJ sir.*et, was tilK-u I souvenirs of ills travels, whb h Ion novcr-fnlHnfj source of ontenaiunv (he friends who enjoyed the j\ iU-his society. (.'ol. O?Rrien )nh>:ic nearly all the prominent clubs i city?the old Varlett- s, tin' sImKc-; j the I?iekwh k, Huston and other- H mu* nf tho most ehariiabb* m? n,on. falliutf lo ivspoud to di*s<???\In.: Mpp } .Om< of bis ninsl mind*', ? in ? I?*i j mu* which Mill keep h!x 111. looT'v M<
I I In: henrts of .?hm-. li peupi.- \> i it*? (Ion of NOtno	n	i'?*w	a;.-	m
the rhurch of the Sucre I IT-an >>t on Cmittl strtM?t. wbbb Is one of I In* Moment fiiored edillees in the eU\?. O?Hrien was never married, bin \v;i-known and popular in social cii-'les. ho v.*ns always n welcome aue-jd. l?uneral will fake placf* Suuday cver.i
. IIS toot ilFtle part In pubHe life, wa-s deupry religious,* and for many y was a prdinlhont member of tbecongr tion of tho Jesuits? cUurcU.. .}I,^ buIli i>vautiful little hcuruh of* the BncVcd T7 on Carnil .street, nnd presented it to pwrltfh. ' The cereniouy of dedication performed lae^ year. Mr. O?Brien w ?member of'tlio Boston and Varlete C llo was u ficholar of couslderabl? al inents, and was noted as a delik'hiful Instructive conversationalist. He ]? a large drclo of friends nnd several fives, who deplore hU doatb. The ftp will take place ou Sunday oftertiooi o'clock.