rles Stewart Parnell's sister. In the late nineteenth century, before women had the vote, a group of respectable ladies operated outside the law to fight for the rights of the landless poor in Ireland. These women were feared by both the British government and Irish Republicans. They were considered too militant, even by the militants, and because they were women, even the law couldn't stop them. They were the Ladies' Land League, founded in January 1881 by Miss Anna Stewart Parnell. When the male leaders of the original Land League were imprisoned by the British, the Ladies League took over their work. Exploiting loopholes in the law, they soon became more successful than the men, establishing over 400 branches in Ireland. But when Anna started questioning the men's political strategies instead of merely distributing alms, she became a threat to more than the British - she became a threat to the Republican movement itself. There was only one man who could silence her: Her brother, Charles Stewart Parnell. And he did.