The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-18 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY CREDULITY

The old proverb says "An old soldier is an old bite"—
whether this refers to biting the end off the cartridge we
cannot divine—but it falls to ua to record some of the acts
of a young soldier who was a real " bite" in another sense.
Some months since, among a detachment of the 2nd
Queen's Royal Regiment of Foot, quartered at Lanes-
boro', was a soldier, by name Matthew Lally ; during his
stay there it is thought he made himself intimately ac-
quainted with the occurrences which had taken place
among the small farmers and landholders in a district
called the Callows, in the parish of Rathcline ; for on his
return to head-quarters he obtained a furlough and at
once proceeded to the Callows ; and entering the house
of a snug small farmer, named Lally, declared,- to the
utter astonishment of the old couple, that he was their
son, whom they buried on a certain day, 16 years before.
On their expressing their credulity, he asked them if their
son, whom they supposed dead, had not a mark on him ?
They said he had on his breast, on which he opened his
clothes and showed them such a mark. Some of the neigh-
bours coming in, he called them by their names, and told
them of circumstances attending his mock funeral, and of
the exact " offerings" each of them gave for masses to be
said for the repose of his soul. But, to make assurance
doubly sure, he insisted on his grave been searched, and
his collie taken out, which, when opened, contained not
" the remains of humanity crumbling into dust and ashes,"
but a log bf wood. He then informed them that he was
spirited away by " the good people," or fairies ; that he
remained for thirteen years among them, and though mar-
ried to a high-up lady, was sent on earth for a season,
with directions to go into the army and learn the new light
infantry exercise, and to effect this object he enlisted in
the 2nd or Queen's. He related to the assembled multi-
tude the fate of many of their friends and relatives whom
he had met "in the hours of fairy revel." Satisfied now
as to his being their son, he was treated as such by his
bewildered parents, and presents from all around were
showered upon him ; and all went on pleasant enough
till one morning his new mother asked him to assist his
father in the operation of planting cabbages. He willingly
assented, declaring that he did not know how long he
would be allowed to remain. After digging with his
father for some time, the old man went in for a moment to
light his pipe, and on his return the soldier had vanished
" in tenuern avanuit aerem," he was nowhere to be seen—
none saw him pass. Months rolled on, and the fairy man
was nearly forgotten, when, to the surprise and delight of
all, he again darkened his afflicted parents' door. He then
stated that he had gone a long journey over the seas, with
his patrons the fairies, and that to his great surprise he
found himself in Mexico, teaching the soldiers of that king-
dom the light infantry exercise, to resist the better the
Americans, then invading them ; for "it was told him he
should be rich by the fairies." So satisfied were the
Mexicans with his instructions, they loaded him with
riches, and that now he should return to his regiment with
money to purchase his discharge. He proceeded to Ath-
lone, and told the commanding officer that he was invo-
luntarily absent—that he could not depend on his not
being called away again, and, tendering the purchase of his
discharge, declared the Queen would get four better men
than him for £2O ; the rules of the service would not
allow this, so he was ordered to be tried by court martial.
Of the proceedings before the court we are not aware ; but
this we have heard. that he brought several witnesses from
the Callows to prove the truth of the foregoing statement,
and to swear they saw him dead and buried, and had paid
the " offerings " over him. What the sentence was to be
has not transpired ; for on the minutes of the trial, and
the extraordinary tale being submitted to the Secretary of
War, he, believing the man to be insane, ordered him, on
paying for it, to be discharged ; and, though we consider
him " more knave than fool," still her Majesty was for-
tunate to get rid of one of her bad bargains. He returned
to the Callows, assuming the fairy-man, foretelling events,
and promising cures, thereby extracting money from the
credulous infatuated poor.
A tragic affair we have now to recount has added to his
notoriety :—Some short time since a very honest, respect-
able man in his station of life, named Corrigan, steward
to James Rorke, Esq., J.P., of Corina, county Longford,
married the widow of a publican of the name of Killian,
who had died suddenly some time ago, at the crossroads
of Lissglassick, three miles from Callymahon, on the road
to Longford. Corrigan proved an excellent husband, and,
what was most creditable to him, an exemplary stepfather,
for he lodged all the money he got with the widow of Kil-
lian, about £2OO, to the credit of her children by her first
husband, in the bank of Longford, and it was natural to
augur that many happy days were yet in stose for him,
had not the fairy-man crossed his path. On Saturday,
the 17th of last month, he went to Mr. Rorke's farm, be-
yond the town of Longford, for a load of hay, leaving one
of his step-daughters to transact business in Longford-
market ; on his return he heard with indignation that his
step-daughter, hearing of the fame of the fairy soldier
(then in the town of Longford), and impelled by a curi-
osity innate to her sex, had given the fairy half-a-crown
to know the fate of her father. Lally told her that he had
met him in " Fairy Land," and promised to restore him
to her and to life ; but before he could do so, he should
send her stepfather in his place. On Corridan hearing
this, he denounced Lally as an impostor, and abused him
for obtaining money in such a manner. But, nothing
abashed or ashamed, the fairy soldier told him he had
revelations to make to him, and, struck by his manner,
they went into a public-house, where they remained clo-
seted. After Corrigan came out, he stretched himself on
the load of hay, was driven towards home, and when
within a short distance of his own house, roiled off the
hay, and fell with violence to the ground, and was carried
home insensible. On Sunday "he was himself again ;"
but the fairy man sent word that " his doom was sealed."
On Monday, the 10th, an effusion of the serum of tae

July 18,1845,

brain caused his spirit to depart, and on Wednesday bael
was buried quietly without an inquest, as the fairy
stated if any operation should be performed on
could not return Mr. Killian the original.
The authorities ought to interfere with this impost9r:
as he is obtaining money under false pretences. and rev!ccji
ing in the country an almost exploded superstition, fhipr
for centuries held possession of the mind of the .1""
orders of the people of Ireland.—Westmeath Guardian.

ly IS, IS-18_4,

id on Wednesday E
Oa
est, as the fairy 03
erformed on him,
7
ginal.
re with this imp
ostori
pretences, and re it
ed superstition, vibi!,
Le mind of the loam
Itmeath Guardian.

Great Britain as till

laternal grandparente
are residents of V'
hyard of that toso
ised by'd few of t,je
, for the purpose
,le mausoleum.
Dw, a great authoritf
ties are not infallible,
row Chronicle are ie
~ last two," note
)rrect, the .3fercri
ng•—Gateshead Ob'

smiliar phrase, whil
der the influence
• be derived from t,be,
story motion is at ,
when it is asleep.
the phrase is deriv .
;nifies a mouse, an
:ommon field-moue•
Ei dorme come an
ps like a top." es
eALTr.—The ""
Albert, speaking%
ibes the penalty P3l
)e around the persol
a the heights of Sell
attack and defeern
lily saluted by a di;'
t Charles Albert ie
U. flinches from t 1;
:!ellent mark in ~
at staff about bi
" '
fe
lence I overlook
jesty arrives, as tbe
e resolved, and 10,f°
and to be shot atl
safe distance
ces of all the othe,
that the vicinitYl
s to me, and I till
If

such occasions. ,
ver till this moue
of the grandeur ae,..d
stillness is perfectu
eaf stirs, not a de
out just now, to tri
myself, and indue"„
old trees were 0:
;quirrel, too,
tten cedar, and rei
ki
ified disgust, thatj
arbance of the ll
nust have been tbj
fellows are redace"
d of their existence
their thousand be:„Al5
ato the St. Afau
nexpectedly strurc.)
ne, they will ese
Some (probabli;
ifted completelY°(
'ng the shoulders 11
xtremely as tball,
g
iterment: Other
nd tapering Wall.;
bank of the 'if'
of deserted tislo,ge
aitable to the tare
who is said to 0,„"
e." So closet} `i'n't
alluded to, thal;,"
omentary eXP o.
'esPondingly f!'
O
lank, with eyes le;
bait.can resting ,t 5
and stirring or
r
, is one which,ft
unrivalled.
a. A colossal Pirler.
c.
I ever beheld,
er.before-heard-e,
h a few dozen to-
and and taken up a P,05,
eh nature intenae„
liage rests exael't
, which are a forest
its branches on, ,
,opping the lottie
rv. Whether thls
iced thus by way ef
a private pastirae
, and subsequentll
a loss to say ;
it it rots and crunr
low did it get it&
ered any the meat
being a single
degree injured or
lability of any hit':
a perhaps for age "
'answered, and the
ucceeding genera-
the contemplation
nove leisurely o
n
;'
)wnward, catch
, who, the moment.
gives vents o such
'mpelled, mercy
for nay own ears,
at as existing
.cir-
) do.— Whitt/ings"

LY it with deliber•
eiligent physiciau
disease winch hate
the treatment of
clearly distinguish
lontaneous favour'
•eginen, or the la'
'
;he cause of elite
on have so poWer,
undoubtedly tboef
holds out hope
ar physician the
ty. Teis is,'l3°lee
kck holds cut hope
iat becomes of the
raised but to 'a,
bartered the ft:,
assurance 01
Ltive ease for tPc
Is not the tici,eri:
ends now e:tr,i,
pes they in coal;),
evil. If, as:Da9ll
every opporilarlif
,as men sirok 5,
ular medicine c!,
hortening dise,o:oli
'ay., be true, 100
'e in danger, whde
whose bodieS
d for them
Ave tad
ry does. ~01,
nimal rnague`J'ee,
bout clairvoYol'o,
many falsehoool
cent. of
i n sen s ibi lit Y
iously to do scif,
Ve purposed, hote
nhulisro, the 0,10,
'erie, spectral 1.."0,
ental phenouit'ifil
rinciples of nievoo
forbids this. A by
d in this iveti"stic
aurtailed cleaucip
Than, and the two
ying that WOO;
and presunlP t
rho is ignoro°, to
lOuglonan 110:e 10
LOW to Mangforg
cast in those Apo
to statestreltlich
tate of life to „sr Or
'lse, of houesrecl
an—has des' nre'
A Jeer f
incurred that o
mter than
landsinteci
unacquaillic otice,
3 or a loco% into
ledicine rus„oria4
ror it is uI9,Y
ms of cilluc'edicilic
Ailing of PiCovoit
ndividuals c"
.stia cr
ppiness, ever,
life, than the
Ile mercies,
every,
, or than 11 ts of
the inhabitao
Heal
Ind of socoll
[tiler their co,
bat vanitY and
hem, that theY.sh,
sery,, and a"
zgazine.,

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ditto. ditto.
15th s/