The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-07
FOR The National Era.-[Copyfieht secured ]
THE SHAM ROCK;
ECOL ELECTIONS OF IRELAND
Tories and White BOYS.
BY SLOW AMIE.

the same thing, and because there is the sam
connection between them that there is betwee
the bold original genius and the feeble imitator
That there was difference, the reader vii
soon perceive. Indeed, it would be ridiculou
to imagine that bands of lawless robbers coul
give name to respectable party in Englisl
politics. Till this day, in Ireland, highwa
robber is called tory. But still, when the
speak of an ould tory, they mean respectable
outlaw, -who protected the poor while he preye'
on the rich. When the petty Irish chieftain
were, at different times, dispossessed by tn
British Government, they were generally to,
proud and too shiftless to betake themselves Il
an honest calling; so they took to the noun
tains and boys, where, with their retainers, the,
obtained precarious subsistence by fishing
and fowling, OF making depredatons on thos,
who had gained possession of their property
The common people possessed but little to temp
their cupidity; they generally remembered thei
Old masters with respect, and, when necessary
willingly shared with them their potatoes anc
buttermilk. When mems angry feelings are
habitually excited towards one class, it make:
them susceptible of kindly sentiments toward,
another. 1t is no wonder, then that those who
were constantly plotting schemes of vengeance
against the rulers would court the favor of the
ruled, and would in turn enjoy their confidence
In early times, when the gentry happened tc
be belated in hunting excursion, they made
a bed of dry heather, where they slept over
night. This they called a tore, from the Latin
torns. The outlaws made such beds in the
caves where they haunted and, when officers
pursued them, they looked first for the tore OF
bed, and then for the tory. In the time Of
Charles Ii, there was another class of outlaws
in Scotland, of more respectable character
Presby terians who refused to submit to prelacy
often met in conventicles, and sometimes re-
sisted the troops sent to disperse them They
were then put to the horn, as it was called, and
had to betake themselves to the moors. These
were generally poor, sometimes ignorant, and
often rude in their manners. Hence they were
called, in contempt, whigs or scum. In Scotch
wing signifies the whey Of buttermilk The
Liberal party in England sympathized with the
prosecuted Covenanters, and were called, after
them, Wings" They retorted by calling the
Court party Tories" after the outlaws of Ire
land. And, indeed, between the high church
party and the Irish tories, there was at least one
bond of sympathy-hatred of the Cromwellian
Adventures, who had dispossessed many oil
these outlaws. The names had not been long
used as terms of reproach till they were caught
up and gloried in as watchwords by the parties
no Lib q
NAUTICAL lore worthy of Horne Tooke, discovered
that the word wing " was composed of the
initial letters of four significant words, "We
hope In God," and that this was the best Eng
lish rendering of the Latin maxim, Fiat jus-
tfia radt celum." The Conservatives, too.
remembered with pride that they, or their
fathers, In the trying days of Charles /, had
cheerfully left their gorgeous halls to fight for
God and their King; and, changing Holland
sheets and damask curtains for the mountain
tore, had made the name of 4" Tory" honorable.
With the high-minded cavaliers of England,
who, bred in the notion that Kings ruled by
Divine right, freely risked both blood and lands
for the thankless Stuarts, have nothing to do
They had strong sense of honor and feeble
power of judgment; and when they went forth
to wander, penniless strangers, they would learn
a little more discrimination. / have only to
speak of the ruder tories of Hibernia
Redment O'Hanlon was one of the Irish
chiefs who fought for James against William
III till the former was driven to France When
the Irish capitulated at Limerick, all who
wished to go to France were secured an oppor
tunity. But many loved their native hills toe
well to leave them, even for freedom, and
OHanlon was among the number He deter
mined, however, to enjoy his native air and
.Iaor TO hot h,,Yf 60 I, I
to his trusty skean and the good will of the
peasantry. His beat was from County Louth
to Comfy Down, but his principal haunt was
in the Monrue mountains. He and his merrie
men led variegated life, sometimes revealing
in the mountains in abundance of bread and
whisky; at other times, lurking amid the boys
they hid themselves from the pursuing mill
tary, slipping out, in the guise of beggars, to
get bite to eat. O'HanlOn had little pony
so well trained, that, when he came to bog, il
would take round it, while he walked across
and me ct him on the other side Nobody but
himself could catch it. 1t was nothing unu
sual for some poor family to bake a large batch
of oaten cakes, and send to town for little
white bread and plenty of whisky and sugar
They would then invite their neghbors to a
party. About nightfall, they would be joined
by company of strangers The harp and the
Irish bagpipes would be tuned up. There they
would dance and sing on the green, till the
morning star would warn them to dispense
A poor man was once returning from market
with the annual proceeds of his little farm in
his pocket, when freebooter faced him, and
ordered him to stand and deliver. He was
10th to part with his little all, but the sturdy
robber, clutching him by the throat, threw him
on his back, and soon riaed his pockets. Now
said he as he left him, learn, after this, when
Redment O'Hanlon asks for your money, to
give it up at once, and save yourself trouble
The countryman returned home lamenting the
loss of his purse, and cursing o. HanlOn. Shortly
after, man of very different appearance came
to him, and asked how he knew that it was R.
o. who had robbed him. g He told me so him
turned he, " / am Redment O'Hanlon and
never robbed poor man in my life. Can you
describe the rascal?" 81 think" said the
other, "he had red hair, and big scar on his
face" O'Hanlon soon found the rogue, robbed
him in turn, and caned him we'll for robbing a
poor man. Nor did he stop till he brought
back to the other sum larger than he lost.
will not assert that this story was true, but
will assert that it was told and believed among
Presbyterians, who could have no predictions
in favor of a Catholic Celt. If O'Hanlon stood
high among them, he must have earned his
reputation. As no one ever thinks of attribu-
ting mean action to Washington, cowardly
one to Andrew Jackson, or a magnanimous
one to Santa Anna, so fictitious or highly-ex-
stories often give true indications of
character Billy Carson was one of our near
neighbors. Redment often harbored at his great
On one occasion, Lord Down
shire was chasing the tory, and took old Car
son with him, as guide. They came upon his
cave, but did not find him. He kept lurking
round the rocks, and saw them all the time, but
they never got their eyes on him. That even
ing, Mr.. Carson said, as he ate his supper, that
he had pursued O'Hanlon close that day, but
no wished he had him now tn eat some Of their