The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-07

| faces, they recognised them to be the land
| agent, his two sons, and his son-in-law. He
had purposely set his scales wrong so that he
might have pretext for refusing their gold,
and getting ii when they we're away.
There had been a gang of robbers in our
neighborhood, but it was broken up before nv
time. Aunt Hannah, whom | mentioned be-
| lore as living on my way TO school, once lost a
| flock OF geese. She went immediately to the
headsman, and to told him of her misfortune
he told her, with a knowing wink, not to fret
about 1t. That night, her geese were brought
back to her yard.
| Billy Boggs was uncle to the Covenanter
preacher, whom / mentioned before, as one who
could lay his coat off and put it on again One
time neighbor of his had some money in the
house, and was under the necessity of being
away at night. So he thought 1t the best thing
he could do to send for Billy Boggs The wife
| and daughter we're to watch in the early part of
the night, and he in the latter part. Towards
midnight the white boys came, and attempt.
ed to break in. Billy was soon walked mp.
Stop! stopl boys" says Billy. "Dinna be
bral1n the dawr. I'll apen for ye But min
yel. meet Billy Boggs within" lie then open
| ed the door and went out, but they were among
| the missing, and did not appear again.
| A Presbyterian preacher named Carlisle had
|
wife's patrimony, and had not vet sent it to the
bank. One stormy afternoon way-worn wo-
mar came along, and asked for food and shelter.
They gave her something to eat, and sent her
| awag Some time after, the servant girl came
| In a2d SAID, that the strange woman was sitting
! by the hedge, crying. Mr.. Carlisle still refused
| to give her lodging, saying that she might be
some bad character, who would disgrace the
| house but Mrs. Carlisle and the servant both
pleaded for her, and she was allowed to stay all
| night. At bed time, the servant told her to
| come and sleep with her. The stranger replied,
| that she would sit by the fire all night. This
| excited suspicious. On sharper scrutiny, she
discovered mans pantaloons below the female
dress. She Immediately went and informed
MIR. 9nd Mrs. Carlisle, in their sleeping room.
They directed her to go back, and keep from
arousing the suspicious of the traveller. She
accordingly returned, and gave the man for
such he proved to be- something to eat. They
had two servant boys in the house, Protestant
and.a Catholic. The latter was no doubt per-
fect!y honest, but with the prejudice so common
there, they locked the Catholic in his room.
and letting the Protestant down from window
sent him off for the police force. In the mean
time, the robbers came to the door, and while
thei: partner ran to open to them, the servant
glrltwlth true courage ran to prevent him.
Witt this, Mr.. and Mrs. Carlisle came down
with two guns, and made him prisoner. The
meIf without first tried 10 break the door. and
then begged those within to let their comrade
out, and they would go away. This not being
acceded to- they went at the door and were
bree king it, when the police came behind them
and secured them. They proved to be men
who had come about fifteen miles. AS they
were raw at the business, Mr.. c. interceded for
them, and they got off with Imprisonment
Otherwise, they would have been sent to Bot
any Bay.
From the time that the old tories disappeared
till a rigid police force was established, or per-
haps ] should say till education became gen
eral, thefts, burgaries, and pocket-picking, were
of daily occurrence. There was class hope
lessly poor, and sometimes suffering The pop
ularjty of the outlaws had made predatory life
less digracefu, and the severity of the laws
rather facilitated the escape of the culprit Few
but officials wished to take up man who might
be hanged for stealing rotten sheep, and that
perhaps, to keep his family from starving. They
say that wherever the Norway rats abound, they
keep away the little black rat. Whether this be
true of either quadruped or biped rats cannot
say, but | have often heard, that as long as the
old tories infested the boys, the poor by their
poverty, and the rich by the payment of black
mail were safe, not only from the annoyance of
petty thieves but also from the depredations OF
robbers; and after they disappeared, it was not
safe to keep money in the house.
| will give n few instances, to show how Sc
verely the laws were administered against the
poor. A company of cotton manufacturers in
Belfast determined TO reduce the wages Of their
operatives. 1t is true, they had perfect right
to do so; but it is also true that times were
then so bad, that their hands could neither get
employment elsewhere, nor support their fam
lies without suffering, on any lower pay With
the reckless madness too common among the
Irish, they first threatened violence, and after
wards threw a bombshell into the house where
the company was met. A man threw it out
before il burst so that there was no harm
done, and | think there none seriously in
tended. James McGill, who threw it, was
raised in our neighborhood, and was n member
of the church. Religious men, who knew him
from infancy, went and gave testimony to his
good character, and pleaded with tears for his
life, but he was sentenced to death. The min
lister went from Rathfriland 10 Belfast, and
staid with him from the time he was sentenced
till he was hanged, nor took his leave till the
fatal cap was pulled over his eyes, on the scat
fold. That he deserved punishment, few will
deny-that it should have been so severe, is
another question.
His accomplices were logged. | do not
know how many lashes they received, but one
of them tainted before the punishment was all
inflicted. George Logan, man with whom |
was afterwards acquainted, was unntentional-
ly spectator Going into Belfast on business.
he found himself among the crowd gathering
to witness the horrible spectacle. Almost me.
chancally, he drew up with the rest to the spot.
Each was firmly tied by the hands to a post,
and then stripped naked down TO the waist.
The cord was then applied to the flesh, with
the full strength Of man, in slow and meas
ured strokes. / asked Mr.. Logan if they cried
out like the negro slaves when punished. He
replied. Not a word. / heard nothing but
the heavy breathing which, towards the last,
changed to groan. A startled shrinking was
the only sign they gave of pain. The skin was
soon ruffled up, then the blood began to flow,
and finally their clothes were soaked. When
the man who tainted hung down his head,
surgeon came up, who first put bottle to his
nose, and then felt his pulse. He teld them it
was no pretence, the man had indeed tainted.
He was then loosed and taken away. Whether
the remaining lashes were inflicted after he
had recovered, do not know. He suffered all
the pain Of cruel death once, at all events.
Robert Mccullough, a neighbor Of ours, was
a respectable man, except that, like many of
his countrymen in former times he was ad- |
dcted to the low and vulgar practice of cock
fighting. To steal game cock was, among
fighters, considered neither sin nor shame. |
Most of my readers will agree with them in one
point. that it was no worse to steal the birds |
than to fight them. He went one morning
about daylight to steal one from man named
Hollingsworth. He got into the byre or cow
stable where the fowls were, and got hold of
the one he wanted. AS he came out of the
stable, two heifers ran out before him. The
sound of mastiff woke up Hollingworth, and
at his word, the dog caught Mccullough. The