The New York herald., 1867-03-23

The Late Rvotous Outrage Barney williams.
The outrag tsous assault on ST. Patrick's day
by portion of the Irish procession on Grand
street, upon the police, has made pro-
found impression upon all classes of our citi-
zens who respect the police as the faithful
guardians of law and order. Another out
break Of this sort would be very apt to result
In fearful reaction. AS this affair Of st.
Patrick's day stands, from all that we hear Of
its effect upon Ne public mind, has pretty
well extinguished for the present among the
great body Of or native born fellow citizens
their sympathy fer the Fenians and for Ireland.
It becomes, therefore, an important matter to
know Tho causes Of this late inexcusable attack
upon the lawful protectors Of our lives and
property-the immediate cause and the yemotG
cause. We have resson to believe that the inn
mediate cause was teo much whiskey under
the jackets q the guilty parties, and the re-
mote cause was perhaps that sort Of training Of
the young ides which makes the fighting man
. man Of mark and hero.
Now, we have heard 1t said that with such
favorite heroes Tor the boys Of the pit as Jack
Sheppard, Dick Turpin and others of the same
kidney, the Bowery theatres have been nur-
series for Sing Sing, and there Is probably too
much truth in this idea for joke. In the same
way we fear that Barney Williams, the popular
actor of Irish characters, may be charged with
a heavy responsibility. For many years past,
and with great success, Barney has played from
time to time his round of Irish stage heroes in
this city. His favorite character is an Irish
Claude Melnotte without the Italian polish
an ignorant, honest, generous, chivalrous fei-
low, with rude notions Of justice and law, and
ever ready to pitch into redcoats, magistrates,
bailiffs or policemen, and prompt in clearing
out houseful at moments warning. He
fourishes a shillalah with supreme delight and
nurses it like pet kitten. He likewise, as q
good Samaritan, carries his bottle of whiskey
or keg of the "craythur," and to the ex-
hausted traveller or distressed "cOlleen" he
says, "Take drop, darlint; for that's the stuff
TO- make your hair curl.v The moral of this
taking Irish champion, as rendered by Barney,
is this-that bold, dashing young fellow, with
bottle of whiskey and shillalah, can make
himself lion. and especially "among the
girls" II any one has doubt of the lasting
impressions upon the mind Of such an Irish
hero as done by Barney, let him 60 to the
Broadway theatre, where he il now engaged,
and all doubts will be removed.
We fear that in this way Barney has been
doing mischief among those youngsters "from
the old sod" in this city who have grown up
under his teachings. Perhaps some of these
st. Patrick's day disturbers of the peace got
their first notions Of the heroism Of the whiskey
bottle and shillalah from Barney's never-fail-
ing but always popular model Irishman on
the stage. This theory will not apply to the
Father Mathew wing Of the St. Patrick's pro-
cession;. but Barney's model Irishman is no
disciple Of Father Mathew, and there lies the
trouble of the great moral stage influence Of
Barney Williams He gives US an exaggerated
model, but makes 1t so irresistible that it must
be dangerous.