The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-10-10
From Sir Jonah Barrington's Sketches.l
Father o'Leary.


at my father-in-iaw's, MI. Grogan's, where lie
often dined, most worthy priest, Father
oTeary, and have listened frequently with
with quaint yet spirited humor quite unique.
His manner, his air, his countenance, all be-
spoke wit, talent, and o good heart. liked
MS eoPah Pa ex "t ana nave 0.en re-
more, or recoilect his witticismB better. It
was singular, but it was fact, that even
ssSs Fs as Spfasa bs
and at the Same time guess him to be priest.
One anecdote in particular remember.
Coming from st. .Omer, he stopped few days
to visit brother priest in. the town OF
Boulogne sur Mer Here no heard Of . great
curiosity which all the people We're running TO
see--a ciirious bear that some hahesin9h had
taken at sea out Of . wreck; y had astise, and
attempted to utter sort of lingo which they
called pafcis, but which nobody underwood.
O'Leary gave his six SOILS to SEQ the wondsF
ss 3 ssysa s.sa
The bear had been taught e INV iF1d "a sIisl1
all to be performed at th6 keepers word Of
command. 1t was late in the evening when
O'Leary saw him, ard the bear seemed sulky;
the keeper, however, With a short spike Mt the
end of u pole made him move about bEiskly
He marked on sand what O'Clock it was with
his paw, aBddistingushed the men and women
in very comieal way in fact, our priest was
quite diverted. The beast at length grew
tired the keeper hit him with the pole; he
stirred little, but continued quite sullen ;
his master coaxed him-noi he would not
work At length, the brute of q keeper gave
him two or three sharp pricks with the goad,
when he roared ont most tremendously, and,
| rising on his hind legs, swore ab his tormentor
in very good native Irish.
O'Leary waited longer, but went i'm
| rnediately to the mayor, whom he informed
| that the blackguards of fishermen had sewed up
q poor freshman IN q bear-skin, and were
| showing him for six sous The civic dignitary,
who had himself seen the bear, would not
| believe our FREUD; at last O'Leary prevailed
| on him to accompany him to the room. On
their arrival the bear was still upon duty; and
O'Lenry, stepping up to him, says: GGHd c
thu hawR, Pat3" GLOW do you do, Pat ~
| "SinRger a DtdnHg0HtP pretty well, thank'ee,)
] says the bear The people were surprised TO
! here how plainly nc spokej but tho mayor
directly ordered him to be ripped upi and after
some opposition and good deal of difficulty,
Pat stepped forth (stark nakeD out OF the
bear skin wherein he had been fourteen OF
fifteen days most cleNorIy stitched. The
i women made off; the men stood astonished
and the mayor ordered the keepera 20 be pIit
in jail unless they sdtisfed him but that was
presently done. The bear afterwards told
| OLeaTy that he was very well fed, and did moi
care much about the clothing, only they worked
at sea on hencoop, which had saved him
| from going to the bottom with a ship wherein
he had a little venture of dried cod from DIM
garvan, and which was bound from Waterford
to Bilboa. He could not speak word of any
Language but Irish, and Ind never been nc sea
before. The iishermen had brought him in
fed him well, and eHdeaVoTed To repay them
selves by showing him AS curiosity
+ O'Leary's mode of telling this story was
quite admirable never heard any-anecdotc
(and believe this one to have been true) re
lated with so much genuine droilery, which
was enhanced by his not changing a muscle
himself while every of his hearers was IL
a paroSysm of laughter
Another anecdote he used to tell with in
comparable dramatic hnmOr. By-the-byei al
his stories were in some way national; ant
this gives me occasion to remark, that ireland
4 is Mt this moment nearly as little known OF
many parts of the continent "a it seems to have
j been then. have myself beard il more thar
once spoken of as an Eagiish J0ica.
/ AT Nancy, when Father OLeary was travel
ing, his native country happened 70 be mention
ed when one of the s0ciete, n quiet Frencl
farmer of Burgundy, asked in an unassnniinl
tone, If Ireland stood encore '---''EncoreP
from Germany, Z" eHn0rci to be sure abe does
1--we have her yet, / assure You, monsieur!
"Though neither very safe nor very sound,
interposed an officer OF the Irish brigade win
happened to be present, looking over signih
cantly at OrLeary,, and not very complacentl!
at the courier. And pray, monsieur rejOinef
the John Bull to the Frcnchmap, I" VIII.
, | cRcoreY /" Pardon, monsieur" replied tn
Fgenchmau, F" heard it had been worn on
, | CfaiigHe long ago by the great number Q
people that were living in IL y
The fact Is, the Frenchpian had been told
, and really understood, that Ireland was laTg
. rgl i5H ele.lo1 .a..saE .s73sss
eaaa'-a FtailipI -.. La. 81 ,ss
r.fa elH