The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-10-31

panions he held his ground for two entire days
10 the shattered citadel of Cambria, though the
battery to which they returned shot for shot
was under the personal inspection OF Louis /
XIV. and the renowned hunehback Luxembourg;
The bursting of shell laid him senseiess' ana
when, after q long and painful illness, he was
again restored to health, he resolved, IN
Thanksgiving, to devote the remainder OF BIS
days to the exclusive service of God, In the
During the recital of the foregoing nara
tive, which, for brevity's sake, we have given
| consecutively, and in our own words, Brother
Francis was frequently interrupted by MS
youthful auditor, as new light was thrown by
lin on events in his family history which, Till
then, he had never heard satisfactorily cleared
up. He had already learned from his mother ;e
officer, supposed to have fallen in Cromweirs
wars. though a vague report reached tne
family that he was seen In spain after Crom-
Wells DEATH. OF his grandmother, he only
heard that she died young, and that her father
resided for. considerable time in Brussels,
with his grandson, whom, at his death, he
| confided to the care of the guardian of st. An
tonnes at Louvain, who was his brother in
law, and who had brought the boy, when
| mere child, from Ireland. He farther learned
contrary to the wish of his uncle, who intend
| ed him for the ecclesiastical state, his father
embraced the profession of arms, and shortly
after his marriage, embarked with the Fse1 scl,
| at the seige of Limerick, and his widow died
of broken beart soon after the intelligence
| of her husbands death reached her. he was
himself hen but boy. and was placed by his
mothers relatives at the Benedictne College
of Douai, whence he passed, in due time, like
his father, to the ranks, and was then serving,
| as have already seen, 10 the Duke OF VEN
| dome's army.
But you did not say who the other person
| was that accompanied You on the march from
Limerick to CARR gahols OF what bee became Of
soldier, when he had concluded.
| "That remains to this day o mystery to me-"
replied his grandfather, "for never saw either
after we parted that evening. I left them on
q lofty isolated rock off the coast of Glare, to
which they were conveyed, as the sures& place
of safety, by few poor fishermen, then dwell
which, if remember rightly, they called Dun
licky. Had much curiosity 1 might have
possibly learned the strangers name, but
never inquired, and probably, as did not, my
he must have been person of high distinction,
} as all addressed him with marked respect, I
might almost say reverence, and seemed most
devoted to him, though, as far as could see,
} he possessed NO earthly means of repunerating
them-nothing, in fact, save the halfmilitary
half-rustic garments in which he was clad.
|. And as they left him and his companion in
one of the two small huts that served as q
shelter in stormy weather for the few wild
} looking sheep that browsed on the island, they
promised soon to return with such necessaries
as he might require during his stay among
J them. On returning to the canoe that brought
MS from the mainland, remembered that j
heard something 1all from Lne stranger as ne
stepped ashore on the ledge of the island. In
} my hurry at the moment paid no attention
, to the circumstance; and it was only on ouI
arrival at the foot of the cliff on which the
} old castle stood that found the object which
! he had dropped lying in the bottom Of the
: boat. Hoping soon to be able to restore it tc
its owner, I took it with me, and ever since il
, has remained in my possession for I need
} scarcely say after all you have heard, that ar
} opportunity of restoring it never since pre-
: sented itself I still retain 1t, with the father
guardians permission, in hopes of one day dis
; covering its lawful claimant"
, Here Brother Francis drew from the folds o
> his garment small ebony crucihx, inlaid witt
pearl, and richly set in gold, and, reverentl!
: kissing it, handed it to his companion. Thu
! latter, after carefully examining it, read the
l following inscription, beautifully engraved il
text characters round the rim-"J R. RUNIC
t LEG. APP. R.R.DD. EDMDo. oDwYER EPo. LUIMl
t M.DCxLvI." Still the history and after fate o
t the owner of the crucifiX remained a myster,
Q to them. Perhaps some readers of the fore
going pages may be able TO throw some ligh
q on the subject, if not for their benefit, at leas
for ours.
a Little more remains to be told of Brothe
Q Francis. In his ninetieth year he died peace
o fully in the midst of the brotherhood wit
d whom 30 many years of his life had been hap
9 PLY spent-and his eyes were closed in deaf
8 by the hands of Ely O'Brien's grandchild
:! young Gerald Herbert, who had likewise joine
q the order, and given up the camp. and it's tut
II moil, and the world aud its deceit, to don th
:, cowl of st. Francis, and spend the rest of hi
Q days with the humble, hospitable Capuchins
r Bruges.