The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-12-12
Nnaehita Te1egraph.
MONROE, La. DECEMBER II. 1879
4 4 FAMOUS II LETTER.
iChambers' Journal.l


country to give his last guinea to save
the remainder of his fortunes.' Or II
the subject of debate was some national
calamity, he would deliver himself
thus /. ssSir, single misfortunes never
come alone, and the greatest of all ma.
tional calamities Is generally followed
by one much greater" Sir Boyle
Roche belonged to the ancient family
of De La Russo of Fermoy; he was
created q Baronet In 1882, and was
married to the eldest daughter of Sir
James Caldwell, but had no heir. He
used to account for his lack of progeny
by, saying ssthat it was hereditary In
his family to have no Children" An
other of his blunders was made when
speaking of the ffsh-haWkers. tsThey
go down to Ringsend;" he observed,
ssbuy the behring's for half nothing,
and sell them for twice as much.u "A
letter supposed to have been written
by Sir Boyle Roche during the Irish
rebellion of '98, gives an amusing COL
lection OF his various blunders. Per-
haps he never put quite SO many on
paper at time, but his peculiar turn
for ssbulls' Is here shown at one view.
The letter was first printed in the
Kerry Magazine, now out of print:
DEAR S1R-Having now little
peace and quiet, I sit down to inform
you of the hustle and confusion we are
in from the blood-thirsty rebels, many
of whom are now, thank God, killed
and dispersed. We are in a pretty
mess; can get nothing to eat, and no
wine to drink except whisky. When
we set down to dinner, we are obliged
to keep both hands armed. While 1
write this letter I have my sword in
one hand and my pistol in the other.
I concluded from the beginning that
this would be the end, and am right,
for it is not half over yet. At present
there are such goings-On that every
thing is at a stand-sti1i. I should have
answered your letter a fortnight ago;
but only received it this morning
indeed, hardly n mail arrives safe
without being robbed. No longer ago
than yesterday, the mail coach from
Dublin was robbed near this town; the
bags had been very judiciously left be-
hind, for fear OF accidents, and, by
great good luck, there was nobody in
the coach except two outside passen-
gers, who had nothing for the thieves
to take. Last Thursday an alarm was
given that gang of rebels in full re-
treat from Drogheda were advancing
upon the French standard; but they
had no colors nor any drums except
:, bsgpipes. Immediately every man in
" the place, including women and chill
Giren, ran out to meet them. We soon
found our force a great deal too little,
and we're far too near to think of re-
treating. Death was in every face !;
and to it we went. By the time half
our party were killed we began to be
all alive. Fortunately, the rebels had
no guns except pistols, cutlasses and
pixies; and we had plenty of muskets
and ammunition. We put them all to
the sword; not a soul of them escaped,
except some that were drowned in an
adjoining bog. In fact, in short time
nothing was heard but silence. Their
uniforms were all different-chiefly
green. After tho action was over we
went to rummage their camp. All we
found was few pixies without heads,
n parcel of empty bottles filed with
water, and a bundle of blank French
commissions filled up with Irish names.
Troops are now stationed round, which
exactly squares with my ideas of Sc
curity. Adieu; I have only time to
add that am yours in haste, b. r..
z. S.-If you do not receive this, of
course it must have miscarried; there
fore beg you write and let me know.