The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-16
From Good Company
OLD RRY son.

IL WA during our civil war about '63
I think when Nh. Barry Quin completed
his negotiations with the "Reuton Street
Railroad Company" what made him
owner of one of their cars. Ii was very
remarkable at the time that Mr.. Quin
should have entered into bonds not to
start a rival railway, as by thus being
made owner of ~one-seventh of the rolling
stock of the company he had placed in
his hands the means for such a purpose,
If his ambition should lead him. 1t was
further remarked that it wa doubtless
10 head off any darkly formed design of
that character that the president of the
road gave with the car, rent free, a GER
tain lot of ground on Delaware street.
As the car stood on this lot with it's
wheels buried out Of sight in the sods,
this muniicence may not have been
actuated by any such intention, particu-
larly as Mr.. Gums thoughts ran more
on oysters than on railroads.
just where Barry Quin hailed from on
his arrival at Renton was never clearly
understood. Ny cook, Mrs. O'Tooley,
was of the opinion that he came from
Baltimore, though, as she admitted,
"its unbeknownst to no one but me-
SELF"
II was soou noised abroad that Barry
had a son in the navy and that the old
man was intensely patriotic.
When ways and means were being SON.
sidered by the committee, prior to the
holding of that very successful Renton
sanitary fair, who should come to the
door and ask to be admitted "A moment
but Barry Quin. He made a bow to the
ladies and gentlemen, brushed his cap
across his eyes, and said in a husky
voice, I'm n poor man, as We know,
but if there's a turn in the way o listers
l can do, me names Barry Quin, an me
bye's a tightin' or dead for the blessed
country" Barry had charge of the most
h~ourishing of oyster stands in that fair;
and during it's continuance reporter Dom
nelly of the Renton NetrS drew scathing
parallels between "our patriotic adopted
citizen and traitors at home"
None would he at the depot ut any
later hour of the night or any earlier
hour of the morning than Barry, to
Justify cheer onward a passing regiment
to the front. The oyster broths for the
small hospital at Camp Holden, reporter
Donnelly discovered, were also furnished
by o patriotic adopted citizen" and
if q passing cripple soldier was banquet
ed by the same the ubiquitous reporter
never failed to discover and publish the
fact. cit wa slyly suggested that "our
reporter" was on the free list" at the
banqueting hall, and if he was not he
deserved to be.
A not unpleasant genre picture old
Barry made standing behind the car
counter, in the uncertain light of a pair
of smoky coal oil lamps, with his stout
person neatly aproned up to his hale,
bluff face, and q rim of silver-gray hair
showing from under an ancient-looking
cloth cap that he wore the year round.
In cold weather the cap was made to
recognize the temperature by having Il
pair of ear protectors, with long black
strings to tie under the chin, fshed out
of its yoluminous thickness. Barry, il
was understood, was the architect of this
cap, and renovated it at long intervals
with a new cover over the last, thus
promising in the course of a few years to
rival a very ~grenadierIs.
Barry's car wa ever cleaning in great
red, white, and blue stripes, and he never
failed TO turn any conversation his
patrons held with him, if possible, to the
battles his son had been through, though
the names OF but few could he remember.
"Moind We, me- Barry whit in the rale
war times; an in one o those murtherin'
battles, afther he kilt tin o the inimies
wild is own hand, didn't he load an fire
the big gun all wild heself for the loike o
two hours, an niver a sup of wather to
dhrink? Faith, me Barry was a jewell"
You may rightly infer that such heroic
actions did not pass without official
recognitions, as witness the words of the
"High Royal Admiral" -: eyes a broth
of a bye, Barry Quin, indade We are, an
it's meself it'll see you're promoted"
Such a fine lad, OF course, was not Of
fered up upon the altar of his country
without a struggle Of the parental heart.
In fact according to his father it wal
while this struggle was going on that the
boy made a willing sacrifice of himself
by running away and entering the SER
vice. Old Barry would explain that
after his mothers death young Barry
seemed very lonely and was constantly
reading and talking of the war, and final
ly, one day, expressed a wish to enter
the navy. Naturally though, patriotic
as he was, the father endeavored to pei
suade the young man to %relinquish the
idea.
"Well, do We know that same blessed
night me Barry says: Good night dad,
AN kapes shakin' me two hands as |
would me brother Dan'Ps, who's whit
back tothe ovid cDunthry these tin years.
NV, ..lr. II J., ,nn,1f G.I.k .-o k..lD.
the bye up to? but / rubbed Inc nose,
as my way is when bothered, an says not
q word. By the powers! the MKT morn
ing me Barry's gone, LAWN the shweetest
bit o a letther as liver yourtwo eyes saw,
barrin' it wa all covered wild tears. He
whit for the navy, an by coorse, he kape
a writiu' as nate a. print, an "a sindin'
his money with regularity for the loikes
o. a year. And didn't he send his ovid
father a picture lookins rs dacint an
foiDe wild his sword us all the quality o
the land
"Ah, then your son won his promo
ton, did he, Barry ?"
"You're right? Troth it's not loikly
a lad o his parts would be kapin' below
any man; not at all, sure. But it's me
moind this same promotions come be-
tweenst me an me nights rest, these
years. Arthur it, niver a word did l
hear o me bye, an readin' all the news
for a matther q IL year nivir once was
Barry Quin kilt; nOr any more wounded.
Thin / was most sure that he'd circum-
winted meself by changin' his own thrue
name to Laughate, BOneparte, or some
o. these h~aythenish Frinch names. 1t
was a sore stroke, sure, an more dis
plain thin to know me Barry'd been
kilt intirely, lOike II thrue Quin. ] aised
me moind TO the president, a foin gint,
sure; an didn't he sind me u lether wild
his W hand? Well, he did, sayin' SIGH
q foin boyd niver he a desavin his ovid
father, an no doubt at all me Barry'd
gone a sailin' to foreign parts, which he
couldn't say, but would be afther hand
in me a letther to the navy man,"
Secretary of the navy?"
"You're right; but niver q word,
niver a word, bad luck to EN- did he
sind me. So, / do the best ~endayvOrin'
to bear me Barry's niglect; an thry an
wait against his repintin', but it's a sore,
sore stroke to a pore, ovid man." About
this point old Barry's tears would get the
best of him, and he would rock himself,
rubbing his eyes with his oyster apron,
to the great risk of binding himself from
bits of shells.
Not n few of the oysterman's patrons
were moved by his grief to try and dis
cover some trace Of "me Barry" But
as the old man had been burned out be-
fore coming to Renton and all the boys
Letters de ,troyed, and, ms he also said, he