New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-21


able homes in the archways of bridge. and
saws that while the men are disheartsned, the
women still show much spirit in resisting the
ejectment of peasants.
AMONG THE PEASANTS OF COUNTY MAYO.
Az ENRICHMENT Pos1PoNED--TuE SPIRIT OF THE
PEASANT MEN BRoKEN-THE WOMEN DEFIANT
TWENTY YEARS IN THE ARCHwAY OF BRIDGE.
fYaoN THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuSEl
CLARE MORRIS, County Mayo, March 1O.-I got
weary of the sights and sounds of woe and want in
and around Westport, and came here this morning
10 rest and 10 write out my notes. For the Irsh OF
ali degrees are friendly to Americans that 1T is
difficult, after your errand is known, to find the
leisure for writing if you the repre-
sentative of the journal founded by the old friend
of the Irish race whom all the Irish in the West of
Ireland know by reputation and atfectOnately call
"Horace Graaley." For example, as was writing
nv last letter young lrishman rushed intemy
room, Informally without knocking -and an
nounced, between short breaths that the constabu-
larry, in force, were going down to the hamlet of
Cross in Kllmena, about four miles from Westport,
to support tho nnder bais in serving processes OF
eiectment On the tenants of an absentee landlord
who lived I'm London, q Protestant clergyman"
whom we may as we'll call the Rev. Theophius Car
roll. "He's o dacent man himself. SIR" he said'
"but his wife owns the property in her own right
and she's dvil and it's her that makes the agent
evict the tinints." had not the previous honor OF
personal acquaintance with my unexpected invader,
but as it was well known about town that had
faced the ercest storm of the to try and see
process-serying at Clare Island, I did not doubt
that friendly spirit had inspired the irruDtlOn. so
rang for a car, and started for Kllmena.
A young Mayo Journalist and my infOrmer went
with me- We were told before we left town that
the constabulary went out of it by twOs-slunk out
in couples to hunt down the hungry peasants-as
they feared that if their intention shouldbe known
the peasantry would assemble and give them trouble
THE WOMEN DEFIANT.
As we came near bridge crowd ran up to talk
TO us from a low, black field where they were
working and from two novels near by One of our
party was we'll known to them, and they came to
hear the news Three young women in the field
stalwart, wel-formed and comey girls-were bare
headed and shoeless and, although the older wO-
men wore hats or caps on their heads, they had
neither shoes nor stockings. 1t Is not unusual to
see women with stockings but without shoes. When
the women learned that "the process-servers"
were ont, their rage broke forth in rapid excIama
tions of defiance. They gesticulated wildly but
gracefully, and from beneath ragged garments
came fiery words and force threats. "f the men
haven't the spirit, we'll raise rebellion our
selves !" Faith we whip This from the bare
footed participating matrons in the field One
elderly woman, sitting on donkey between two
paniers of peat that she was carrying into West
port to sell-an old faded blue cloak around her,
pair Of stout brogans on her feet, her head
wearing a cap covered with q bit of red-cO Ored
shawl-savagely denounced the "bastes ov land
lordsn who we're wanting to turn out the poor
people who couldn't pay their rent when they had
"housefuls of hungry children without mouthful
to eat" AS she spoke she hOurshed switch that
she had cut from bush as an exhierant Tor her
more in the height of his glory, ever handled
baton with ST sxty d
they'll give us at all They name to drive us out
entirely. Pve been in the say this morning. wet
and cold as t was and now . I've to dhrive 70 west
The woman talked fiercely and long, These
peasant women are the dread of the constabulary.
They have the notion that by preventing an officer
from serving processes of ejectment they can save
their wretehed homes until better times They
know that their husbands will be arrested and put
in Jail for resisting officer; 80. with their girls
and boys, in some parishes. they have impeded the
serving of the writs and in more than instance
they have succeeded. The dread and shame of
publicity is reaching and affecting the absentee
landlord. 1t does not sound well to be
turning families into the cold roadside when
the charity Of the New World is feeding them.
Besides it really is not safe to attack these women
/ saw the crowdat Westport who resisted the taking
away of the potatoes, and for the rst time realized
what terrible mob 1T must have been who hOwled
for bread and blood the days of the red terror in
France. -
TUE SPIRIT OF THE MEN BROKEN.
The men came up Also When one Of them was
asked "What could you do il the officers tried to
evict you :" he hung his head and saidi What
can man wid long family do If we're thrown
on the world who'll take US in ~ The Irish out
hQro alwavG long family where would
large family, $500
Turning to tho left we passed two little hamlets.
] have forgotten their names. Any long word will
do il it is utterly unpronounceabe and hard to bear
In mind The old Irish. like our Indians, reiOced
in hard names Like the Indian Names too. they
have all meaning. The main village in the neigh
borhood was called Cross. and there is substantial
Protestant church by the roadside where we
turned. As we got on the top of little hill saw
the first hamlet. The word hamlet is my own for
every cluster of from three 10 thirty cottages is
called q village. In these two villages there were
not more than fen or fifteen cottages. Two men on
the road were threshing oats. The oats lay on the
public highway, and the men were beating them
with long sticks This is the usual mode Of thresh-
ing oats in the country. They have no threshing-
mills
As soon as the jauuting car stopped the men and
boys who were at work in the fields near by ran
down to it. We were soon surrounded by q crowd
Of fifty or sixty men. They talked eagerly and
apgrily about the process-serving But their spirit
is broken. spoke with two or three of the men.
One had family of ten children, the oldest only
sixteen Yeas of age. the only one among them who
could help him in the fields. He told me he owed
one years rent. He had never failed to pay before
although last year in order to pay the landlord lie
had pawned his bed. the only bed he had in the
world. lie had paid the interest on it. but had not
been able 10 redeem IL. The bedding was not the
only article of household goods that he had pawned
HIS wife had pawned her last Undertaking. She
had only one pettlcoat since they wanted bread.