Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1883-12-27
IRISH FAIRIES.
The Irish Experience Of Son OF
Erin Now in New York.

l
New YORK Star.
There Ia scarcely 9 race Or a nation
that has not It's supernatural beings
gnomea, sstyrs, fairies aud demons.
Even in the nineteenth century many
civilized and intellectual people still
| attribute unexplainsble evepts to super.
natural sources.
With the Irish people "fairies' have
always held first place in their esteem.
Many strange tales are told of their
influence upon the natives, the crops or
the cattle. One Of the strsngest of these
came to the knowledge OF a star reporter
during the past week. Fully told, 1t is
rs follows;
at No. IL Centre street, over saloon,
lives man named Fitzgerald, or, as lie
is better known among his companions,
Jack the Piper" He is about 55 years
old, and Is good natur4d, simple minded
fellow, who is as fond OF his "little drop
o. the cTathur" RB he Is of looking at a
prettily-turned ankle on a muddy day.
He tells this strange experience
"l.once lived on q farm near th' town
OF Newmarket, tn home OF John Philpot
Curran, at place called Bally ma. Gils on
the side o. the hill. II wuz quare, eerie
place, sur, an TIL folks do be Bayin' that
II was tn home o. the good people. Ye
KpoW what 1 mane--the fairies. The
OIL mother an meself lived In cabin on
tn hill side. | did little linen weaviu'
to kape TIL oil oOmsp, an niver wanst
dreamt that there WAS TIL smell OF
ha'porth OF music In me. Well, sur, as
sure as your livin' man, wan night, the
fairies-God be good to us-came to the
shanty IN the dead o. night, an sur, but
yen not behave me, didn't they take me
out o. bed an' up to TIL crown o. th' hill
o. Bally.na-Gila. l heard tn vices all
aroun me, an didn't know what was 20
come o. me mkt. felt quare, An shaked
all overl tried to pray, but twas no use.
We'll, wan o. them came up to me,
an sure, sur, they buckled on a set o.
pipes, an divil take me If didn't begin
to play for 'em, an me never knowin' a
note from hole in the wall before that.
With that didn't the good people begin to
dance an kick up at CRATE rate. /
played an played, an divil the stop to
thin or me. Bedad they wur good to
me, too, for they had a noggin o. the ora
thur beside me, and dhrink as much as
could, sur, the thing never got empty.
well, sur, as was sayin', l played
an they dar ced, an as played seemed
to lose all fear o. them. At the first
streaks o. dawn 4 they sky they brought
out horse an put me on it, an in less
time than 1t takes you to wink was at
home an in bed. The next mornin',
sur, thought IT was drame when |
woke up; but, sur, one O. the neighbors
died durin' the night, an q man who
passed by the hill heard the sound o.
music, as he was comm from q wake in
Newmarket, an he run for his very life.
81 said nothin' TO nobody, bnt KEEP
quiet A wake after thar, sur, | was
taken out o. nv bed agin', an once more
to the top o. TIL hill, an played again
tor th' fairies, an next day want there
another death in the town. Sur. but
ye'll not bslieve me, 1t happened sgin
and agin to me, an each time there was
a wake an the neighbors heard the
music on the hill.
"Well, sur" he continued, 81 went
one day to & boy on the farm an Dor
rowed his set o. pipes. Bedad, sir,
could play 'em as we'll as il had been al!
my lifs al it, an divil ha'porth o. in
sthructiOn did get. picked up flute
an could play that, too, and diyil take
mt, sur, but nivver an Instrument since
that Tux up bat / could play it like an
angel"
Fitzgeraid's strange story was oorrObo-
rated by hie friend, Mr.. MoAulife, who said
that since then he has played repeatedly
al all the fairs in the neighborhood of his
native town, although up to the time
that he was 20 years of age he was never
known to play note.
~ knew him when he was boy"
said MoAuliffe, "snd grew up beside him.
We called him Conn Knock na Bouchel,
(rbs Boy o. the HilD. He buried his
mother year and 3 half ago, and came
out here. He was surely bewitohed by
the fairies"
lie then induced him to play the flute,
on which he performed several airs with
great aweetness and accuracy, bat the
bsgpipes on which he played jigs and
reels, he said, he would only "hlt" in the
dark in back room.