Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-07-17
CAPT. BOYCOTT.
The story OF His Troubles Win h"
tenants by One Who Knew Him.

The story of His Troubles with Ha
remnants by One Who Knew Him.
Tn q conversation with reporter Of
The Louisville Courier-Journal an Irish
man said:
Boycott? All yes, knew Mr.. Boy
colt. from whom the word had its birth
nine or ten years ago. 1t has been In
grated on many language. in many
a land. In many countries it has been
crystalized on the face of the statutes.
Capt Boycott, in respect to whom
the word originated, is now about oS
wears of age. He is five feet nine
inches in height, wears flowing IRON
grew beard, has long. aristocratic
features, and the carriage and bearing
of q retired British army officer. he
is Drowned and hardened by weather
exposure, exercise, and by field sports,
and looks what he is-'every inch an
English country gentleman.
..Some twenty-five years ago, MIR. w:
H. Boycott. who is a member OF good
family in England, purchased an en-
signcy in .'crack" line regiment; he
subsequently became lieutenant, mar
ried, and left the service. He settled
down to stock-raising in the west OF
Ireland. He owned no fee-simple estate,
but rented several tracts of land. For a
while he resided on the island OF Achill,
where he fitted up an iron house on the
mountain side overhanging the coast.
He was popular with squire and peasant
alike. He kept string of horses. he
was good man up himself in a welter
race, was a crack shot, rode to hounds
like a Galway man, and was in the field
as poor Whyte Melville wrote:
"a good one TO follow,
A rum'un to beat.
Later he left Achill island and rent
ed near the town of Ballinrobe. There
he had but few tenants. He raised
green crops, artificial grasses and
roots, and employed many laborers.
With these he was strict and exacting
as to their observance of the rules he
laid down for them. Fines were inn
posed on them by him for leaving
spades, shovels, or other agricultural
implements in places other than those
designated. For disturbing stock OF
injuring fences by taking short cuts or
for leaving gates open fines were as
sessed on the laborers and stopped out
of their wages by the captain.
AT this period the peoples minds
were in a state of excessive tension by
electioneering excitement and by con
tinuous evictions mot of Boycott, and
the wrath, long pent up. burst from
every man, woman, and child in Mayo
down on Tough Mask house. His ser.
wants, their relatives, their friends, his
laborers, and small tenants all combin.
ed. Swift as lightning the feeling
against the captain, as he was dubbed,
spread around His employees left him
no one would pillow, harrow, reap, OF
SOW for him. Domestic servants fled
the house. Any one who approached
the place was warned, and if warning
did not prevent approach stronger
measures procured obedience.
''In Ballinrobe, a town of two thou.
sand inhabitants, in the open day, 9
man was severely beaten because it wal
reported that he had been seen salutine
a coachman who had not obeyed the
order to quit the obnoxious service,
Capt Boycott and his wife were on
the verge of starvation; their focks and
crops were useless to them. Fifty Of
the Royal Irish constabulary had been
set as guard on the house to keep the
family safe.
"Later on one hundred policemen,
fully armed, were settled on the spot,
fifty dragons and company of infsn.
try camped around. No enemy ap.
peared; no good resulted. Once they
succeeded in saving Capt Boycott's
life. He drove into Ballinrobe on q
court day. Thousands knew he was Il
attend, and thousands surged into the
narrow street and endeavored to crush
in on him and squeeze him to death.
From this difficulty the gallant force.
of the crown barely succeeded in extri-
eating themselves and the object o.
their protection. Beyond this success:
the career of the forces was only dis
tinguished by the fact that the mer
stole and ate up all the hens, chickens
ducks, geese, and turkeys in the coun
try, and the officers gave at Ballinrobt
q Boycott ball, and the captain wa!
now cursed as being the cause o.
scarcity of eggs in the country. Tn,
ostracism was awful. Its organization
was perfect The pious Roman Catho
lie who disobeyed warning found him
self in his church standing on a four
/ foot square desert island, surrounded
by seething sea- A funeral stopped
if he went to it. Ii he died he woult
have to carry himself to the grave.
1.-THE matter was brought befor,
Mr.. Gladstone. He gave an oraculal
reply. The Carlton club endeavoret
by a testimonial raised for Capt. Boy
colt to prop up his falling fortunes
/ 1t was said by the local paper he wa
to leave Ireland.
-Four years since it was proposed I,
construct railroad between the tow
of Than and Ballinrobe. 1t woul,
have been useful. The government
would have lent the money at q Low
rate OF interest Great distress prevail
ed, and the expenditure of the none,
in employment was much desired
was conditioned II the line did not pa,
the low interest to the government tina
the country districts should bear tn
deficit High evicting landlords sa
where II was to be debated whether tn
line should be made or not Som
| good men sat on the Investigation