Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-20
THE WOMAN WAS IRISH.
Mary Nee, a Native Of Innisnucken. Could
Speak Nothing but Her Native Tongue.
fChicaro Mail

IAlNhAr Ntfis
There was a ludicrous scene M the Polk
street depot soon after the Chicago and
Atlantic train pulled into the hig building.
A woman forty years old, with gOOd-na-
tured face. alighted from one Of the lmml-
grant coaches and Immediately commenced
to talk in some unknown tongue. The
statlOn-master could not understand her,
neither could the porter or any one else.
Send for the banana man. suggested
the depot policeman.
"Oh. she ant dago.n said the depot
master, as he listened % the peculiar dia-
lect.
The Italian was sent for, however; So WAS
the Greek fruit-yeuder and the German
butcher. ana the Polish and Scandinavian
saloon keepers on Dearborn street aud the
Scotch shoemaker were called in to try 10
communicate with the stranger. All were
unsuccessful. though, and Just rs the rail
road men were about To give up the affair
as a very bad Job j. O'Flynn, AN express
man whose nationality Is apparent. stepped
up, and after listening 10 the talk OF the
woman for a minute, went up to her and
said:
"Oh. shut up. yer Irish"
You fellers are foine educated gentle
men, amt you 2" said OFlynn, turning to
the crowd. Cant yer see that the ould
woman is Irish? Ask her phat sho wants
in Irish and she will talk 20 you"
But none of those present could speak
the native tongue Of the Emerald Isle.
Even O'Flynn could onlvunderstand few
words Of the jabber, but he could not
speak a word Of the language that Is only
known 20 a few.
No one would believe that person who
had lived within four miles Of Galway, Ire
land, for the last forty years could not
L Il "a tuf.rI a InnIfgh lflf
there are 600 human beings on an island
lust that distance from the iouriShlng
Irish town who communicate with one
another through no other language but the
ono spoken on the land of the "Ould dart.
The island Of Nuken. OF lunisnucken.'
il only few minutes ride in a rOw-boat
of the main land and little to the north
west of Galway, but still the English lam
0uage is unknown there. One thousand
souls or more are on the little island, and
il Is seldom that one of its inhabitants has
anv desire 10 leave IT,. The woman who
reached the POlk-street depot, however,
is one Of the number who made mp her
mind 70 come TO America. She left the
island three weeks ago and started Tor
Chicago, where she is believed TO have rela-
tiyes. The stranger VAS taken to the ar
mory soon after 1t was learned That she was
Irish. and it was az the station that Officer
German, of the Twenty-secOnd street sta
ton. discovered her. German is asplendld
Irish scholar. and he had no difficulty In
learning the emigraut's story, which IS ~
follows:
She said her name was Mary Nee. She
left Innlsnucken three weeks ago and
came 10 Chicago expecting 10 meet her
friends at the depot. no one was there,
however. and as she had lost the address
of her friends here She does rot know
where 10 20. She SAIL She believed that
her brother, whose name Is GIalellsh. was
somewhere in South Chicago.
The woman is still at the armory. and the
officers will endeavor to find her friends.