The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-08-16
Our Boys Abroad.


AS most of our readers are aware two
young men from Owosso, G. S. Ensminger
and Stanley e. Parkill, are making the tour
of Europe. From letters written home by
Stanley we are permitted to make some ex-
tracts:
CORK. IRELAND, July 22.
Tired? well l should smile. Lame and
sore, but happy. We are full too, full of
Cork, chuck up to the gullet. Now that
you have the present condition of our feel
ings, will go back to daylight and give
you our first day on Irish soil. We were
awakened this a. m. at $3.50 on the Servia
off Queenstown, were transferred to the
smaller boat, together with about one
hundred of our fellow passengers and 500
mail bags. We parted company with the
good boat with pang of regret. She had
brought us over the broad Atlantic in safety
and comfort. Neither of us were sick for
an instant. Queenstown is built on the
steep sides of bluff on the shores of the
harbor-the houses, all of stone, looking
over the roofs of those on the street below.
We are captivated by the beauties of the
Emerald Isle. For eight days we had seen
nothing but sea or sky, and we looked at
this lovely view as thirsty traveller in the
desert halls long sought spring. At 10 a.
IN. we take the boat for IL mile ride to
Cork. We can see in the distance two
towers erected to the memory of Father
Matthew, the great Catholic apostle of tenn
perance. We see ,BlackrOck Castle, thrust
Ing its ivy covered walls into the Lee. Here
literally griEl-visaged war has sweetened
its front, for the place is now occupied by
two ancient maiden ladies, and the tower is
used as lighthouse. We soon land in Cork
and are welcomed by the chimes of the
Bells of Shandon.' We are grateful to the
bells for this mark of favor-force our way
through the crowd of car drivers and beg
gars, to our hotel After lunch we are off
where? Why there is only one place
to which every traveller turns his eye and
his footsteps first and that is Blarney Castle.
We go by a jaunting car, two-wheeled
vehicle, with seats hanging over the wheels.
We drive over five miles of as fair country
as every lay in the sunlight Beautiful
green meadows-so green-such shade of
green as we never see in Michigan. But
while the county is beautiful, the people are
poor as poverty can make them. All they can
scrape goes to the landlord who lives high
in London or on the continent. The driver
points out dilapidated place and tells us
that the last tenant was evicted. What be-
comes of the poor fellow asked. % sir
Qts always sir here) the Land League
supports him. Where do they get their
money % sir, largely from America sir.
We couldn't do without their help sir, at all
at ALL But more of this subject, anon,
when have seen more of it.
We dismOunt, pay siXpence, go through
gate, and the ruin is before us. We stand
in the presence of five centuries. Before
Columbus sailed out into the unknown west
the castle was old. Rather startling to young
America, 1 assure you. The tower is the
interesting portion. Some one hundred and
thirty or forty feet high, about sixty feet
square at the base. In the bottom are the
dungeons, frightful places to shuta man in,
damp, small and utterly horrible. We go
into the guards room that used to ring with
the shouts of the lords retainers-creep
about, into rsmaller chambers, perhaps at
one time the abode of My Lady,
We at length reach the top of the tower,
peep through the battlements at the beauti-
full valley, and at last atand in front of the
famous Blarneu Stone. But now that we
are here it is no easy job to bestow the kiss
that is to loose the tongue and make orators
of us all. The stone is placed on the bottom
of the projecting wall, and can only be
reached by grasping an iron bar and swing
ing the body out from the wall, not very
pleasant job when you cast glance down
and see the tops of trees hundred feet
below you. But we do it. / don't know
how looked of course, but have very
vivid recollection of how Ensminger ap-
peared as he cast himself flat on his stomach
and dragged his body through the dust of the
wall till he could swing out far enough to
touch the stone. held his feet and third
man of the party grasped his coat tails and
we hung on like good fellows. We don't
look as fresh as we did, we don't feel as
clean, but then its not the first time kiss
has got man into nasty scrape. We linger
about, take two photographs, back to the
city by another and more beautiful route,
visit the church in whose tower are the
chimes of Shandon, climb st. Patrick's hill,
ramble along the river Lee, watching the
people, holding our own among the beggars.
objects of curiosity to all we pass. There
are no street cars in this city of 10000 in
habitants, only the jaunting ear. The po-
lice wear sabers instead of clubs--the militia
are thick and red coats are freely mixed
with people ON the streets.
GLASGOW. SCOTI, A MD. .July 90. $50