Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-11
BhIGHTs a FAMILY AT WHICH
IT WAS LAUNCHED.
Tale ofan irish Eviction in the Fam
inc Days-A Thrilling Imprcca-
tIon over a Newly Made Grave.


lowing narrative Is presented an instance
In which persons not prone to superstl-
ton must recognize at least an astounding
fatality oil coincidence, the sins OF the
father having been visited apparently
on the children Of the first generation.
As patriarchal executor from Oregon
was sauntering through Golden Gate
park in company with a correspondent,
the former met friend. stnlwart and
dark OF yisagc. The warmth of their
greeting proved that they had not met
IN a long time before When mutual in
qniries concerning health and relatives
had been answered, the elder man abb
ruptly said:
II suppose. John, you have heard that
Brooks Is deadI'
no / had not heard of It," replied
the other with a pcrcnptible start Then
be added solcmny; May God forgive
him US | DO lie has been sorely pun
lshed for his hardness Of heart
IN the evening the whtc-bearded Ore
goninn told to the correspondent the tale
which accounted for John ROdys emo.
lion upon hearing Of Brooks death. At
the same time he stipulated that tine
nnnes of the actors 10 the tragedy should
be disguised for obvious reasons "Even
behind such mnsks,' said he they Will
I've Identified by many thousands Of per.
sons IN The Eastern and Middle states
who are familiar with the facts
More than half n century ago, when
The old Oregonian had absorbed about all
TINT was 10 be learned at yillige public
school IN the west Of Ireland and was
hplping 70 ill his fathers farm or tend
the sheep and cattle. the black shadow
Of the great famine began TO alarm and
bppall the land. Men, women and chill.
hron grow faiut with hunger The DO.
lato crop wins q failure. II the occupant
Of the wrctchcd hoycl had any grain. 81
way sold 10 meet the incxorublo demands
bi the rent collector n there chnuced
10 be pig or ducks or hens they went
70 market IN exchange for some cheaper
food. ilon 10 the poorer aud l,0lnlpd
communities the stricken peasants were
reduced to a diet VI weeds. prn.4 and
berries thereby giving Wlcome to The
readily famine foyer
~, IN helds and dltcles this Orcgonian Of
ifsh hltih had seen the pnuut. stark
bodies Of mon, women ami children. who
had literally perIshod OF starvation or
Wy ho clutch OF ia hnndmailcn. tvnl,is
re speaks bitterly Of the Queens apccch
delivered In January, 1915, when The peo
me were already rotting Ike their 20.
lAloS' Tier mnicay's speech recon.
nci, and incidentally promised to take
precnnuone' against the famine.
Across the highway aud about rife
thot distant from the homestead Of the
narrator lay a village owned by Brooks
The landlord was llomnn Catholic, who
could trace his genealogy TO years long
antednting Strongbow's invnAion lilo vne
also us rapaclous aud cruel ms Shylock or
~ Malay pirnte. In order 10 exempt
himself from poor rntcs "a local taxi DO
Determined TO rid bis estate Of paupors.
ana he did 4 effectively by pulling down
their Hqunlld little housca.
When Brooks bahins reached the bare
aud wrotchcd home of tho Rody family.
the father WIS In the dclirlum Of fever.
Despite the frantic appeals and protes.
tnuons Of the wife, The sick mhu. m9
bed, and furniture, were lifted ont on
the roadside Then "thc crowhar bril-
gado"', speedily demolished the hut, ns It
did all the Others except two,
Gathering Wlat they could from the
wreck The fourteen cyiolcG families con
etrucled rude shelter beside hedge, as
hunters or PROJECTORS sometimes do In
tho wilderness, N they carry no tents.
More fortunate neighhore supplied them
with what milk, food. and etrnw could be
spared In 80 dirc nn emergency, Whom
people were pcrlshinr Of hunger IN many
other adjoining villages; hut, from the
dismal little ghetto, wherein the Rody
Family sought SHELTER no less than
lwenty-scyen cqrpses were carried In lesa
lhna ehree weeks
John Rodys father died two days after
being cricted, and was buried with his
Infant daughter on his breast His wife
md tweeycarold boy survived She
waR q hGndaouie woman, OF magnificent
physique. When the hast shovel OF earth
had been thrown on her husbands crave.
no tear moiStened her eyes Thc uend.
ment that possessed her was n burning
acsirc for veugeanc on the man whom shc
regarded ~ the murderer OF her help
mate and her infant girl Agonzcd and
almost d0mentei by her fearless grief,
Hhe then and there cursed Brooks nc.
corline to the formula known TO tho
Irish pcasantry ns the "gradda-hue'
Judged even by n description Of Il after
the lapse Of nearly half century, the
lcene must have been thrllling one.
rnlo0sing her profusion OF iot black
hair, and bearing her breasts, the widow
knelt, hare-knced, on The damp mold
above tho grave. raised her clenchcd
hands aloft aud invoked the Almighty'5
Fengcnnce on Brooks. Men shiyorcd and
women sobbCd hyhiencally at he in
lenaty Of her passion aud the bitterness
" her imprecation. far surprising that
n the captive Iew, who exclaimed:
NOh. Daughter Of Babylon, blessed shall
De he who shall repay thee as thou hast
Daid u.s.
She prayed, with an awful solemnity,
hat Brooks might live to taste the dregs
v the cup no had held to her lips: that
lie blood OF his blood and tho bone Of
his bone might Wllher Ia his docaylng
light: that his years might be prolonged
anNl life and death should hold equal
lerrOrs for his ioathsume body and craven
loui. one exception she mnde-tlat OF
brpoks's eldest girl, who had sent her
some provisions, n bouquet OF white
lowers, aud message Of sympathy and
fcgret from the hndiord'a stately man
hOn.
Now comes the astonishing and almost
lncredihle part of the tale. Brooks was
alleged 20 have been disturbed by the
'gradda-bus,N but he certainly gave no
outward Sign Of anxiety until his young
~ chld died, precisely ono year after
Mie. ROdr's curse Tho coincidence of
saics startled anil annoyed him, and
q The same time his sight began TO fail .
When nuothcr child died. not long after
ward the man was smilten with fear
TO make long story short. brooks
ost ~ wife mud every one Of his chill
only member OF the family on whom the
widows anatlema did not fall, anl who
Is now alive. became the vito % a Brit
lsh peer. Flahhiiy gross OF Franc and
deprived Of vision. Brooks fingered 10 4
ripe old age. unoved aud unexpected.
For nearly score OF years he bad not
Peg foot N his ancestral halls He died
on thn iirst day OF lnaf Noyttabpr