The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-09
IRISH sUPERsTITIONs.
Some Information About the Lepre-
chaun and other Curious Person
aHes.
From the New York Post.

From the New York Post.
There is probably no nation on the face
of the earth to-day that so fondly cherishes
its ancient superstitions as do the Irish
The popular belief in Celtic myths seems
to have been handed down as a sort Of
pious legacy through countless genera
lions and among the peasantry, at all
events. has become too deeply bred in the
bone to be uprOoted by any amount of fin
de steele soothing. As the old wives will in
Variably tell you 'seeing's believing and
alter such a simple but pithy statement
there's little more to be said on the part OF
the doubter. In fact, fairy legend and
tradition can never die out entirely in the
Emerald Isle so long as these toothless
crones are able to smoke their pipes and
crouch before the cracking blaze of a
winters night TO regale eager audiences
with their own grewsome experience as
well as mere tales.
Sir Walter Scott who, as every one
knows was past master in the lore of
the supernatural, and. If the truth be told,
was more than half Inclined to believe in
the spirit world himself has some readable
notes on the subject in his 'Minstrelsy of
the Scottish Border According TO the
Wizard of the North, the word elf, which
appears to have been the primitive name
of the beings afterwards denominated fai-
ries is of Gothic origin and signined
spirit of the lower order. The familiar term
fairy, or faerie, on the other hand, he
quite ingeniously assumes to be derived
from the Persic Peri, through the medium
of the Arabic. The early crusaders in their
intercourse with the SaracenS must have
frequently heard the oriental term used 10
express a species of imaginary being, and
as in Arabic the word Peri would sound
nearly like fairy Ghe letter being lack
ing in the alphabet of that tongue), 1t is
reasonable supposition that the Christian
might have borrowed the term exactly as
they heard it pronounced Any way we
know that the expression fairy did not
come into use in England until after the
return of the first crusade.
But TO return to Ireland. There are at
least half dozen distinct types of elhn
folk in that favored land at present who
have fourished for an immemorai period
and are not unlikely to continue to do so
for centuries TO come. Chief among the
good people" good neighbors," or gen
try" as they are varously described col
lectively (perhaps with a view to propi-
| tiating them), is the Leprechaun
THAT scottish elf,
Who quaffs with swollen lips the ruby
wine,
Draining the cellar with as free hand
AS if it were his purse which ne'er lacked
coin;
And then, with feign'd contrition, rum
mates
Upon his wasteful pranks and revelry
In some secluded dell or lonely grove
| Tinselrd by twilight"
/ Cluricaune, Luricaune and Lurigrdaune
are other names of this sly little chap,
! whose character is very similar to that
! of the Scotch brownie. He is described
/ as an old man, one-quarter the size OF a
| newborn child and dressed in drab-
| colored coat with brass buttons, and with
| silver buckles on his shoes. By profess
/ sion a maker Of brogues, he is sometimes
! discovered by the noise of hammerin,E,
and then after catching him all you have
to do is to keep your eye on the imp an
| induce him by threats of personal Vio-
| lence to reveal the place OF his replted
| concealed treasure. Unfortunately, how
ever, the Leprechaun always manages 10
outwit his captor by unf1xing the latter
eye momentarly, wherupon he promptly
vanishes.
So the story goes about one Fitzpat-
! rick the promising heir of a comfortable
farmer who lived at Balhncollig., One fine
! day Tom was strolling across the nelds,
when suddenly he heard a claeking sort of
noise in the hedge before him. Dear
me-" thought Tom, land what can that
! be-" Creeping away softly he peered
through the bushes, and what should he
see but a brown pitcher that might be
! holding a gallon or so of good liquor IN IL,
and then wee bit of an old man with
cooked hat and leather apron, pegging
away industriously at a small shoe. Tom
knew enough to realize that this was the
! opportunity of his life. and quick as flash
he made a grab at the Cluricaune and
caught him firmly in his hand After
being sufficiently intimated, the manni-
| kin agreed to show his captor crock OF
| gold two fields distant Finally they
reached big clump of boliauns (ragweed)
Dig there" said the Cluricaune, and
you'n find the guineas. Now, Master
| Tom it seems, had forgotten to bring
| spade so he heedlessly let the Cluricaune
go. and ran back to fetch one, after tying
one of his red garters around the boil
iauns TO mark the spot. Alas and again
alas. When Tom returned in hot haste
every blessed bunch of boliauns in the
field had a red garter around it, AS said
field contained upwards of forty good
Irish acres, Tom wisely went home. but
not until he had made the air blue with
| his hearty curses.
In every case the Leprechaun is repre-
scented as the misery possessor of con-
cealed wealth, which proves sad temp