The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-13
CAPT. BOYCOTT OF MAYO.
TALK WITH THE FATHER OF
FIVE NEW WORDS.


Wan. an Authorization Agitator,
and n Possible VI. T..
From the New York Sun.
an, Won want to meet man who con-
.ributed a new word to the Enghsh IAN
mage? If so, come over to MORRISON
80 and let me introduce you 10 Capt.
Boycott" -..., -. tho
liter while staying in the capital of Ire
ID not many years ago. Its sender was
NJ r Molloy her majesty's secretary to
sba irish board of education. Under Mr.
,forov's guidance a visit was made TO
he venerable hosiery on Dawson street.
u-herein Parnen made his headquarters
while in Dublin, and from the balconies
If which 1ietjens, Patti and many an
,+bar famous songstress has caroled for
4be benefit of enthusiastic throngs.
In the smoking room of Morrisons sat
can't. Boycott putting placidly at dlngy
brtar pipe. The once famous land agent
- midde-sized, old gentleman, with
long. gray beard. He was attired in rough
weed. ana looked the small country squire
mat he is. The obstinate nature which
precipitaced the bitter Irish land war OF
nql- S.. and the attendant evils of boy
cottiog" was indicated by firm mouth
and sieely blue glitter in the small, rather
ueep-set eyes.
Yes. l am the original Boycott" said
The captain, with an amused chuckle.
You may be surprised TO learn, though,
that ! am nowadays one OF the most pop
mar men in my country, II not IN ali Ire
land. Where my name was eXecrateu py
the peasantry, ii is now well received. EV-
cry year l exhibit horses or prize cattle
at The big BalSbridSe show, and assure
Won that there are no entries more loudly
applauded, ! am now on the very best OF
terms with all my eighbors-landlord and
tenant alike. But sixteen years ago IL was
dluerent-ah, how different!
Every student OF WORD lore knows that
the now accepted verb Ito boycott with
tne substanuatlVe, adJeclIVes ana daVe slo
derived theretrom, originated IN the nerce
conflict between TINS elderly gentleman
and the tenants under his control during
the winter of 1881 and the spring of 1851,
Can.. Boycott was a small squire at
LCugh Mask, in the wild COnnemara sec
hon of County Mayo. lie was also land
agent or factor Tor several landed pro-
prletOrS notably the Earl OF Erne. lie
was about 50 years of age, well preserV-
ed and vigorous, with strong local rep
u.auon for obStnacy. Grim poverty stalk
ed abroad in the land. the peasantry
could not pay their rents, especially in the
barren sections wherein Boycott dweit.
But the captain (this title is derived from
the militia) was a determined man. He
deemed it his duty to collect rents at all
hazards. He soon found himself at log
serheads with the people, and his name
became q synonym Tor aggressive rack
renting" Several times ne was threat
ened, out threats had no effect upon him.
My morning mail" said the captain
seemed incomplete without one or two
bloodthrsty warnings, crudely drawn pic
lures of collins, and the like. Once was
actually shot at, but escaped death by my
horse leaping hedge.
precipitated the crisis by his speech 1t En-
mis-, in which he urged the people of Ire
land TO abstain from agrarian crimes and
adopt instead a policy Oh sending land
lords, agents and bailiffs Ito coventry"
Sending to Coventry" was indeed the old
word FOR "boycotung, and had been
found a highly effective method of war
fare. The idea became popular at once,
and the first victim of the Ennis pro-
stamme was Capt. Boycott of County
Mayo.
4 was warned that If I did not cease
acting in the interest of my landlord
employers said the captain, q should
be left severely alone. This did not
scare me, and l continued working as
before. Then the boycott began. My
own harvest was late that year, and
when tried TO engage harvesters l was
everywhere met with refusais. Not a
man among the laborerss of my parish
or oarony dared to work for me.
The corn remained standing. But this
was not the worst My servants left
men in body, and my wife and children
We're obliged TO do all their cooking,
washing etc, themselves. Then the viii
lage grocer and butcher declined to sell
me provisions, and when l sent to the
neighboring towns for supplies / found
II absolutely impossible to get anything.
But ! would lot give in-not l.
Here Capt. Boycott brought his large
Ist down on the table with a resonant
Dang. one could well picture how OBJ
stlnate land agent he had been in his
prime sixteen years ago.
hlngs went from bad to worse" he
continued, There was no fuel in the
mouse: Nobody would cut turf or carry
coal Tor me. | had to tear up my floors
LOT hreWood Finally l sent my good
WHe 10 Dublin in care of friends and
prepared for seige. Meanwhile, howevr,
the antl-Parnelite papers.
People who did not believe in such
Melhods, and who knew that l was mere
y a faithful servant working jealousy
LOT my employers, formed an associa ton
known as the Emergency Men, They
bdlheIed together several score of stall
Waft harVesters and marched them under
pohce protection to my aid. Nearly all
tAese men were from the north and be-
lohsed to Orange lodges. That irritated
my Mayo friends more than ever and
constant attacks and sallies became the
oIder OF the day and night. Finally a
uelachment of soldiers came from Castle
, par TO our aid, and the belated harvest
was reaped and garnered. We had to
sudrd the corn-haggard with fixed bayo-
fess' reviewers and blackthorns to keep
our Ilcks' from being burned down.
next came a train from Belfast, load
81 WIN provisions for the little garrison,
ana with it two imported English--ser-
t'tla ia COOKS. But the servants VINO
ndq 'boycotted' Inc got at these poor
HEs. and SO frightened them that they
telL lhe next morning, and we had to do
wi own cooking once more.
70 course all the newspapers were full
~ my Disagreement, and little by little
Iue word boycott crept into editorial
usage | did not notice this at the time
mad other things to think of. A fund
vas raised for me in England and Ire
ttalu nut II did not come near reimburs-
ns me lof my expenses and worry. You
see' az mat time, agrarian 'boycotting' was
~. Hegal, nor was it made so until the
tttlnes act of 1887. By that time the sys-
I'm hdd become so widespread that il
tnIta Lehed 10 sap the whole social condi-
sIon ~ ireland. II was indeed a most
powerful and iusidous weapon, as l am
now free to own
,ssMy Christmas and New Years day OF
Ss,-Sl We're anything but enjoyable feasts
III Nj d single, scarcely an hour, passed
%"uoNt a night or a personal encounter
tween the opposing forces Our Christ.
i, 'ai pl4m pudding was sent by admirers
r londonderry, packed in a mail sack
sg ueslegers respected the mail sack
IA we enjoyed the pudding.
a. AZ last IN the spring of 1881 there was
o. co. az tnlstice. | was left with an armed
S1udIu however, and all my provisions
mere sent by rail from Belfast or Dub.
r+ men / had time to take breath lnd
bdI the papers discovered that my name
n1u neen a household word, though 1 die
IVY even then fancy that III would he.