Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-24

VIM bO1COlI WAS.
Every student of word lore knows that
the now accepted verb ito boycott" with
the substantive adiectives and adverb de-
rived therefrom are due to the fierce con-
fiict between this elderly gentleman and
the tenants under his control during the
winter of 1880 and the spring of 1881. Cap
tain Boycott was small squire" at Lough
Mask, in the wild Connemara section of
County Mayo He was also land agent or
| factor for several landed proprietors, no
tably the earl of Erne. He was a man of
about 80 years of age, well preserved and
vigorous, with strong local reputation
for Obstinacy. Grim poverty stalked abroad
in the land. The peasantry could not pay
their rents especially in the barren sec
tion wherein Boycott dwelt But the cap
tain (his title is derived from the militia)
was a determined man. He deemed it his
duty to collect rents at all hazards. In
this way he soon found himself at logger
heads with the people; and his name be-
came a synonym for aggressive "rack-rent-
ing" Several times he was threatened; !;
but threats had no effect upon him.
MY morning mail" said the captain
seemed incomplete without one or two
bloodthirsty warnings, crudely drawn pic
lures of collins and the like. Once | was
actually shot at but escaped death by my
horse leaping a hedge"
At length in September, 1880. Mr. Parnell
precipitated the crisis b. his speech at En-
to abstain from agrarian crimes and adopt
instead a policy of sending landlords. agents
and bailifs ito Coventry" Sending to
Coventry was indeed the old word for "boy-
cotting," and had been found a highly eff
fective method OF warfare. The idea be-
came popular at once and the first impor-
tant victim of the Ennis program was Cap
tain Boycott OF the County Mayo.
Il was warned that II l did not cease
acting in the interest of my landlord en-
\ = ~
be left severely alone This did not scare
me, and | continued working as before. Then
the boycott began. My own harvest was
late that year. and when | tried to engage
harvcsters ! was everywhere met with re-
fusas. Not man among the laborers OF
my parish or barony dared to work for me-"
THE SIEGE BEGINS
"rhe corn remained standing. But this
was not the worst. My servants left me in
a body, and my wife and children were
Obliged to do all their cooking, washing,
etc, themselves. Then the village grocer
and butcher declined to sell me provisions,
and when | went to the nelghborlng towns
for supplies l found II absolutely impossible
to get anything. But l would not give in
not l."
Here Captain Boycott brought his large
fist down on the table with resonant bang
One could well picture how obstinate a land
ago.
Things wen; from bad to worse" he
continued. There was no fuel In the house
Nobody would cut turf or carry coal for
me. | had to tear up my floors for irewood
Finally ! sent my good wife TO Dublin In
care OF friends. aud prepared for siege.
Meanwhile, however. the story OF the boy
cott' had gotten into the an.l-Paraellite
papers.
People who ala not believe In such meth
DDS, and who knew that | vas merely a
faithful servant working Zeslously for my
employers. Termed an association known as
the Emergency Mem They gathered to-
gether several score OF stRlwart haryesters
and marched them up under police protec-
tion TO my aid Nearly all these men were
from the north and belonged 10 Orange
dgos That irritated my Mayo friends more
aan ever. aud constant attacks and sallies
caame the order of the day and night
Fnally a detachment OF soldiers came from
c, s..ehar 10 our aid. aud the beleted harvest
wes reared and gsrneiod, We had to guard