Washington sentinel., 1899-01-28
How a Pack orCards Saved Ireland.

How a Pack Of Cards Saved Ireland.
In the year 1857 Queen Mary, at
the instance Of Dr. Cole, issued a
commission ordering immediate
prosecution of the Protestants OF
Ireland. The commission, duly
signed by the Queen, was to be
carried by DR.. Cole himself; and
overjoyed at his trust-for he was
a relentless prosecutor, hated by
Catholics and Protestants alike
he set off on December I9, 1851
promising "a merry Christmas to
Irish heretics." On the waY he
had to stop one night at Chester,
where he found lodgings at the
house Of a Mrs Edmonds. AS
Queens messenger and a church
man OF distinction, he was visited
by the Mayor Of the city, to whom
he boastingly said, Here is a COM
mission that shall lash the here
tics" at the same time drawing a
box out Of his cloak bag and dis.
playing the small square parcel the
commission formed. Now it
chanced that the landlady heard
what was said, and as she was a
Protestant and had a brother IN
Dublin she was much alarmed and
upset. Not long before she had
been rating her son TOR gambling,
and had taken from him a back of
cards OF which he was the proud
possessor. The size OF the packet
produced to the Mayor by DR..
Cole was exactly that Of a pack Of
cards, and gave the good woman
an idea OF how she might render
the prosecutors journey futile.
Her chance came when the Mayor
left and DR.. Cole, with great cere-
mony, attended him downstairs to
the door to take leave. She quickly
seized the box, which was upon the
table, opened it, took out the COM
mission, slipped off the olskin
coverings, and put them over the
pack OF cards, which she placed in
the box, while she put the COM
mission in her pocket. When the
doctor came back to his room he
had no suspicion Of what had hap
pened, but put the BOX again into
his cloak Dag, and next morning
set forth on his journey. He ar
rived in Dublin on boxing day,
and having notified his arrival at
the Castle, the Lord Deputy Fltz-
Walters summoned the Privy
Council to hear DR.. Cole mission.
The doctor made a long speech, in
which he explained the object OF
his coming, and then presented
the leather box with its contents to
the Lord Deputy. When the
Deputy opened it Tor the Secretary
to read the commission his sur
prise and DR.. Coles confusion
may be imagined when nothing ap-
peared but pack OF cards with the
kuave OF clubs faced uppermost.
he doctor assured the Lord
DuputY and the Council that he
had commission, but knew not
how or where it could be gone.
Then" said Fltz- Walters, "you
60 back for another commission,
and we will shuttle the cards in the
meanwhile. The doctor with
drew in great trouble OF mind, and
eventually made his way back to
England. Here he ~as soundly
rated and abused, and not till Oct.
I548 did he get the fresh commits
sion. With this. however, he dal-
lied some time before starting, and
Just as he was about TO sail Mary's
death rendered it null and void.
That is how at Christmas time a
pack OF cards saved Ireland from
the trouble Of persecution, and
why the knave of clubs was for a
long time known as "Ireland's
friend" Elizabeth Edmonds, who
burnt the commission, was soon
afterwards married to a man named
Mathershead, and Queen Eliza
beth, sending for the two to Court,
gave them a pension Of forty
pounds a year for "trumping the
trick OF her enemy" ."-Lk0yas
Weekly NezvgPabey.