Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-18

x x X
they believe was buried here by the
Irish priests to escape capture at the
time the palaces of Tara were looted and
destroyed. But they have never been
able to find any traces Of 1t.
In 1885, during the rebellion. battle
was fought on Tara Hill between a body
Of about four thousand Insurgents. COM
posed chiefly of young farmers and peas
ant lads from the neighborhood. against
nearly three thousand well armed troops.
who easily overcame them and put them
to fight.
The Tara Of Today.
The Tara of today is cluster of cot
tages, post office. police station.
blacksmith shop. a general store and the
inevitable public house"-the curse OF
Ireland. The usual group Of loafers was
sitting inside chatting with slattern
who sat behind the bar. It was a filthy
place and smelt Of split liquor and bad
tobacco. but. as usual everybody was
very polite to us. and when we climbed
out of the automobile q lame. round
shouldered. toothless old man came hob
bling up to us, crying in wheezy voice:
I'm the guide. I'm the guide! I'm the
lawful guide. yer honors, and I'll show
yez around"
He was so deaf that he couldn't under
stand US. and he mumbled his words 50
that we couldn't understand him. except
now and then a word. but he was so anx-
ious to be Of service. so eager to earn a
tip. that he would repeat everything he
| said again and again. until we were able
to comprehend it. With his crooked stick
he pointed the way across the fields and
we followed him. We wouldn't have got
much information. however. had not Mr..
| Wilkinson, the first citizen of Tara,
come to our rescue. He saw us as we
passed his house, which stands little
way down the road, and, as he explained.
"having nothing better to do and always
enjoying an opportunity to meet Ameri-
cans" he fortunately came over and
joined our party and gave US intelligent
and interesting explanations. He Is
rugged old gentleman, Is Mr.. Wilkinson:
and although more than eighty years OF
age, he ''can do as big days work six
days in the week and enjoy the Lord
day for rest as much as he did when he
was only forty" His great-grandfathers
as far back as he knows. like himself
were born in the cottage in which he
| lives. and I've seen things come and go
for many day." he said.
When Mr. Wilkinson had passed be-
yond hearing with the ladies the old guide
| to shelter and then in a whisper re-
| peated several times until was able to
comprehend:
"'E's the richest man in Tara and in
all the country roundabout. Els worth
| three thousand pun II 'e's worth penny.
| and e got it from is father before i'm.
He's a good man, too. and dunno what
we'd do ere without Mr.. Wilkinson"
From the Top Of the Hill.
They led us to the top Of the hill. where
we could stand beside the spot once occu-
,,k~ n1v af~o
| all Ireland spread out like cyclorama
| around US. 1t is one of the most beauti-
| full landscapes in the universe. There are
no mountains. except in the far distance:
there are no rocks or other ungainly OBJ
jects in view, but as serene and peaceful
and fertile a tract of territory as can be
found upon Gods footstool. Ireland is
the greenest country that ever was. The
| turf and the foliage have brighter color
| and a richer luster than those OF any
! other country. That. however. Is not
ago and has been disclosed by every son
| of old Erin that ever wrote poetry or
prose. But nowhere Is there such con-
vincing proof that the emerald Isle was
| appropriately named as is offered from
| the top of the Hill of Tara. You cannot
transfer the testimony Of the fields and
the forests to paper either with pen OF
a brush, and certainly not with type
writer. There are no words in the Eng
| lish language sufficient to convey to an
| other mind what the eyes can see of this
glorious landscape. and II Is useless to
multiply adjectives. Some SEE It's the
| place of the coronation chair" mumbled
the guide as we stood on the crest OF the
hill: some seq it's the kings chair. but
I calls it very commandin' spot
The Guides Comment.
| 1.-TWO years ago." he continued. "some
friend of Lord Dunsany came here: may
| be they have a son married to his daugh-
ter, dunno, but she was a very da-
| cent lady. She wouldn't walk any further
than the hall. and she seZ seq she. me
man. bide here with me, and I seq. see
I, Have no fear. me lady: sit here on the
soft sod and I'll go with his lordship. for
| people are always comm from Scotland
and Ameriky and 1 always shows them
! about. There's none else that can DO II
so well as meself.' And when they came
back his lordship gave me two shillin'
| and hes a vera dacent man."
Mr.. Wilkinson gave us some very Inter-
esting history and repeated many tradi-
tions and legends of the place. He told
us how many parties of archeologists had
been here. digging for the ark of the
covenant, and had found nothing but dirt
and stone. He took us through the mod
ern churchyard and opened to us the little
sanctuary where the Rev. Mr.. Handy
breaches every Sunday morning and bap-
| tizes into the Church OF Ireland the babies
| of Tara. that are very numerous in the
! short. narrow street. He told US that Mr..
| Briscoe was the largest landowner in the
| neighborhood and had inherited from sew
eral generations the sacred hill upon
which we stood. He had fenced in the
| remains to keep the cattle out and kept
down the grass so that the outlines OF the
ruins could be followed. Mr. Briscoe has
recently disposed of nearly all his hold
| ings under the new land act to his ten
| ants who occupy them. and now nearly
every acre within the range of human
vision from the Hill of Tara belongs to
| the man that tills 1t.
| Mr.. Barbazon Moore Of London is build
| ing a large mansion near by. and intends
| to make Tara his summer home.
After we had thanked Mr.. Wilkinson
| for his attentions, and parted with him on
! the roadside. woman put her head out
of one of the cottage windows and in a
stage whisper said:
Hes the best and the richest man In
Tara; he's worth every penny of $4,000"
| During the temporary absence of his
wife and while preparations were being
made for his removal to hospital be-
cause OF Ill health at Pittsburg yesterday
Charles w. Hamilton. assistant district
attorney of Allegheny county, secured q