The sun., 1908-01-12


Dozen Finest In IreIAnd-HIs Horses.
UrsLIN. Jan. 1.-Richard Croker hai
turned his face eastward. He Is OF to
RE and Of the Pharaohs and will in due
course travel on 10 the fountain head OF
Christianity. the Holy Land. He goes
partly 10 escape the winter and partly 10
sep up his health. which is still robust
u spite Of reports to the contrary.
His going away, even though he will
be absent only until April next, has set
County Dublin folk talking and speculating.
Thev ask. What would We do n no went
away altogether"
When Mr.. Croker came 10 Glencairn ne
found the location one of exquisite beauty,
with i,s green fats and valleys and its
pnphltheatre Of blue hills. But the people
we're poor. Very poor. in fact. for the
,sma If husbandry had diminished and
the folks lived by whatever labor they
rlEht find. and that was scarce.
He came. He took the vacated resi-
aanco Of one of the Irish Judges. The old
residence has given place to what is looked
uccn ss veritable palace. Where for
r,erlv was a waste Of land ia now a smiling
and we'll kept countryside. and the former
roor peasants now consider themselves
trA richest i'm all Ireland
And why? Because the ~Roas' looks
rf-er them. II ia one Of his hobbies He
looks after them. and he does II hand
somsIv. Possibly not before his face.
bur certainly behind his broad back they
csl him the Boss" II Is their term OF
endearment.
Mr. Croker found a decaying country
aide here. He settled down in it and offered
employment where il was not to be had
before He made the waste places fertile
and he lifted the people up from want and
poverty 20 the independence that comes
from well paid labor
His kindness has not stopped at the
laoorers who work for him. Should man.
woman or child fall i'll within miles Of his
house Boss Croker's nurse" and his doctor
see that the trouble is remedied. and should
nourishment be needed Il is not wanting
from the moment he learns Of the fact.
Then there are charities. Ireland is full
If them. Sometimes Mr.. Croker is appeal led
'o sometimes he reads or hears Of the
charities. However il may be. IL the object
Is = deserving one il will not want for a
check from him
When the world famous Orhy carried
~ the Derby his owner received a deluge
of begging letters from hard up folk crav-
ing assistance Some relied upon their
written word, others-and they were many
sent along enclosures in the way OF pawn
tickets 10 show that they were 80 poor
that they had to raise money on their
property, even the tools that they depended
upon for their livelihood. Not carelessly,
hut sensibly. wasg the Croker relief dis
tributed. and Joy was brought TO many a
household and blessings we're called down
upon Orby and his master.
The friends Of Mr.. Croker who knew
him in New York would find in him at
flencairn the same characteristics, though
ln very different surroundings.
I came to him by appointment l covered
the few miles that separate Glencairn from
the seacoast along pleasant roads and went
through the magnificent entrance gate and
along the carriage drive.
Some workmen had been Telling timber
snd were dressing il. l passed on. when
one Of the knot Of men wearing a heavy
Irish overcoat and carrying a switch called
after me. turned. thinking il was a head
man, and in a moment realized that il
was the head man. II was Mr.. Croker
himself
round Of the Glencairn property. First
we entered the mansion.
II has been called one Of the half dozen
finest residences in all Ireland A colon
made Of Dublin granite, a house of the same
material with many angles. a huge square
tower with tall flagstaff topping all-that
is the mansion seen from the exterior. But
inside!
Many Americans have seen the interiors
of the royal palaces in England. They are
handsome; they show signs Of rich luxur-
lance, but on the whole il is questionable
II they are so desirable to live in a. the
Croker home.
From the entrance hall right through
The place is a wealth Of carvings. tapestries
and costly fittings The paintings that
adorn the walls are many and most Of them
suggest the chief hobby OF the master
sport. They represent the most famous
racehorses, past and present. and racing
Incidents.
Going into the royal palaces in England
one ia hlled with a sense Of extremely rich
coliness and stiffness. Not so at Glen
csirn. The place seems to say: This is
home; rich and rare home. but home all
the same A place Of rest"
Other rich Irishmen when building their
houses send over the seas for their building
materials Not 80 Mr.. Croker He was
determined 70 give all the local employ
rent he could, and so he ordered that all
the stone required should he quarried out
~ the granite rocks Of the mountains near
by and that only Irishmen should be en-
rl0ved TO dress it.
Hence the employment that set the district
oi Sandyford on its legs. At the same
time all about the house is not Irish. Much
there Is that came from America and a
leading American style was adopted in
the archI ecture.
Near by the house are huge quadraneles
of stables. In one of the squares are the
r7oehorses that have become famous. Orby /!
a. their head.
NJ horse in the world is better cared for. !
and now that he has got over his tendon |
trouble it Is a question il there is q feeter |
ar atter horse in all Europe Better |
now than when he won the Derby is Mr.. |
roAer's confident opinion. and there are |
many 10 back him up in it.
OnJhe door Of the stable is one Of the shoes !
worn by the horse during the race. and on
= golden plate is inscribed the name of !
= h@ horse and his owner and the proud |
In4. Winner Of the English Derby. 1907" |
hat Il unfair to Orby. He won the English !