The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-04-17

well then, tell those people there to
be sure to have their goats and cattle
off the public road, as Sergeant Han
ley will be down there some time to-
day; and I'll only have to summon
them if L find any of their stock on the
road"
"All right, sor."
Here's a penny for sweets. If / was
you I'd put it in the postoffice saving
bank, that's what all the young Han
leys do with all their spare coppers.
Run off now and be a good boy, and
don't let me ever catch you doing any
thing extraordinary or I'll put you in
the jug (goaD."
Sergeant Tam Hanley was the finest
specimen of an Irish policeman l ever
came across. Honest and open-hearted,
he never did a crooked thing to a sin
gle person during his twenty-siX years
of service. A policeman during my
young days was a position which in
CURED for the most part the odium OF
the people. They were looked upon
not so much as guardians of the peace
but the spies and instruments of the
landlords and government totally
adverse to the cruel wrongs of pow
erty-stricken people. What Ireland
has suffered in the past can never be
written. and the sad sights that
have witnessed in my young days, es-
pecially during eviction times, were
sufficient to draw the tears Of COM
niseration from a stone. ] have often
times seen as many as twenty families
thrown out on the roadside from the
home of the fathers in a single day,
and some of these people were old and
bedridden and suffering from the last
stages of that dread scourge, consump-
ton. The police and bailiffs were the
agents employed by the government to
carry out those cruel measures into ef-
feet and though the police had to obey
orders, still they loathed the task.
mostly all of them. The dirty jobs of
The landlords and government they
were obliged to do, and hence the
Irish people loathed the sight even OF
the uniform. There was no man felt
his position more than Sergeant Han
ley. The people knew this, and hence
he escaped that universal opprobrium
heaped upon the men in blue. When
ever there was to be seizure by the
landlord of tenants stock for rent,
ldanley always gave the tenant
quiet notice of it. and so the tenant
had always time to have his effects re-
moved out of the reach of the bailiffs.
Those, too. suspected of aGrarian
crimes he gave them a quiet hint to
keep still or clear out. as the eye OF
her majesty's government was upon
them, and if any young boy was being
inveigled into a secret society Haniey.
once he got information of the fact
went at once to Father Tom. and the
latter made things right. He always
warned the people beforehand of what
he was going to do.
These poor people are oppressed
enough" he would say, without l OPP
pressing them more.
He never did disa Sreeable duty UNI
less it was forced upon him. and then
he did it in such a gentlee way that
the sting was taken out of it.
IF / was not Jim Scully," says the
latter on ore occasion to the group
around him. Il would be Sergeant Tom
Hanley. Whin | have a little drop too
much taken, it's wonderful to see how
he trates me; he pats me on the back
like a child. an tells me to go home an
sieep il off. an that 1 never should
take anything stronger than water.
'Ye're not a bad fellow. Jim Scully.
wild all yer peculiarities, bud don't let
RYAN see yeh. or he'll arrest yeh for !
being under the influence.
| shall never forget a scene which |
in the village in which Ser |
geant Hanley played prominent part |
] referred in one of my former sketches !
10 an individual named Peg the Barge. |
She was the dreaded one of the village !
because of her scolding propenSities |
She was the owner of hungry flock of |
geese. and these geese wrought havoc |
everywhere they went. One evening |
they waddled down the village, and, /
Joe Cassidy's, the publican's,
yard, they made Their way TO his |
barn. and finding the door open they |
began to make free with fine heap
of oats They had q great deal of mis-
chief done when the irate Joe Cassidy |
found them. and he was about to vent |
his anger upon them when Peg the |
Barge made her appearance. She scold- !
ed Joe until she was black in the face,
and left him in his own yard like a |
wet dishcloth" as Jim Scully put it.
The latter called into Joe's shop a short
time after the occurrence. and noting
Joe's crestfallen appearance, asked him
what was the matter. Hearing what
happened, Jim said:
"And why don't yeh be even wud
her. Mr.. Cassidy
THE divil himself wudn't be able for
that woman, Jim Scully."
Nv I was yeh, I'd try at any rate,
Mr. Cassidy"
What do you mean. Scully?"
Nv yeh give me two articles. Mr..
Cassidy, an keep the matter secret,
I'll see that yeh get little satisfac-
ton out ov Peg"
TN give yeh anything yeh want,
Scully."
well, then, Mr.. Cassidy. I want a
stone ov oats an a quart ov whisky"
on the evening that 1 speak of, I,
With two or three other boys, were play
ng marbles outside the chapel gate
when we heard a voice pitched in a key
If anger give vent to this expression:
TN get the william that murdered me
geese hung as high as the Hill ov
Howth. an thin flayed alive an trans
ported forever an a day to Spike ISL
md"
Round the bend Of the street comes
/ group Of three persons. Peg the
Sarge, with the potstick firmly clutched
n the right hand, and Sergeant Han
ey's sleeve in the other. leads in a kind
If a Jog trot; then comes the poor ser
yeant and, to judge from his face, you
would imagine he was about to charge
Town the Valley OF Death" and then,
bringing up the rear, is Constable Ter
nee Ryan death on wires), with his
helmet in his left hand and his baton
n his right.
We gaze upon the group in wonder
IS to what was the matter, and then
With the curiosity of boys we take up
,ur marbles and at a reasonable dis
ance follow the excited trio; we were