The sun., 1916-09-24
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

Col. Corcoran met his death near Fair
fax Court House. Va. December %.
1858. by the fall Of his horse upon him
while riding with Gen. Thomas Francis
Measher.
lie was born In Cairrowkeei. County
Sligo. September 81. 1897. the son Of
a Captain In the British army. Ap-
pointed to the Irish c%onstabulary when
- he resigned IN 1sAs from motives
Of patriotism and came to New York,
where ne became a clerk in the Post
Office and later held q clerkship under
the City Register. Entering the Sixty
ninth Regiment a. a private ne rose
from grade to grade and became It's
Colonel in August. 1889.
Tor refusal to parade his regiment In
1860 In honor Of the Prince Of Wales
he was brought before a court-martial.
which vas still trying him when the
outbreak Of the civil war convinced
the military authorities that the nation
had better uses for n fighting freshman
than to try him.
On the first call for troops the Sixty
ninth went to the front. possibly a little
In front Of that. and Mt Bull Run Col.
Corcoran was captured and KEEP: In close
confinement for more thar n year. and
to add to the discomf6rts az prison life
re was ono o. the officers reserved for
execution in case the Federal Govern
ment should carry out it's announced
purpose Of executing the crews OF pri-
v~atecrs. Released on exchange August
10. 1853. he was commissioned Briga-
dier-Gcnerai Of Volunteers and organ
iced the Corcoran Legion. After check
ing the advance Of the enemy upon
Norfolk in tho spring Of 1858 the Legion
was assigned to the Army Of the Poto-
mac In August Of the same year. and
was a portion thereof AZ the time Gen.
Corcsran mot his death.
Several months 9 a question was
submitted a. 10 where the White Fort
was situated. and ] believe unanswered.
Tho White Fort and Fort Gansevoort
wcrc n and the same. and II stood
Just west Of the present westerly line
OF Washington street and midway be-
tween Gansevoort and Little West
Twelfth streets. the site being then on
the shore line and now 1000 feet from
the lu'khead. valentines Manual of
1s4'' In giving the location Of piers
places No. SO at Ganscvoort street and
No. % mt White Fort. Car YOU inform
us what part Fort Cansevoort ever
played or where mentioned in history?
!. w. V.
There = no little obscur,ty as to the
history ~ Fort G~ansevocrt. we'll known
TO old New Workers. a. "the old white
fort" The site was purchased by the
United states July 90. 1912. and sold
TO the city Of New York In 1850. II
would appear that at the time tho site
was purchased a Fort Gansevoort was
In existence. for on May 20. 1913. the
Common Councils committee on de.
fence mcmorislized Congress In these
terms: while We readily admit that
large expenditures have been made for
the erection OF Notifications in this
port. yet We are nj the same time con-
strained to state that tho important
works.at . Fort Gansevoort are
In a very imperfect state"
In August and September Fort Ganse.
WORT was completed by the same cnthu.
siasm OF voluntary labor which bull,
Fort Clinton ,thc later Castle Garden)
At the same time. Two cuts Of tho old
n low rectangular structure at the
waters edge. with seven cmbrasures on
tho river front. The other. a sketch OF a
baptism in tho North River. shows the
fort with water on three sides and sur.
rounded by open woods and having seven
embrasures on the southern face.
Can you inform me from what source
tho expression 'only a cock and bull
story" Is derived: S. G..
Its origin eludes all attempts at dis.
coyery. The anteceden; probability is
that IL arose from some old tale OF a
cock and n bull. Or. Brewer in his Die.
tionary OF Phrase and Fable says tina,
Il Is a corruption OF a 'concocted and
bully story
some years ago the London To Bit,
published Gin book form, "a Thousand
Answers to n Thousand Questions" II
which we read: The expression Cock
and bull story for an improbable state.
'nent appears to have been derived from
bulls issued by tho Popes. these docu
ments being SO named from the BULL
or seal attached to them. which bore III,
impression Of a figure Of st. Peter. nc,
companied by a cock. Hence after the
Reformation any tale or discourse tina,
was unheeded was on a par with q
Pope, bull. which was a cock and bull
affair"
Where was Guglielmo Marconi born
say that he was horn in ireland ano
married a Miss O'Brien, and that hi.
uncle was an Italian named BIanchin
who ran the first stage line through
ireland. j. Il. IL.
Mr.. Msrconi was born in bologna
italy. April rs. 1874. His mother wa.
an lrishwoman. He married. In 1905
the Hon. Beatrice o'Brien. daughter OF
the fourteenth Baron Inchiquin. Con.
corning his uncle We have no knowledge
What Is the meaning Of "franc-tireur''
W. II. NJ.
A franc-tircur 10 a civilian who &C
lively takes sides" who attacks 4
soldier or soldiers or docs some othel
act OF war forbidden to any but tn,