The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-05-06

''Speakin' Of conscriptin' in Ireland
said my friend, Mr.. Patrick Murphy,
pressing few burning strands Of to-
bacco down into his pipe with a horny
forefinger, and fetching half a dozen
rapid puffs, ut would be hard for any
man to say how It would 60. An
1riShman Is aisy enough to coax, but
he's thrawn dlvil If yc 60 TO push
him. There's no rule. though. If you're
thrying to guess what an 1rishman'll do
the only thing We can be sure Of Is
that the divil himself couldn't tell what
he'll do. II he's put up again con-
scription he may fight again 1t, or he'll
maybe fight undher it: but, anyway,
sc may take your oath he'll fight"
Even II he was conscripted, pat?"
I asked.
mo matter how ye get him.. Look at
the Sim Feiners. The one half of them
went up 10 Dublin on Easter Monday
thinkin' 1t was for days outin's. an
yet when the row started the same
boys fought like Trojans. I'm tellin'
We this" said Mr.. Murphy with empha-
sis; III yet take fifty thousand Irish
soldiers, conscripted or not conscripted
an put them down torment double as
many Germans. the lives Of the same
Germans won't be safe"
but II they were conscripts would
they no have grudge against the Eng
lish. PATE" said l.
They might" admitted Mr.. Murphy:
but even so, still they'd fight. An III
tell YOU story about that. My brother
Joe's son, Michael, is a reporter on a
newspaper, and when the rebellion
broke out In Dublin. the proprietor
sent him off to collect news. Two days
expenses he gave him. an tould him
II he couldn't pick up as much infor-
nation In the time as would keep him
within from that to the next rebel
lion he ought to so back to the farm
in.
so there was poor Michael runnin'
about Dublin like a dog at fair.
thryin' to gather as many lies in the
time as he could manage. an gcttin' as
much ould smash from the sodgcrs on
the one side an the Sim Tciners OH
the other as made him wish he was
a German, an could knock he'll out Of
them both.
About the middle Of the first day.
when he was near asthray in the mind
between, Writin' in his wee notebook
arr duktn' bullets. an bctn' turned
back out of any safe place there was.
down near the Ulster railway station
he spots big red-faced, thirsty look
in corporal in charge of a handful OF
F1siliers. That's the man for me- he
says to himself. an over ne goes TO
him.
~ want to get the length Of Clon-
tart, sergeant says he. pullin' out a
two-shllin' bit. I hear there's big
fightin' out that way
"'Thcn ye can't co. says the cor.
poraL putin the two -shillin' bit in his
pocket.
H'Couid 1t not be managed sergeant
says Michael, whcedlin' him a bit I'm
reporter says he.
III ye were the Archanscl Michael.
says the corporal. 1t would be all the
same. My ordhcrs are too sthrict. But
il youn so round the corner there ye
might get through
who's in charge there? says Mi
chael.
"Thcy'rc q parcel OF mur,lhertn' Eng
lish swine, come over to dcsthroy the
dacent city Of Dublin says the cor
poral, very bitter. Bad cess to the da 3
I ever put their coat on my back
AN with that a Sim Feiner in a
green tunic runs across the street. an
tho corporal ny with his rifle an
knocks him over like Il rabbit.
AM I'll tell you another story" went
on Mr.. Murphy. Not long afther the
war broke out, an there was talk of
conscriptin' then. too, had big Barney
Hcrrigan workin' for me about the
yard. 4 bitther pill OF IL Nationalist
was Barney, an an Irish volunteer. an
could have ate Carson without salt
OF Il night nc used to take a pride in
walkin' by the police barracks whistlin
Who Fears to Speak of Ninety eight !"
an IL it hadn't been that the sergeant
had no ear for music an took it fol
Aud LANCE Syne, Barney d been In
Jail undher the Defense Of the Realn
before the war was well started.
Then he was promised to marry :
wee slip Of a girl that lives up the roat
q bit. Us soon as he'd save u bit d
money an had quit the dhrink. Sh'
was all the other way Of thinkin'.
hot one for Redmond, an all for Bar
ncy enlistin' off his own bat, an no
waitin' to be conscripted, even. Blu
Barney wouldn't hear of il. an s~or'
by this an by that he'd rather figh
for the Germans than the English an.
day My own notion was that he wa
no way keen on fightin' at ait: bu
the other was what he give out: ar
in the end he quarreled with the gir
over it.
But the more word Of Conscrirtlo
there was the more Barney was dis
turbed in his mind. till he got to be
common nuisance quittin' his work an
runnin' Until the kitchen when the pos
A