The Washington times., 1922-08-23

WILLIAM HARD can tell it now
In all its details, as Harry Boland
told II to me recently at Washing
ton. Boland, too, Is dead now, fallen
In the strife between Irishmen and
Irishmen. Boland said to me:
I'm going back to Ireland. Presi-
dent de Valera has sent for me. I'm
going back to vote on the treaty.
Things look bad. But they will all
come out all right. There can't be
any fighting between our side and
Mick Collins side. Why, Mick Col
Inns and l, we were the men that got
Valera out of jail at Lincoln"
And how did you get him out
Of the jail?" said I.
"I'n tell you" said Harry and
smiled a broad smile over all his
face. which was also very broad
and happy. "I'll tell you.
Man Who Could Draw.
Il was in Dublin. so was Mick
Collins. but DeValera was in Jail
In England at Lincoln. There were
a lot of Irishmen there with him.
And one Of them could draw pic.
lures very well. And one Of them
was a good fellow-a sort of God
bless-all-here' Irishman- who told
stories. And several of them were
mechanics who knew how to use
chisels and files. And they were
all good Slim Feiners.
And the God d-bless-allShere' Irish.
man started it all one day by tell
ing DeValera story. He said:
land Christmas is coming on,
and here am, and l think Of last
Christmas and of Christmas before
last and of where was then.
Christmas beforr last / was in Jail;
last Christmas l was out; this
Christmas l am back again. But
what a time / had last Christmas.
81 came to myself last Christ
mas morning, said he, standing
in front of the door Of my house
with a turkey grasped by the neck
in my left hand, and with my right
hand / was trying to put into the
little keyhole of my house door
the big key that had taken away
from the warehouse where l got
the turkey. And there 1 stood, till
the neighbors came by and took
the right little key out of my
pocket and put it into my hand for
me to put into my door. 1t was
good Christmas and it does me
some good to remember 1t now
HE laughed about 1t to De VAL
era and for him il was only n
|. Joke, but De Valera was very
thoughtful and ingenious man and
Il gave him an idea.
The Careless Priest.
There was an English priest
who used 10 come to the Jail to
say mass. and he was very loyal
10 the British crown. but he way
very careless with the key which
he used for coming in. He had no
sympathy with rebels against the
crown, but he left the key lying
about on tables.
so De Valera took the key and
he took some drippings from the
candles which the priest brought in
with him for the altar, where he
said mass, and with these drippings
De Valera made a wax impression
Of the key. And when the priest
had gone away with the key, De
Valera took the wax impression Of
A. to the Irish prisoner who could
draw pictures, and De Valera and
he devised a Christmas picture
card.
"This card was the tip that got
de Valera out Of Jail. 1t was beau
tiful.
"It had two pictures on 1t. In
one picture there was our friend
J with the turkey standing in front
Of his door aad trying TO put a big
kew into a small keyhole. AMI In
the other picture there was our
same friend standing behind his
prison door cell, again trying 10
nut a key into a keyhole.
Underneath the first picture
there was a line saying, Christmas,
i917--can't get in" And under the
second pictdre there was line
saving, Christmas, l91S-can't get
outr
'It was an innocent looking