Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-03-12
EaDay Treasure State Gold Cbbe Became Dictator Of Egypt

men then know that they would on
day be In the same Montana minini
camp-Meagher as acting secretary Il
the governor Of Montana territory anG
! Foley as a miner.
Patrick Foley spoke little Of his pas
. and it Is not known whether he lef
Ireland Of his own free win or wa.
exiled. More than likely the latter Il
true. His travels before he came Il
Montana are not known, but he ar
rived In the settlements in what Is nov
the southwestern part Of the state IN
1862 or 1858. Handsome, well-propor-
toned, and intelligent, he became i'm
mediately popular with the people OF
the mining camps, especially the Irish,
who envied his great record as soldier
/ for the Irish cause in the old country.
/ He was the finest type of Irish gentle
man, a man of good education ability
as an orator, and charming personality
In the words of one writer, he could
speak several languages, was fertile
in schemes and tireleSs in their execu-
ton" He possessed desperate kind
of courage.
Money Plentiful
There was money to be made In
Alder gulch when Patrick Foley ar
rived, and the genial Irishman made
his share. However, he was of the
school of thought which believes that
money is made to be spent and instead
of acquiring wealth he left his money
in the saloons and gambling halls of
the riotous gold settlements. He had a
glorious time and spent lavishly. He
felt that life was intended for some
thing other than the mere acquisition
of gold-"He often said he felt himself
destined for some greater destiny than
simply acquiring riches" Certainly he
was destined to give some Of the best
when they met him in battle on the
desert sands of North Africa
Patrick Foley had so much fun in
Virginia City that when he left that
settlement for San Francisco In 1865
he had scarcely enough money to make
the trip. But he was still in CORES
pondence with Irish rebel leaders and |
by hook or crook he got the money for |
passage TO Australia. Once there he |
joined his Irish friends and in various |
ways began to make life interesting /
for English authorities on the island |
continent. Said the Helena Independ- |
emit: HE is said to be one of those |
spirits who, possessed Of /
q peculiar genius for advancement, set /
themselves several years ago to the
task of gaining high places in various
countries in which England has great
interests for the purpose of being thus
better enabled to harass the hereditary
Oppressors Of Ireland. Prominent
among these men, besides Foley, are
Atwood, leader Of the Beers, and Dunn,
Who figured in the Zulu wars" Foley
met Dunn and Atwood in Australia
ALI three had been comrades in revolu-
ion in their homeland and with the
lelp Of other Irish exiles they set about
} deliberate campaign to undermine
English colonial power. Foley went to
Egypt, Dunn to the native tribes of
CENTRAL Africa, and Atwood to the aid
II the Beers in east Africa. In the end
u three failed in their missions; the
lulus, the Beers and the Egyptians
we're all defeated by the English, but
he Irishmen did their work well and
aused Sedate Queen Victoria, who was
hen on the throne, many a sleepless
light.
Worried English
The last Patrick Foley's Montana {
riends heard from him as Foley was [
Vhen, in 1867, he left Australia for
frtca. His plan of action after leav-
ng Australia is not known. How he
Von his way to the leadership of the |
Egyptians has not been told but by the !
ate seventies he had emerged as leader
thousands of nationalists. Bedouin
a
i'm and took the dress and the lam :
uage Of the desert jewellers. He rode
Ike a centaur and like a phantom :
e worried English enterprise in the .
alley of the Nile. He developed a :
affling system Of espionage through
hitch he kept in touch with friends in r
Ireland, Australia and Turkey. The .
nglish arrested hundreds in their a
fort to stop his correspondence. f
Foley became an intimate Of the
.hedive, who was secretly pleased to B
se the English made uncomfortable. c
Ie became so powerful that he was q
lade secretary of war in the Egyptian Q
abinet and when, in 1881, the Khedive
,st control of his government, Foley, G
r as he was then known, Arab Pasha !
ecame virtual dictator of the country. l
dctator with the power of life and
cath over thousands Of followers.
wo decades before he had been grub Il
ing for gold amid the sagebrush and &
,ck of Alder gulch. Montana. A
Arab Pasha really did better in his t
me than the celebrated T. E. Law E
nee did in a similar situation in