As
if he calculated that he was a free and independent citizen, that I
guessed he had learned those airs and that bearing in classic New York.
The next detachment had a brass band and some green favors and a green
scarf among them.
One of the clergy to whom I was introduced, volunteered to show me to a
position from which I would safely see the whole performance, which was
the auction of cattle for rent - I was quite glad to have the kind
offices of this gentleman, as without them I would have seen very little
indeed. As I passed down the street under the wing of the clergy, I was
amused at the innocent manner in which a half-dozen or so would get
between his reverence and me, blocking the way, until they understood I
was in his care, when a lane opened before us most miraculously, and
closed behind us as the human waves surged on.
The police officers and men were patient and polite to high perfection.
We made our way to the Court House, where the soldiers were drawn up
inside, crowding the entrance hall and standing on the stairs. It was
thought the sale would be in the Court House yard, in which case the
official offered me a seat on the gallery. As the building was low, the
long windows serving for both stories, it would be only a good position
if the cattle were auctioned in the Court yard. This had been done
before, and would be prevented if possible this time, as it was too
private a proceeding. Meanwhile I sat in the official room, the kitchen
in short, and waited looking at the peat fire in the little grate, the
flitches of bacon hanging above the chimney, the canary that twittered
in a subdued manner in its cage, as if it felt instinctively the
expectant hush that was in the air.
It was decided to hold the sale on the bridge, so I was piloted through
the military, through a living lane of police, through the surging
crowd, to a house that was supposed to command the situation, and found
a position at an upper window by the great kindness of the clergyman who
had taken me in charge.
It is something awful to see a vast mass of human beings, packed as
closely as there is standing room, swayed by some keen emotion, like the
wind among the pines. It is wonderful, too, to see the effects of
perfect discipline. The constabulary, a particularly fine body of men,
with faces as stolid as if they were so many statues, bent on doing
their duty faithfully and kindly. They formed a living wall across the
road on each side of an open space on the bridge, backs to the space,
faces to the crowd, vigilant, patient, unheeding of any uncomplimentary
remarks.
The cause of all this excitement was the seizure of cattle which were to
be sold for rent due to Cecil White, Esq., by his tenants, at the manor
of Newtown.
The crowd here was far greater than at Omagh the day of the Land League
meeting. The first roll of the drum had summoned people from near and
far in the early morning. I am not a good judge of the number in a
crowd, but I should say there were some thousands, a totally unarmed
crowd; very few had even a stick. There were few young men in the crowd -
elderly men and striplings, elderly women and young girls, and a good
many children, and, of course the irrepressible small boy who did the
heavy part of the hissing and hooting. These young lads roosted on the
Court House wall, on the range wall of the bridge so thickly that the
wonder was how they could keep their position. The crowd heaved and
swayed at the other end of the bridge, a tossing tide of heads. The
excitement was there.
I could not see what was going on, but a person deputed by the clergyman
before mentioned, came to bring me to a better station for seeing what
was going on at the other end of the bridge. The crowd made way, the
police passed us through, and we got a station at a window overlooking
the scene. Out of the pound, through the swaying mass of people, was
brought a very frightened animal. If she had had no horns to grip her
by, if she had had the least bit of vantage ground to gather herself up
for a jump, she would have taken a flying leap over the heads of some
and left debtor and creditor, and all the sympathizers on both sides
behind her, and fled to the pasture. She was held there and bid for in
the most ridiculous way. All that were brought up this way were bought
in and the rent was paid, and there the sale ended
There might have been serious rioting but for the exertions of the
Catholic clergy. Members of the Emergency Committee were particularly
liable to a hustling at least. The least accidental irritation owing to
the temper of the crowd would have made them face the bayonets with
their bare breasts. The police were patient, the clergy determined on
keeping the excitement down, and all passed off quietly enough. There
were a few uncomplimentary remarks, such as addressing the police as
"thim bucks" which remark might as well have been addressed to the court
house for any effect it had. There were a few hard expressions slung at
Mr. White which informed all who heard them that Mr. White was cashiered
from the army for flogging a man to death, that he had well earned his
name of Jack the flogger, &c.
