A Boycotted Baby.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 60, 12 March 1887, Page 3

A Boycotted Baby.

AoKNOIKS which shape our lives olton begin their work long beforo we oursolvos appear on tho scene. Even co the lifo of this baby wa?,affdctcd by what took place two year? before his birth. In tho wiutor of ISS—a body of tenantry in ouo of the southern counties of Ireland appeared boforo thoir landlord and domanded a reduction of ront all round. Tho landlord rofusod to yield to

organised menace, but at tho samo time ofTored to consider each caso on its meritß, and grant a generouß abatement where tho tenant was badly off. The poorer men were ready to aecopt this odor; but the richer onea, the loodor ot tho Land League in tho parish, rejected it, and bado no ono pay any ront at all. Tho tonanfs turned to go, having made a virtual declaration of war. As they moved away from the house, however, argument waxed hot and voices rose loud among them Finally, a tall gaunt form detached itself from the main body, and James Doonegan was Been walking resolutely back to the house. " I'm come wid mo rint," said he to his landlord. "I've got it ready in me pocket, and I'll pay me honost debt, for all them. But I hope yell stan' by mo, eorr, an'soe ma safely through." The response wag tin instant pledge to do so, and the two men shook hands upon a frioncUhip which had bo t n their support through a hard and weary whilo.

Thin waa tho lirst of James Doonegan's offending. About twelve months, later, a man who hud n couple of gru/.ingtieldp, upon which ho speculated in sbeop, refused to pay hi* rout - which was eirmo yoars in iirroar—unices a largo reduction wero granted to him. Ho was notoriously woll nbl« to pay tho ront; but ho waa tho light-hand man of tho local Land League chief, and so, strong in thopiomiso of Land Loaguo support, ho rcsolvod to stand by his refusal. On tho othor hand, tho landlord, who hannover evicted a poor man, folt hound to accept the challongo and turn him out. That in to turn him out technically. Tho grazier should not bo turned out of his homo, sinco ho did not livo on tho land : ho dwolt undor tho roof of Mb employer, the Land Loaguo chiof aforosaid.

In tho fulness of time and of legal proceedings tho grazier wasovictod. Immediately tho fiat of tho Leaguo wont forth that the land should bo boycotted. No 0110 was to r:iko it, tho fences wuro to bo pullad down, ami cattlo wore '0 roam ovor the Holds in if tho land wore a common. Then came .Imnox Doonogan to his landlord, saying, "That bit o' land o.John Drover's just iits in wid 1110 own farm, an' I'll tako the fields nn' bo thankful to you if yo'll give 'em to 1110 " Tho astonished landlord warned him that if ho took tho land ho would bo boycottod "as sure as thoro is n sun in tho sky." " I Knows that well onouuh," ropiicd Doonogan, looking at his broad, bony hands. " Forhaps thoy won't stop at boycotting, oithor," suggested tho landlord. "Oh, I don't think ns they'll bo after doing anything very fevcro ncin' mo," was tho reply.

"Stand liy mo, and I'll toko tho land." Tho bargain wan -nado, and this was tho second offending of Jumen Docnegnn, Ho waa in frtuntly boycotted. I'ie nnmo was published in tho weekly " Black l.int," and from that day ho was shunned by ovorybody about him as if ho had a plague

But no, thoro waa ono person who still treated him with Christian fnondlinoss; und this was porhaps tho ono least likoly to do it. It was no othor than old Mm Drover, tho mothor of tho evicted grazier, whoso land Doonpgan wan punished for taking. She lived in a little cottago elope by, and was at this juncturo in flourishing circumstaaces. In hor character of mothor of an evicted man she was valuablo fir politica pirpo'oß Tho Land League dubbed hor "a victim," patriots declaimed about hor wrongs, and tho poor law guurdians voted hor £1 a week out-door relief. Sho wan noirly SO yours of age, and had bcon in ro coipt of :!s por wcok for ramo yoam past. But whon hor son was evicted uho got 17a moro ; and this, although her fon had not contributed anything towards her support for years. Moroovor, she was givon some ligjhfc work liy a neighbouring; Lnnd I-.euguo potentate, for which sho »na woll paid.

Tho day was now very noar at hand r/hon tho b'lby, tho horo of my «tory. was ex peeled to make hia nppi'aranro. Alter somo dillieulty, Mr Dooncgaa had socured (ho corvicca of tho local midvvifo. At (iret thin worthy per.'on rofuscd (o attend tho boycotted woman ; fo Doonegan consulted his landlord, who immediately diked of a wollknown association whethor it could supply emergency women as well as omorgoncy men. " Certainly," replied tho woll known association. No*-, whon tho parish midwife heard of this, eho took counsel with herself, and oduioJ to attend Mra Doonogan for tho customary-fee.

Oiio Htormy night in Novomber Mrs Dooncgan win Inkon ill, rind hor husband wont in *o,irch of tho midwife In vain did ho hammer at tho door, nnd in tho namo of all tlio -uints implore tho woman to romomher hor promiao and como to his t-uli'oring wifo. Not v poul in tho house would anhwor to Ma summons ; nnd Ooonogan Ihon learned to hi* yorrovv that tho 1 nnpio '.van unwcnipulnus enough to boycott

n woman in tho pangs of childbirth, and that womon could ho found lo obey Iho ilccron. Ho returned homo in holploss anger und anxiety, not knowing what lo do : fill tho doctor lived railed «({. Hif> poor uifo liad an idea. "Co nnd ask Mrs Drover fur to corao," p)io said: "Mrs ttrovor '11 conio to uio, in spito o' thim Liguprs." This was tho mother of tho evicted man, tho victim of thn natrict pintform, tho pet pauper of (ho poor-law truardianp. Nevertheless, old Mrs Urovnr went to her neighbour's apsistnnco, and in tho Hinall hours of tho morning a boycotted b div was ushorod into this disjointed world of ours.

Tho mows form sproad abroad. Mrs Drovora no locs, had beon midwife to a boycotted woman. Tho Nationalist potentate iJinniifsed hor from his employment with contumely : such as sho was not fit to tend hia patriotic poultry and food his Colticswine. Tho incensed'poor-law guardians instantly stopped hor outdoor relief. Not only did they stop tho 17<i which thoy had granted to her in her clnractrrof " victim," but they UkowK-e cut off tho 3a a weok that for years the had received in tho character of an a^od itnij ii'ifirm woman. Her blnod, chilled by eighty years of a hard lifo, boiled with anger ; and she wns heard to say of theso gand guardians, " Ie it divils intirolv they aro, wid their Lague* and Branches?"

The landlord and his wifo paid frequent vinits to tho lonely cottage, bringing comfort to tbo parents and woollon pooler for th.6 boycottod toes of the new-horn child. The hand of the League pressed hard upon tho Httlo family ; but thoy wore supported by friendly aid from several Eourcos, so that at length it, appeared to tho rulors of tho Land League that Dooncgun did not Buffer keenly enough undor his punishment, and more vigorous measures wero adoptod. One evening, us the Httlo family wore seated around tho hearth, the baby asleep in its cot, a euddoo crash of noise seemed to engulf them. " The chimney's fallin'," cried Mrs Doonogan, springing up in alarm. " Keep still," said her husband. " It's worse nor that, Botty ; it's a Bhot." Through nil that night the wretched tamily cowered in misery awaiting what next might happen. So shuttered wero Dooue gan's nervos by these hours of terrified watching that next morning, when he c;irne down to the Big House to tell tho master, ho trembled co much that he could scarcely make himself undoretood. IS'or need wo wondor at that Think of it ! A man unarmed, sitting with his wifo and four little ones in hi* cottage, his door without a lock, his window without a shutter, awaiting assassinatijn for others besides himself, perhaps. The police came, took the buckshot frotnouttho rafters and thatch, inspected tho place, reported tho outrage, and mado no arrests. An iron hut next made its appearanco, and the tiny kitchen wfta often enlivened by tho presence of tho men quartered thorn on protection duty.

Tho winter wore on ; the boycotted baby fhrove satisfactorily ; it gurelod at tho flash of tho policemen's bayonets, and stretched its aimless finpors towards tho attractive brightness of their riflo3. When ploughinp camo Doonegan was perplexed. Whero should he hire a eocond ploughhorse, or where, supposing be had two horses, should he turn for a man to lead tho toam ? In the dilemma he appeared to his friend the landlord, who not ouly gavo him one of bis own horses, butdrove thejtenm for him. Doonegan ploughed all day, nd his landlord led tho horses up and down the furrows until the field was dono. While thoy worked two armed police stood at the end of the furrow, lest some patriot or other should 6re at them a= they turned to plough on the headland. Ths Doonnjjans rjassed 'afelv tbroiijili the summer and the winter. Our hovcottfid baby, n person nn«e of widfi reputation, hurt roached tho "(.'o of e-iaritopii nnnths-a little toddlinp mito who had never seen any faces except t.hoso of its parents, the constabulary, Mrs Drover, and the landlord's family. To him tho world was all but uninhabited, and yet many neighbours dwelt near by.

It chanced that about this time the land lord went away to England, for a couple of months. Tho baby aoon after fell ill of dysentery, aggravated, it was believed, by an unsuitable diet < f yellow meal. Ii waa of grave importance that tho child should got white bread, and. that immediately ; but the master waa away, and the markot-cart of tho big house no longer mado its weekly trip to bring provisions from the town of X . In his distress Doonogan applied to the shops in the neighbourhood. Would thoy givo him broad? Not for himnelf—ho did not ask that—but for his child. In the name of God, would they let him have a loaf of bread for his sick baby? No one would soil him or givo him a crnmb ; he was boycotted, he and his wife and children. A faw loaves wore obtained irvo gularly from tho police and other friend? at a distance, but the supply fell.short and the child sickenod again and died. The farther went to a distant town for the tiny coilin. Not a soul came to the wake, nor was there a neighbour to bear a hand at the funeral. So the sorrowing man walked down from his mountain homo, two miles and a half to tho chapel, carrying, all alone, tho sad burden of his baby's little corpse, No ono would dig its grave in the buryinggronnd. where if in any oarthly spot there might bo peace. The father himself dug the grave, and with his kind-hearted priost standing beside him, threw in tho earth and raised up the graes-covered mound over hia child.

And hore ends tho story of an innocent baby who was boycotted before his birth, bnycottod out of this life, and boycotted after death in tho chilly eafety of tho gravo. But porhaps it may bo supposed that this little historiotto is an invention. That, however, it in not; neither is it merely "founded on fact." It is strictly true in every particular, this utory of tho unfortunato little Doonogan. — " St. James's Gazette."