TOOTH FOR TOOTH.
Colonel Stuart, in his “Reminiscences," relates the following curious and interesting story : “ Colonel C was one of the most gentlemanly and refined of men. He was handsome, and possessed a singularly perfect and beautiful set of teeth. On one occasion while stationed in Ireland, ho visited the small town of Anghrim, celebrated for a desperate battle between the troops of King William and those of James 11. The slaughter of tho Irish Kernes had been so great that pyramids were erected with their skulls.
“ Inspecting the skulls closely, Colonel C perceived remaining in one of them a tooth, which ho pulled out and placed in bis waistcoat pocket. “After this ho returned to the inn, and went to bod. About the middle of the night he dreamt that a man, dressed in the garb of an old hisli Kerne, entered Lhe room, and approaching the bed, said, ‘A tooth for a tooth,’at the same time putting his bands into Colonel C ’s mouth, and extracting one of his front teeth.
“ Dream or no dream, in the morning when Colonel C awoke the tooth was gone ! He had never suffered in the slightest degree from toothache, nor ever had a rotten or decayed tooth in his life. There was no pain or swelling in the mouth ; the tooth was simply missing. “All who had the pleasure of knowing Colonel C are aware that he was the very last man to attempt a practical joke ; and so annoying to him was the mention of tho above s'.ory, that he would not allow it to be spoken of in his presence. He told it, however, to a brother officer, and this gentleman published the story in a pamphlet in the West Indies, upwards of forty years ago."
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZMAIL18960423.2.19
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Mail, Issue 1260, 23 April 1896, Page 10
Word Count
297TOOTH FOR TOOTH. New Zealand Mail, Issue 1260, 23 April 1896, Page 10
Using This Item
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.