Twenty Years' Recollections of an Irish Police MagistratePorter, Frank Thorpe
History
Twenty Years' Recollections of an Irish Police Magistrate
Porter, Frank Thorpe
Crime -- Ireland; Criminals -- Ireland; Ireland -- Social life and customs; Porter, Frank Thorpe, 1801-1882
Two of my daughters had gone to make some purchases at the establishment
of Messrs. Todd and Burns, in Mary Street. They were engaged to spend
the afternoon at a house in Leinster Street. Rain was falling, and the
elder beckoned to the driver of a covered car who happened to be
passing. They got into it, and desired him to go to No. 14 Leinster
Street. When they arrived, the elder let her sister pass before her into
the house, and then she offered a sixpence to the carman. He declined to
take it, and said that she should give "the father or mother of that."
She asked how much did he demand? and the reply was "a shilling at
least." She then said that she would get half-a-crown changed in the
house, and bring him a shilling, but she added "that she would speak to
papa about it." "Musha, who is papa?" said he. "Mr. Porter," was the
reply. She went in, got the change, and came back with the shilling, but
he was gone. He preferred giving her a gratuitous drive to having my
opinion elicited in reference to the transaction.
A cavalry regiment, if I recollect rightly it was the "Scots Greys,"
occupied the barracks at Island Bridge in 1854. One day an outside
jaunting-car was waiting in the barrack-yard, and the driver was
standing on the step. He was a few yards from the quarters of a Captain
B----, who was reputed to have a private income of £15,000 per annum.
The officer was amusing himself with a little gun, which discharged peas
and leaden pellets by detonating caps with greater force than the
captain was aware of. He shot at the carman, and the pellet passed
through his overcoat and reached his back, giving him a smart blow, but
without penetrating the skin. The driver was looking round, and
expressing his displeasure, when he received a second shot, which,
striking the calf of his leg, lodged in the flesh. He instantly whipped
his horse, drove rapidly away, and betook himself to the Meath Hospital,
where the shot was extracted. He summoned the officer before me, and
when the facts were stated, I expressed an opinion that the act was most
unjustifiable, that a wanton and very severe assault had been committed,
but that I thought it originated more in a spirit of foolish fun than in
any wish to injure the complainant, and as it was a misdemeanor, the
parties might come to an understanding, which would render further
proceedings unnecessary.
The captain accosted the carman--"Will you take one hundred pounds?"
"Of coorse, I will, yer honor, and I'll never say another word, even if
you war to shoot me agin."
Two fifty-pound notes were handed to the delighted complainant, who then
said to me--
"The business is settled, yer worship, and I can only say that when I
was hit, although it gave me a great start, I felt satisfied it was a
_rale gintleman_ that shot me."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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