Transcriber's Note:
Obvious typographic errors have been corrected.
TWENTY YEARS' RECOLLECTIONS.
TWENTY YEARS' RECOLLECTIONS
OF AN
IRISH POLICE MAGISTRATE.
BY
FRANK THORPE PORTER, A.M., J.P.,
Barrister-at-Law,
AND FOR UPWARDS OF TWENTY YEARS A MAGISTRATE OF THE HEAD OFFICE OF
DUBLIN POLICE.
"Scire tuum nihil est, nisi te sciate hoc sciat alter."—Persius.
TENTH EDITION.
DUBLIN:
HODGES, FOSTER, AND FIGGIS.
LONDON:
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO., STATIONERS' HALL COURT.
1880.
PREFACE.
In submitting the following pages to the consideration of the public, Iam influenced by a desire to extend the appetite which is so greedy indevouring fiction to some morsels of fact.
Several of my narratives refer to incidents which, in their disclosures,might occasion disagreeable feelings to the parties or to their kindred.In such cases, I shall adopt fictitious names; but in all the detailsoffered to the reader, I shall include nothing which I do not firmlybelieve or personally know to be strictly true. To the former classmust be referred several anecdotes derived from parental lips, andreferring to years previous to my birth. In a theatre, the performersare neither applauded nor hissed from behind the scenes. The judgmentwhich they have to encounter is that of the audience. As a literarymanager, I shall leave each tragic or comic incident to the unbiassedopinion and criticism of my readers. I shall occasionally have toencounter the danger arising from allowing a great culprit to escape, ora virtuous and estimable individual to undergo [Pg vi]misfortune. In thisrespect the writer of fiction possesses a vast advantage. He can lavishevery worldly blessing on the deserving, and allot the direstpunishments to vice and crime. But when we have to deal with sternrealities, we may regret the occurrence of a fact which leaves guiltundetected and innocence in deep affliction. I can, however, safelyassert, upon the experience of a long professional and official life,that vice seldom attains to great worldly prosperity, and that worth andintegrity are rarely subjected to utter destitution.
It is difficult to classify anecdotes or reminiscences which are notconnected with each other. The course I propose to adopt is to laybefore my readers the narratives which I have derived from sourcesanterior to my birth, from lips truthful and occasionally humorous, butnow silent for ever. I shall reserve, as far as possible, my ownpersonal recollections for the latter part of this publication, in thehope that the amusement and information obtained from others, may softenthe critical reader to an indulgent reception of the portion peculiarlyconnected with myself. I may remark that some anecdotes in which my nameis introduced have been very extensively published in severalperiodicals. I accord to their authors my willing testimony as to theirgreat imaginative power, for in the statements concerning me there isnot one word of truth. My friend, Mr. Fitzpatrick, in his recentproductions of "