The Convict and the Soldier

by John P F Lynch

  John met with the Foreign Service officers again, advising him they had prepared a report on the eviction situation. The report would be handed to the secretary of their department.

  ¶

  The colonel decided to take his son to see another eviction of tenant farmers. John could not understand why he would subject a youth to these horrific and barbaric scenes.

  The troop left early on a wet and drizzly morning.

  No one could be looking forward to this day, John thought.

  The government officials and the constables were already waiting. When they saw the troopers arrive, the officials started to read the eviction notice.

  John was surprised that there was such a large crowd for a dismal day like this. He wondered why and he had his men assembled to be ready in case of trouble; he sensed it in the air.

  The first man came out peacefully but he could hear a ruckus from inside. Suddenly three angry men ran out, fighting with the constables. The crowd surged forward and surrounded the fighting men.

  The colonel rode straight into the crowd, his horse knocking people over and trampling them. There were screams of pain and fright.

  John ordered his men to dismount, and draw swords. Each second trooper moved in to surround the colonel and get him out of the melee. John led the charge running forward, grabbing hold of the colonel’s horse’s bridle. He pulled the horse out with his men surrounding the colonel and him. The other waiting troopers had drawn swords and ridden forward upon John’s command. He rallied his troopers to help extricate the constables from the fighting. The government officials had run to save themselves and stood with the colonel and his guard.

  The crowd moved back when they saw the troopers advancing. The constables were battered and bruised.

  The senior constable came over and asked John, “Why did the colonel charge the crowd? We could have controlled them.”

  John could not answer. He was as surprised as the constable at the colonel’s action. John rode back to the colonel. “Are you alright, sir?”

  The colonel just looked at him, said nothing then rode off with his son who had been sitting there, white faced, staring at his father.

  The troopers remained behind until the government officials and the constables had completed their distasteful task. The constables were angry; several of them had been injured, together with a number of the Irish family members and friends. They knew this Irish family would resist being ejected from their home and they were prepared for trouble. There was no need for the colonel’s rash action.

  John checked with the senior constable to see if he felt comfortable with the troopers leaving. No doubt the commissioner would want an explanation from the colonel.

  The colonel sat in his office looking out over the river estuary. He’d had enough of Ireland and Irish people.

  He thought back over his three postings to this country. His career was going nowhere, particularly now that he had been rejected for service in the Crimea. His actions early today still shocked him. He just could not understand why he had acted so irrationally. He knew he was an angry man but not irrational! It was time he applied to return to England and have a more predictable army posting.

  But these things didn’t just happen; he needed a plan. The plan would have to include obtaining the trophies captured from Colonel Monroe and now stored in his barracks. He opened his desk drawer, removed some sheets of paper and started to write.

  ¶

  A ship was due to arrive from Portsmouth on Saturday night, carrying ammunition. John had been charged with the movement of the consignment from the docks to the barracks. He knew the town well enough now to be able to plan the best and safest route to cart the ammunition.

  On Sunday morning, the cargo would proceed directly along the river road and straight up the main road of the shopping centre leading to the barracks. He was not too concerned about Irish rebels causing trouble. The speed of operation was the key to success. The security was such that the cargo would be moved from the ship as soon as the ship anchored and taken directly to the internal steel cell.

  The trooper knocked on his door and advised that the ship would anchor within the hour. He quickly headed to the docks and organised the barges to move to the ship to ready for the ammunition to be off-loaded. The wharf booms were out and their operators started lifting the cargo onto the carts as soon as the barges were tied alongside. Within two hours of the first load being lowered onto the barges from the ship, the entire cargo had been loaded onto the carts and was moving along the river road. The trip was slow and cautious, with troopers alongside the carts alert for any trouble.

  Dawn was breaking and John wanted to be back in the barracks by sun up. They continued up the main road through the barrack gates. They all heaved a sigh of relief when the gates closed behind them. The three entrances to the steel cell had already been opened to expedite the storage of the ammunition. John, together with the quartermaster, counted the boxes as they were unloaded and carried into the steel cage. The count was agreed and they each signed a duplicate waybill.

  When they were finished, John walked into the steel cage. Something wasn’t right? He scanned the cell and only after checking every corner did he realise what was amiss. The treasure box was gone!

  He said to the guard, “Where is the box?”

  “The colonel took it,” the guard responded.

  John ran from the cell and went looking for the colonel. He found him having breakfast.

  “Where is the box, sir?”

  The colonel put down his drink and looked directly at him. “I have put it in number one cell. The ammunition is more important and we are running out of space.”

  “But the security risk is much greater in an ordinary cell. I’ll make room for it in the steel cell,” John stated.

  “No, it stays there. I want no arguments. You will hold the only key,” said the colonel.

  John knew he now had a problem and did not like the situation in which he had been placed. He went back to the cells to check the guard. Just to be sure he opened the box to check the contents were still there, too.

  This cell also had the colonel’s son’s horse riding equipment. How many keys were there? It was hard to believe that there would only be one key for a jail cell. He discussed his dilemma with Lieutenant Brown who was second in command by seniority. Lt Brown agreed there could be a problem with security, so they decided upon a formal security procedure.

  ¶

  The commissioner of constables had not accepted the colonel’s explanation why he had charged the crowd when his men were arresting the Irish tenants. He had written to his commanding officer in Wiltshire, the regiment’s headquarters, about his dissatisfaction with the colonel’s behaviour and lack of concern for the safety and authority of his constabulary. They had been friends but the commissioner now blamed the colonel for his association with the customs fraud.

  The commanding officer’s reply was non-committal with only, “Trusting you may work well together.”

  ¶

  The colonel’s son’s visit was nearly at an end. He was due to return to boarding college and the colonel was busy arranging for the shipping of his son’s horse and riding gear to travel on the same vessel.

  John was assigned to travel to Galway to courier confidential documents and would be away for a few days. He and Miles left in the early morning and planned to stop at Maeve’s to say hello. It was a good day for riding and they made good time. He was pleased to be away from the colonel, who was totally unpredictable these days. Lieutenant Brown knew the colonel from his days in India and was able to tolerate his behaviour better then John and James.

  John was pleased to reach the Keoghs’ properties and wanted to see how Michael’s father was faring. He need not have worried as Maeve’s father was bright and breezy.

  “Michael will survive and do his duty,” said Edmund.

  John did not understand what he meant by ‘duty’. He wondered if it had
anything to do with the treasure box. He rode on to Maeve’s and was pleased to see her smiling face. When he dismounted she gave him a big hug. He was delighted with her show of affection and returned the hug. He felt like kissing her but was still unsure of Irish culture. He and Miles stayed for lunch then mounted and proceeded north to Galway. It had been a long ride and after they delivered the document, they headed south again and booked into a tavern for the night.

  The British Army had no presence in this district. Hence, they were not greeted with any accord and both could sense the enmity of the Irish. How he wished life could be different, particularly if there was to be a future for both he and Maeve.

  They left early the next morning on their return trip and, after a brief stop at the Keogh’s, reached the barracks in the afternoon. He was advised that the colonel was at the docks seeing his son off to England.

  John felt a nagging sense of dread. Would the colonel’s son leave without his horse equipment? He ran to the cell. The guard was still there doing his duty. John unlocked the cell door and then opened the box. It was empty. John sat down in shock.

  All the horse equipment was gone, too. The colonel had lied. He ran out of the cell, colliding with Lieutenant Brown in his haste.

  “John, what’s wrong?” John quickly explained the situation as he hurried to the stables. They mounted their horses and raced to the docks. They could see the colonel and his aide waving to a ship that was getting under way. The ship’s anchor had been weighed and its sails were being unfurled.

  The colonel saw them coming and took the belligerent stance of a guilty party.

  They dismounted and saluted. No one said a word for a few moments.

  Then the colonel said, “Well, why are you here?”

  John spoke, “The treasures have been taken.”

  The colonel took the high ground. “They were your responsibility. Find them.”

  “Sir, you advised me that there was only one key,” John answered.

  “We will continue this discussion later today.” The colonel turned away and looked at the ship sailing down the estuary. The two lieutenants mounted their steeds and rode back to the barracks to sit outside the colonel’s office.

  A short time later the colonel returned from the docks. “Show me.”

  They walked to the cell and John unlocked the door and opened the empty box.

  The colonel looked down at the open box and then up at John. “How do you explain this? You have the only key.”

  “Sir, your son collected his riding gear when I was in Galway at the Yorkshire Regiment delivering Courier Mail,” John replied.

  The colonel looked at him. “Anyone could have collected it for him days ago.”

  Lieutenant Brown now spoke up. “The guards have to record the name of everyone who enters the cell.”

  “Show me,” said the colonel.

  Lieutenant Brown went to the guard’s desk and lifted the lid which had a sheet of paper pinned to the inside. He looked at it and stepped back for the colonel to see. Lieutenant Brown then removed the paper and placed it in his pocket. The colonel went red in the face and started to pant with anger.

  He had seen his son’s name listed as the last person to enter the cell and it was dated yesterday, when Lieutenant Hall was in another county. How could he deflect the blame and get himself out of this mess? He had asked his son to smuggle the contents in a horse blanket. The treasures were now on the way to England. The colonel walked from the cell and then went to his quarters.

  The two lieutenants looked at each other and then walked to the mess to sit down to decide what to do next.

  The next day the colonel called both Lieutenant Hall and Brown into his office and with his aide as a witness, he read. “Lieutenant Hall, I am charging you with dereliction of duty in so far as you allowed treasures of the Crown to be appropriated by persons unknown.” The room went quiet. The colonel was trembling; he knew he had taken a path from which he could not escape.

  “By your leave, sir, we know that your son was the last person who entered the cell with a duplicate key,” said Lieutenant Brown.

  The colonel replied, “Gentlemen, please leave.” His aide stayed and when the door was closed he said, “Have you thought this through? Hall is very well connected and he has Brown’s support.”

  When the colonel did not answer, his aide then left the room to seek out the two lieutenants. He found them sitting under a tree, relaxed but not angry. He shrugged his shoulders and sat with them. They had forced the colonel into a corner and now had to decide the next step. Surprisingly, John felt that a door had opened.

  John could resign in protest and this would bring the charge to the attention of the regiment’s commanding officer in England. He could then fight the charge to clear his name. He knew that if he stayed in the regiment and brought down the colonel, his career would be over. No other senior officer would trust him.

  ¶

  John rode slowly down the road to Maeve’s cottage. He had given a lot of thought to what he would say and how to say it. He knew it would upset her but she must be told. Aunt Jane saw the horseman approaching and at first she didn’t recognise him, as he was not in uniform. She called to Maeve that John was there.

  Maeve stopped spinning the woollen yarn and went to the doorway. After the normal greetings, he asked if Maeve would walk with him. They were both nervous now. They walked towards the cliffs not saying a word. When they reached a low log overlooking the sea, John asked Maeve to be seated and sat beside her. He slowly told Maeve what had happened. He spoke accurately and precisely. He did not waste words. She listened intently and believed that she understood the anguish John was enduring.

  When he finished he looked at her and asked, “I hope this doesn’t alter our friendship.” He still felt badly over what had happened to Michael. Although he knew she realised that he could have done nothing to stop his arrest.

  Maeve turned to him. “Nothing will alter my feelings for you.”

  His heart lifted with this knowledge. He continued, “I must resign and return to the regiment headquarters to clear my name. I will then decide my future and I want you to be part of that future.”

  Maeve stood and looked down at him, suddenly shy. “I am only a simple Irish farmer’s daughter.”

  He stood up and put his arms around her. “Yes, I know but I’m in love with you and I want you to be my wife. Who, or what you are, is of no concern to me. I just want you.” He surprised himself with his burst of words. It was not supposed to happen like this, but it had.

  Maeve laughed happily. “Yes, yes, yes.” She flung her arms around him and kissed him. He responded, showing his deep love for her.

  “Let’s see my father; I’m sure he will give his consent.” They walked to her father’s farm and found both he and Aunt Jane there. She had guessed something important was to happen.

  John spoke first. “Sir, I wish to marry your daughter. May I have your consent?”

  Maeve’s father looked at John for a few seconds, then stepped forward and shook his hand. “Welcome to the Keogh Clan.”

  Aunt Jane then kissed them both.

  John explained his problem with his military charge and that it might take some time to resolve. But it had to be done.

  He walked Maeve back to her home and advised her he would seek the first boat to England. He would write often to keep her informed. He gave her his father’s address in Cumberland and asked her to write to him via his estate. They sat talking for a while, promising they would wait for each other, regardless of how long it took. They kissed, then John rode back to the town.

  When John reached the town he went to the docks to check on the shipping movements and he found that a sloop was sailing to Liverpool the next day. He saw the ship’s agent, paid his fare and returned to the barracks. In his quarters he sat down and wrote out his resignation and the reasons for his decision. Then he went looking for Lt William Brown.

  John knew William was
in the barracks as he was the officer of the day. He found him at the stables checking his saddle buckle.

  “William, I’ve decided to resign. I think it will be better all round, if I do. Will you please witness my letter?”

  William agreed to but suggested that John write two more copies so they could each keep a copy. Thinking this a prudent suggestion, John went away to make the extra copies.

  Later William witnessed the three letters. John gave him one to keep and he put a second copy in his own packet. Then he strode over to the colonel’s office. He asked the aide to take him into the office and to remain while he was there.

  The colonel had his head down and was working when they entered. Raising it, he asked, “Yes?”

  John saluted. He placed the letter on the desk. “Please accept my resignation forthwith, sir.” He heard the aide gasp.

  The colonel froze and did not speak. He had not expected that Hall would do this. He thought he would fight the charge at a court martial as a serving officer. He now had a more serious problem. He dismissed the young lieutenant with, “Thank you.” He needed time to think. He was going to Limerick within the hour and decided to let the matter rest for a day until he returned. He needed to consider the ramifications and then talk to Hall again regarding the charge against him.

  John intended to leave the barracks quickly. He went to his quarters and began packing. He laid his issue uniform out on his bed and had them checked off by the quartermaster, who gave him a chit acknowledging everything was in order and handed the pay due to him. He located Trooper Miles and told him about his resignation and to write to the estate if he ever needed his help. He was in his debt for his loyalty.

  After a few farewells, he left the barracks in the early evening. William and Miles drove him by cart to the docks. They shook hands, wishing him a successful journey and headed back up the river road.

  A ship’s dingy rowed in to collect him and his baggage. After meeting the captain and introducing himself, he went to his cabin and promptly fell asleep. It had been a long and somewhat difficult day. When he awoke the ship was leaving the Shannon River estuary under half sail to Liverpool.