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LIBRARY |

 

FROM

The History Devar tment

 

 

 
Lorne university wiorary

lemoir of Rev. William Gurley, late of
 

 

Iwas living in the midst cf all the passis rents | remernber all

Loo Uy Geir Ffrgy
Cincinnati:
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, AT THE METHODIST,BOOK CONCERN
CORNER OF MAIN AND EIGHTH-STREETS.

kK. v, THOMPSON, ‘PRINTER.

1854
MEMOIR

oF

REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

LATE OF MILAN, OHIO,

A LOCAL MINISTER OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

INCLUDING

A SKETCH

OF THE

TRISH INSURRECTION AND MARTYRS OF 1798.

BY

Rev. £. B. Garlep.

EMBELLISHED WITH A PORTRAIT

Cincinnati:
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, AT THE METHODIST,BOOK CONCERN
CORNER OF MAIN AND EIGHTH-STREETS.,-

|, R, r. THOMPSON, ‘PRINTER.
1854
 

¥
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849,

BY L. B. GURLEY,
In the Clerk’s Office for the District Court for the District of Ohio.

 
PREFACE.

In presenting to the public a biography of my late
venerable father, it may be gratifying to the reader to
know the sources from whence the facts and materials for
the work have been drawn.

At the request of many of his acquaintances, several of
whom were ministers of our Church, my father spent the
summer of 1834 in committing to paper the most important
and interesting events of his life, from his childhood to the
close of the Irish Rebellion, and his subsequent emigration
to this country, thus bringing the narrative down to a period
within my own recollection.

This was done in a series of letters to myself. It was
his design to have had the work published then; but time
to prepare it not being at command, it has been unavoid-
ably delayed. From this manuscript, then, most of the facts
concerning him have been derived; and a large proportion
of the letters, in the form of extracts and quotations from
his manuscript, are embodied in this memoir.

The sanguinary scenes of the insurrection of 1798 are
drawn partly from this source, and partly from “a History
of the Irish Rebellion in the County of Wexford,” by Rev.
George Taylor, a Wesleyan preacher, who was imprisoned
at the same time with Mr. Gurley, and whose history was
published a few months after the close of the insurrection,
having been written on the spot.

Besides these sources of information, I am indebted
3
PREFACE,

further, for the facts recorded, chiefly to the following
works: ‘“Allison’s History of Europe,” “Plowden’s History
of Ireland,” “Life of Thomas Addis Emmet,” “Miller’s
History of England,” “Encyclopedia of Geography,”
“London Imperial Magazine.”

If it is thought that too great latitude has been taken, in
entering so fully into the political events of Ireland, I have
only to reply, that the manuscript of my father led me into
this field; so that I could not avoid it, without injustice to
the work. Moreover, as the lamentable convulsion of 1798
was the occasion of his imprisonment, suffering, and losses,
some account of it would naturally be expected, as insep-
arably connected with the history of his life. And it is
believed it will render the memoir not less interesting to
the inquiring reader. Many of the facts contained in these
pages may appear to reflect severely on the Church of
Rome; but if this be so, it is not the fault of the writer;
the active part which her clergy and adherents took in
those deplorable events, has long been recorded by the
historians of Europe. The readers of this work must
judge for themselves how far and how justly the honor
and reputation of that denomination are affected by these
transactions.

In preparing this memoir for the public eye, the author
has aimed chiefly at arranging and combining, with accuracy
and perspicuity, the facts derived from various sources,
mingled with such digressions and reflections as might give
variety and interest to the narrative. How far he has been
successful is for others to determine.

It is hoped, that while the reader may derive edification
from a contemplation of the piety, faith, fortitude, and zeal,
of one who has passed through various.and striking vicissi-
tudes of fortune, who was an acquaintance of the venerable
founder of Methodism, and whose life reached through
PREFACE. 5

almost a century, that he may also find much to interest
him, in the stirring scenes and tragic events of the far-
famed “Irish Insurrection.”

Tue AvTHOR
CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

Ireland the birthplace of Mr. Gurley—His ancestry and re-
ligious training—Wesleyan preachers visit his father’s—Wes-
ley’s care for youth—Death of Mr. Gurley’s father—Amusements
of early years—Love of the sea—Irish wakes and funeral rites—
His taste for reading—Fairies and apparitions—Religious im-

pressions— Commences family prayer—Reflections on early ©.

PLE Eyyiavavegsevestcasoyauentionbutcanacha athe: cave aauRecbibinevacnevenavarbaaiand dhateye Page 13

CHAPTER II.

William becomes an apprentice—Declines in piety—Class formed
in Wexford—Is reclaimed under a prayer by Mr. Wesley—Becomes
a leader—Sabbath duties—His acquaintance with Mr. Wesley—
Defends him from an assault—Wesley licenses him to preach—
Reflections on local preachers—Their benefit to the Church—Irish
conference invites him to travel—Reasons for declining—Moral
and religious state of Ireland—Experience of a mountaineer—An-
ecdote of Wesleyan preacher and parson—Mr. Gurley visits Eng-
land—Storm at sea—Joseph Benson—Death of Wesley—Rev. John
Miller and a highway robber—Mr. Gurley’s encounter with aruffian
at an inn—Commences business in Wexford—Catholic priest in a
dilemma—Relieved by Mr. Gurley—His marriage.............30

CHAPTER ITt.

Insurrection of 1798—History of Ireland—Cause of its discontent
and degradation—Commencement of English sway—Reformation
did not reach Ireland—Bad policy of England—Massacre of
Protestants in 1641—Avenged by Cromwell—Catholics deprived
of political privileges—Confiscation of estates—Tithes—Distin-
guished men born in Ireland—Irish clubs—White boys—Oak
boys—Defenders—Tragic death of Major Valloton—Epitaphs.. .59

CHAPTER IV.

Origin of the Society of United Irishmen—Its true character—
Alliance with France Treaty with French Directory—Memo-
rial by Theobald Wolf Tone—Oath of United Irishmen—French

7

4
8 CONTENTS.

expedition a failure—Prospects of a successful revolution and in
dependence....... eomesae cass bseratoyaeoveus auararstane aera Sis ", «Page 69

CHAPTER V.

Indications of rebellion in the county of Wexford—Plot of
Papists against Protestants—Catholic bigotry the cause of Ire-
land’s ruin—Proof of Catholic plot—Black test, or secret oaths—
Catholic priests take the lead—Alarming signs of rebellion—A
mark on the children of Catholics—Shrubberies gleaned for pike
handles siesisrsiscaee ene ss eae uesignre avomageaeiwiseie's serie wpe Grete 715

CHAPTER VI.

Dublin headquarters of Conspirators—Arrest of Leaders’ by
Government—Capture of Lord Edward Fitzgerald—His death—
Plan of attack on Dublin—Its defeat—Cause—Prospects of revo-
lution at the capital blasted—County of Wexford the centre and
vortex of Insurrection—Hypocritical conduct of Priests to blind
Government—Catholics take oath of allegiance—Their Memorial—
The Rebellion not a struggle for liberty—Arrest of B. B. Harvy—
Rising of Papists under priest John Murphy—Signal fires seen by
Mr. Gurley—Murphy’s men defeat cavalry—Death of officers—Boo-
key’s house attacked and burned........ i ipsnlavasesaictongiaveraiaiacesevemedOO

CHAPTER VII.

Sabbath morn—Murder of Rev. Robert Burrows and parish-
ioners—Death of Rev. Francis Turner and nine others—Wexford
in consternation—Mr. Gurley attended preaching at five o’clock
in the morning—Saw smoke of burning houses on his return—
Soldiers cut off—Battle of Enniscorthy—Troops fly to Wexford—
Situation of Protestants—Mr. Gurley’s house open to refugees—
His advice to them—Attack on Wexford expected—High spirits
of Murphy and the insurgents...........seeeeeeeeeee ivansisreds 91

, : CHAPTER VIII.

Camp on Vinegar Hill—Wexford surrendered to twenty thousand
Insurgents—Mr. Gurley and family on ship—Rebels enter town—
Murders—National Council established—Harvy appointed Presi-
dent and Commander-in-Chief—Citizens imprisoned—Mr. Gurley
seized and taken from ship—Set at liberty—-His account of a visit
to priest Corrin—Rebels attempt to shoot him.......... eee 100

OHAPTER IX.

Mr. Gurley put in prison—His description of it—Jail crowded
Imprisonment of Rev. George Taylor, a Wesleyan minister—Mr.
CONTENTS. 9

Gurley’s brother and brother-in-law brought to the prison—He
establishes prayer meetings in his cell—Extracts from his jour-
nal—Mrs. Gurley returns from ship—Her sufferings—Comes to
see him in prison—Fare of prisoners—Prisoners compelled to exe-
cute Catholic traitors—Dreadful alarm of prisoners—Remarkable
prayer meeting—His own account of his feelings—-Hymns sung
in prison............5 TERRE oer seeeeeesee. Page 111

CHAPTER X.

Progress of the insurgents—Division of the army—Battle of
Newtown-barry—Insurgents defeated— Battle of Gorey —King’s
troops cut off, and Gorey taken—Harvy’s camp—Sculaboge
House—Troops march to attack Ross—Proceedings in Wexford—
Cruel treatment of Protestants—Rev. Mr. Owen—his sufferings—
Jonas Gurley required to shoot a prisoner—Baptizing heretics—
Mr. Gurley’s mother—Martyrdom of Protestants on Vinegar Hill—
Narrative of a prisoner—Mfurders in cold blood sanctioned by

Priests .... ec ecee ace eeceee i Se veheeNwe sees ees Susanne 123
CHAPTER XI.
Battle of Ross—7,000 insurgents slain—Oath found in the
pocket of a Catholic...........-..-- SAGs Feels ewes 140
CHAPTER XII. =

Sculaboge house and barn—Thirty-seven prisoners shot, one
hundred and eighty-four burned—Their skeletons, an awful
sight—Remorse of B. B. Harvy at the sight—He predicts their
defeat—Catholics burned—Miss Ryan—A bagpipe player—Harvy
disgusted with the priests—Attempts to prevent murder—Is de-
posed, and a priest elected in his place—Speech of priest Mur-
phy—Priest Roach Commander-in-chief—His character and hy-
pocrisy—Priest Roach’s gospels or protections—Letter....... 147

CHAPTER XIII.

Battle of Arklow—Sergeaut Shepherd—Death of priest Mur-
phy—Insurgents routed—End and Character of Murphy—Dese-
cration of achurch—Abuse of Bibles—Persecution of Protestants—
Murder of the Hornicks—Conscious guilt of Papists—Singular cir-
cumstance—Rowsom shot by priest Kearns—Reflections...... 157

CHAPTER XIV.

State of Wexford—Imprisonment of Rev. George Taylor, trav-
eling preacher—Extract from his narrative—Furnished with food
by Mr. Gurley—His narrow escape from death at Gorey—His dress,
10 CONTENTS.

sufferings, and persecutions—He is prevented from praying in
prison—Prayer meeting in Mr. Gurley’s cell well attended—Happy
result therefrom—Conversion of a prisoner—His triumphant
death—Found afterward by Mr. Gurley on his knees in the
water—Arrival of King’s troops—Insurgents concentrate on Vin-
egar Hill—Troops under General Lake surround the hill—State
of things in Wexford—The death of all the prisoners announced,
to take place next day.....essseeeeeee cecceeeeeee ....Page 165

CHAPTER XV.

Morning of the 20th of June—Murdering band assembled by
Dixon—Black flag—Massacre on the bridge—Inhumanity of Popish
bishop—Murder of Mr. Gurley’s brother and brother-in-law—Mr.
Gurley led out to be piked—He comes to murdering band—His
feelings—How rescued from death—He returns to prison—Nar-
rowly escapes again—Rebukes « rebel officer—Affecting scene in
cell—Close of murders on bridge........ cecresesscccccenssslld

CHAPTER XVI.

Battle of Vinegar Hill—Defeat of the insurgents—Danger of
prisoners at Wexford—Rebel authorities offer to capitulate—Cor-
respondence of leaders—Insurgents evacuate the city—Mr. Gurley
and others during the night preceding the battle—Prayer meeting
all night—Prison shaken by artillery in the morning—King’s
troops enter the town—Prison doors opened—Transports of prison-
ers and friends—Meeting at Mr. Gurley’s house—Mr. G. seeks the
dead bodies of his friends—Temporal circumstances—He goes to
Dublin for goods... .secesee cece cece cece eee e ee eeeeeeenens 186

CHAPTER XVII.

Proclamation of General Lake—Waning prospects of insur-
gents—Leaders taken and executed—French troops land at Killa-
la—Proclamations of French officers—Failure of French expedi-
tion—Their surrender—Amusing address of the Mackamores—
«The Emmets ”—Close of Rebellion—Reflections............ 197

CHAPTER XVIII.

Alarm at Wexford on landing of French troops—Mrs. Gurley
goes to Dublin—Mr. Gurley concludes to remove to England—Re-
ception at Liverpool—Meets Dr. Coke—Resolves on emigration to
United States—Little son left in Ireland—Family reach New
York—Settle in Norwich, Connecticut—Methodism—Presbyte-
rians—Anecdote.............ccc cece eens alah aa derailer 213
CONTENTS. 1l

CHAPTER XIX.

Mr. Gurley removes to Ohio—Journey—First log cabin—Great
comet of 1812—Arrival at fire-lands—First sermon—Class form-
ed—Prairie on fire—First school —Bee-tree—New dwelling—
Scenery—War—Indian murders...........0cc ec eeeeees Page 219

CHAPTER XX.

Surrender of General Hull—Alarm of settlers—Scene at dinner-
table—Inhabitants meet at Fort—Burying goods—Journey—Night
in woods—Death of a child—Family reach Zanesville—Bishop As-
bury—Mr. Gurley ordained—Rev. David Young—Mr. Gurley’s
views of American preachers—Letter from Ireland—Arrival of his
son James—Meeting of mother and son..... die apaieveredeeate rcaidre . 234

CHAPTER XXI.

Mr. Gurley returns to Huron county—Improvement of country—
Circuit preaching—James Gurley becomes a preacher—Mr. Gurley
settles in Milan—His extensive labors—His second son converted—
Joins Ohio conference—Traveling and local preachers—Pattee and
M’Intire—Mr. Gurley ordained elder—His age and death—His
CHOTA CGR cis:02s swisiew vee we aeienineeeaiN gee Gavesiee sesrelacoeie's « 249
MEMOIR

OF

REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

CHAPTER I.

Ireland the birthplace of Mr. Gurley—His ancestry and re-
ligious training—Wesleyan preachers visit his father’s—Wes-
ley’s care for youth—Death of Mr. Gurley’s father—Amusements
of early years—Love of the sea—Irish wakes and funeral rites—
His taste for reading—Fairies and apparitions—Religious impres-
sions—Commences family prayer—Reflections on early piety.

TreLanp, or the “Emerald Isle,” as the Irishman loves
to call it, was the birthplace of the Rev. William Gurley.
Love of country is a sentiment natural to man, and common
to the inhabitants of every portion of the globe. But with
the Irishman the feeling has all the power of a strong
passion.

The appellation of Irishman, it must be confessed, is not
always a passport of honor; yet, who ever saw a son of
Old Erin ashamed of his country?

Robbed of its ancient freedom, oppressed, degraded, and
despoiled, as has been this unfortunate land—enslaved by
British domination, and ruined by the wretched policy of
its masters—yet, from every country under heaven where
may be found the Irishman, he turns his thoughts to the
home of his childhood with an affection which distance can
scarce diminish or time impair. And well may he cherish
such a predilection, for Ireland is a land of surpassing
loveliness. Her skies may not be deemed as bright as those

of Italy, England may surpass her in the grandeur of her
7 13
14 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

mountains, and America in the gorgeousness of her unshorn
forests and the magnitude of her lakes, yet the scenery of
Ireland is exquisitely beautiful. Her mountains are green,
her lakes pellucid; and if her rivers are not as large as in
some other countries of more ample dimensions, yet they
are proportioned to her territory, and wind with enchanting
loveliness through romantic parks and flowery meads. Her
high places are crowned with venerable ruins, ancient cas-
tles, and ivy-covered towers—the work of remote ages.
And if a country derives honor from the illustrious men to
whom she has given birth, then, indeed, few portions of the
civilized world could bear the palm from Ireland.

Wituram Gurey was born in the city of Wexford, on the
12th of March, 1757. Wexford is a populous town in the
south of Ireland, and a maritime port of considerable
importance. It is watered by the Slaney, a beautiful river,
which, after winding in silent loveliness through a rich and
variegated landscape, terminates in a spacious and beautiful
harbor at the city. The ruins of ancient churches and
abbeys indicate its former magnificence.

In the days of his boyhood a high stone wall, erected
at a remote period, surrounded the city. The place con-
tained nine thousand inhabitants, a large majority of
whom were of the Roman Catholic faith. The Protestants
were chiefly of the established Church of England. There
were some Dissenters.

Of the family of Mr. Gurley, the following account is
given from his own pen:

“As to my ancestors I can give but little information.
My father died when I was a child; consequently, I
was deprived from obtaining intelligence from that quar-
ter. At one time, when I was in Dublin, I called at the
heraldry office, to find, if possible, the family coat of arms,
and the original name, from those ancient records. I
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 15

ascertained that one James Gurley came over from Scotland
in the year 1100. Our coat of arms was a lion rampant;
the crest a lion’s head and neck; field, pearl or argent, but
no motto.

“My immediate ancestors were honest and industrious,
and of good repute. My father held a respectable post in
the naval department. He and all his relatives adhered to
the Church of England. My mother’s maiden name was
Chamberlain; her parents were of the Society of Friends.
Two of my brothers and two of my sisters were older than
myself. I had but one younger brother.

“My mother’s relatives, most of them, were wealthy.
Several of them emigrated to America when I was a boy,
and resided in the city of Philadelphia. Some of them
wrote to my parents, requesting them to send some of their
sons over, and they would establish them in business.

“But a voyage to America, in the days of my youth,
was like going to the ‘end of the world,’ and my mother’s
affection was too strong to yield to such a request. One
of my father’s relatives died very rich. He had a large circle
of heirs, and all received something. I have frequently
read a copy of his will; it covered half a quire of paper.

«The manner in which he obtained his wealth was often
the subject of amusing conversation in the family. On his
estate, which was small, there was discovered a very rich
mine, or rather deposit, of native silver. It was found in
lumps of various sizes, and frequently pure, as if melted
and purified in a furnace. All such places belonged to the
government. The law, however, allowed the owner of the
estate on which a mine was found, to have the privilege of
manufacturing from the precious metals any plate or utensils
for his own house or use, but no further; it must then be
shut up, or worked only by order and for the benefit of
government.
16 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

“The lucky owner of the estate made the best of this
law, by putting on its terms the most liberal construction.
He worked the mine for several years. There was scarce
an article of furniture about the mansion but was made of
silver—not only table plate, but even tables, chairs, pails,
tubs, fire furniture, grates, pokers, and every thing you
could name—even bedsteads, and banisters of stairs, and
carpet-rods, were constructed of the precious metal. The
mine was then closed. '

“Not long after all these things were broken up and
turned to cash, and thus he was made rich for life, and
enabled to leave all his relatives something. My father
received a portion, but it was not large.*

“We were all required to repeat our prayers morning
and evening. These consisted only of the Apostles’ Creed
and the Lord’s Prayer. At each Lent we were required to
repeat the Catechism of the Church.”

But, although William was thus early trained by his
father to observe and reverence the forms and rites of the
Established Church, yet he seems never to have imbibed for
them much veneration or respect. This was probably
owing, in a good degree, to his mother, who, as we have
seen, was of Quaker descent. She constantly inculcated
on his tender mind the doctrine, that the external forms
and ceremonies of religion are of little account in the sight

*I find, on investigation, that mines of both silver and gold
have been found and worked in Ireland. Native gold is found ir
the Ballin Valley streams. It was found in 1801, in grains and
masses. One lump found weighed ‘twenty-two ounces.

Robert Oarr, also, in his “Stranger in Ireland,’ observes, in
relation to a gold mine in Wicklow: “The discovery for a time
elated the breast of every Irishman. His country promised to
become another Peru. Gold—yellow, glittering, precious gold—
flashed before the eye. The shepherd left his flock, the husband-
man his field, the manufacturer his looms, and thousands deserted
their homes and occupations.”
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 17

of God—that he regarded the heart, and that we must be
“led by the Spirit,” and follow the “inward light,” in
accordance with the written word.

How almost omnipotent is the influence of a mother, in
shaping the character and destiny of her child! To this,
perhaps, under God, we may ascribe that independence of
thought and decision of character, which enabled Mr.
Gurley, in after life, amid persecution and the “scorn of
lying tongues,” to espouse the cause and sentiments of the
devoted Wesley, to which he adhered sometimes at the
peril of his life, with invariable firmness, through all the
vicissitudes of his long and eventful career.

Although the father of William was a member of the
. Church of England, yet his house was a home for the

Wesleyan preachers, in their early efforts to plant Metho-
dism in Ireland. He looked with concern and sorrow on
those clergymen and members of the Established Church,
who seemed to think they were doing God service by
traducing the characters and mobbing the persons of the
associates of the intelligent, zealous, self-sacrificing founder
of the Methodist societies, whose salutary influence on com-
munity was already apparent.

The first religious impressions of a permanent character,
of which William was the subject, were received at the
knees and beneath the winning smiles of the Wesleyan
preachers who visited his father’s mansion.

In his manuscript he thus observes: “Of my early child-
hood I recollect but little, as so many years have since
passed away; but this I remember well, that Mr. Wesley’s
preachers used frequently to be at my father’s house, and
at one of my uncles. They were very fond of me, and
would have me on their knees, and give me nuts and raisins
to sing hymns for them.”

The impressions of early ete are lasting; the weight
18 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

of a child’s finger might affect the form of an oak that
shall stand for centuries.

These men of God won the heart of little William. He
hailed their frequent return with demonstrations of joy.
Their gentle but solemn words sunk deep into his heart,
and laid broad and deep the foundation of a virtuous and
useful life.

The penetrating eye of the founder of Methodism was
fixed on the rising generation; and a special regard for the
instruction of youth was a prominent feature of his char-
acter. The associates of Mr. Wesley in ministerial toil,
were moving in the midst of ten thousand tender plants.
By gently giving them the right direction, they were to
grow up trees of righteousness; and, transplanted in differ-
ent parts of the world, they were to bring forth fruit to the
glory of God. .

It is not for the eye of mortal to penetrate the future,
and perceive the ultimate or even proximate results of our
efforts to do good.

It is probable that the good men who held William on
their knees, tuning his infant voice to the songs of Zion,
had but little expectation that that voice would wake its
melody in the deep forests of America, or that he should
he among the first to plant the cross in the wilds of a
western state—that he should live to communicate to
thousands in the new world the same blessed truths they
were communicating to him.

It seems to have been many years after the first society
was formed in Wexford, before a Methodist chapel was
erected. Private houses, and the street or fields, were the
places usually occupied by the early Wesleyan preachers.

A well- wisher to the cause opened his house for preach-
ing, the influence of neighbors, or magistrates, or clergy-
men, was often exerted to close the door upon’ them,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 19

There was a sacred contagion about Methodism; and pride,
and bigotry, and power dreaded its influence. The fire of
persecution was kindled around it; but, like the emblematic
bush of Mount Horeb, though wrapped in flames, it was
unconsumed. God was in the midst of the bush.

Mr. Gurley gives the following incident in regard to the
early establishment of Methodism in his native place:
“When I was but a little child, I frequently accompanied
my aunt, who was a Methodist, to her meeting. It was
held in a room on a back street. The house was owned or
leased by one Jonathan Morgan, who was a member of
society. It was a commodious place, and was fitted up
with pulpit and benches. Poor Jonathan had a rich brother,
who despised and hated the Methodists, who at that time
were deemed, by the rich and proud, as the dregs of man-
kind. To induce Jonathan to close the room against the
preachers, and quit the society, he offered to settle on him
an annuity of one hundred pounds, and pay it quarterly.
Jonathan was a poor man, with a family to support, and so
poor a mechanic that he could earn but little. The offer
was too tempting to be rejected; so he agreed to the
proposal; and then down came the pulpit, out went the
benches, and of course no preacher ever went to Jonathan’s
afterward. The annuity was only during his life; but
Jonathan died before the first quarter’s rent became due.
What an awful thing was this, to sell the service of God
and means of grace for money! and, after all, go into eter-
nity before he had received one dollar of his pay! His
wife Hannah proved faithful. Providence supplied her
wants in an unexpected manner. She was a member of
my class in her old age, thirty years after. Where the
preaching was taken, immediately after this, I cannot recol-
lect, but remember that the preachers were entertained at

my uncle’s house, and at my father’s.”
20 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

William was eight years old when the death of his father
occurred. The event made a deep impression on his mind,
and is thus described by his own pen:

“T recollect well the death of my affectionate father.
About an hour before he breathed his last, he called me
to his bedside. My mother and the other children were
already there, weeping. He put out his cold, almost dead
hand, and laid it on my head. ‘Billy,’ said he, ‘I am
going to leave you.” I wept. ‘Death calls me from you
all. Kneel down till I give you my parting blessing.’ I
did so. His hand still resting heavily on my head, he
opened his eyes, looked up, and said, ‘May my blessing,
and the blessing of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, rest
on and be with you, as long as you live! Be a good boy,
and obey your mother.’ After taking leave, in a similar
way, of each of the family, he remained a short time silent.
I stood by his bed all the time, and watched his motions.
Soon, like the patriarch of old, he gathered up his knees in
the bed, raised his hands, let them fall, and, without a
sigh or groan, breathed his last.”

The early boyhood of William was passed with little
worthy .of special record. His leisure hours were spent
among the rural hills that skirt his native city, or, as
was frequently the case, on the bosom of the sea, whose
restless billows washed the walls of his mother’s dwell-
ing.

He loved the water, and often accompanied the fishermen,
in their excursions, until he became expert in the manage-
ment of a sail-boat, and often ventured out alone miles from
the shore. One of his most interesting pastimes was, to
conceal himself behind green bushes, placed in the bow of
his boat; then drift out with the tide among the wild fowl
which, at certain seasons, frequented by thousands the
harbor, and, when sufficiently near, let fly with shot among
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 21

them; then, steering among the dead and wounded, bear
them in triumph to his home.

This familiarity with the sea, and the naval skill he
acquired, were of some service to him at times in after life;
especially on one occasion, on a passage to Liverpool, when,
by the unskillfulness or timidity of the captain, the ship
and crew came near being lost. The event belongs to a
future period in his history.

Sometimes he was permitted to go to a wake among the
peasantry im the suburbs. In one of his letters he thus
refers to these nocturnal assemblies:

“In the days of my boyhood the low Irish had a vast
number of vain and superstitious customs, which, though
latterly not so frequent, were then very common, and highly
esteemed.

« Among these were their funeral rites. When a man or
woman dies, as soon as the corpse is laid out, the house is
filled with friends and neighbors, especially if the deceased
was much respected or beloved. The company consists of
both old and young, who continue, with intervals, day and
night, till the interment takes place.

“The guests are supplied with plenty of snuff, tobacco,
and pipes. The long night is spent in singing songs, telling
stories, playing laughable tricks, together with music, and
sometimes dancing.

“ At twelve o’clock large dishes of bread and cheese are
handed round for refreshment. Then good malt beer and
whisky succeed, of which the whole company partake—
then to singing and playing again, till the sun sends all
home to breakfast.

«The old custom of crying for the dead was in common
practice. Generally some old women, who were noted for
their howling abilities, were hired for the purpose. Thesé
would gather around the corpse, fall on their knees, cross
22 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

themselves, and then begin to wail, cry, and screech, with
an earnestness that would make a careless observer suppose
them to be truly sincere in their sympathetic lamentations.
Generally, however, their eyes are not much bedimmed with
tears. In the midst of the pretended grief, they will stop
their wailing, and commence smoking, snuffing, and drinking,
and then return to their howling lamentations. Such is the
‘Irish wake,’ varying, however, somewhat, according to the
circumstances of the parties interested.

“If the deceased be a young girl, when ‘about to be
interred, the relatives of the dead pick out a certain number
of girls of nearly the same age. These are all dressed in
white. The fairest of them is then selected, and termed
queen. She carries in her hand a long, slender staff, on
the upper end of which is what is called a garland. It is
made of paper, fancifully trimmed with such flowers as the
season may afford. If the distance is not great, the young
maidens themselves bear the coffin to the church-yard.
When the grave is filled, the garlarid-staff is then stuck
in-the earth, at the head of the same, by the hands
of the queen; and there it rests till wind, and rain, and time
cause it to fall to dust; for it would be deemed sacrilegious
for any one to disturb it. When brought into the church-
yard, it is usual to carry the corpse three times round the
yard; and sometimes, to confer more particular honor, it is
carried round nine times, the people all following it, many
of whom repeat certain prayers at the same time. These
practices, however, were rarely observed, except by the
Irish peasantry.”

An American lady, who made an excursion through in
1845, gives the following graphic account of a wake which
she attended, which shows that the custom still prevails,
This one, it would seem, was among the “better sort” of
people:
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 23

“An aged woman, the mother of a shopkeeper, died
when I was there. Ninety years had whitened her locks.
She had been a useful mother—trained her children to
habits of industry, and lived to see them thriving in business
and respected in the world. On her tongue had been the
law of kindness, and her hands were always stretched out
to the poor and needy. From many miles round the rich
and the poor assembled. ‘Never,’ said one, ‘when I was a
slit of a boy, did I go on mornings to buy the loaf at her
shop, but she put a bit of bread in my hand to eat by the
way home.’ She was laid in an upper chamber, upon a
bed covered with white. She was dressed in a dark brown
frock, with white ruffles at the wrist. A square cloth,
fringed with white, was on her breast, with the initials of
the order of the “Blessed Virgin,” to which she belonged.
A neat white cap, with black ribbon, and a white handker-
chief about her neck, finished the dress. Curtains of white,
tied with black ribbon, were about her bed; and the usual
appendages of candles and consecrated clay, were at the
foot, with a picture of the Virgin and Child hanging over
her head.

“The house was large. Every room was occupied; and
though the attendants were gathering from neighboring
parishes, through the night, yet all was stillness, ‘In
former days,’ whispered an aged matron, ‘ye would not
see it so. Before Father Mathew put down the whisky,
it would frighten the life of ye. A bucket of whisky would
be on the flure, with a cup in it; and not a sowl of ’em but
would take the sup till their brain would be cracked. And
then the singin’, the jumpin’, and tearin’, till the priest
would be called in, with his whip, and bate ’em, till all was
quiet!’ Here was no liquor but cordials. A warm supper
in the different rooms was prepared, and every new guest
was invited to partake. At five a breakfast of steak, ham,
24 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

and fowl was prepared for the nearer friends, and those
who were to accompany the corpse seven miles, where it
was to be interred.

“The corpse was then put in a coffin of black, with the
consecrated clay about it. The family came in and gave
her the parting kiss. One servant, who had been a laborer
about the premises for years, went to the coffin—looked at
her for a moment—kissed her—then covered his face with
both hands, and burst into’loud weeping. ‘Well may he
cry, poor Pat,’ said a servant girl; ‘for many a good bit has
he had from her hand; and when I came to the side of her
bed, a few days ago, she said, “Do take care of poor Pat,
and see that he has enough to eat. I am afraid he will be
neglected when I am gone.”’ Poor Pat was simple.
These testimonials of kindness to the poor are precious
mementoes of the dead, and will be held in sweet remem-
brance, when the memory of the oppressor shall rot.’” (Ex-
cursions through Ireland, by Asenath Nicholson, p. 93.)

The education of William, under the direction of his
mother, was attended to with considerable care. His taste

. for reading was early acquired, and remarkably strong, and
continued unabated through life. Before he was fifteen
years old he had acquired a fine library of choice books.
History, biography, romance, and poetry were all devoured
by him, with the greediness of an epicure. As usual with
children, imagination predominated. The love of the mar-
velous was strong; and, in early boyhood, Robinson Crusoe,
Gulliver among the Lilliputians, and Bunyan’s Pilorim’s
Progress were read by him with equal interest and avidity.

His love of the marvelous found a further gratification in
the legendary tales of the days of St. Patrick; and in the
social circles there were stories of recent apparitions, well
authenticated, as was supposed. Mr. Gurley, in advanced
life, frequently referred to the strong belief of the Trish of
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 28

the last century in supernatural appearances; and he would
sometimes detail, for the entertainment of the fireside circle,
an account of some of those midnight apparitions, “whose
lightest word would harrow up his soul, freeze his young
blood, and make each hair stand separate and erect, like
quills upon the fretted porcupine’—tales which were at
once the charm and the terror of the nursery.

Ireland is remarkable for its fairies and goblins. The
middle and lower classes were firm believers in these noc-
turnal visitors.. Elfs and fairies were believed to exert a
mighty influence. They are described as spirits of puny
dimensions, but remarkably nimble. They usually meet by
moonlight in jovial companies, ride on moon-beams, and
dance in merry circles on the dewy lawn or church-yard
green.

Sometimes clad in the armor of knights, with helmet,
shield, and spear, they throng the air, bent on deeds of
chivalry. If an infant is pale, feeble, or sickly, it is fairy-
stricken. They are thought to be the friends of the honest,
the good, and especially of those who relieve the poor.

Dermoody, a young Irish poet of great promise, who
died in the morning of life, refers to these imaginary people
in a poem, which is exquisitely beautiful. The piece may
be found in some editions of ‘“Carr’s Stranger in Ireland,”
commencing with the following lines:

«Minions of moonlight, let my slow steps steal
Unseen and silent on your secret sports.”

When asked by the curious if he had ever seen a ghost,
Mr. Gurley usually narrated, with great gravity, the follow-
ing, which is here given from his own manuscript:

“When about ten years of age, I was sent, about
eleven o’clock at night, with a horse to a certain pasture.
I must, of necessity, pass through an old church-yard bury-

ing-ground, The large gate which led into the ground, was
3
26 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

fastened with a stone on the inside. I had to climb over
the gate and remove the stone. This was soon done. I
passed on a few yards between the graves, when, lifting my
head, I beheld—O, dreadful sight !—right before me stood
an awful spectre, all over white. It was standing on a
tombstone, and appeared to me to be ten or twelve feet
high. What couldit be? The horse saw it and started. I
now began to tremble and weep. I must pass within two
yards of the monster. I advanced a step or two, when the
spectre uttered a most unearthly sound, which made my
flesh creep and my heart throb. In profound silence, the ap-
parition now stared at me with eyes flaming like’two meteors.
Tears fell fast. It now occurred to me, that, as my father
and some other relations were buried there, perhaps they
would not permit the spirit to hurt me.

“Go I must some thirty rods further amongst the graves
of the dead. ‘God bless me,’ said I, ‘and keep me from
all evil spirits.’ Tradition had handed it down as matter of
fact, that between eleven o’clock at night and daybreak all
ghosts and fairies are permitted to go abroad. I may,
therefore, have credit for some courage for proceeding
in such a place at such an hour. I now began to think,
perhaps the ghost might have something to say to me.
So, summoning up all my courage, I determined to address
it in the name of the Holy Trinity. But, ah! the foul fiend,
when I came a little closer, suddenly leaped from its solemn
footstool, and I found it to be a huge gray goat, which fed
in the church-yard. My blood, which, a moment before,
was frozen with terror, now boiled with vexation at the in-
nocent author of my dreadful fright. Doubtless, most of
the apparitions which fill with wonder and terror the imag-
inations of the more ignorant Irish, are similar to the above.”

When about eleven years old, William became the sub-
ject of deep religious impressions. Young as he was, it
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 27

was his practice, frequently, after returning from Church on
the Sabbath, to take some religious book, and, repairing to
some secluded spot beyond the suburbs of the town, spend
some time in reading, meditation, and prayer. The follow-
ing is his own account of one of those excursions:

“One Sunday afternoon I went out about a mile from
the town. In my hand I had a little book of two ser-
mons on Deuteronomy xxxii, 29: ‘O that they were wise,
that they understood this, that they would consider their
latter end.’ Climbing over a gate, I sat down in a ravine
to read and pray. Here, while meditating and praying, my
mind was in deep distress. Suddenly I thought I heard
the sound of most delightful music, like the sound of many
sweet voices. I lifted up my heart to God, when, at once,
all my distress of mind was gone. I soon forgot all my
sorrow—my unbelief had departed—joy and peace filled
my little heart. Joyful in soul, time passed unnoticed by;
for when I looked behind me, the sun was setting; so I rose
and went toward home.”

The delightful change which was wrought on his heart,
evinced itself in the interest he now felt for others; for
he relates that, on his return home, when he came to the
brow of the hill which overlooks the city, he became so
much affected with the reflection of how many there were
there who were strangers to true religion, that he could
not restrain his tears; so, turning aside into a field, he knelt
down by a hedge, and prayed for the conversion of the
whole population.

On his arrival at home, he communicated his happy
change to his mother, and proposed to have prayer morning
and evening in the family. She listened to his proposal
with mingled emotions of doubt, gratitude, and astonish-
ment, and cheerfully gave her consent. This service he
continued to perform, regularly, until he went to a trade.
28 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

O, what a blessing is a pious mother! Had Mrs. Gurley, in
this case, met with a cold, repulsive answer this unexpected
offer of her little son, to erect an altar to the Lord—had
she reminded him of his youth and incapacity to perform,
in a proper manner, so solemn a service, the consequences
to him might have been fatal. It would be pouring, not
oil, but cold water on the holy flame which God had
kindled in his heart.

His mode of conducting worship was to read a portion of
the holy Scriptures, then, kneeling, offer up, in his own
simple and artless manner, a prayer for such things as he
felt or believed desirable and needful, concluding always
by solemnly repeating the Lord’s prayer. This was the
origin of a practice he continued to the close of life. The
repetition of the Lord’s prayer he was never known, in
family worship, to omit. How important that parents
nurse, with tender interest, the first serious impressions of
their children—giving all needful instruction—striving to
fan the promethean spark into a living flame!

It is a serious mistake into which some have fallen, that
very early piety is of doubtful character; whereas, it is
indisputably true, that many of the brightest ornaments of
our holy religion, in both Europe and America, were re-
markable for their early consecration to God. The cele-
brated Robert Hall was decidedly religious at ten years of
age; and when but a little past sixteen, was “set apart” to
the work of the ministry. Dr. Adam Clarke was early con-
verted to God. The learned and eloquent Mr. John Fletcher
was, according to his own account, converted when about
seven years old; and his wife, a woman distinguished for
her eminent talents and holiness, was intelligently pious at
about the same age. The first religious impress of children
should be sedulously cherished ; and if the flame, kindled in
their youthful bosoms, should prove evanescent, they cannot
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 29

say it was quenched by a parent’s hand; while the exam-
ples of Samuel and Timothy, and many other distinguished
and illustrious men, afford the highest encouragement to
parents to cherish the first budding of piety in the hearts of
their beloved and tender offspring.
36 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

CHAPTER If.

William becomes an apprentice—Declines in piety—Class formed
in Wexford—Is reclaimed under a prayer by Mr. Wesley—Becomes
a leader—Sabbath duties—His acquaintance with Mr. Wesley—
Defends him from an assault—Wesley licenses him to preach—
Reflections on local preachers—Their benefit to the Church—Irish
conference invites him to travel—Reasons for declining—Moral
and religious state of Ireland—Experience of a mountaineer—An
ecdote of Wesleyan preacher and parson—Mr. Gurley visits Eng
land—Storm at sea—Joseph Benson—Death of Wesley—Rev. John
Miller and a highway robber—Mr. Gurley’s encounter with a ruffian
at an inn—Commences business in Wexford—Catholic priest in a
dilemma—-Relieved by Mr. Gurley—His marriage.

Art the age of sixteen William became an apprentice to
the silversmith and jewelry business. His piety continued
with unabated ardor until he was nearly out of his time of
service, when, by mingling in jovial company, he, for a
season, brought darkness on his mind, and lost his “crown
of rejoicing.” He describes his state subsequently as very
dangerous and deplorable:

«After I was out of my apprenticeship, I was in a very
distressed state of mind. I seemed, at times, to be per-
fectly indifferent as to what God might do with my soul. I
remember, at one time, when it was thundering, and the
lightning flashing around me in an awful manner, I wished
to die, and even dared the Almighty to strike me dead. O,
the little worm I was, to dare Omnipotence! How true the
words of inspiration: ‘The spirit of a man may sustain his
infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?’”

In a short time, however, reason and conscience regained
their ascendency, and he renewed his covenant with God.
But, for some months, he walked in darkness, and had no
light. But he abstained from all immoral practices and
vain company, attended sacrament at the Established
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 31

Church, and sought the society of the religious; and when
any of the Wesleyan preachers visited the town to preach,
he attended the meeting.

Up to this time, it seems, no society had been organized
in Wexford, or, if so, it had ceased to exist; although the
local preachers, and occasionally the traveling ministers,
had preached there for years. Mr. Gurley always attributed
his decline in piety principally to the want of Christian
friends to take him by the hand, and encourage, instruct,
and comfort him, by their example and advice.

The benefit of Christian society to the young convert is
incalculable; without it, few, comparatively, who.. profess
Christ, would endure. It is of the highest importance that
the young Christian should cultivate the closest intimacy
with the truly pious, and unite with the Church as soon as
practicable. The youthful professor who refuses to unite
with the people of God, or is unnecessarily delaying that
important duty, stands on the brink of a precipice; he is
precisely where Satan wishes him to be; he is balancing on
the pivot of his destiny, and nothing but prompt and deci-
sive action can save him. He must enter the ark, or the
floods of rising temptation will sweep him away.

Soon after Mr. G. renewed his covenant with God, a
class was organized. In reference to the state of his mind,
and the formation of. a society, he gives the following
account:

“TI now began to revive, but it was to suffer. Truly the
arrows of the Almighty were sticking fast in my soul.
Remorse of conscience, beyond any thing I can express,
weighed down my spirits. From June, 1783, till April,
1785, none but God and myself know what anguish I
underwent.

«In September, 1784, a Mr. James Deaves, who had for
many years been a member of the Wesleyan society, came
*

32 MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY,

to reside at Wexford. He forwarded a request to the con-
ference to have regular preaching in the city. Accordingly,
the Rev. Thomas Tattershall, a traveling preacher, came,
and formed the society of ten members. I was the-second
who rose to join. I well recollect the questions proposed
by the preacher, and my answers to them. It may not be
uninteresting, at this distant period, to refer to them:

“ Question. ‘What are your motives for uniting with the
Methodist society ?’

“Answer, ‘I see myself a poor sinner; I desire salvation,
and wish to place myself under their watch-care and in-
struction,’

“@. ‘Do you believe in the present forgiveness of sin,
and the witness of the Holy Spirit?’

“A. ‘I believe the Lord Jesus Christ came into the
world, to give the knowledge of salvation and the remission
of sin.’

“@. ‘Do you believe in a further state of grace, to be
attained in this life?’

“A, ‘I do. The sanctification of soul, body, and
spirit.’

«“@. ‘Do you believe it possible to continue in that
state of holiness ?’

“A, ‘I do; for Christ said to Paul, “My grace is suffi-
cient for thee.”’

“@Q. ‘Do you believe it is possible to fall from that
state?’

“A. ‘Yes; for the apostle says, “Let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall.” ’

“I observed, however, that he questioned me somewhat
more particularly than he did some others; but of his
reasons for so doiny I was not aware.

“He found me in a deplorable state of mind; but he
was a loving and tender-hearted man, and gave me such
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 33

advice and instruction as my condition and circumstances
required.”

From September to the ensuing April, Mr. Gurley con-
tinued to attend class, and other means of grace. His
uncle Gird, though a Whitefieldite, was leader of the class;
but his mind was still in gloom and darkness, with occa-
sional glimpses of light and hope. But he knew there was
a state of peace, and he resolved to seek till he should once
more find his “crown of rejoicing.”

It was at this time that he first had the honor of forming
an acquaintance with the venerable founder of Methodism.
He had seen him and heard him preach when but a boy;
but now he was providentially permitted to meet with him,
and to find his labors a lasting blessing to his soul. He
thus refers to the occasion:

“ About this time Mr. Wesley passed through Ireland,
and the city of Waterford was one place to which he had
forwarded an appointment. Our preacher, Mr. Tattershall,
invited me to go with him there, and meet Mr. Wesley.

“We reached Waterford on Friday, and were introduced
to him at his lodgings. I remember well that a lady was
present in the room, singing ‘Wrestling Jacob,’ when Mr.
Wesley rose to meet us. He received me with the greatest
condescension—took me cordially by the hand. I cannot
describe what I felt at, that time. The hand of George IIT
would not have been a thousandth part as acceptable to me,
for I had always been taught to regard him, even from my
infancy, as the greatest and holiest man in the world.

“T had heard him preach in the court-house in Wexford
when I was but a child; but from that time I had never
seen him until the present. But length of years or distance
from him could never banish him from my mind, or abate
my regard for him; and now, that near eighty years have
passed over me, his memory is as dear to me as ever.
34 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

“Mr. Wesley gave us his company until tea was over,
then I had the pleasure of hearing him preach ; but his text
is forgotten. He preached again, the next morning, at five
o’clock; and at nine o’clock Mr. George Whitefield, who
was with him, held-forth.

“TI dined with Mr. Wesley, on Saturday, at Mr. Deaves’.
On Sunday, Mr. Wesley preached at the end of the Mall.
He stood on a table, and I sat at one end of it, at his side.
His subject was from the whole of the thirteenth chapter
of 1st Corinthians. It was a most able discourse—just the
same as is printed.

“We had also a love-feast on Sunday. To me it was a
time of great hope and expectation. It was hope believing
against hope; but the time of deliverance now drew near.
The love-feast was held in an upper room of a private
dwelling. It was the first I_had ever attended, and I was
excited, and greatly wondered at the speaking of the people;
but I could only sigh and mourn. A woman now burst
into tears, and requested Mr. Wesley to pray for her. She
and I kneeled down, and the venerable servant of God
prayed most earnestly for us both. I arose happy, full of
joy and peace in believing. I was all alive and all love,
and thought I should never know trouble or sorrow more;
but O, what have I since passed through! but still 1 stand
on the ‘Rock of Ages.’

“On Monday morning I went to take leave of Mr.
Wesley, as he was to be in Kilkenny that afternoon. He
shook me by the hand very affectionately, and bade me ‘be
faithful.’ Beside Mr. Whitefield and a Mr. Jackson, who
traveled with him, there were several other traveling and
local preachers present, and members from distant societies
assembled to bid him adieu, and see him depart. Tears
filled my eyes as he drove off, and I could scarce help
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 35

crying out, ‘My father, my father! the chariot of Israel
and the horsemen thereof!’ ”

Soon after this he was appointed leader of the class in
his native city. He had now an opportunity to improve
his gifts in prayer and exhortation, which he did with great
solicitude.

It now devolved on him, in the absence of the preacher,
to conduct the public service. This was done by reading
one of Mr. Wesley’s sermons, together with singing and
prayer. The following is his account of the manner in
which he employed his Sabbaths, and of his appointments
when in charge of the society:

“About two years after I found peace, a Mr. William
M’Cormick was appointed to Wexford circuit. He expressed
a desire that I should become leader of the class. This I
refused, urging that my uncle was so much more experi-
enced than myself. Still he insisted. But God soon settled
that question; for an old complaint which my uncle had
soon confined him to his bed. So all the business of the
society devolved on me. It was now I had to read, pray,
watch, and call on God for help. It was the next year, I
think, Mr. David Gordon was stationed on the circuit. We
then had a class of about thirty members. These were
again divided into bands. My Sabbath employment was as
follows: meet my band at six, and continue till public meet-
ing or morning preaching was over. At nipe o’clock came
home to breakfast. I then went to visit those members of
the class who were absent on the Sabbath before. I then
visited such families as were not opposed to us; conversed
with them on the subject of religion, and asked the privilege
of uniting with them in prayer. It was rare that any
objected. In this way whole families have been won over
to our societies. This would occupy me till Church time,
36 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

which was eleven o’clock. Here we would be detained until
one o’clock. From thence to meet my class. Came home
to dinner at three, which was our usual hour. After dinner
call on delinquent members whom I could not see in the
morning. Then, at five o’clock, go and meet a class of
British soldiers. Then come home to tea. After tea was
over, go to public meeting at seven o’clock, evening, and
stay till between eight and nine o’clock. So home to supper.
Thus, for years, have I spent my days with profit and
delight. Some days I have bowed my knees in prayer
twenty or thirty times—a most pleasing toil, indeed. Then
it was that my ‘winter nights and summer days glided
imperceptibly away.’ I had no care of worldly business
on my mind. My employers appointed me my work, and I
did it, without further thought or solicitude.”

The above is indeed a beautiful picture of industry and
happiness. Mr. G. was now not far from thirty. He had
not yet set up business for himself, and was still unmar-
ried. The method he pursued on the Sabbath affords some
light on what was expected of class-leaders, in the days of
early Methodism. The practice of making visits to absent
or delinquent members on the Sabbath might be imitated to
good advantage in many of our stations. The leader of a
class is, in fact, the pastor’s assistant, appointed to aid in
the pastoral work of admonition, instruction, and reproof,
in his absence; hence the propriety of their appointment
by the pastor in charge, who is held responsible for the
faithful performance of that work. Absentees thus visited,
if detained by sickness or family affliction, will be comforted
by the sympathy and prayer of their leader; while careless
or willful delinquents, thus promptly pursued, will either
soon reform, or cease to continue a burden and pernicious
example to the Church of Christ.

Another visit of Mr. Wesley to Ireland is thus alluded
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 87

to by Mr. Gurley: “It was, I think, in the year 1787 that
Mr. Wesley came again to Wexford. I had no idea that
he would know me, after two years,absence, passing, as he
did, among so many thousands of persons; yet, such was
his memory, that he knew me in the street—stopped the
coach—put out his hand, and shook mine with great cordi-
ality. He preached in a large room of the market-house,
and administered the Lord’s supper to the society. O, it
was a good time, and many were deeply affected. As I
was conducting him to his lodging, one evening, a drunken
Papist came up to us, with a thorny bush in his hand. I
saw it, and guessed his intention. The fellow presented
the bush to Mr. Wesley, saying, ‘O, sir, see what a fine
smell this bush has!’ ‘Begone, you scoundrel,’ said I, ‘or
J will knock you down.’ He drew back and went away.
When a short distance off, Mr. Wesley said to me, ‘Brother
Gurley, why did you speak after that manner to the man?’
‘Sir,’ said I, ‘if I had not prevented him, he would have
thrust the thorns into your face and eyes, wounding or per-
haps blinding you.” ‘Why would he wish to hurt me?’
said Mr. Wesley. I replied, ‘Sir, you know the devil hates
you, and of course so do his children.’ ”

Up to this time Mr. Gurley had never attempted to
preach, but had, before the society, occasionally given an
exhortation. His acceptability and promise were such, that
Mr. Wesley deemed it safe and expedient to authorize him
to expound the Scriptures. He says:

« At one time, during this visit of Mr. Wesley, Harry
Moore and myself were sitting together on a sofa, when
Mr. W. inquired of me the number and state of the so-
ciety. I told him, and also that on Sabbath I usually
read one of his short sermons, or half of one of the longer
ones. Mr. Wesley remarked that he believed his sermons

were the best extant for the societies. ‘But,’ continued
38 4
38 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

he, ‘brother, you will hereafter lay them aside, and speek
yourself to the people.” A word from the heart will reach
the heart. O, how it made me shed tears, to think that
he would prefer my weak babblings to his own elaborate
sermons! Thus I had the authority of one of the greatest
divines in the world to speak in his Church. I looked on
the world as his parish, and felt, as one of his sons in the
Gospel, I had a right to speak wherever I had opportunity.
I now applied all the time I could spare to the study of
the Bible, Wesley’s Notes, and Fletcher’s Works.”

Previous to this time Mr. Gurley had been deeply im-
pressed that it was his duty to preach. The word was as
a fire shut up in his bones; and several dreams, of a remark-
able character, tended to strengthen this conviction, The
request, therefore, by Mr. Wesley, came to him at the very
time when his mind was exercised on this subject, and he
regarded it as the call of God. Thus was Mr. Gurley
authorized to. preach. No written license was then given,
not even to the traveling preachers. But his name was
printed on the “plan.” He visited various places in Ireland
and England, and God gave him seals to his ministry.

The local ministry is an admirable feature of Methodism.
From the beginning local preachers have been powerful
auxiliaries in the work of spreading, defending, and sustain-
ing our doctrines, usages, and institutions. Nor are they
less valuable to the Church now than formerly. They are,
if possible, even more needful, not to say essential, to the
cause, as the Church progresses in numbers and influence.
A volume would scarce be sufficient to show their conse-
quence to our system. They have been continually the
pioneers of the Church, especially in this country. In the
village, the city, and the wilderness, they have generally
had the honor of preceding the itinerancy, in planting the
Rose of Sharon; and, in innumerable instances, have col-
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 39

lected the scattered sheep—brought others from sin to the
fold, and then, sending for the regular pastors, have given
them up to their charge. Through their labors, which are
wholly gratuitous, preaching on the Sabbath is kept up in
thousands of places where, else, there would be none.

The local ministry is a nursery for the itinerancy—a sort
of military school, where the youthful warrior is trained for
future toil and conquest. Such a state of trial is alike
indicated by the dictates of reason and the results of obser-
vation. Many, who, had they advanced at once from the or-
dinary vocations of life into the responsibilities, cares, and toils
of the regular ministry, would probably have failed by early
discouragements, have, by the trial of their strength and
the practice of their weapons in the local ranks, become, at
length, the brightest ornaments of our itinerancy, and able
leaders of the hosts of our Israel. The young warrior, in
the first moments of battle, may lose his self-possession.
The interest, and the novelty, and the terror of the sur-
rounding scene may embarrass him. He may fumble awk-
wardly for his arrows. His hand may tremble as he bends
his bow, and his arrow fly wide of the mark. But expe-
rience gives firmness to his nerves, and lightning to his eye,
and power to his arm, and he is terrible in war.

This arrangement harmonizes our doctrine and our prac-
tice. We hold that God calls men to preach the Gospel.
But what could we do with those who are satisfied of their
call, and give evidence of their qualifications, for whom
there is no room in the itinerant ranks? Thousands of such,
were it not for the local ministry, would be driven to other
Churches, or bury their talents. Moreover, many, whose
taste or circumstances would not allow them to become
traveling preachers, have, nevertheless, been in labors more
abundant, and through a long life, without fee or reward
from man, have. preached to thousands, in the city and the
40 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

wilderness, the unsearchable riches of Christ. In many
instances their names may be unknown to history, but their
record is on high; and in the day when the great Redeemer
shall make up his jewels, they shall be found in the ranks
of those who have turned many to righteousness, and
‘shall shine as the stars, for ever and ever.”

Mr. Gurley, though frequently solicited, never entered
the itinerant connection. About the time he was authorized
to officiate as a local preacher, he established himself in
business in Wexford, and, as it appears, was not willing to
relinquish his worldly prospects and give himself wholly to
the work. In after years he thought this was an error, as
the following extract will show:

“A new pair of preachers came to our circuit from the
yearly conference at Dublin. They let me know that con-
ference would find me horse, saddle, etc., and that a circuit
was ready for me.

“But no—I could not be persuaded. I had an aged,
feeble mother to care for, and a loving class to oversee,
several of whom were my own children in the Gospel, with
no one suitable for a leader. To abandon them, I could
not endure the thought. Besides, I had a good trade com-
menced, and several hands employed, and did not like to
quit all and throw myself for support on the feeble societies.

“Thus, I must confess, though not ignorant of duty, I
put it aside, and erroneously chose to be (one of those whom
Christ accounted not worthy of him—dne who would not
forsake father, mother, and houses, and lands, for his sake
and the Gospel. But were I young again, and had fifty
years to live, I would start at the first call.”

There was a period when the Irish Church was pure and
independent—free alike from the superstitions, corruptions,
and dominion of the Roman See. It is true, Pope Adrian
IV, in the twelfth century, in his celebrated bull, or letter,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 41

to Henry, claims them as of right belonging to “St. Peter
and the Church of Rome.” It is true that St. Patrick,
who was chiefly instrumental in converting the ancient Irish
from their Druidical superstition to the Christian faith, is
said to have received ordination from Celestine, a bishop of
Rome, in the fourth century. But it does not appear that
he considered this as at all binding him to allegiance to the
Church at Rome, or as restricting in any degree his free
agency as a minister of the Gospel. Nor did Celestine
attempt, on this account, to claim dominion or authority
over the Church of Ireland. Moreover, the Church of
Rome under Celestine in the fourth century, and the Church
of Rome under Adrian in the twelfth, may justly be said
to have been different Churches.

For nearly a thousand years did the Irish clergy assert
and maintain their independence. These were the palmiest
days of Ireland; and it was not until Rome and England
combined for the purpose, that the yoke of Papal jurisdic-
tion was forced upon her neck. From that hour her glory
waned, Her literature declined, and her religion became
corrupt.* The clergy now rapidly degenerated ; obsequious

*« That the Church founded by St. ‘Patrick in Ireland was truly
national, apostolical, and independent, is obvious from the testi-
mony of various writers upon Irish ecclesiastic affairs. To put
an end to this Church required the presence of a foreign army and
a potent invader, and the address and cunning of a practiced
intriguer—the boldness and power of Henry, and the fraud and
falsehood of Adrian ; to build it up required only the individual
zeal and devotedness of Patrick, and the force of truthy The
“national Church of Ireland fell before the united power of England
and Rome. These accomplices afterward quarreled, and have since
been contending for the prey, which in those days they succeeded
to entrap.

«The ancient Church of Ireland, like the Churches of the apos-
talic age, exacted no tithe, but was supported by the voluntary
offerings of the people. Its bishops, also, like the bishops of that
period, had, for the most part, ee over one Church or con-
42 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

to the Roman See, they sunk into ignorance and credulity,
and a vast mass of superstitious observances characterized
the great body of the people. Nor does it appear that the
partial success of England, in planting her Protestant colo-
nies there, much improved this state of things.

The state of morals and religion in Ireland, when the
Wesleys commenced their evangelical labors there, was
deplorable in the extreme. The punch-cup, whisky-bowl,
fiddler, bagpipe, and shilala, were universal and indispensa-
ble ministers of gratification on all public occasions. From
the carousals of St. Patrick’s day, or the drunken brawls of a
public fair, they crowded to the confessional and to mass ;
and then, as if borrowing new license to sin at the foot of
the cross, they returned with renewed vigor to their intem-
perance and debauchery. And if, among the higher classes
of the Catholic Church, there were some who did not stoop

gregation only. They were called choressis, cossi, or village or
parish bishops—or, generally speaking, what we should now call
rectors. Of these the number in Ireland exceeded three hundred.
These bishops, too, were mostly married men, as was the case in
the first Christian Churches. All these are the evidences of the
simple and apostolical character of the ancient Church of Tre-
land—a Church disclaiming human authorities, and acknowl-
edging no superior but almighty God.

“She possessed numerous colleges, where learning and religion
were cultivated; and with a generosity seldom equaled, she
afforded to indigent foreigners the means of support as well as
instruction. And when the ravages of the northern barbarians
upon the continent, and of the Danes in England, permitted a
breathing time, she sent forth, at every opportunity, men eminent
for piety and learning, to keep alive some seed of Christianity
abroad. The Church of Ireland extended her concern over all the’
Churches of Europe at this period, but assumed no authority over
them. She attended, also, to the interests of learning, and chiefly
by her zeal a number of colleges were founded on the continent;
and she continued for a long time to supply them with able, pious,
and learned professors. In England she was equally active; and
Alfred, if not educated in Ireland, as there is some reason to
think, knew how to value her acquirements. He invited and
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 43

to such degrading and debasing practices, they were the
few; while it is incontestibly true that such was the con-
dition of the masses of society.

The Protestant Church, as it regarded experimental
religion, was but little better than the Catholic. What
could be expected of the flocks whose spiritual shepherds
employed their time in drinking wine, playing at cards,
dancing, and fox-hunting, which were common amusements
with the clergy generally of that day? The Presbyterians
and Quakers were, indeed, more reserved and moral; but
even among them Scriptural holiness was little understood
or enjoyed. Ireland furnished a stony soil for the labors of
the Wesleyan preachers. In many places the Gospel seed
found no depth of earth, and perished where it fell. Yet,
spots of good ground were not wanting; and here an en-
couraging harvest rewarded the toil and tears of the laborer.
In most of the villages and large towns societies sprang up.

encouraged the learned missionaries of Ireland to bring into order
the Church and colleges of his kingdom.

“This was the age of Ireland’s glory, for it was the age of her
political and religious independence.

«The work of putting an end to her monarchy and destroying
her independence, was reserved for Henry; and by leaguing with
Rome, to her Church also. It is true, the popes had been busy in
Ireland before this period; but the little success which had at-
tended their efforts is, perhaps, the true secret of the bull of
Adrian IV, of infamous memory. This pontiff most likely con-
ceived that the readiest way to bring the Irish Church into obedi-
ence to the Roman See, was to urge Henry to the conquest of the
kingdom. He was right; there is a sympathy of slavery as of
freedom. When the spirit of a nation bows to a civil yoke, it is
predisposed to submit to ecclesiastical dominion. The dominion
of Rome was never fully established in Ireland till Henry was
declared her liege lord, at the head of a powerful army. The first
work of Henry, upon his invasion, was to procure a council of
the Irish Church. At this council the national Church of Ireland,
which had been free for nearly a thousand years, received the
yoke of Rome.” (Imperial Magazine, A. D. 1827, page 906.)
44 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

Yet there were many counties where Romanism wholly
prevailed, and scarce a Protestant could be found. But
even into those places, unpropitious as they were, the invin-
cible courage and strong’ faith of the early Wesleyan mis-
sionaries carried the standard of the cross, and won vic-
tories. Even the mountain Catholics, deemed inaccessible to
truth and light, were sometimes awakened, and brought
under the transforming influence of the Gospel of the
blessed. God.

Mr. Gurley gives the following account of one of those
“mountaineers:”

“J heard of an old man who had once been a wicked
Papist, but who,_as I was informed, had become a Meth-
odist. He lived far up in the mountains; so one day, obtain-
ing a guide who knew him, but who had not seen him for
many years, we set out to pay him a visit. It was some
eight or ten miles; so up into the mountains we went, and
found the old man and his Bible together. We had a good
time with him. He related to us his conversion, not only
from sin and Satan, but also from Popery.

“He was going, as he said, with his fiddle to a dance, to
play for the company. But, having to pass by the door of
a dwelling-house where a Methodist meeting had just com-
menced, he paused” opposite the door for a moment to
listen to the singing, and was so much interested that, with
his fiddle under his arm, he ventured into the house, and
took a seat near the door, that he might retire at any mo-
ment, if he thought best to do so.

“The prayer, which was warm, tender, and conciliatory,
pleased him, and he concluded to remain and hear, at least,
a part of the sermon. But, in the midst of the discourse,
which was convincing and powerful, he became so much
excited that he could no longer keep his seat. He rose up
and came forward toward where the preacher was standing,
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 45

ard cried aloud for mercy. Hé threw down his fiddle on
the floor, stamped on it, and broke it all in pieces, and never
went to a dance after.

“But he soon after went to a meeting, where he read his
renunciation of Popery, and related what God had done for
his soul. His brother, a Roman Catholic priest, did all in
his power to bring him back to Popery, and even threatened
to have him ‘cursed with bell, book, and candle-light.’ But
he replied to him, that he cared not a pin for all they could
do; he had found Christ, and he was content.”

To be excommunicated with “bell, book, and candle-light,”
as it is called, is, in the Roman Catholic Church, a most
serious affair.*

* A copy of an excommunication, found among the papers of
Philip Dunn, a Roman Catholic bishop, of the county Wicklow,
will afford the reader some idea of the terror it is intended to
inspire in the breast of Catholics, and gives melancholy evidence
of the revengeful spirit with which the authorities of the Church
pursue those who honestly differ in opinion with them. It is
taken from the British Imperial Magazine, 1823, p. 930:

“By authority of God, the Father almighty, and the blessed
Virgin Mary, of St. Peter and St. Paul, and of all the holy saints,
we excommunicate Francis Freeman, late of the city of Dublin,
but now of Sackmill, in the county of Wicklow: that, in spite of
God and St. Peter, in spite of all the holy saints, and in spite of our
Holy Father, the Pope, God’s vicar here on earth, and in spite of
our Right Rev. Father in God, Philip Dunn, our Diocesan, and the
worshipful Canons, etc., who serve God daily, he hath apostatized
to a most damnable religion, full of heresy and blasphemy. Ex-
communicated let him be, and delivered over to the devil as a per-
petual malefactor and schismatic.

“Cursed let him be in all cities and in all towns, in fields, in
ways, in yards, in houses, and all other places, whether lying or
rising, walking or running, leaning or standing, waking or sleep-
ing, eating or drinking, or in whatsoever thing he does besides.
We separate him from the threshold, and all good prayers of the
Church—from the participation of the holy Jesus—from all sa-
craments, chapels, and altars—from holy bread, and holy water,
and all the merits of God’s holy priests, and all holy men, and
from all cloisters—from all pardons, privileges, grants, and immu-
46 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

Many of the parish clergymen deemed the Wesleyan
preachers as fanatical enthusiasts, and intruders on their
rightful domain. The same bitter spirit which excluded
Wesley from the church at Epworth, and compelled him
to preach standing on his father’s tombstone, pervaded Ire-
land also. Ministers of the Established Church frequently
encouraged, and in some instances headed mobs to interrupt
and abuse Methodist preachers; but they were not always
aware of the men they had to deal with, and sometimes
come out of the affrays “second best.” The following is
related as a fact by Mr. Gurley, though he does not give
names or date:

“Ina town where there had never been Methodist preach-
ing, a mob had been hired by a Church parson to abuse a
Wesleyan preacher, who had sent on an appointment. The
preacher, who was somewhat eccentric, arrived, and, having
no acquaintance, put up at the tavern. The innkeeper,
who had been informed of the plot, urged him strongly not
to attempt to preach; ‘for,’ said he, ‘our parson has en-
gaged a mob to abuse and injure you; so pray do not
attempt it.’ ‘O,’ said the minister, ‘I must preach, for my
word is out, and the people will expect it; and, sir,’ contin-

nities, which all the holy Fathers, the Popes, have granted to them,
and we give him over to the power of the fiend; and let him quench
his soul, when dead, in the flames of hell-fire, as the candle is now
quenched, and put out; and let us pray to God that his eyes may
be put out in this world, as this candle is; and let us pray to God,
our Lady, St. Peter, St. Paul, that all the senses of his body may
fail, as now the light of this candle is gone out, except he come,
on sight hereof, and openly confesses his damnable heresy, and
blasphemy, and by repentance, as much as in him lies, make.satis-
faction to God, our Lady, &t. Peter, St. Paul, the worshipful com-
pany of thisChurch. And as the staff of this holy cross now falls
down, so may he, unless he recants and repents.

“Pum Dunn,

“Bryan Moorsz, Register.”
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. Au

ued he, ‘with your aid, I trust I will not be injured” A
table was placed out in a yard adjoining the house, and the
people soon began to collect.

“«Pray, sir,’ said the preacher to his host, ‘can you bor-
row for me a gold-laced hat?’ ‘Yes,’ ‘Now, can you get
me a large gray wig?’ It was done. ‘Have you a gold-
headed cane at hand?’ One was found. ‘Once more, sir,
and I have done: can you get for me a pair of broad
ruffles, and a snuff-box?’? These were procured. Thus
equipped, out went the preacher, wearing the big wig, hat,
ruffles, and cane. He strolled down to the church, and
walked for awhile leisurely among the tombs. The parson-
age was just opposite, and the preacher could see the
parson eyeing him through the open window. So, after
awhile, he walked slowly over, and knocked at the parson-
age door. He was ushered into the parlor, and sat down
with the parson.

“The preacher was a fine, portly figure, and a sheer, con-
versable man, and, as a stranger who had called for com-
pany’s sake, entered into an agreeable chat with his rever-
ence. In about half an hour, three of the mob came and
called to the parson, saying, ‘The Methodist preacher has
come; will you go with us to the place?” ‘By and by,’ said
the parson; ‘there is a strange gentleman with me now; as
soon as he is gone, I will be with you.’ In half an hour
more, three or four others came, saying, ‘Parson, the table
is out, and the people are colleeting.’ Again he replied,
‘I will be with you as soon as this gentleman is gone.’
They went away. It was not long before a third party
came. It was now time for preaching. The preacher said,
‘Parson, it may be you are engaged.’ ‘Why, sir,’ said he,
‘a vagabond Methodist has come to preach, and disturb the
parish, and I have employed some fellows to drive him out
of the place; and I promised to be with them.’ ‘O,’ re-
48 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,.

plied the preacher, ‘if that is the case, I will not detain
you; and if you have no objection, I will go with you.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ replied the parson; so they started to-
gether. There was a large concourse of people, but no
preacher, ‘Where is the preacher?’ cried one. ‘Ah, he
is afraid to come,’ said the parson; ‘he knows what he would
get.’ ‘Sir,’ said the preacher to the parson, ‘if you will
hold my hat and cane, I will go on the table a moment and
tell these good fellows what to do with Methodist preachers
if they ever come.’

“The parson charged the mob not to touch or hurt the
strange gentleman. It was not long, however, until the
parson threw hat and cane on the table, and ran away, cry-
ing, ‘That’s the preacher, boys, that’s the preacher; but
don’t hurt or disturb him, for I have pledged my word to
him.’ So the preacher finished in peace, and never was he
or his brethren disturbed there after.”

Authentic accounts show that, at a much more recent
date than that of which we are speaking, the Wesleyan
preachers and missionaries met. with no small persecution
in some parts of Ireland.*

* «Gideon Ouseley, Arthur Noble, and William Keys, at three
o’clock on Friday, the 21st May, 1819, which was the fair-day of
Killeter, a village near Stranorlar, in the county of Tyrone, drew
up on horseback before a wall, and the first-mentioned missionary
preached in the Irish language, which is chiefly understood by the
Roman Catholic inhabitants. In a little time, stones were rolled
down to the horses’ feet, from the people who sat behind on the
wall, and a considerable noise was made to drown the voice of the
preacher; and this noise was kept up by a fictitious quarrel among
the people in front. Mr. Noble being struck with a stone in the
head, a friend took his horse by the bridle, and led him out of the
crowd. Both his horse and Mr. Ouseley’s were then beaten with
sticks, and pelted with stones, so that they ran violently through
the people. Mr. Keys, who followed slowly, was surrounded and
stopped, and his horse beaten till it became ungovernable. The
girt broke—Mr. Keys fell to the ground, when the horse rushed
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 49

In 1791 Mr. Gurley went on business to England. It
was on this voyage, during a storm, that he found his
familiarity with the sea and nautical skill, before-mentioned,
valuable to him. -

“On my way,” says Mr. Gurley, “from Wexford to
Liverpool, we had like to be lost; for, on the second day,
we had a strong gale of wind rather against us. When out
of sight of land, a thick mist enveloped us, and wind and
tide drove us some miles down the channel. Ina few hours
the captain found we were driving on the coast of Wales,
but could not tell what part of it. On getting near the
shore, it was found we were in what was called ‘Carnarvon
Bay.’ I saw the captain order the cabin-boy to go below,
and bring him his best small clothes. < Captain,’ said I, ‘what
are you going todo? Are we to be lost?’ ‘ Yonder,’ re-
plied he, pale and trembling, ‘is a smooth place; I will run
her ashore there.’ ‘If you do,’ said I, looking him firmly
in the face, ‘we shall all be dashed to pieces in a few
moments. Captain, you must keep off; the sea will be
through the mob, and escaped. A Romanist who had been pre-
viously impressed by Divine truth, at a funeral sermon preached
by Mr. Keys, threw himself on Mr. Keys’ body, to shelter him from
the blows aimed at him; and another Romanist, who had occasion-
ally attended the preaching, took up the saddle, to preserve it.
These two friends were severely beaten with sticks. The saddle and
Mr. Keys’ hat were torn by the strokes of cudgels; but owing to
the fury of the attack, no effectual blow reached Mr. Keys. Those
that were not near enough to beat, threw their sticks at him; and
so many endeavored to strike, that they hindered each other. His
shoulders, however, were black with the bruises for some days
after. A part of the crowd ran after the other two preachers, who
were obliged to gallop for a mile to escape, and they rode for miles
without hats, till they got to a place of security. Those who re-
mained beating Mr. Keys, after some time quarreled among them-
selves, and beat each other. This opportunity was seized by some
friends to lead Mr. Keys about a mile off, to a place of safety,
where his horse had been previously conveyed and sheltered.”
(Imperial Magazine for 1819, p. 877.)

oO
50 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

more propitious than the land. Heave her round, captain,
and take courage.’ ‘O,’ said he, despairingly, ‘she will not
stay.’ ‘Down, then, with the peak; haul aft the jib sheet,
and let her wear round; the storm will not last long, and,
as the sloop is strong, we will do well enough. But if you
do run ashore, and we escape—mark my word, sir—I will
have you tried for not doing your best to save the ship and
cargo, and you will be liable to be hung.’ This seemed to
determine him to follow my direction. The storm subsided,
and we reached Liverpool next evening.

“J remember, when the boy went below for the captain’s
pantaloons, I went down also, soon after, for my money.
The poor fellow threw his arms round my knees, crying,
‘O, Mr. Gurley, are yon come with us to be drowned?’
This captain did not know a letter of the alphabet.”

In Liverpool he preached in several of the chapels, and
formed an interesting acquaintance with. several of the
earliest associates of the founder of Methodism.

He visited Birmingham, also, and led several classes in
both places; a work in which he greatly delighted at that
time. The following brief notice of this visit occurs in his
writings: “At Birmingham I first heard and saw Joseph
Benson. When J first saw him in the pulpit, not knowing
who he was, I wondered that conference would send such
an inferior-looking man to preach in so important a place:
1,500 people were before him. But Benson soon let me
know that he was better than he looked. I heard him three
times with great satisfaction. I observed that the hymn-
book, Bible, and pulpit, were in deep mourning for Mr.
John Wesley.”

The death of this venerable man produced a deep sensa-
tion throughout the United Kingdom. A star had set,
whose rays, for more than half a century, had glowed with
unrivaled splendor in the moral firmament. Of all the
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 51

distinguished reformers of the Christian era, none, since the
days of Luther, has been so extensively known and honored
as John Wesley. Thousands, it is true, have affected to
treat his name and character with contempt; many others,
who had too much sagacity to attempt this, while they dare
not deny his superior abilities, have endeavored to impugn
his motives, and, by groundless insinuations, to soil his
well-earned reputation.

Men of no mean parts have, from various quarters,
showered their missiles of wit, sarcasm, and truthless in-
uendos upon him; but, from this mass of rubbish, his name
has risen, unwounded and unsoiled, like the sun, emerging
in its glory from regions of clouds and vapors. He had
outlived many of the calumnies which at first were heaped
upon him; and even many who were his enemies while
living, at his death acknowledged that an extraordinary
man had fallen.

Possessing, as he did in an eminent degree, those qualities
of mind and endowments of nature which all mankind ad-
mire, superadded to which were the discipline, refinement,
and acquisitions conferred by the proudest seat of learning,
in the wisest nation of the globe, few, indeed, attempted to
assail him who would not have been proud to be his equal.
The clergy, some of whom were his most violent opposers,
could not but envy him his talents and influence. They
beheld in him the learned and accomplished minister of
Christ, possessing the intrepidity of Luther, the piety of
Baxter, and the tireless zeal and philanthropy of Howard.
How truly gratifying, after the lapse of a century, to reflect
on the results of the labors of this one man! It is true, he
worked as if he expected to move the world; and he did
it. To say that he foresaw that he was planting an eccle-
siastical establishment which should, within a century, em-
brace nearly two millions of communicants, extending their
52 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

influence to the ends of the earth, would perhaps be to affirm
too much; but he worked as if animated by a faith which
grasped in prospect these great results. And, if aught
transpiring on earth can enhance the raptures of the re-
deemed on high, what must now be the emotions of his
sainted spirit, as he beholds the spreading hosts of Meth-
odism still honored and blessed of God—foremost in the
van of all the hosts of Zion, in carrying the triumphs of the
cross throughout the habitable globe!

His fame is erected on an enduring foundation, and needs
no sculptured marble to. transmit his name to posterity. It
glows on the page of history; and the works he has written,
and the Church raised up by his labors, will remain to future
ages, memorials of his fame, more enduring than monuments
of brass or marble. His dust reposes in the church-yard
of the City-road Chapel, in London, where, during the year
celebrated as the centenary of Methodism, his monument
was re-edified and enlarged, under the direction of the
English conference.*

* The following extract from the Imperial Magazine, edited by
the celebrated Dr. Drew, of England, will show the care taken to
preserve his mortal remains: :

“When this justly-celebrated man died, in 1791, his mortal
remains were inclosed in a shell, which was placed in a lead
coffin; and this was deposited in one of oak, and committed to a
vault close behind the new chapel, City-road, London. Thirty-
seven years having elapsed since his interment, it was found, ona
recent inspection, that the oak had moldered into complete decay,
leaving the lead coffin quite exposed. To preserve this from
injury, and to secure the remains of the body lodged within, it
was suggested by the treasurer of the trustees of the chapel, that
another coffin, made of heart of oak, should be procured, in which
the lead coffin should be placed, and that this should be inclosed
in a sarcophagus of Portland stone, to be provided at their
expense. With a readiness that was at once honorable to their
feelings, and expressive of high respect to the memory of the
deceased, a resolution was instantly passed to this effect. A
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 58

Mr Gurley’s manuscript contains several anecdotes of
the early preachers. I will add only the following:

“Old John Miller, when a youth, was page-to George II.
When on Wexford circuit, in charge, he told me that on one
occasion, when he was traveling in the north of Ireland, he
was going to an appointment on his way to conference,
which was to be at Dublin. John was a good smoker, and
had a tin case for his tobacco and pipe. He had consider-
able cash with him in his saddle-bags, taking it to the con-
ference; when, at dusk, he was stopped by a big man, who
caught hold of the bridle-reins, saying, in a threatening
tone, ‘Your money, sir; I want your money.’ ‘Why, sir,’
said John, ‘I am a poor Methodist preacher.’ ‘I know who
and what you are well enough,’ replied the robber; ‘but
it is your money I want, and must have it.’ ‘But,’ said
John, ‘what I have belongs to the conference.’ ‘I care
nothing for you nor your conference; I must have the
Money; so give it to me instantly.’ A queer thought
crossed the brain of John. ‘Well,’ said he, ‘if you must

sarcophagus was instantly ordered for the purpose, of Mr. Cus-
worth, stone-mason, of Stoke Newington; and, on March 27, it
received the sacred deposit committed to its trust.

“The sarcophagus is seven feet long, and two feet five inches
wide at. the breast; its depth is nearly two feet. The sides are
two inches and a half thick; but the bottom and lid are three
inches each.

“To render this secure, the lid and sides have been perforated,
as in common wood coffins, and in the sides metallic nuts have
been lodged, secured by molten lead. Into these, when the lid
was laid on, long copper screws have been inserted, the heads of
which are also protected by molten lead. The sarcophagus,
now resting upon two blocks of Portland ‘stone, about six inches
from the floor of the vault, weighs about half a ton; and with
its inclosure, the whole can be scarcely less than one ton in
weight.

“The lead coffin within bears an inscription, that simply
records the name and age of one deceased, and the time when
e 5
.

54 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

have it, and there is no other way, so be it; but,’ said he
putting his right hand in his pocket and drawing forth his
tobacco-case, and throwing back the lid with a smart click,
“you must first take the contents of this.’ Seeing the mo-
tion, and hearing the click, which sounded much like the
cocking of a pistol, the robber dropped the reins instantly,
and fled; no doubt blessing his stars that he escaped with-
out a ball through his head. Miller put spurs to his horse,
and was soon out of danger.”

Mr. Gurley himself, in traveling, was sometimes in peril,
and on several occasions barely escaped from ruffians who

he died. On the oak coffin now crumbled into dust, formerly
stood a plate, which is now attached to the new oak coffin, bearing
the following inscription:
*©¢Jonannes Westry, A. M.,
Olim Soe. Coll. Lin. Oxon.,
Ob. 2do die Martii, 1791,
An. Ait. 88.’

“A copy of this inscription is also engraven on a large brass
plate, cemented by lead to the lid of the sarcophagus, to which
the following memorial is added:

seeTun CorFin
containing the remains of
THE REV. JOHN WESLEY,
being found in a decayed state, ~
was deposited herein,
March, 1828,
under the direction of
the Rev. John Stephens,
President of the Conference,
and
the Trustees of this Chapel,
Launcelot Haslope,
Treasurer.’

“The whole being rendered thus secure, the entrance to the
vault was closed, about three in the afternoon of Friday, March
28, 1828; in all human probability to be opened ho more, until the
trumpet of the archangel shall awaken to immortal life the tenants
who are lodged within.”
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 55,

assailed him. A letter, which detailed some of these
trials of his faith and patience, is lost. I shall, therefore,
only refer to one incident of this kind, which he has often
been heard to relate:

He was once traveling to Dublin, and put up at a country
im. The night was dark and tempestuous, and he was
glad to be seated comfortably by a blazing grate of coals,
in a room tolerably pleasant.

During the evening he commenced singing, in rather an
under tone, one of Mr. Charles Wesley’s hymns. He had
not proceeded far with it, when a half-drunken fellow, who
had been lounging on a bench, rose up, and, looking fiercely
at him, exclaimed, “By the holy Virgin, I believe you are
a d—d swaddler.” ‘I presume it is of no consequence to
you what Iam. I am a traveler and stranger, and do not
wish to be insulted in my own house, as I consider this, and
every public house at which I stop, to be.” “You are all
a set of bloody Orange men,” replied he, “and, by the
powers, if you say another word, I'll blow your soul to the
d—],” at the same time drawing a pistol, and cocking it
within a few inches of Mr. Gurley’s head. At this moment
the landlord, who had overheard the last words of the
scoundrel, entered the apartment, ‘and, perceiving the atti-
tude of the ruffian, struck his arm a blow which sent the
pistol across the room. He then seized the fellow by the
collar, led him to the street’ door, and, giving him a kick
and a push, sent him headlong into the gutter, to find a
home, as best he could, in the darkness of the night.

Mr. Gurley carried on a brisk and somewhat profitable
business in Wexford. He procured, from Birmingham and
Liverpool, the different parts of watches and clocks, in their
vough state, and had them set up and finished in his own
shop. He kept a good assortment of silver-plate and jewel-
ry, and had already acquired several thousand dollars, which
56 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

was chiefly invested in stock and wares. Theré was one
branch of his business which he attended to, as a matter of
course belonging to his trade, but which, in after years, he
severely condemned; namely, the manufacture of silver and
gold crucifixes and images for the Roman Catholics. But the
thing was common, and expected of all of the trade; so that
the error did not strike him at the time; but afterward he
has been heard to intimate, that the trouble he had endured
by them was, perhaps, but a just punishment, permitted by
Providence to come upon him for this error. The crosses,
etc., would have been of no value, being defiled with
Protestant hands; but, being afterward consecrated by the
priest, the defilement was removed, and they were deemed.
holy.

Mr. Gurley has frequently related the following circum-
stance, showing how his ingenuity was once taxed to accom-
modate a Romish priest: A consecrated silver urn had, by

‘the carelessness of the priest, become injured. Unwilling
to let the bishop know the fact, in much perplexity he came
to Mr. Gurley, to know if the article could be repaired.
He was informed that it could. “Bring it to the shop,
sir,” said Mr. Gurley, “and it shall be done.” “But, sir,”
said the priest, with evident consternation, “there is one
thing I forgot. Your hands will defile it. Have you no
Catholic workman in your shop?” “None,” said Mr.
Gurley; “but sure you can get the bishop to consecrate it
again.” “Yes, but I do not wish him to know that I
injured it.” Here was a fine quandary. The poor priest
was in trouble enough, and nothing less than the wit of
an Irishman could relieve him. “Ah, I have it now!” said
Mr. Gurley, looking in the face of the priest with an air
of triumph. ‘Do you, sir, give me your kid gloves; they
will not defile it. I can*wear them while repairing the
vessel.” It was a lucky thought. It completely relieved
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 57

the scrupulous ecclesiastic. The urn was repaired, and Mr.
Gurley was well paid for the job.

Mr. Gurley continued to reside with his mother, prosecu-
ting with diligence his business, and preaching generally on
the Sabbath, until his thirty-eighth year, when he was
united in marriage to Miss Susannah Beatty, daughter of
James Beatty, Esq., of Ballycannow. The latter was a
gentleman distinguished for enterprise, philanthrophy, and
integrity. He-possessed a considerable landed estate, was
engaged in mercantile pursuits, and had extensive flouring
mills. He adhered to the Established Church; but his
wife—a very intelligent and active lady—was a Methodist.
Mr, Gurley, according to the custom of those good olden
times, paid his addresses first to the father and then to the
daughter. The courtship was brief, and they were married
in the autumn of 1795. A sister of Mrs. Gurley, two
years her senior, was wedded, at the same time, to Mr.
Ralph Johnson, a worthy and reputable gentleman, who,
after passing through various vicissitudes of fortune, emi-
grated to this country, and closed an exemplary and active
life by a peaceful and happy death, near Sandusky City, O.

Mrs. Gurley, at the time of her marriage, was but seven-
teen years of age. She had been baptized and confirmed
in the Church of England, but was not a professor of
religion; but she was seriously disposed, and soon became
a member of the society. She continued inquiring the way
to Zion, with her face thitherward, until she became a happy
subject of God’s renewing grace, and ever after gave the
clearest evidence of being a conscientious disciple of Christ.
There were twenty years difference in their ages. So great
a disparity is not, it is thought, generally favorable to con-
jugal felicity. But Mr. Gurley always appeared at least
ten years younger than he was. A fair complexion, glowing
cheek, with a lively step, and cheerful, facetious air, carried
58 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

the index of youth into riper years. Their union was cordial
and happy; and the changes and vicissitudes of over half
a century contributed only to cement and strengthen mu-
tual love. Soon after their marriage they commenced
housekeeping in Wexford, enjoying peace and prosperity,
until their tranquility was interrupted by the dreadful events
of the Irish insurrection, which threw a dark eclipse over
their sky, and was the commencement of years of care,
solicitude, and trouble. We have now reached a point in
the life of Mr. Gurley, which brings us to contemplate the
sanguinary scenes of a civil war, usually termed the “ Irish
Rebellion.” Although in this struggle he was rather a
sufferer than an actor, yet, as the events thereof transpired
around him, and are inseparably connected with his history,
it is the design of this work to present a somewhat detailed
account of the melancholy and astonishing transactions of
that time. It will, doubtless, be gratifying to the reader to
know, that, so far as Mr. Gurley was a participator in the
events of the insurrection, and eye-witness to much that
will excite sympathy, he has left a record thereof in his
own handwriting, from which extracts will be freely intro-
duced as we proceed with the narration.

It will be seen, however, that of the various clubs and
parties organized he belonged to none. He kept his mind
aloof from political excitement and party spirit. With his
Catholic neighbors he lived on terms of peace and friend-
ship. But this peaceful spirit and attitude did not secure
him from the malice of the enemies of truth, and the perse-
cuters of the Protestant religion.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 59

CHAPTER III.

Insurrection of 1798—History of Ireland—Cause of its discontent
and degradation—Commencement of English sway—Reformation
did not reach Ireland—Bad policy of England—Massacre of
Protestants in 1641—Avenged by Cromwell—Catholics deprived
of political privileges—Confiscation of estates—Tithes—Distin-
guished men born in Ireland—Irish clubs—White boys—Oalk
boys—Defenders—Tragic death of Major Valloton—Epitaphs.

BEForE we proceed to the events of the insurrection of
1798, it may be interesting to take a rapid glance at the
civil and political condition of Ireland, and to trace, if pos-
sible, the causes which led to its disastrous achievements.

The best writers of Irish history appear to have been
greatly perplexed in their efforts to discover and explain
the reason or causes of the discontent and degradation of
this interesting portion of the British empire.

A careful attention, however, to the facts of Irish history,
the genius of the people, and the policy of its masters, will
show, that in order to be tranquil and contented, Ireland
must have been far more elevated, or far more degraded,
than she has ever been for the last ten centuries.

According to the ablest historians, the natives of Ireland
were of Celtic origin. The language still spoken by a por-
tion of the descendants of the ancient race, confirms this
opinion. This country was known to the ancient Romans.

The Danes, during their greatest power, from the ninth
to the twelfth century, possessed almost the entire eastern
coast of the island,.making Dublin their capital. But to
dwell on the ancient history of this country, however inter-
esting it might be to the reader, would be inconsistent with
the design and limits of this biography.

The English sway commenced in A.D. 1170. Richard
Strongbow. formed the first settlement. Henry II assumed
60 MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY.

the title of “Lord of Ireland.” Henry VIII took the title of
“King of Ireland.” Intent on attaching Ireland firmly to
the crown, Great Britain has resorted to various measures
to effect this great object; but, with all her efforts, such
has been the spirit of domination she has manifested, that
to this day she has signally failed to gain the affections of
the masses of the Irish people; while, in her struggles for
freedom, the soil of Ireland has drank the blood of unnum-
bered thousands of her patriotic sons.

The memorable Reformation, commenced in Germany by
the intrepid and immortal Luther, extended its hallowed
leaven over England and Scotland, and in its results estab-
lished the Protestant religion in connection with the British
throne, but did not extend to Ireland. The people were
still Catholic. They were ardently attached to their faith,
and the priests exercised over them an almost unbounded
power. When, therefore, the Protestant religion was estab-
lished by law in the island, and revenues for its support
coerced from the habitants generally, it was not hailed as
the bright dawning of a welcome morn—the beamings of a
more auspicious day—but as an attempt to force on them
the galling yoke of what they deemed a heretical priest-
hood—a worse form than ever of British domination. Eng-
land, in adopting this course, committed as great an error
in political science as in moral principle; for the judgment
and conscience of mankind cannot be forced. Had the
same policy been pursued toward Ireland, in regard to
ecclesiastical matters, that has marked the course of the
English government toward her Canadian possessions, it can
scarcely be doubted that the result would have been far
more favorable both to the British throne and to the cause
of true religion. One great source of bitter feuds would have
been dried up. The hand of oppression would not have
been so sensibly felt, and the light and power of the truth,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 61

which had emancipated England and Scotland from the
fetters of Roman domination, might have dispersed the
darkness, and won the affections of the inhabitants of the
Emerald Isle. 5

The Irish, quick in resentment and fearless of results,
instead of demeaning themselves peaceably and seeking
by proper measures their just rights, rose in 1641, and in
a short time massacred not less than forty thousand English
settlers. This outrage, however, was soon retaliated by
Cromwell, who, with a heavy force, crossed over to Ireland
in 1649, and extinguished the insurrection in an ocean of
blood. He stormed Wexford and other places with most
horrible slaughter, thus taking terrible vengeance on the
murderers of the English. Peace ensued; but the name of
Cromwell is mentioned, even to this day, by the Catholic
Irish with detestation and horror. :

The bitter hatred of the Roman Catholics to the English
government, induced Parliament to deprive them of all
political power and privileges. “They were rendered inca-
pable of holding any office or employment in the state.
They were debarred, even from holding land, from devising
property, and from exercising other important functions of
civil society. . . . And a continual ferment prevailed,
which broke out from time to time in partial rebel-
lions.” (Encyclopedia of Geography, vol. i, p. 446.)

Another cause of lasting antipathy to the British power,
was the confiscation of estates during the various struggles
and contests with England. Nearly all the landed property
has, from time to time, been wrested from the original
owners, and bestowed on the English nobility, or companies
and individuals of English origin. More than eight millions
of acres were thus lavished on the soldiers and minions of
Cromwell, who followed his fortunes in the reduction of

Treland above-mentioned. This immense domain, wrested
6
62 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

from its rightful owners, many of whom were chivalrous
chieftains or noble families, left thousands of the descend-
ants of once honorable names to inherit, not the patrimonial
possessions of their revered ancestors, but the mortal hatred
of England which rankled in the bosoms of their fore-
fathers. How could the poor son of poverty and toil shear
the hedges, dress the shrubbery, and till the grounds of
noble estates justly his own, without execrating in his heart
the power that had unjustly doomed him to his present
state of penury and degradation? What but a despotism
that should extinguish in his soul the last ray of light, and
smother in his bosom the last spark of independence, could
ever reconcile him to his hated oppressors ?

The payment of tithes has, also, been an occasion of
endless contention; and against it the Catholics have justly
uttered long and loud complaints. “Resistance to this
feature of the government, has ever afforded a ground on
which many Protestants of Ireland could meet with them
in opposition to the crown; for the Protestant population was,
to a considerable extent, Presbyterian, being descendants
from original Scotch emigrants; and the yoke of the English
hierarchy did not sit lightly on their sturdy necks. Other
dissenters, though not numerous, were fast accumulating
to swell the number of discontented citizens.

Yet, amidst all her suffering and degradation, Ireland
produced some men whose names have become illustrious
as poets, statesmen, orators, and divines. Burke, Grattan,
and Curran, by their talents and eloquence, have acquired
enduring fame; while among the divines to which that
country has given birth, is the highly distinguished Dr.
Adam Clarke, a man who, it is well known, for profound
learning, ardent piety, indomitable energy, and extensive
labors, has had few equals in modern times.

Such was the condition of Ireland at the commencement
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 63

of the American Revolution. She beheld the colossal power
of England, towering, in insolent majesty, over sea and land.

When, therefore, the American colonies offered resistance
to the usurpations and oppressions of this power, Ireland
felt a thrill of sympathy through all her population. Each
successive step of independence was watched, with the
deepest solicitude, by her noblest spirits; and when, at last,
the British lion was humbled, and the American arms
triumphed, Ireland awoke as from a long but restless
slumber.

George III, humbled at the loss of the American states,
and fearful of other calamities, listened to the petitions
of his Irish subjects, which were drawn up in a strong
and bold style, with more than usual clemency. Conces-
sions were made, the most galling and severe restrictions on
Catholics were repealed, and the improvement of Ireland
was the order of the day.

While these peaceable efforts were being made for the
relief of the country, the restless population associated in
secret clubs and companies, and, under different names,
greatly disturbed the peaceable inhabitants. ‘ White Boys,”
“Steel Boys,” “Oak Boys,” and “Defenders” successively
made their appearance. The White Boys appeared as early
as 1794, They were all Catholics. Their manner was, to
meet late at night, each with a white shirt thrown over his
clothes. They would take horses wherever they could find
them; then set off full speed for the place of rendezvous,
frequently several miles distant. They would destroy pas-
tures, set fire to the houses and barns of Protestants, whom
they supposed to be warm friends of the government, and,
las related by Rev. George Taylor, drag out of their beds
the proctors, cut off their noses and ears, horsewhip them
till just ready to expire, and sometimes bury them alive;
and all this to prevent their gathering the tithes. These
64 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

outrages excited well-grounded alarm among the Protestant
population; and, in some instances, they provoked most
severe retaliation, The civic magistrates, however, exerted
their utmost power to prevent disorder, and to quell lawless
proceedings; and, by the assistance of the loyal inhabi-
tants, they were soon subdued, or, at least, quieted for the
time. Two of their ringleaders were arrested, and, being
found guilty of heinous offenses, were executed, at New
town-barry,on the 28th of September, 1775.

To prevent these disorders, and promote the security of
the Protestant community, associations of Irish volunteers,
or yeomanry, originated, and many corps of them sprang
up throughout the kingdom. They were both cavalry
and infantry. They appointed their officers, purchased
their own uniform, and mustered regularly, in order to
acquire a knowledge of military tactics and manual exercise.
At their highest point of popularity, in 1781, the Irish
volunteers numbered 40,000 men. The Right Hon. George
Ogle, member of Parliament, was chosen commander-
in-chief.

The disaffected Catholics looked on these military asso-
ciations as designed to support the tyrranical government
they detested, and to intimidate those who might attempt
to violate the laws for the collection of tithes. To coun-
teract their influence, therefore, the Defenders were
organized throughout the different provinces, and, in the
year 1793, committed many and great outrages in the
county of Wexford. In July, of that year, one thousand
of them assembled near Enniscorthy, in this county. Their
unruly and threatening appearance greatly alarmed the
inhabitants of the town; but, through the prudence and
activity of the neighboring gentlemen and magistrates, they
were dispersed, and two of their leaders were made prison-
ers, and sent, under a strong guard, to Wexford prison.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 65

The Defenders had too much spirit to allow their leaders to
he in jail, without an effort to rescue them. This they
determined to attempt by force, if threats should fail to
accomplish it. On the morning of the 11th of June a
letter was sent to the town, requesting the liberation of the
prisoners. It so happened that this letter was handed to
Mr. Gurley and another gentleman, who were standing
together. In his manuscript he says: “I was standing at
my shop door, with a Mr. Hughs, when a ragged, bare-
footed boy came up to us, and handed us a letter. Mr.
Hughs read it, and, handing it to me, said, ‘Ah ha! has it
come to this?’ The letter directed Mr. Hughs to go to the
mayor of the town, and request him to release the two
Defenders; threatening that, in case of refusal, three thou-
sand men would come. and burn the city about his ears.
As we were conversing we saw the mayor passing on the
opposite side of the street. We went and gave him the
letter; and I remember well his remark: ‘I will suffer
myself to burn with it before I will give them up.’ We
then proceeded with the mayor to the garrison, and showed
the letter to the commander. The threat was, however,
treated with contempt; for, as the city was guarded with a
detachment of infantry, under the command of Major Val-
loton, an officer of the garrison, the inhabitants were by no
means alarmed, not thinking they would be so bold as to
attack the town.”

In this, however, they were greatly mistaken; for, by two
oclock, the same day, the Defenders, in great force, were
within sight of the town. Major Valloton, who had been
aid to General Elliott at the siege of Gibraltar, took fifty
soldiers, and, with three magistrates, went out to meet the
assailants, who were now at the upper end of the city. The
Defenders were led on by a farmer of New Ross, a most
resolute and daring young man, whose name was Moore.
66 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

He was followed by about two thousand men, armed with
guns, pikes, sythes, etc. Among them, as if to keep them
in countenance, was a Roman Catholic priest.

Actuated by feelings of humanity, Major Valloton would
not allow the troops to charge, without first attempting to
expostulate with the mob, and, if possible, induce them to
disperse peaceably. Accordingly, he advanced alone to the
front of the insurgent ranks, and commenced an earnest but
conciliatory appeal to their reason and patriotism; but,
while in the act of addressing them, a man, who stood
near, presented his musket at his breast, which the Major
parried with his sword. As the piece went off, instead of
falling back on his men for support, the Major seized the
fellow who had attempted to shoot him. A struggle en-
sued; and, while thus engaged, a man, with a sythe
fastened to the end of a pole, made a blow at the officer’s
head, which cleft the skull, and brought him to the ground.
The enraged soldiers, as they saw their beloved commander
fall, fired without the order of ‘the magistrates, then, boldly
rushing forward, made a terrible charge on the insurgents,
putting them to flight, after eighty of their number were
dead on the spot.

Moore, the insurgent leader, was in front of his men, and,
at the first fire of the military, had both of his legs broken;
yet, such was his enthusiasm that he fought on his stumps,
encouraging his associates, until his men fled, and he was
shot down by the soldiers. Several of the leading Defend-
ers were made prisoners, and, being found guilty at the
following assizes, were executed. Their unhappy fate ap-
peared, for a time, to produce a salutary effect on the
infuriated associates; but, as will be seen hereafter, it was
of short duration.

The inhabitants of Wexford, deeply affected at the trag-
ical death of the brave Valloton, out of respect to his
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 67

memory, erected a monument in the church, with the fol-
lowing inscription:

“SACRED TO THE MEMORY

of the late
, CHARLES VALLOTON, Ese.,
A Major in the Army, and a Captain in the
56th Regiment of Infantry;
who, in the suburbs, on the 11th of July, 1793,
while zealously co-operating with the civil power in support of the
mild and beneficent laws of his country, received
a mortal wound from a
savage hand.

Thus untimely fell this accomplished gentleman, not less admired
and beloved for every social quality, than he was
eminently distinguished, on every
occasion, by the
enterprise and gallantry of a soldier.

Reader, lament, with every good man, the irreparable loss,
and strive to emulate his many virtues!

The Corporation of Wexford,
with becoming gratitude,
erected
this Monument,
to perpetuate their high respect for his character.”

As the above-described monument had been erected in
memory of Major Valloton, so the friends of Moore, the
rebel leader, raised a stone in the grave-yard near New
Ross, on which were engraved the subjoined lines:

“Underneath this stone doth lie
The remains of that noble boy,
Who, by his deeds-and actions brave,
In Wexford his body was brought to the grave.
Now each Christian for him should pray,
And to heaven straight direct his way; ,
As on his oath in trust that day did die,
It’s there he fought most manfully.
Joun Moorsz, son of James Moore and Margaret White, of Robins-
town, who was killed by the army, July 11, 1793.
Lord, have mercy on his soul!”
68 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

The foregoing epitaphs afford a pretty good indication
of the difference in the refinement, ene and. taste
of the respective parties.

Thus ended an affray, which, sient it preceded the
Rebellion nearly five years, originated in the same spirit, and
shadowed forth, with prophetic accuracy, the sanguinary
scenes which followed. -
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 69

CHAPTER IV.

Origin of the Society of United Irishmen—lIts true character-
Alliance with France—Treaty with French Directory—Memorial
by Theobald Wolf Tone —Oath of United Irishmen—French ex
pedition a failure—Prospects of a successful revolution and inde-
pendence.

Waite these disturbances were taking place, as the out-
breaks of the pent-up fires within the bosom of a chivalrous
and down-trodden nation, a scheme for the relief and inde-
pendence of Ireland was originated. This was on a grand
scale, and based on the most liberal principles.

The apparently successful issue of the revolution in
France, had stimulated the most ardent friends of Irish
independence to attempt a revolt from the British crown.
The plan of uniting all Ireland in one grand conspiracy,
through the formation of clubs or distinct associations of a
limited number, was projected by Theobald Wolf Tone, a
member of the Irish bar—a man of extraordinary powers
of mind, indomitable courage, and rare eloquence.

The first club was formed in 1791 at Belfast. It em-
braced both Catholics and Dissenters. The latter are said
to have been first in the project. Thus originated the far-
famed society of “United Irishmen.”

There has been a great diversity of opinions in regard to
the nature and merits of this association. While some
have defended it as a patriotic and worthy organization,
others have heaped on it, and on the heads of its friends,
the most unmeasured abuse. It is true, this society in its
operations is inseparably associated with the horrid acts
and sanguinary tragedies of the Rebellion. Yet it is sub-
mitted, whether a candid investigation of the facts in the
case will not show that it was by no means responsible for
them.
70 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

It is beyond dispute that the society was composed of
persons of all religious persuasions. The principal leaders
associated with Tone, were Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Ham-
ilton Rowen, Emmet, Arthur O’Conner, a late member of
Parliament, Dr. M’Niven, and Oliver Bond, an opulent
merchant of Dublin. Of these chiefs only one, Dr. M’Niven,
was a Catholic.

It is true, viewed in the light of English Jaw, the object
and design were treasonable and rebellious; and so were
the measures of the American colonies, which resulted in
the independence of these states. It was a rebellion, which,
if it had been successful, would have been proudly chron-
icled in the annals of the world as a glorious revolution.

An unbiased mind must acknowledge the society to have
been an honorable union, founded on resistance to British
oppression and the rights of man. It embraced as pure and
patriotic hearts, perhaps, as ever beat in human bosoms;
and if, in its name, and partly through its organization,
deeds of horror were perpetrated, they are traceable
directly to the influence of the grand disturbing element of
Treland’s union and prosperity—the “bigotry of Popery.”

The nature and objects of the union are so well described
by Allison, in his History of Europe, that we transfer his
remarks to our pages. We quote from vol. iv, page 557:

“The system by which this immense insurrection was
organized, was one of the most simple, and at the same
time one of the most efficacious, that ever was devised.
Persons were sworn into an association in every part of
Ireland, called the Society of United Irishmen, the real
objects of which were kept a profound secret, while the
ostensible ones were those best calculated to allure the
populace. No meeting was allowed to consist of more
than twelve members; five of these were represented by
five members in a committee vested with the management
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 71

of all their affairs. From each of these committees a
deputy attended in a superior body. One or two deputies
from these composed a county committee; two from every
county committee a provincial one; and they elected five
persons to superintend the whole business of the union.
This provisional government was elected by ballot; and the
names of its members were only communicated to the
secretaries of the provincial committees, who were offi-
cially intrusted with the scrutiny of the votes. Thus, '
though their power was unbounded, their agency was
invisible, and many hundred thousand men obeyed the dic-
tates of an unknown authority. Liberation from tithes
and dues to the Protestant clergy, and restoration of the
Catholic faith, formed the chief boons presented to the
lower classes; and, in order to effect these objects, it was
speciously pretended that a total change of government
was necessary.

“The real objects of the chiefs of the insurrection were
the overthrow of the English government, and the forma-
tion of a republic in alliance with France.

“Parliamentary reform was the object ostensibly held
out to the country, as being the one most calculated to con-
ceal their ultimate designs, and enlist the greatest number
of the respectable classes on their side.”

An alliance with France was deemed of the utmost im-
portance to the movement, and the government of that
country were willing enough to aid in humbling England,
their greatest rival and ablest foe. Accordingly, to accom-
plish the desired object, Wolf Tone, Lord Edward Fitz-
gerald, and Arthur O’Conner, in 1796 went over to France.
The following extract from the memorial presented by
Wolf Tone, the originator of the ‘United Societies,” to the
French Directory, in February, 1796, will cast some addi-
tional light upon the state of Ireland:
42 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

“The Catholics of Ireland, 3,150,000, are trained from
their infancy in a hereditary hatred and abhorrence of the
English name. For these five years they have fixed their
eyes most earnestly on France, whom they look upon, with
great justice, as fighting their battles, as well as those of
all mankind who are oppressed. Of this class, I will stake
my head, there are 500,000 men who would fly to the
standard of the republic, if they saw it once displayed in
the cause of liberty and their country.

“The republic may also rely with confidence on the dis-
senters, actuated by reason and reflection,’ as well as the
Catholics, impelled by misery and inflamed by detestation
of the English name.

“Tn the year 1791 the dissenters of Belfast first formed
the club of United Irishmen—so called, because in that
club for the first time dissenters and Catholics were seen
together in harmony and union. Corresponding clubs were
rapidly formed, the object of which was to subvert the
tyranny of England and establish the independence of Ire-
land, and frame a free republic on the broad basis of liberty
and equality. ‘ These clubs were rapidly filled, and extended
in June last over two-thirds of that province. Their mem-
bers are all bound by an oath of secrecy, and could, I have
not the smallest doubt, on a proper occasion, raise the
entire force of the province of Ulster, the most populous,
warlike, and best informed in the nation.”

The design of the United Irishmen, in these papers is
undisguisedly set forth—the independence of Ireland as a
republic. The measures taken to carry it out, in some instan-
ces, may be questionable, but the great object arrived at
“was worthy and patriotic.

Nor does the following oath, which was taken by the
members of the association, breathe any other than a liberal
spirit. The Rev. G. Taylor, in his history, says:
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 73

“The rebels now made no secret of their united oaths.
The following was printed by order of the council for di-
recting the affairs of the county of Wexford:

“ Test Oath.—I, A. B., do voluntarily declare that I will
persevere in endeavoring to form a brotherhood of affection,
among Irishmen of every religious persuasion; and that I
will also persevere in my endeavors to obtain equal, full,
and adequate representation of all the people of Ireland. I
do further declare, that neither hopes, fears, rewards, nor
punishments, shall ever induce me, directly or indirectly, to
inform on, or give evidence against any member, or mem-
bers, of this, or similar societies, for any act or expression
of theirs, done or made, collectively or individually, in or
out of this society, in pursuance of the spirit of this obli-
gation, so help me God.”

Tone, in his autobiography, thus expresses his own views
at the time he organized the society:

“For my own part, I think it nght to mention, that, at
this time, the establishment of a republic was not the im-
mediate object of my speculations. My object was to
secure the independence of my country under any form of
government, to which I was led by a hatred of England, so
deeply rooted in my nature, that it was rather an instinct
than a principle. I left to others, better qualified for the in-
quiry, the investigation and merits of the different forms of
government, and I contented myself with laboring on my
own system, which was luckily in perfect coincidence as to
its operation with that of those men who viewed the ques-
tion on a broader and juster scale than I did at the time I
mentioned.”

These documents show that the basis and principles of
the Irish Union were humane, liberal, and patriotic.

The French Directory received the commissioners, or

agents of the Irish confederation with respect, and entered
7
44 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

so heartily into their plans, that in December, 1796, an
expedition, consisting of fifteen ships, and carrying twenty-
five thousand men, set sail for the coast of Ireland, where
they were to be joined by the United Men, and thus strike a
noble blow at England, the hated rival of France. This
armament, however, was scattered and dispersed by tem-
pestuous weather, which drove the ships from their course,
and wrecked some. A portion of the vessels at length
reached the Irish coast, but did not effect a landing, and
returned to France without accomplishing any thing.

But the Irish were still assured that, by the month of
May or June, 1798, France would send a sufficient force to
render them efficient aid. Cherishing the brightest antici-
pations, the leading patriots continued to organize societies,
procure arms, appoint officers—thus deliberately preparing
for a terrible contest. Two hundred thousand men were
sworn and armed, and waiting impatiently the signal to rise
and conquer; and, to all appearance, their prospect of
success was flattering indeed.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. "5

CHAPTER V.

Indications of rebellion in the county of Wexford—Plot of
Vapists against Protestants—Catholic bigotry the cause of Ire-
land’s ruin—Proof of Catholic plot—Black test, or secret oaths—-
Catholic priests take the lead—Alarming signs of rebellion—A
mark on the children of Catholics—Shrubberies gleaned for pike
handles.

Socrertes of United Men were organized in every part of
the densely-populated county of Wexford, in which Mr. G.
resided. They embraced some Protestant gentlemen of
talent and large fortune. The love of liberty burned in
the bosoms of Irishmen, and patriot hearts beat high for
freedom; and the songs and ballads of the nation wafted
over hill and dale the notes of “Universal Emancipation.”

But beneath all this frame-work of systematic organiza-
tion, liberal principle, and exalted patriotism, there was
warmed into being, and nursed to strength, a plot of deep,
dark, and malignant character. It was a conspiracy of
Popery to extirpate Protestants.

It is the genius of Popery to contaminate whatever it
touches. Any cause, however good, would be ruined by
its alliance. Its spirit, its essence, is gall and poison; its
slightest contact, corruption. The Papal power is a mighty
upas, whose roots strike deep, whose branches extend far,
but whose breath is mortal; and far around, beneath its
gloomy shade, lie the bleaching bones of its deluded vic-
tims. Liberty cannot breathe where Popery reigns,

What good has the Church of Rome ever done? What
great or noble enterprise has she ever aided? Good men
and benevolent have occasionally been found in her ranks,
but they were so in spite of her errors; they were few and
far between, and were exceptions to the general rule.
Where has she sought to enlighten the nations with the
76 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GUREEY.

pure word of God? Where has she lifted her finger to
burst the fetters of political tyranny? And if she has,
with a zeal worthy of a better cause, urged her Jesuit
missionaries to the ends of the earth, to make proselytes
to her creed, may it not be too truly asked, where has she
ever found a people under heaven that she has not made
worse instead of better?

It was the spirit of Roman bigotry that blasted the
hopes of Ireland. Freedom was a word which, to Catholic
priests, implied the extirpation of all heretics. Where good
men and true sought the rights of man, these minions of
the Holy See sought revenge on Protestants. The lamented
Emmet said to the court which consigned him to destruc-
tion, “What Washington did for America, I would have
done for my country;” but Roman priests might justly
have said, “What Nero did for Rome, and what Robespierre
did ‘for France, we would have done for Ireland.” The
truth and justice of these observations will appear but

_too well founded, as we proceed with a narration of the
insurrection.

Writers, favorable to the Catholic cause, have, in giving
the history of those times, endeavored to mislead the public
mind, and to divert resentment from the guilty, by affirming
that the savage barbarities committed by the Papists on
the Protestants were done in self-defense, or to retaliate
equal outrages committed on them, by the government
authorities} or by lawless troops. But it is clearly in evi-
dence that, before there was any outbreak, there was a
secret combination, consisting of Roman Catholics only,
whose object and design was the extirpation of the Protes-
tant population of Ireland.

In support of this position, so strenuously denied by
some, we adduce, first, the following extracts from the
memorials of Wolf Tone to the French Directory :
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. qT

“The Catholics have also an organization, commencing
about the same time with the club last mentioned, [the
United Irishmen,] but composed of Catholics only. Until
within a few months, this organization baffled the utmost
vigilance of the Irish government, unsuccessfully applied to
discover its. principles; and to this hour, I believe, they are
unapprised of its extent.” “I suppose there is no con-
spiracy—if a whole people can be said to conspire—which
has continued for so many years as this has done, where
the secret has been so religiously kept, and where, in so
vast a number, so few traitors are to be found.” (Allison’s
History, page 443.)

Rev. George Taylor, in his History of the Rebellion in
the County of Wexford, says, (page 127,) “There was
another oath taken by the Papists, which the disaffected
“Protestants knew nothing of; this was called the ‘Black
test,” and was as follows: ‘Every loyal Irish Protestant
heretic I shall murder; and this I swear.’

“Such as bound themselves by this oath had a pass-word
by which they knew each other anywhere they might meet.
This pass-word was the initials of the several words in the
oath; and no individual knew this but such as were sworn.
‘Evrenismatis’ was the pass-word.”

This project of putting Protestants to death was talked
over by priests, and understood in secret clubs of Papists;
but not a word on the subject was whispered in the societies
of “United Men,” where all religious persuasions met. On
the contrary, Protestant gentlemen were elected to important
offices, and the doctrine of a universal brotherhood of Irish-
men maintained. :

Profound, however, as was the policy of the priests and
their adherents, they could not wholly conceal from the
eagle eyes of the watchful their deep-laid schemes. Gloomy

foreshadowings began to cross the minds of many Protes-
qs
78 MEMOIR: OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

tnts—fears that, if vietory and independence should crown
the struggle of the «United Men,” the great majority being
Papists,. they might turn their arms against Protestants, for
their extirpation.

These considerations, and the depredations of the Defend-
ers, gave rise to the Protestant association of “Orangemen,”
whom the Catholics considered their bitter and sworn ene-
mies, but who, in reality, were only associations of Loyalists,
pledged to the defense of the government and laws, until
they could be peacably improved. These apprehensions of
Catholic designs were greatly increased, especially in the
county of Wexford, by the uncommon activity and devo-
tions. of the Roman Church.

In the beginning of the year 1798 a new zeal seemed to
inspire the priests. The chapels were crowded, and mass,
which had heretofore been attended chiefly on the Sab-
bath, was now celebrated throughout the country every
day. The chapel at Ballycannow had a large congregation
every day, at morning and evening prayers. The ground on
which it stood was in sight of Mr. Gurley’s father-in-law’s,
who had given it to the Catholics some years before. The
officiating priest was Rev. Michael Murphy, one who took
an active part in the Rebellion, He was a man of profound
policy, had not been long in holy orders, and pursued such
a course to conceal his deep-laid schemes, that he was hardly
suspected as being favorable to the insurrection until the
cloud broke; and then he took a decided stand as the cham-
pion of the Rebellion. We shall hereafter see his fate.

Another circumstance which increased the alarm was
this: it was given out that a certain holy father had, by a
dream or revelation, been notified that a great plague was
to break out among Catholic children, of fifteen years and
under. The nature of the plague was also revealed: their

-brains were to boil out at the back of the head. The only
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 79

charm to prevent so deplorable a result, was to tie round
the neck of each child a piece of red tape, it having been
first brought to the priest, to be sprinkled with holy water.
This was early in the spring, and was to be worn till the
month of June, when the danger would be over. (Taylor.)

Immediately the country shops were drained of this
article, and large quantities were ordered from Dublin to
supply the immense demand, although half a yard was the
amount usually called for at a time; and soon a scarlet
thread or tape distinguished every Catholic child.

It was impossible to resist the conviction that this was a
sign or mark, to distinguish the wearer from others, like
that on the door-posts of the Israelites, when the destroying
angel passed over the land of Egypt.

‘The month of May had been designated as the time when
French troops would arrive, when it was expected a general
outbreak would occur. If, then, the indiscriminate murder
of Protestants should become the order of the day, as some
may have expected, this peculiar sign would indicate the
children of the true faith from those of the heretics. Some
of the priests were closely questioned on the subject: they
pretended to be ignorant of the matter, and, probably
alarmed at the too great boldness of the movement, spoke
against the practice.

These, with many other circumstances, such as the con-
stant manufacture of pikes by the Papist smiths, and the
gleaning of gentlemen’s nurseries for handles or staffs
thereof, with various nightly depredations, gave a gloomy
aspect to the country. A storm seemed to be gathering,
and none could tell where it would burst forth.
80 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

CHAPTER VI.

Dublin headquarters of Conspirators—Arrest of Leaders by
Government—Capture of Lord Edward Fitzgerald—His death—
Plan of attack on Dublin—Its defeat—Cause—Prospects of revo-
lution at the capital blasted—County of Wexford the centre and
vortex of Insurrection—Hypocritical conduct of Priests to blind
Government—Catholics take oath of allegiance—Their Memorial—
The Rebellion not a struggle for liberty—Arrest of B. B. Harvy—
Rising of Papists under priest John Murphy—Signal fires seen by
Mr. Gurley—Murphy’s men defeat cavalry—Death of officers—Boo-
key’s house attacked and burned.

Tue city of Dublin was the headquarters of the conspira-
tors, and was designed to be the theatre of their first grand
achievements. In this city the Irish Parliament still held its
sittings. The imminent danger which seemed impending,
induced Lord Moria, on the 19th of February, 1798, to
make an eloquent speech in favor of some measures of con-
ciliation ; but it was too late; for on the same day the Com-
mittee of United Irishmen came to the conclusion to agree
to no terms but a total separation from Great Britain.

Hitherto the committee and leaders had succeeded in con-
cealing their names and persons, though their plans and de-
signs were to a great extent known. At length, however,
government was made acquainted with the names of the
principal committee; and on the 12th day of March, while
this committee, with other distinguished leaders, were in se-
cret session at the house of Oliver Bond, fourteen of them
were arrested by order of the Lord Lieutenant. These ar-
rests included the most active and influential members of the
Union: Emmet, M’Niven, and Bond being of the number.

Lord Edward Fitzgerald escaped at this time; but on the
19th of May he was discovered in an obscure street of the
town, where he resorted for concealment, and from whence
he still kept up correspondence with the various leaders and
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 8k

zommittees of the United Men. Fitzgerald was in bed when
Captain Ryan, accompanied by Justice Swan, entered his
room and demanded him to surrender as prisoner to his
Majesty. The sleeping chieftain awoke, and finding he was
betrayed into the hands of his enemies, a most desperate
struggle ensued, in which he gave Captain Ryan a mortal
blow and dangerously wounded Justice Swan. In the mean-
time he received a ball in his shoulder, which disabled
him ; and, other officers of the police coming in, he gave
himself up and was taken into custody. He languished
under his wounds, and died in prison on the 38d of the fol-
lowing month.

Lord Fitzgerald was a young nobleman of the most re-
spectable connections. He was brother to the Duke of
Leinster, and married to a daughter of the Duke of Orleans.
A man of daring courage, great powers of mind, and admira-
bly adapted to the perilous work of revolutionary excite-
ment and commotion, his tragical end threw a gloom over
the minds and hopes of his associates. The vacancies
created by these misfortunes, in the committees, were filled
with men inferior to those who had taken the lead, but still
men of commendable abilities. Arrangements were now
made to attack the garrison and take the city of Dublin, on
the 23d of May. Thousands of United Men on that day
entered the city, for the purpose of joining in the work of
destruction, and great numbers were advancing toward the
place by all the roads from the surrounding country.

At this critical moment Neilson, the commander-in-chief,
was arrested in the street, after a desperate struggle: hear-
ing that their leader was committed to prison, several thou-
sand insurgents, who were waiting impatiently for the signal
of attack, dispersed. The plan was to assemble by beat of
drum: and it is well known, says Sir Richard Musgrove, in
his History of the Rebellion, “that in an hour more the
82 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM QURLEY.

fate of the city and of its loyal inhabitants would have been
decided,”

The prompt and energetic measures of the government
prevented, for the time being, the plans on the city. Some
skirmishes, however, took place in the vicinity of the capital.”
The remaining chiefs put themselves at the head of such
forces as assembled. In the neighborhood of Carlow, forty
miles from Dublin, some fifteen hundred insurgents encoun-
tered a detachment of several hundred regular troops, but
were routed with great loss. But there were still within
two days’ march of Dublin more than two hundred thou-
sand United Irishmen, one-half of whom would have been
sufficient to have completed the revolution in the capital.
Allison says, in his History of Europe, in regard to this par-
ticular, that “Ulster, in which province alone one hundred
and fifty thousand United Irishmen are said to have been
enrolled and mustered, declined the contest.” The province
of Ulster declined the contest! Why did they decline?
They were banded and sworn, and armed, and trained. The
truth is, the “mystery of iniquity” had already began to
work; the ulterior designs of the Catholic combination was
beginning to be apparent. The inhabitants of Ulster were
chiefly Protestants, the descendants of a colony of Scotch-
men, introduced by King James I. These were Protestant
dissenters, and were enrolled as United Men to obtain a
release from tithes, or perhaps independence. The chief
reliance of the leaders of the revolution was placed on these
men, and many of them were officers under their organiza-
tions. When, therefore, the impression became strong that
the extirpation of Protestantism was to be the watchword
with the Papist community, these men naturally “declined
the contest.” They detested the English heirarchy much ;
but they dreaded Papal domination more; and such was
their number and influence, that they deterred even the
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 83

Catholics among them from a general rising. Thus it
appears evident that the success of the scheme for Irish
liberty, in its progress, was paralyzed by the bigotry of the
Roman Church.

The prospects of the insurgents at the capital being
blasted, the plan now was to muster their forces and gather
strength in other quarters, and then, after subduing the
inferior places, unite their different divisions, and make the
conquest of Dublin the end and triumph of their labors.
Accordingly, Wexford became the great centre and vortex
of insurrection. Here the great united army was assem-
bled, the National Committee instituted, the great battles
fought, and the result reached. We shall, therefore, en-
deavor to give the proceedings of the insurgents in this part
of the country.

Early in the year of the insurrection, a hypocritical effort
was made by the Catholic priests to deceive the govern-
ment and blind the eyes of the Protestants to the impending
danger.

To effect this they induced their flocks, assembled in their
chapels, to listen with apparent candor and interest to pro-
posals made by the magistrates and authorities of the crown,
to take an oath of allegiance, and thus dispel all doubts of
their true loyalty. The Earl of Mount Norris prepared
appropriate oaths, and administered them to such as were
willing to take them.

On the 19th of January, 1798, priest Murphy, of Bally-
cannow, assembled his men at the chapel and marched them
to the authorities, where they took the following oath:

“J do hereby declare upon the Holy Evangelists, and as
I hope to'be saved through the merits of my blessed Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, that I will be true and faithful
to his Majesty, King George III, and to the succession
of his family to the throne; that I will support and main-
84 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

tain the constitution as by law established; that I am not

a United Irishman, and that I will never take the United

Trishmen’s oath; that I am bound_by every obligation.
human and divine, to give all information in my power-to
prevent tumult and disorder; that I will neither aid nor
assist the enemies of my King or my country, and that I
will give up all sorts of arms in my possession. All the
above I voluntarily swear, so help me God.”

A printed copy of this oath was given to each “person
that was sworn—on the bottom of which was,written the
following certificate :

“The above oath was taken before me, this 19th day of
January, 1798, by A. B., of Ballycannow parish. ~»

“Mount Norris.”

The different parishes were now perfectly secure, having
taken so strict an oath, and were wrapped as in a mantle
from all suspicion.

But it soon became evident that they were busy in
making every preparation for an outbreak.

The appointing of officers, the manufacture of pikes, the
procuring and concealing of fire-arms, the gleaning of woods
and shrubberies for pike handles, still went on with increased
activity. This again alarmed the magistrates. The county
wore so serious an aspect that, on application to govern-
ment, eighteen parishes were declared to be in a state of
insurrection, and the Lord Lieutenant and Privy Council
issued a proclamation, declaring the entire county to be
under martial law.

Several persons were apprehended and imprisoned, and
the whole county was in a state of evident and great excite-
ment,

The expected help not yet having arrived from France,
the Roman clergy again formed another cloak to conceal
their dark designs. Voluntary addresses were signed by

s
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 85

the leading members of the Catholic Church and for-
warded to the Lord Lieutenant, reaffirming their loyalty.
We subjoin one of these addresses, as a specimen of the
whole:

. “Ata general meeting of the Roman Catholic inhabitants
of the parish of Ballycannow, in the chapel, on Sunday, the
Ist of April, 1798, the following declarations of loyalty
were wnanimously agreed to, and ordered to be forwarded
to his Excellency, Earl Camden, Lord Lieutenant, General,
and: General Governor of Ireland:

“May it please your Excellency —We, the Roman Catholic
inhabitants of the parish of Ballycannow, in the county of
Wexford, this day assembled at the chapel of Ballycannow,
holding in abhorrence the barbarous outrages lately com-
mitted, and seditious conspiracies now existing in this king-
dom by traitors and rebels, styling themselves United Irish-
men, think it incumbent on us thus publicly to vow and
declare our unalterable attachment and loyalty to our
most revered and beloved sovereign, King George III, and
our determined resolution to support and maintain his
rights, and our happy constitution. And we do further
pledge ourselves to co-operate with our Protestant brethren
of this kingdom, in opposing to the utmost in our power
any foreign or domestic enemy who may dare to invade his
Majesty’s dominions, or disturb the peace and tranquility of
this country. . . Resolved, That the above declaration
be signed by our pastor, the Rev. Michael Murphy, and a
few of the principal parishioners; and that the same be
forwarded to the Right Hon. Earl Mount Norris, with a
request that his Lordship will transmit it to his Excellency,
the Lord Lieutenant. Rev. Micuazt Murruy, —

“ Coadjutor Priest.”

This address was signed by fourteen of the principal citi-

zens of the parish: and it is worthy of note, that they and
8
86 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

the priest at their head were among the most zealous ana
active of the insurgents during the Rebellion; thus demon-
strating their deep hypocrisy and perjury. While, then,
we trace the rash and cruel progress of the insurgents with

a faithful adherence to truth and facts, let it be distinctly *-'.-

understood that we can no longer regard it as the struggle
of freedom with tyranny—the effort of the true Irish
brotherhood to throw off the shackles of political despot-
ism—but the worst of all despotisms—ecclesiastical bigotry
enlisted to extirpate Protestants, a fierce crusade: against the
rights of conscience and the word of God.

If the spirit of the oath of the United Irishmen had been
regarded,‘ and all denominations moved steadily forward,
sacrificing their prejudices on the altar of a pure patriotism,
the independence of Ireland might have been secured—or
at least honorable terms have been obtained—and all true
patriots would have rejoiced; but, alas! Ireland, long op-
pressed by England, was now to become her own oppressor.
Priests from the altars of the Roman Catholic Church were
to be the first to break this brotherhood, divide the strength
of the party, revive the feuds of former ages, and extin-
guish in the blood of the innocent the last hope of freedom.

All through the months of April and May an awful sus-
pense, like a gloomy cloud, hung over the country—every
thing gave indications of a gathering storm.

At length, on Saturday, the 26th of May, Beauchamp
Bagnel Harvy, a gentleman of large fortune and a Protes-
tant, was arrested by an order from government. He was
a United Irishman—a man of amiable disposition and exten-
sive influence. He, with Edward Fitzgerald and John Col-
clough, was lodged in the city prison of Wexford.

The arrest of so distinguished a member of the cause
brought matters to a crisis; the news spread like lightning
through the surrounding country, and before the next sun
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 87

rose the long-gathering clouds burst in desolating fury on
the ill-fated land.

John Murphy, parish priest of Bolavogue, who but a few
weeks before had led his parishioners forth to take the oath
of allegiance, was the first to sound the trump of war, and
te proclaim that “the hour of liberty had arrived.”

In his chapel, he had often inculcated the doctrine that
the extirpation of heretics was right and praiseworthy, and
pleasing to God—and now he was to give his faithful flock
some practical lessons in the work. Early that night he
assembled his deluded followers, informed them of the
arrest of B. B. Harvy, represented in glowing colors the
oppressive acts of the government, told them they were a
persecuted and down-trodden people, painted in inspiring
strains the blessing of freedom, and bid them strike for
liberty.

Mr. Gurley had watched, with deep solicitude and anxious
heart, the gradual developments of the times. He saw
Harvy and his associates, as they were conducted to
prison. He observed clusters of his Catholic neighbors at
the corners of the streets, conversing together, with agitated
countenances and menacing gestures; and he informed his
wife, and some Protestant neighbors who came in, that he
believed trying times were at hand.

At ten o’clock, that night, a fire gleamed through the
darkness, on a neighboring hill. It was soon answered by
the blazing up of another, in an opposite direction—then
a third and fourth, till almost every hill-top glowed
with the preconcerted signal. Mr. Gurley looked forth
from his chamber window on these alarming indications.
“Tt has come at last,” said he to his pale and trembling
wife. “We shall have hot work now, my love. But God
will be our refuge. We must trust in him alone.” His
young companion, shuddering, folded her babe closer to
88 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

her bosom, as if it were in danger. They then descended
to the parlor, and communicated the intelligence to two
sisters of Mrs. Gurley, who had that evening arrived to
spend the Whitsuntide holydays with her. They united in
prayer for the protection of almighty God, and committed
their cause to his hands.

While the signal fires were gleaming from the hills,
Murphy’s men came flocking round him, armed with
guns, pikes, and stones. While they were assembling, a
Lieutenant Bookey, who, with eighteen cavalry, was patroll-
ing, to prevent disturbances, rode that way, in order to
disperse them. As the tramp of the horsemen was heard,
Murphy ordered a part of his men to conceal themselves
behind a hedge which lined one side of the road, The
cavalry passed on, undisturbed by the ambush, until they
had nearly reached the main body, who were drawn up in
order, awaiting, in silence, their arrival. Bookey was a
brave officer, but as humane as brave. Anxious to prevent
a conflict and effusion of blood, he called on the rebels to
cease from their hostile movement, and retire to their homes.
While he was talking, priest Murphy coolly ordered his men
to fire, which was instantly obeyed. The fire was promptly
returned by the troops. The men in ambush now, from
behind the hedges, poured a shower of balls and stones
upon the cavalry. At this moment the Lieutenant was
struck in the face by a stone, which so disabled him, that
he fell from his horse, and was soon miserably butchered.
Some others were shot; and the remainder, seeing their
imminent danger, retreated in haste, leaving eight of the
insurgents dead on the spot.

The flight of the horsemen gave fresh courage to the
insurgents; and, animated by their holy commander, they
now, being in considerable numbers, rushed forward to the
house of the fallen Lieutenant, which was some miles dis-
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 89

dant, in order to wreak their vengeance on its inmates,
Fortunately, the family had been removed to a place of
safety. The premises were left in care of two Protestants—
Hawkins and Ward, by name—together with five Catholic
domestics of the late Lieutenant.

It was one o’clock, in the morning, when the rebels, four
nundred in number, reached the residence of Bookey. The
Catholic domestics stole out of the house, and joined the
insurgents; but the two Protestants, having four guns,
resolved on defending the house to the last extremity. The
insurgents surrounded the dwelling, and fired in at the win-
dows, which was returned by the men within, with true
Spartan courage. Every shot from them brought some
one of the assailants to the earth. It was a desperate and
most unequal conflict—four hundred against two men. At
length the door was broken in with a sledge-hammer, and
eandles lighted in the hall.

Hawkins and Ward were in the second story, where,
trom the windows, they had kept up a steady fire on the
erowd below. Priest Murphy entered the hall, and ordered
some men, who had lights in their hands, to go up stairs,
and see who were in the house. Aware of the perilous
enterprise, the men refused to obey; on which he drew his
sword, and commanded them to go up instantly, declaring
that, if they refused, he would cut off their heads. Intim-
idated by this threat, they immediately ran up; but, on
reaching. the top of the steps, they were shot, and tumbled
down at the feet of their inhuman-commander, in the ago-
nies of death.. At this the rage of the assailants knew no
bounds. They rushed into the kitchen, and, taking fire
from the hearth, communicated it to various parts of the
house, determined that Ward and his companion should not
escape. The brave defenders of the house heard the floor

crack beneath them; and, almost suffocated with smoke,
g*
90 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

they escaped to an upper story, and closed the door, to
keep out, as much as possible, the smoke. Here, with
amazing fortitude, they continued to fire on the maddened
crowd; and the groans and execrations, from below, told
that they were not firing in vain. As the floor under them
grew hot, and the flames burst from the windows beneath,
it became evident to the Protestants that they must either
venture out through the windows and be piked by the
rebels, or be devoured by the flames.

Ward now called to Hawkins to come to him, that they
might die together rather than fall into the hands of the
wretches who thirsted for their blood. Having ceased
firing, Murphy concluded they were dead; and, apprehend-
ing the report of fire-arms and the blaze of the building
might bring troops from Wexford to attack them, he with-
drew his men from the place, taking their dead and wounded
with them. Finding that the rebels had retired, Ward and
Hawkins succeeded in getting out of the gable window on
to a building which was not yet on fire, and so mercifully
escaped a dreadful death. The rebels were astonished
beyond measure afterward, when they learned that they
were not dead.

The insurgent force now moved toward Oulard, a place
a few miles from Wexford. They set fire to all the Protes-
tant houses on their way, whistling and yelling to attract
their associates from their homes. Their howlings, borne on
the dewy air, echoed from the surrounding hills, the flames
of the burning buildings threw a lurid glare on the gloomy
sky, and, as the morning dawned, a heavy cloud of smoke
hung over the whole country.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. OT

CHAPTER VII.

Sabbath morn—Murder of Rev. Robert Burrows and parish-
ioners—Death of Rev. Francis Turner and nine others—Wexford
in consternation—Mr. Gurley attended preaching at, five o’clock
in the morning—Saw smoke of burning houses on his return—
Soldiers cut off—Battle of Enniscorthy—Troops fly to Wexford—
Situation cf Protestants—Mr. Gurley’s house open to refugees—
His advice to them—Attack on Wexford expected—High spirits
of Murphy and the insurgents.

Ir was Sabbath morning, with its holy light and rest.
Consecrated time, it was naturally associated with the tem-
ples, the worship, and the ministers of God. Nor was the
association lost to the rebel crowd—recollecting that near
their route was the beautiful residence of a most worthy
and devoted clergyman of the Church of England, the
Rev. Robert Burrows, of Kyle. He was accompanied by

- five of his parishioners, who had, in their alarm, come to
his house. Presuming that this minister was not likely to
become a convert to their creed, they fiercely attacked his
house and forced their way in. His entreaties for mercy
and tears of despair were in vain. The minister soon fell
mangled with pikes; and in a moment’s time his five parish-
ioners, who had come to him for counsel in their extremity,
were weltering in their blood on his floor. His son was
wounded, but not killed. The torch was now applied to his
dwelling; and while the columns of mingled smoke and
flame ascended, as if for a witness to heaven against them,
they proceeded on their way. Parties of cavalry and yeo-
manry, in hope of arresting the course of the insurgents
by retaliation, now fired the buildings of the Papists. This,
however, was bad policy, and wholly lost on them, for they
raged like mad men, and, with shouts, screams, and impre-
cations, continued their dreadful work.
92 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

In the course of the morning the rebel force was strength-
ened by some desertions from the Irish volunteers or
yeomanry. Sergeant Edward Roach deserted from a com-
pany of cavalry, and with twenty of his men, who were
Catholics, went over to the insurgents.

The force’ now amounted to several thousands: they were
separated into two grand divisions. Roach was placed at
the head of one, and Murphy continued to lead and animate
the other. Their number was hourly increasing. As from
each hamlet the hardy peasantry issued forth, they were
hailed by the swelling crowd with deafening shouts of
“Erin go Bragh!” 7

Rey. Francis Turner, rector of Edermine, was a clergy-
man of most unblemished character. Several of his parish-
ioners had come to his house for counsel and safety, a part
of whom requested the baptism of a child. As the lips of
the minister pronounced the last words of the solemn
service, the shouts of the advancing rebels broke on his
ears. Despairing, from his knowledge of their character,
of any hope from their clemency, he communicated his
views to his neighbors; and the little band, relying on God,
resolved to defend themselves to the last, as their only
hope. The windows were fastened down and the doors
bolted. They surrounded the house with horrid yells, set
the out-buildings on fire, and demanded admittance to the
mansion. The clergyman looked out of a window and
asked what they wanted. They replied, “Surrender, and
give up your arms.” He told them he would never yield
to their demand but with his life. The men who had mus-
kets. were now called to the front and ordered to fire into
all the windows. The leaden hail whistled through the
shivered glass and rattled against the walls and furniture
of the parsonage. Well provided with fire-arms, Turner and
his friends made a gallant resistance by firing incessantly
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 93

from the chamber windows on the thick ranks of the assail-
ants, some of whom at every discharge of the pieces bit
the earth. During this unequal conflict, four of the insur-
gents, with loaded pieces, crept cautiously to a close and
favorable position, and. coolly waited till Mr. Tumer came
to the window to discharge his piece, when all four fired
together and blew off one side of his face. Paralyzed with
terror as they saw their beloved pastor fall, the parishioners
ceased firing, and, in the excess of their grief, deeming
further resistance useless, gave themselves up into the
hands of their cruel enemies. Bursting through a window,
the assailants, frenzied with rage, now set fire to the library.
Then rushing up stairs, they found the body of the unfor-
tunate clergyman weltering in blood, and around him his
terrified brethren.

In spite of their entreaties for mercy, these were all,
nine in number, murdered on the spot, and their mangled
bodies and blood covered the floor of the apartment; one
of these was the father of the child just baptized, and two
others the sponsors. The flames bursting through the roof
of the edifice, mounted high in air, and in a short time the
beautiful parsonage of Edermine was laid in ashes, and the
bones of its worthy rector were mingled with the smol-
dering ruins.

The assembled forces, now several thousand. in number,
halted within six miles of Wexford. While here a detach-
ment of cavalry, consisting of about two hundred, went
out to meet them. When the insurgents saw the horsemen
approaching, they opened to the right and left to receive
them, with such deafening shouts and yells as defy descrip-
tion. The troops perceiving their vast numbers and strength
of position, did not deem it prudent to risk an engagement.
and therefore immediately retreated to Gorey, a place sev-
eral miles distant, to await reinforcements.
94 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

The retirement of the troops gave fresh encouragement
to the rebels. But instead of a manly pursuit of the flying
cavalry, or directly marching to the rescue of Harvy and
his associates from prison, they, coward-like, went to the
house of a fine old gentleman, a Mr. Samuel Maud, a Protes-
tant and a most peaceable man. After robbing the house
of every thing valuable, it was to be hoped they would have
spared the life of its owner, who was ninety-six years old;
but his thinned and whitened locks were no security.
They led him into the hall, and one thrust a barbed pike
through his neck, and another darted a pike into his breast;
others joined in piking him in various parts of the body,
until death ended his agony.

Such were some of the first-fruits of liberty—deeds
enacted under the special direction of the Roman Catholic
clergy—acts of cold-blooded atrocity, seldom exceeded
even by savages thémselves; and all performed on the
sacred Sabbath.

Most of the Protestants in the country now gathered to
the garrison towns. Such were Ross, Wexford, Ennis-
corthy, and Gorey. Anguish and terror were depicted on
every loyal face. In Gorey alone there were not less than
two thousand refugees, who had left their burning dwellings
and property behind them to seek shelter there, besides
the inhabitants of the place. The streets were thronged
with soldiers and yeomanry, and persons with fire-arms
were stationed in the houses, and at the windows, every
moment expecting an attack. Trumpets were sounding,
and the drums beat to arms every half hour—and all was
melancholy and confusion.

The city of Wexford was full of consternation. Death
and destruction seemed to be hovering, with dark and out-
spread wings, over the country. Towering high in air were
seen columns of smoke in various directions, from the
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 95

burning dwellings of the poor and the flaming palaces of
the rich.

Every exertion was made to defend the city; bar-
riers of wood and stone were erected in all the leading
avenues, and most of the Loyalists volunteered to defend
the place; and there was strong hope that they would be
able to accomplish it.

Amid all the commotion of the city on that fearful day,
Mr. Gurley repaired as usual to Wesleyan preaching. How
sweet and consoling was the word of God to the little
flock, several of whom were never to meet again on earth.
While the minister, the Rev. Andrew Taylor, proclaimed to
them the words of the Psalmist, “Beneath the shadow of
thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities
shall be over-passed,” a sacred power rested on the con-
gregation. Every face was bedewed with tears; but that
perfect love which casteth out all fear caused them to
triumph, and they left the solemn place of association ready
to go, if it were God’s will, to prison or to death for Christ’s
sake and for his cause. Referring to this time, Mr. Gurley
in one of his letters says: “On my return from meeting, as
I was passing through the street, several persons stopped
_ me and said that the Papists had risen in great numbers,
and were murdering the Protestants in the country, and
burning their houses. I looked around and saw the
smoke ascending over our heads. ‘Now,’ said I, ‘the long-
expected time has come.’ On reaching home I found my
wife and her two sisters in the greatest alarm.” The
preaching was at five o’clock in the morning, and the news
of the depredations had not been circulated in the city until
after that hour.

The garrison at Wexford was weak, but a detachment of
one hundred and thirty men, under the command of Major
Lombard and Col. Foote, were sent out to attack the
96 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

insurgents. The rebel force, on the approach of the mili-
tary, lay in ambush in the ditches, and the soldiers, after
firing a few rounds at the main body who were on the side
of a hill, charged on them. The concealed ranks arose and
completely surrounded: the party, and cut them in pieces,
the lieutenant and two privates only escaping. Many of
the soldiers who were slain had wives and families residing
in the city. Their feelings and. condition are thus alluded
to by Taylor:

«How shall'I attempt to aeseane ‘the situation of Wex-
ford, when the news arrived that the party was cut off?
The general distress and anguish—the screeching of the
soldiers’ wives and children, tearing their hair and beating
their bosoms, incapable of consolation—was melancholy
beyond description. In every part was weeping and wail-
ing; so that a friend of mine went up into her garret to
avoid the crying in the street; but still the dismal groans
of the widow and the fatherless assailed her. Nor did she
know the moment she would fall by the hands of her
own servants, who were Papists. A kind-hearted lady,
compassionating the condition of a poor woman, whose hus-
band had fallen in the engagement, gave her some money,
and ordered her a bottle of wine. The poor creature gave
a mournful look at her benefactor, but her heart was burst-
ing—she lay down and instantly expired.”

Enniscorthy was a considerable town at the foot of Vine-
gar Hill, which rose high above it, and was a strong and
advantageous military position.

The place was not overlooked by the rebel officers as an
important post; and it was resolved to secure it, if possible,
as a general rallying point. It was defended by several
companies of infantry ar’ cavalry, under the command of
Captain Snow. ;

Early on Monday, the 28th, the insurgents, over seven
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 97

thousand strong, marched within one mile of Enniscorthy
and halted, waiting some time, expecting the military com-
mander and magistrates would offer to surrender the town
and garrison.

No proposals of the kind being made, they began to pre-
pare for taking the place by storm.

The whole body of insurgents were drawn up on arising
ground to hear mass from the celebrated priest Murphy, of
Bolavoge. As soon as the service was concluded, Murphy
laid aside his sacerdotal vestments, and, drawing his sword,
placed himself at the head of his men and marched toward
the town.

Captain Snow drew his men up at one end of the town
and waited the arrival of the insurgents. The latter ad-
vanced in vast numbers, rushing impetuously forward, dis-
charging their fire-arms and brandishing their pikes. Their
fierce onset was met by the infantry with a heavy and well-
directed fire, which caused the front ranks of the assailants
to recoil; and for a few moments a severe conflict ensued.
The insurgents now artfully feigned a retreat, and retired
toward the river, which ran through the centre of the
town. Supposing they were really routed, Captain Snow
pursued them until they reached the middle of the town.
This was all that was wanted by the insurgents. They now
poured into the streets; took possession of the houses,
firing from the windows; then they set fire to the dwellings,
and, taking advantage of the smoke, fired on the troops
from the corners of houses and from behind garden wails.
For three hours the battle raged with great fury; but, at
length, wearied with exertion and overcome by such a vast
superiority of numbers, Captain Snow retreated to Wexford,
leaving three hundred and fifty cthe insurgents dead on
the field. The.loss of the loyal troops was forty killed and

wounded.
9
98 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

Most of the Protestant inhabitants of the place followed
the retiring army to Wexford, in great distress and disorder.
‘The flight of the troops was the signal for indiscriminate
slaughter and rapine.

The wounded Loyalists were cruelly piked; many who
would not leave their sick or wounded friends shared a
similar fate. Many, induced by affection, remained with
their wives and children—hoping to find protection from
some one Catholic neighbor or other; but, alas! there was
no mercy for any man who bore the name of Protestant;
and even youth of fifteen years and under were put to
death. Taylor thus describes the scene:

“Now parents deserted their children, and children their
parents, never to meet more. The Rev, Samuel Haydon,
rector of Ferns, a very old man, was murdered and thrown
out to be devoured by swine. Richard Wheatly, a lock-
smith, near one hundred years old, also fell a victim to their
cruelty. The massacre became general, as soon as they got
possession of the town. Some were murdered in the act of
giving them freely of their own liquor ; witness, Edward Slye
was shot by his neighbor, William Lee, while handing him
a quart of beer. Many were torn out of the arms of their
wives, and murdered before them in the most barbarous
manner—nor would those women be even permitted to bury
their husbands. Here, now, were hearts torn with sorrow
of the deepest kind; many a widow and fatherless orphan
wept sore, while smoke and flames, blood and slaughter,
shouting and blasphemy, triumphed in the desolation of this
town.” :

Amongst those who had taken refuge in Wexford, were
several who were Wesleyan Methodists. With some of
these Mr. Gurley was well acquainted. His house was
open to receive them. Obliged to leave their wives and
tender children to the mercy of their relentless foes, and
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 99

not knowing what might be their fate, they were in great
distress of mind. Mr. Gurley encouraged them to trust in
God. He reminded them that their persecutors had power
to kill the body only, but could not harm the soul, He bade
them recollect the martyrs of old, and how they had shouted
victory in the flames. He exhorted them to refuse all offers
of Papists to baptize or proselyte them ; and, if called to
die, to stand steadfast in the faith, and humbly trust in a
faithful God. They worshiped together, and their inter-
views were solemn and bedewed with many tears.

An immediate attack on Wexford was now hourly ex-
pected. The authorities of the corporation now liberated
two of the United Irishmen, who had been imprisoned
with B. B. Harvy, on the day the insurrection broke out, on
condition that they should go to Enniscorthy and endeavor
to persuade the rebels to cease from murdering their Prot-
estant neighbors. Accordingly, Fitzgerald and Colclough
proceeded to the rebel camp.

Great was the joy in the insurgent army, when Fitzgerald
arrived. He was styled by them, ‘‘Lorp Epwarp Firzezr-
ap,” the title which belonged to the distinguished cham-
pion of this insurrection in Dublin, but who had fallen by
the hands of the government. Whether the liberated rebels
kept their promise is not known; but they themselves were
honored with commands in the “United army.”
100 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

CHAPTER VIII.

Camp on Vinegar Hill—Wexford surrendered to twenty thousand
Insurgents—Mr. Gurley and family on ship—Rebels enter town—
Murders—National Council established—Harvy appointed Presi-
dent and Commander-in-Chief—Citizens imprisoned—Mr. Gurley
seized and taken from ship—Set at liberty—His account of a visit
to priest Corrin—Rebels attempt to shoot him:

Prizst Murruy, who had first sounded the tocsin of war
in the county, was now in the highest spirits. He mar-
shaled his victorious men, and led them up to the top of
Vinegar Hill, which rises in the form of a cone, its summit
being plainly visible for miles around. Here he unfurled
the standard of liberty, and in the presence of the immense
concourse celebrated mass. He also addressed his men in
a warm, inflammatory speech. The glorious epoch had
arrived, he said, to retrieve their ancient rights and free-
dom, and to shake off the intolerable yoke of heresy and
heretical government under which they had groaned so
long. The speech was received with loud and long cheer-
ing by the excited crowd.

Murphy now established his camp on the summit of the
hill, and chose Fitzgerald and Edward Roach to be associate
commanders with himself.

Thus it appears evident that this body of insurgents
were under the sole direction of the Catholic clergy, and
that Murphy might easily have restrained his men from
those deeds of unprovoked barbarity which had so far
marked their course. Regular officers appointed by the
systematic arrangements of the United Irishmen, would
have consented, it is believed, to no such proceedings; but
it is notorious, that when Protestant United Irishmen at-
tempted to arrest such atrocities, the Papists, and espe-
cially the priests, as will hereafter appear, sought imme-
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 101

diately to diminish their influence, and to depose them from
authority, that the reins might be wholly in their own guilty
hands.

On Wednesday morning, the 30th of May, and the fourth
day of the insurrection, the insurgent army, consisting of
twenty thousand armed men, took position within three
miles of Wexford, at a place called the Three Rocks.

While in this position they were attacked by two different
detachments of troops. The first, ninety-six men from Wa-
terford, who were on their way to Wexford, to jom the
garrison, with two howitzers. They were compelled to
Tetreat, leaving their guns in the hands of the insurgents,
and one-half their number dead on the field. The other
was a body of soldiers sent out from Wexford, several hun-
dred strong.

These marched boldly toward the rebel ranks, and opened
a brisk fire on their outposts; but when, to their surprise,
the insurgents opened on them with the howitzers they had
just taken, and poured a volley from their muskets, they
deemed all hope of resisting such a force vain, and therefore
returned, but in good order, to the town.

Although Wexford was strongly barricaded with a gar-
rison of several hundred troops and yeomanry, yet the
hearts of the city authorities quailed before the everywhere
victorious assailants. A council was held by the magistrates
and some of the leading citizens and military commanders,
who, after anxious deliberation, decided it to be most pru-
dent for the military to evacuate the town and let the rebels
have peaceable possession. This was deemed at the time a
step of very doubtful propriety; and could the council have
foreseen the atrocities afterward committed in the city,
during the “Reign of Terror,” they would sooner have
defended the city to the last extremity.

But having decided to surrender the town, a counselor
9*
102 MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY.

Richards and his brother were deputed to go with a flag of
truce to the United forces, at the Three Rocks, proposing to
surrender the city, providing the enemy would be honorable
and not molest the persons or destroy the property of the
inhabitants.

The Richards, on delivering their message, found them-
selves in a most alarming situation: some proposed to put
them to immediate death and march directly to the town;
and their lives were spared only on their promising that all
the cannon, arms, and munitions of war pertaining to the
garrison should be delivered up with the town.

Edward Fitzgerald was sent with counselor Richards to
conclude the terms of capitulation with the city authorities,
the’ other Richards being detained as a hostage for the
safety of Fitzgerald.

But before they reached the city the army had withdrawn,
taking with them all the military stores. This greatly
enraged the insurgent leaders, and brought into imminent
peril the lives of the Richards; but prudent counsels pre-
vailed, and they were only detained in custody.

The army on leaving Wexford marched toward Gorey,
where they would await reinforcements from other parts of
the kingdom, when they hoped to return and take possession
of the place again.

As soon as the determination to ition? the city to the
rebel army was made known to the citizens, many were
greatly enraged, and the utmost consternation prevailed
among the Protestant inhabitants.

Some who could do so immediately followed the retreat-
ing army; while others crowded to the quay or dock, and
engaged passage in different ships in the harbor, intending
to sail for Dublin, England, or Wales.- In this a few hap-
pily succeeded; but the most of the ships having hypocrit-
ical, or cowardly, or perfidious commanders, took the passage
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 103

money from hundreds, spread canvas, and sailed a little
round the harbor, and anchored, or returned to the dock;
so that the unfortunate passengers were surrendered to the
mercy of their foes, after the rebels had taken possession
of the town.

Mr. Gurley waited with deep solicitude the determination
of the council; as soon as he heard it, he hastened home,
and communicated the sad intelligence to his wife. They
immediately concluded that the only hope of saving their
property, and perhaps their lives, would be to take passage
in a vessel for Dublin, where the eldest brother of Mrs.
Gurley, a merchant, resided. Accordingly, while Mrs.
Gurley and the servant girl hastened to prepare some food
for the voyage, her husband, with the apprentice boy, en-
tered the shop, which was well supplied with a good stock
of watches, silver plate, and jewelry, amounting in value to
several thousand dollars. The watches, jewelry, and most
costly articles were hastily thrown into a sheet, and tied at
the corners. This was borne on a pole between them to the
ship, and placed in as secluded a place as possible. The
clocks and larger articles were left on the shelves, and the
furniture of the house, with a few exceptions, was not
removed. The door was locked, the window-shutters fas-
tened, and Mrs. Gurley, the servant girl, and the two sisters.
of Mrs. Gurley were conducted by Mr. Gurley to the ship.

Mrs. Gurley sat down on the deck of the vessel, folded
her babe to her throbbing bosom, and reclining her head on
her husband’s shoulder, gave vent to her feelings in a flood
of tears. Still it was some comfort to trust they would
soon be out of reach of their persecutors; that, though
driven from their home, and much of their goods left.
behind, yet their lives were probably safe from the merci-
less hands of the rebels.

Mr. G. comforted his companion with the hope of soon
104 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

being with her brother in Dublin, and encouraged her to
be cheerful, and trust in the wise dispensations of an over-
ruling Providence: “Satan,” said he, “can only go the
length of his chain.”

As the sloop moved slowly out into the harbor, the green
banners of the triumphant insurgents were seen waving over
the hills that environ the city; and, in a few moments,
twenty thousand rebels filled the streets and lanes of the
place. The little order that had been preserved in their
march to the town, was lost as soon as they entered it.
With shouts and screams they rushed through the streets,
spread over the city, and commenced, in a thousand places
at once, the work of plunder and desolation.

A portion of the rebel force marched immediately to the
city prison, and demanding the keys, which were given up,
released B. B. Harvy, who was continued in confinement
when Fitzgerald and Colclough were released. A number
of persons known to be friends to the government were
now murdered; not by any regular course of procedure,
but by small gangs of rebels ‘inflamed with drink: and
Papists who resided in the city took advantage of the mo-
ment to shoot those whom their interest or prejudice wished
out of their way. Mr. John Boyd, Esq., of Wexford, a
gentleman highly esteemed for every public virtue and
social quality, being a brother to one of the officers of the
loyal army, which had just retreated, was murdered in the
most savage manner. They would not kill him at once, but
suffered him to lie all night on the bridge, in the agonies of
death. His sufferings were brought to a close in the morn-
ing, by a Papist neighbor, who boasted that “out of com-
passion he knocked his brains out with a hatchet.” (Taylor's
History.)

Wexford county had now become the centre and vortex
of the insurrection; the eyes of the whole kingdom were
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 105

turned toward it with intense interest. In a revolutionary
movement, it was in importance second only to Dublin, and,
in fact, a much better point for headquarters, because of
the absence of the numerous and eagle-eyed officers of
government, which abound at the capital. The possession
of the fine harbor opened a direct communication with
France, and threw at once into the hands of the revolu-
tionists a number of sloops and other vessels then in the
port, and those daily arriving. The surrender of the place
without resistance was flattering to the pride of the party,
who now concluded that the rest of the kingdom would
follow the example of this city, and so become an easy
conquest. Animated with success, the triumphant leaders
proceeded to take preliminary measures to organize a gov-
ernment for the new-born republic. A grand national
committee was immediately formed, and also the “ Council
of five hundred.” B.B. Harvy, just liberated, was honored
with the appointment of “President of the Council,” and
Commander-in-chief of the United forces.

- Harvy was a Protestant, the grandson of a distinguished
clergyman of the Church of England; he was a humane
and benevolent man, and was much esteemed by all parties
before the Rebellion. He possessed an ample fortune, which
increased his influence, and doubtless induced the Catholic
leaders to favor his glevation. He was charitable himself,
and unsuspicious of ‘others; and though, from pure patri-
otism, a “United Irishman,” he by no means gave credit to
the rumor of the sanguinary designs of the Papists. He
accepted the offices conferred on him with evident reluctance.
He saw the controlling influence of the Catholic clergy; but,
confined as he had been in the jail, most probably he was
not aware of the merciless butcheries of defenseless Prot-
estants which had occurred; and hoping, by moderation, to
avert misrule and carnage, he accepted the appointment,
106. MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

trusting to the patriotic principles of the United Association
to restrain the victorious hosts from rapine and murder
How much he was mistaken future events will show. Suffice
it here to remark, the priests knew. him, but he did not
know them, They appointed him because he was a popular
man, and for the time being could advance their cause. If
they failed, it could be said it was a Protestant, not a
Catholic, who was at their head, and thus diminish the
odium which might attach to Popery; or, if they were suc-
cessful, and he did not come up to their views and wishes,
they had the power in their own hands, and could dispose
of him. But it was an unfortunate day for him when he
accepted the perilous post.

The city was now swarming with armed ruffians; and
Harvy perceived at once that if they were permitted to
remain long there, the utmost disorder would be the conse-
quence, and all subordination be at an end. Accordingly,
early next day, the drums beat a call; and after great
exertion, seconded by the authority of the priests, whom
the masses still regarded as their chief commanders, he
succeeded in leading back the most of the insurgents to the
Three Rocks. A considerable force, however, was left to
keep the garrison, and protect the new senate. The insur-
gent army was now separated into three grand divisions:
the first, under Harvy; the second, under the famous
priest Murphy; and the third, under a priest Kearns.
These bodies were to repair to different points, and await
reinforcements—discipline and train their men, and prepare
to march against Gorey, Ross, Newtown-barry, and finally,
against Dublin.

In the meantime the National Council was so far under
the control of Popery, as to order the arrest of all the
Protestant gentlemen, of any standing or influence, who
had not left Wexford. Some of these were liberated, on
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. , 107

condition of joining their ranks, others favored with pro-
tection from the authorities, and others imprisoned; while
such as were specially objectionable were piked or shot,
without ceremony. Boats were also manned, and dispatched
to search the ships in the harbor, and to bring all men,
arms, and goods on board them, to be disposed of by the
authorities. The vessel containing Mr. Gurley and family,
instead of sailing directly out of the harbor, as might have
been done, as the wind was fair, dropped anchor half a mile
from the shore, and there remained.

Night at length threw its misty curtain over the city; but
the lights of the illuminated dwellings gleamed over the
tranquil waters of the harbor; and the shouts and random
shots of the intoxicated rebels reached the ears of the refu-
gees in the ships, who had already learned that they were
prisoners of war.

A dim light, which hung above the deck of a sloop,
revealed a confused mixture of merchandise, bedding,
trunks, and provisions, thrown together in promiscuous
heaps. On a low box sat Mr. Gurley, listening to the
sounds which came from the city. By his side sat his
young wife of twenty. She rested her elbow on his knee,
listening, as if apprehensive of some dread calamity. At
length a sound of confused voices was heard approaching
the ship; and soon mingled curses and imprecations on
heretics were heard. Mrs. Gurley started suddenly, and,
clasping her husband by the arm, exclaimed, in an under
tone of anguish, “O, they are coming for you! Where
will you hide?” “It is useless to hide anywhere, my
love,” replied he, tenderly. ‘We are in their power, and
God alone can deliver us.” In a few brief moménts a band
of armed men, with a leader in military uniform, were on
deck. Perceiving Mr. Gurley, who still retained his seat,
they came up to him and demanded his name. This was
108 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

no sooner pronounced than the leader of the band, who, it
seems, knew him, exclaimed, “Here, boys, we have him—
the swaddler. Away with him!” Four men handed him
to the hoat, and several other men were put in with him.
Mrs. G. would gladly have accompanied him, but they
refused to admit her. She parted with him with an aching
heart, and, with her female friends, passed the night in
sleepless sorrow.

When Mr. Gurley reached the dock he was met by Cap-
tain Keugh, afterward rebel governor of the city. They
were intimately acquainted with each other. Keugh
offered Mr. Gurley a printed protection, signed by himself,
and gave him also the pass-word for the night. These were
given to such Protestants as had not rendered themselves
obnoxious to the jealousy or wrath of the insurgents.
Such a protection, though it would be a security in passing
any officer, was yet of no value in defending him from
the malicious or half-intoxicated Papists who, in great num-
bers, still remained in town, bent on plunder and blood.
Although the leaders in the sanguinary scenes of the day
were Roman priests, yet it is but justice to say, that there
were some who did not approve of their transactions.
Among these was father Corrin, parish priest of Wexferd.
He was a man of great simplicity of character, naturally
humane and benevolent. He doubtless disliked the British
government, and felt a deep interest in the present struggle;
yet he assumed rather a neutral position in regard to the
Rebellion, and, at different times, interposed his influence
and authority, to prevent his merciless brethren from shed-
ding innocent blood. Father Corrin kept a fine house in
the city, the domestic affairs of which were superintended
by a maiden sister. Father C. and Mr. Gurley had been
for years on the most friendly terms. Dreading the lawless
rebels, who were continually shooting or piking some one
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 109

or other in the streets, Mr. Gurley, conceiving that at priest
Corrin’s he would be safe from them, resolved at least to
venture on his hospitality, and spend the night under his
roof, if possible.

Sentinels were placed, in different places, to preserve
order; yet the streets were thronged with a prowling rab-
ble. Barrels of spirits were rolled up from the cellars of
shops—their heads knocked in; and hundreds lay drunk in
the lanes and streets. Protestant families were obliged to
keep open doors; and free ingress and egress were expected ;
and the goods of such were taken, before their eyes, with
unblushing effrontery.

It was some time after dark when Mr. Gurley set out for
father Corrin’s. His visit is thus related by his own pen:

“To go to father Corrin’s I must pass through a long,
narrow lane, which had a flight of eight steps. So I set
off, it being very dark. As soon as I entered the lane, two
armed rebels cried, ‘Who comes there?’ I gave the pass-
word, ‘F. G.’ A little further—‘Who comes there?’ ‘F.
G.;’ and so on, until I had passed eight guards, and one at
the door of the house. As I entered the parlor I found it
was covered entirely with beds. Soon a Protestant lady,
of my acquaintance, came in, and told me the beds were
prepared for the women. She inquired where I was to
stay. I replied, ‘I do not know.’ She then proposed that
she and her daughter would come there and stay, if I would
occupy their room; and, as the house was owned by Cath-
olics, I would not be molested during the night. To this I
agreed, and accompanied her to her house, which was next
door. She placed some cold refreshment before me, and
then, it being late, she and her daughter left me. You may
easily guess what an appetite I had. I asked a blessing on
the food; but O, what were my thoughts upon !—time and

eternity—now on my wife and child—then on my mother
10
110 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

and sister—my two brothers—and then on all our society
of Methodists. ‘Good God,’ said I, ‘shall we all be
butchered by the Papists?’ I took off my coat and shoes;
and, having cast my all on Him who never slumbers nor
sleeps, I laid me down to rest: But balmy sleep fled; for
horrid was the noise in the street—the firing of guns, etc
But I found the promises of God, at this time, indeed, my
staff and my stay. I could, and did, sweetly cast my soul
on Him who had cate brew me through so many dan-
gers, toils, and deaths.”

The next morning he went, at an early hour, again to the
house of the priest. Miss Corrin kindly offered him a bowl
of tea, with bread and butter, for which he expressed his
gratitude. Soon after he had an interview with father
Corrin, of which he thus speaks:

“Father Corrin came to me, and said it was not in his
power to protect me in his house, as, by an edict of the
rebel authorities, all Catholics were forbidden to harbor
Protestants in their houses, under penalty of being them-
selves punished with imprisonment | or death. ‘But,’ said
he, ‘go down to the quay, and no one will molest you.’ So
down to the quay I went; but, when I got there, I found it
crowded with armed ruffians. I was not long there until I
saw a man level his gun at me. I stepped aside, behind
another man, which prevented him from firing at me that
time. When a movement of that man exposed me to view,
he leveled at me again; but this time, also, I escaped in a
like manner. The third time he aimed his gun at me, I
stepped to the commanding officer. ‘Captain Keugh,’
said I, ‘will you suffer that fellow there to shoot me?’
He looked at the fellow—ordered him to fall into the ranks;
at the same time making a sham kick at me, lest he should
appear too friendly to a heretic, and bade me go about my
business. Thus very providentially I escaped.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 111

CHAPTER IX.

Mr. (Zurley put in prison—His description of it—Jail crowded—
Imprisonment of Rev. George Taylor, 1 Wesleyan minister—Mr.
Gurley’s brother and brother-in-law brought to the prison—He
establishes prayer meetings in his cell—Extracts from his jour-
ual—Mrs. Gurley returns from ship—Her sufferings—Comes to
see him in prison—Fare of prisoners—Prisoners compelled to exe-
cute Catholic traitors—Dreadful alarm of prisoners—Remarkable
prayer meeting—His own account of his feelings—Hymns sung
in prison.

Tur time was now at hand when Mr. Gurley was to be
arrested and thrown into prison. This, it is true, he might
have escaped, by a compliance with the demands of the
Papists. Such Protestants as professedly tumed Papists
were generally required to give proof of their conversion,
by going into the rebel ranks, and aiding in the destruction
of their brethren. Others were required to construct pikes,
or make cartridges for the insurgent army. His principles
were too well fixed, and his conscience too enlightened, to
permit him to aid in or consent to the destruction of his
unoffending neighbors, even to save his own life.

“Soon after my narrow escape from being shot,” says .
Mr. Gurley, “a party of rebels came and requested me to
go to a certain place in the city, and make some ball-car-
tridges for them; but I promptly refused, as I would on no
account be accessory to the murder of my friends. In
about an hour four armed men came and seized me. Two
of them grasped my arms with great violence. ‘Gentle-
men,’ said I, ‘what are you going to do with me?’ ‘Take
you to jail,’ said one of them, in a gruff, insolent tone.
‘Very well,’ said I; ‘I shall not attempt to escape; so,
pray, do not grasp my arm with so much violence.’ But,
instead of relaxing their hold, they only uttered a curse,
and dragged me on with increased force. As they were
112 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

conducting me along to the prison, some of my old neigh-
bors, who were Papists, saw me, and cried out, as I passed
them, ‘Ah, Gurley, the heretic! Pike him; pike him.’”

His conductors paused at the great gate, which opened
into the prison yard. He turned round and gave a farewell
glance over the city, where he had spent so many peaceful
days. .In his boyhood he had often seen the chained and
fettered criminal pass there; but little did he think the day
would ever come, when, charged with no violation of the laws
of his country, he should be led by armed men through its
gloomy portals. As the iron gate swung back on its grating
hinges, he lifted his eyes to the gloomy prison before him.
It was a massive building, of solid masonry. The long
rows of grated windows gave it a gloomy aspect; but,
lifting his heart to heaven, he breathed a prayer for resig-
nation; and the sentiment expressed by the poet, in one of
our beautiful hymns, came over his soul with a tranquilizing
influence:

“Who suffer with our Master here,
We shall before his face appear,
And by his side sit down.
To patient faith the prize is sure;
And all that to the end endure
The cross, shall wear the crown.”
A soldier in uniform stepped aside to admit them into a
wide hall, or aisle, which extended along in front of the
long rows of cells. The emotions of Mr. Gurley were
indescribable as he entered a narrow cell, and the door was
locked on him. How long he would be doomed to that
abode, it was impossible to calculate; or how soon he might be
led forth to torture or death, none could tell. If the revolu-
tionists were to be defeated, it was to be expected that, in the
frenzy of their disappointment, they would avenge them-
selves, by murdering the prisoners in their power; and if
they should be victorious, it was generally understood that
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 113

no Protestant should be left to “defile the soil of Ireland.”
Nor could Mr. Gurley tell what would be the fate of his
wife and child, Should she return to the city, she would
have a desolate mansion to enter, as all the Protestant
houses, from which the inmates had fled, were robbed of
every thing valuable.

There was one consoling reflection. He was now free
from the wanton abuse, and lawless wretches, in the street,
and safe from the random shots of the intoxicated soldiers,
The place of his confinement is thus described in one of
his letters:

“The prison in which I was confined was a large, stone
building, with two wings. A yard, with a stone wall, sur-
rounded the whole. The building was twenty-four feet in
height. Each cell had a glass window, with, I think, nine
panes of eight by ten glass. Outside of each sash were iron
bars, about two and a half inches apart, so that I could only
slide my hand between them. I often took the sash down,
to let in the fresh air. My cell was eleven and a half feet
long, and ten feet wide; and in this, at one time, there were
eighteen of us confined. Between the cells and the front
wall of the prison, which looked toward the court and main
street, was a wide hall, reaching the whole length of the
cells. In this hall was a large stone stair-case, leading to
the hall and cells above. These rooms, in general, and the
hall, had floors several feet thick, and covered with blue
limestone flags, of one foot depth. ach cell was arched
overhead with cut stone. The one I was in had a small
fireplace. The south side of the prison and yard were
washed by an ever-running stream of pure water. The
yard included the jailer’s house, a fine garden, pump, etc.;
and the wall which surrounded the whole was some twenty
feet high. Guards were placed at the door of the hall;
and most of the prisoners, during my confinement, were

10
114 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

permitted, at times, to walk, and take exercise in the
open air.”

Mr. G. is even more minute in the description of the
place; but the foregoing extract is sufficient to give a fair
idea of his new home.

Few words convey a more gloomy impression to the mind
than the term prison. It is associated with crime and suf-
fering, despair and death—the place which justice pro-
vides for the safe-keeping and punishment of the violators
of law, social order, and the rights of man. We reflect on
the prison cell as the abode of the worst of our race—the
hardy felon, the daring robber, the stealthy, midnight assas-
sin, whose hands are red with blood. But it were a doubt-
ful question, whether they have been tenanted most by the
innocent or the guilty. It is not improbable that the former
would bear off the palm, in point of numbers. From the
days of Joseph in the prison of Pharaoh to the present
time, these gloomy palaces have been honored with the
most illustrious names—philosophers, heroes, statesmen,
and divines. The apostle Paul and his companions were
familiar with chains and stocks. The dungeon of Olmutz
is rendered immortal by the illustrious Lafayette—the patriot
of France and the companion of Washington. Huss, and
Luther, and Baxter, and Bunyan were here schooled to
heroic deeds and moral greatness; and the dripping walls
of the Spanish inquisition have been sprinkled with the
blood of as innocent and noble hearts as ever beat in
human bosoms. Hosts of martyrs have here had their
souls strengthened for suffering, and girded for death. In
short, in all ages the prisons of the old world have been
the chosen places of confinement and torment for the inno-
cent, the virtuous, and the benefactors of mankind.

Generally, however, the same roof has sheltered both
the innocent and the criminal together, as Jesus and Barabbas
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 115

were in custody at the same time; but it was reserved for
the prison of Wexford, under misrule, treason, and bigotry,
to exhibit the rare instance of a large prison, with every cell
crowded with only innocent and unoffending men—men
who had not only violated no law, but against whom there
had been no accusation, except that they were Protestants,
many of whom were among the most intelligent and worthy
citizens of the county. Mr. Gurley was the first put in the
cell assigned him; but he was soon joined by others, who
were arrested during the day; for they were brought in
both from the city and country, until every cell in the
prison was full. So crowded, indeed, did it become, that
the “committee of public safety,” fearing the consequence
on the health of the place, ordered over fifty of them to be
removed to the market-house hall, where they were placed
under guard. This was the same room in which Mr. Gurley
heard Mr. Wesley preach, on his last visit to Ireland.

Among’ those confined in this apartment was a Wesleyan
Methodist preacher, Rev. George Taylor, author of a “ His-
tory of the Irish Rebellion in the County of Wexford,” to
which there are frequent references in this work. Of his
sufferings and merciful escape, there will be given some
account, in the progress of this narrative. Mr. Gurley had
a brother, (Jonas,) and a brother-in-law, (John Smith,) who
resided in the city. They were hatters, by trade, and
carried on a successful business. They were sober, worthy
men, and belonged to the Established Church. They were
both arrested, and placed in an opposite wing of the prison;
but they had frequent interviews with Mr. Gurley during
their confinement.

It was some satisfaction to Mr. G. that nearly all in
his cell were his old acquaintance, and some his most inti-
mate friends. One of them was an aged man—Mr. Atkins—

eighty-two years old. He was one of the first converts to
116 MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY.

Methodism in Ireland. A young clergyman of the Church
of England, was also one of the inmates a part of the
time. The cell-door was opened during the day, so that
the prisoners could go out into the hall, and, by permission
of the guard, into the open air. But at night each cell
was carefully locked or bolted.

It is characteristic of pure religion, that it enables its
possessor to rejoice where others weep, and to triumph
where others despair. Paul and Silas set the precedent of
converting a gloomy prison into a place of prayer and
praise, and thousands since have followed their example.

Several in the cell with Mr. G. were religious, but others
were not; and many in the prison had not the faith and
love requisite for the trials which awaited them. He there-
fore proposed to have daily prayer at stated seasons for all
who were disposed to meet at his cell for the purpose;
hoping not only to strengthen the faith and animate the
courage of believers, but, also, to be instrumental in bring-
ing others to the cross. In his manuscript he thus alludes
to their first night in jail:

“During the afternoon I was favored with five fellow-
prisoners, all of them as great heretics as myself.

«Kearney, the rebel ordinary, ordered us some straw to
lie on; so when night came we spread it on the floor, as is
done in stables for horses. Some of my companions were
Methodists, whom I knew well. ‘Here, then,’ thought I, ‘is
the time and place for prayer.’ When about to lie down
on the straw, I observed to them that most likely we had
but a short time to live, and that we ought to prepare for
death, by improving the time in imploring the Lord of
heaven to give us his divine aid, to enable us to meet the
fate which probably awaited us, with faith, resignation, and
fortitude. They all thought as I did; so to prayer we
went; and, though in a prison, we did entreat God to make

>
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 117

it as the gate of heaven.” These seasons of worship were
continued in the cell till the last day of their imprisonment.

The reader, perhaps, may by this time be interested to
know what became of Mrs. Gurley, whom we left, unpro-
tected and at night, with her babe and two sisters, on board
the sloop. The anxiety of her husband on her account
may be easily conceived. A week passed without hearing
a word from her, when one day he was called to the hall
door, where to his great surprise and joy he met with the
‘servant girl, who had been admitted into the prison yard.
Mrs. G. had learned where he was, and came to see him.
She brought with her some clean linen, and some toast and
tea. Their emotions on meeting we must leave for the
reader to imagine.

Mrs. Gurley remained on board the ship two days; the
captain was kind and gentlemanly toward her, and, at her
request, put her and her company on shore. She had the
precaution to secure a portion of the jewelry before it' was
taken by the piratical crews, ordered by the rebel authori-
‘ties to search the ships for goods; but the greater part of
the silver plate and: watches fell into their hands, and were
never heard of more. ©

When Mrs. G. reached the wharf with her sisters and
servant girl, she repaired to her forsaken abode. Of the
front windows every pane of glass was broken; most of the
light furniture and articles were taken away. Some beds
remained in an upper room. Closing the doors and win-
dows as best they could, they lodged together in the cham-
ber, but not without constant alarm from the noisy rabble
without. Mrs. G. related that, on passing from the dock
to her house, she saw a man shot down on the opposite side
of the street. No article of food remained in the house,
and where to obtain any to subsist on was a question. The
insurgent army, like a cloud of locusts, had devoured every
118 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

thing; and the numbers in from the surrounding country
had made it impossible to find a particle of provision for
sale.

Finding it impossible to obtain food from the shops, Mrs.
G. and one of her sisters called on a wealthy lady, a Mrs.
Tyghe, who resided in the suburbs of the town. She was
a member of the class of which Mr. G. was the leader,
and a most devoted and excellent lady. To her they rep-
resented their destitute condition. She wept with them,
and, with true sisterly affection, said that she would share
with them what little she had. She told them that her
premises had been searched over and over for food, and
that all she had was what she had been able to secrete from
the rebels. She then took them into her kitchen garden,
and, removing a slight covering of earth and weeds, took
from a basket which had been buried a fine smoked ham,
which she gave them; and, also, a loaf of bread which she
had in the house she shared with them.

Thus were their immediate wants supplied; and, in a few
days, provision was tolerably plenty and cheap, having been
brought in from the surrounding country by the friends of
the insurgents, who were, perhaps, fearful that they might
be obliged to give it to the rebel army, whose military chest
was empty.

Mrs. Gurley was allowed to bring or send clothes and
food to the prison, but she was permitted to see her hus-
baxd but once more during his confinement.

The fare of the prisoners, as furnished by the authorities,

-is thus described by Mr. Gurley: “The rebels gave us
nothing to live on but potatoes and water; but these were
good. Some of us, who had cash, would get friends to
buy for us bread, meat, and butter, and we united and
bought half a barrel of table beer; and my wife, when she
could get it, would send or bring me tea, bread, and butter.”
a”
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 119

Another place where Protestants were confined in Wex-
ford was the barracks.. The rebel senate were strict in.
arresting Catholics whom they deemed traitors to their.
cause. On Sunday, the 3d of June, one of their number,”
who had been a witness against one Dixon, a priest, was
taken out and shot. To render his death more ignominious
in the eyes of his brethren, they compelled Protestant
prisoners to be his executioners. Taylor gives the following
account of the tragic scene: “After mass by a priest, and
receiving instructions, Thomas Dixon, a near relative of the
priest, was appointed to conduct the awful business. He
was one of the most barbarous men to the defenseless that
ever existed, but a greater coward in battle could not be.
He had the prisoner brought to the bull-ring, and a Mr,
Robison, one of the executioners, being ordered to fire, the
unfortunate man fell dead; when Dixon ran up and thrust
his sword through his neck; then drawing it forth, he held
it up to the view of the mob, desiring them to ‘behold the
blood of a rrarror!’ His body was dragged to the river
and thrown in. Two of his executioners were massacred
on the bridge on the 20th of June; the other escaped.”

For several days Mr. G. and his comrades were undis-
turbed in prison, except that occasionally large mobs of
rebel sailors and others, half intoxicated, would assemble
outside the jail-yard gate, shouting, cursing, and striving
to force their way in, to put the heretics, as they called
them, all to death.

“As I was sitting,” says Mr. Gurley, “on some straw on
the floor, on the 6th or 7th of June, reading in a little Tes-
tament, Messrs. Danniels, Piggot, and Julian, all gentlemen
in the service of the government, and fellow-prisoners, came
to the door of our cell, and some twenty others with them.
As they came near, several cried, ‘O, Mr. Gurley, pray
for us! ‘Pray for yourselves,’ said I. «O, we can’t,’
120 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

replied they. ‘What,’ said I, ‘is the matter now?’ ‘Don’t
you hear,’ said they, ‘the shouting? Five or six hundred
sailors are trying to get in to murder us all!’ I then called
on one of the prisoners, who was religious, to pray, but he
was so terrified he could not. So I bade them kneel down.
But 0, the situation we were in! Such weeping I never
saw before. The cell was full, and the entrance full; and,
as they leaned on one another weeping, I prayed till I
was quite fatigued, and was about to stop, when they cried,
‘O, don’t stop!’ So I leaned my back against the wall
and continued for some time longer, until I was quite ex-
hausted.”

Mr. G. often spoke of this as one of the most affecting
scenes he ever witnessed under prayer. Men who had
never prayed before, were melted into tenderness, and
sobbed like children. The fear of death for the time
seemed to be forgotten, or dissipated by the expulsive
power of deeper and stronger emotions.

Mr. G. continues: ‘When I stopped praying, I rose up and
said, ‘Friends, the effects you now feel and witness do not
aseribe to any virtue or holiness in me or my poor prayers,
but to the Spirit of God, who is operating on your hearts.
Many of you, I presume, never prayed before; and now
that death, and judgment, and an awful eternity are before
you, and a strict account to be rendered, O continue to call
on God, through Christ, while you exist. It may be our
guards will give us up to the mob to be butchered this very
night, Call, then, on the Lord while he may be found; he is
now at work in your hearts. Cease not, then, to pray for
mercy while you breathe, for I do believe some of us will
never leave this place but for eternity.’ This was, in fact, the
case with some of these very men. Poor Danniels was one.
I observed that he prayed very fervently. He was mur-
dered on the bridge the 20th of June. I found his body
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 121

afterward, on a place called the Cat’s Strand, without a
particle of raiment, except a black velvet stock about his
neck. I had him put in a coffin which I took for my
brother Jonas, who was murdered the same day.”

Mr. Gurley has left but little on record in regard to his
own personal feelings and religious enjoyment during the
three weeks he was in the hands of his enemies. He seems
to have been more anxious for others than himself; and re-
signed to the will of God, he improved every opportunity
to lead others, who were in like peril with himself, to that
grace which was now his chief support.

But the following brief paragraph shows that he was not
without the “consolations of God.” “Here, in prison, we
had time to read and pray; and, for my own part, my soul
was full of joy and peace in the Holy Ghost. O, at
such a time to have peace with God—peace with one’s own
soul! Such was the state of mind with me at this time; I
could still call God my Father.”

He found consolation himself, and cheered the gloom of
others, by singing frequently such hymns of Mr. Wesley’s
as were familiar to his memory. His voice, even at a
later period, was surpassingly sweet, musical, and of great
compass.

Among others, the following lines, from the composition of
Mr. Charles Wesley, were sung, to cheer their solitary hours:

“Come, O thou traveler unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see;
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with thee:

With thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.

What though my shrinking flesh complain,
And murmur to contend so long:
I rise superior to my pain:
en I am weak, then I am strong:
And, when my all of strength shall fail,
I shall with the God-man prevail.”
11 7
122 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

The following, from another hymn, were also favorite
lines with him, having been frequently sung by him at
that time:

“Happy the man whose hopes rely
On Israel’s God; he made the sky,
And earth, and seas, with all their train;
His truth for ever stands secure;

He saves th’ oppressed, and feeds the poor,
And none shall find his promise vain.

The Lord pours eyesight on the blind;
The Lord supports the fainting mind;

He sends the lab’ring conscience peace;
He helps the stranger in distress,
The widow and the fatherless,

And grants the prisoner sweet release.”

These, with some other portions of the hymns of our
Church, were, in after life, sung by him with peculiar effect
and feeling. He seemed attached to them from the very
fact that they had been his companions in the hours of his
greatest tribulation; as one becomes the enduring friend of
those who have ministered comfort to him in the time of
necessity or distress.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 123

CHAPTER X.

Progress of the insurgents—Division of the army—Battle of
Newtown-barry—Insurgents defeated— Battle of Gorey —King’s
troops cut off, and Gorey taken—Harvy’s camp—Sculaovge
House—Troops march to attack Ross—Proceedings in Wexford—
Cruel treatment of Protestants—Rev. Mr. Owen—his sufferings—
Jonas Gurley required to shoot a prisoner—Baptizing heretics—
-Mr. Gurley’s mother—Martyrdom of Protestants on Vinegar Hill—
Narrative of a prisoner—Murders in cold blood sanctioned by
priests.

Havine, thus accompanied the subject of this biography
to his prison, and marked in what manner his time was
there spent, we may now leave him for a season, and trace
the progress of the insurgents; and see in what manner, as
if led by some fatality, they conducted their boasted strug-
gles for freedom.

While the rebel senate was rapidly filling the prisons,
the hitherto victorious army was by no means idle. The
separation of the body into three divisions, after they left
Wexford, has been mentioned. One of these divisions,
under father Kearns, a Catholic priest, encamped on Vine-
gar Hill, and on the next day after their retirement from the
city, numbered fifteen thousand men; most of whom were
well armed, and impatient for conquest and plunder. Early
that morning the drums beat to arms; and, led by their
sacred commander and under officers, they marched several
miles, to a place called Newtown-barry. This was a beauti-
ful village, on the line between the counties of Wexford and
Carlow. Embosomed in the hills which rise in emerald love-
liness around it, and washed by the river Slaney, which
curves partly round it, few places in Ireland could present
a more delightful abode, or more charming scenery.

This place was garrisoned by about four hundred men,
124 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

commanded by Colonel L’Estrange. At twelve o’clock
intelligence reached the village of the approach of the in-
surgents, The Colonel and his troops took a strong position
in the town, and awaited the onset. The assailants first
took possession of a hill that commanded the town, and
opened a brisk fire.on the troops, with a six-pounder and
some ship swivels. Perceiving, however, that these did
little effect, they poured down the hill like a torrent, con-
fident of success from their numbers. The troops did not
wait their arrival, but instantly withdrew to a position one
mile from the place, on the high road. The assailants,
delighted with their easy victory, entered the town with
deafening shouts, set the suburbs on fire, and plundered
the baggage of the retreating army. They then burst open
the cellars, and drank spirits in such abundance that they
became generally intoxicated, and ranged through the town
with great disorder and noise.

While in this condition, Colonel L’Estrange’ suddenly
returned to the town, and, with his cannon, opened a most
destructive fire on their disordered ranks.

The storm of grape shot which swept through the street
threw the insurgents into such confusion, that, before they
could form, the streets were full of the dead and wounded.
A fierce charge now decided the day; the insurgents fled .
in all directions, leaving two hundred and fifty slain, while
the troops suffered the loss of only one killed, and one
wounded.

The flying party repaired to the camp at Vinegar Hill,
greatly enraged at their defeat. To avenge themselves, in
some degree, they burned all the Protestant houses they
found on their way.

On the same day the division under priest Murphy
marched to Ballycannow, intending, with others, to attack
Gorey, which was garrisoned by a part of the forces which
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 125

had left Wexford, and others; but, before the insurgents
were ready to make the attempt, a detachment of troops
attacked them, and after an hour’s severe conflict, in which
a number of them fell, they were completely routed, and
retreated, leaving their dead and wounded on the field.
Murphy, who had just been defeated, had not with him
the whole division of insurgents assigned him, but had
divided the body with Anthony Perry, an associate com-
mander, who was to join him with his division the next
day, and, with their united forces, storm the garrison at
Gorey, and take the town.

As soon as Perry heard of Murphy’s defeat, he was
greatly chagrined, and instantly resolved to retrieve the
fortunes of the day, by a determined assault on the place,
as soon as he could bring sufficient aid for the purpose.
He succeeded in getting father Kearns, with his division,
from Vinegar Hill, and some troops under Captain Doyle,
from Wexford. Their forces were united on Sunday, the
3d of June; messengers were sent through the surrounding
country, to summon all to camp.

On the same day, General Loftus, with one thousand king’s
troops, arrived for the relief of Gorey. This force, together
with the garrison, it was hoped, would be sufficient to repel
any number of undisciplined men the rebel commanders might
bring to the assault. On Monday, the 4th, the insurgents
amounted to twenty thousand men. These were drawn up
in order, early in the morning, at their camp, a few miles
from the place of assault. The priests celebrated mass
amongst them, and after distributing ball cartridge in abund-
ance, at ten o’clock they proceeded to Gorey. Intelligence
of the design of the insurgents to attack the town on that
day was communicated in the morning, at an early hour;
the drums beat to arms, the trumpets sounded, and every

preparation was made to receive the enemy.
11*
126 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

A large hill rose between the town and the expected
assailants. It was determined to go out of town to engage
them; and, for this purpose, the loyal troops divided.
General Loftus, with his division of one thousand foot and
some artillery, kept to the left of the hill; while Colonel
Walpole, with several hundred men and three battalion
guns, took the road which wound round the ascent to the
right. It was not known, it appears, by which of the two
routes the insurgents would approach.

Colonel Walpole, by an oversight wholly unaccountable
and inexcusable, proceeded without the caution of an ad-
vanced guard, so essential to prevent surprise. This fatal
neglect of the officer, as will be seen, cost him his life, and
decided the fortunes of the day. The rebel scouts in ad-
vance of the main body, saw Walpole. and his division
approaching, and hastened back with the information to the
commanders. Priest John Murphy, of Bolavogue, who was
at the head of the assailants, called a halt, and ordered the
gunsmen inside of the ditches; he then drew up his cannon
in the centre of the road, masking them by a platoon of
men in front, and thus awaited the arrival of the loyal.
troops.

The rebel army extended for miles along the road in the
rear of their artillery, and presented a formidable appear-
ance, as the windings of the road revealed their immense
numbers.

Walpole, at the head of his men, advanced firmly to the
attack, and when within almost a pistol-shot of the head
of the column, and about to fire and charge, to their amaze-
ment, a thousand men, from behind the hedges and in the
ditches, opened a most deadly fire of musketry on their ex-
tended columns; while, at the same moment, the masked
battery in the centre of the road now opened its thunder,
and poured a tempest of iron hail into their exposed
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 127

platoons. Edward Fitzgerald, who, with some men, had
joined in the action, was a mile in the rear when the firing
began; but turning his horse to the ditch, he leaped into
the field, and rode to the front of the battle, waving his
sword as he passed along, crying, ‘‘ Now, my boys, surround
them! surround them!”

The loyal troops gallantly returned the fire of the enemy,
and, over the dead bodies of their comrades, with a cool
daring and bravery rarely excelled, held at bay the vast
force of the assailants.

Colonel Walpole fell beneath the first deadly fire from
the ditches, a ball passing through his thigh, and another
through his head. The troops, seeing the enemy fast sur-
rounding them, fought retreating into Gorey, leaving behind
them their cannon; from Gorey they retreated immediately
to Arklow, followed by many of the Protestants of the
place.

General Loftus heard the firing, and having no doubt but
Colonel Walpole would defeat them, proceeded on his route
nine miles round, intending to intercept their retreat. When
he reached the battle-field and saw the mangled body of
Walpole and his fallen soldiers, he could scarce credit his
senses. Not deeming it prudent to attack the victorious
insurgents, who were now fully in possession of the town,
he marched his troops toward Carlow. Flushed with con-
quest, the rebels now plundered the town, and indulged in
all manner of excesses; and a large proportion became
intoxicated. Had General Loftus now returned with one-
half his men, the rebels would doubtless have been easily
routed ; this, however, he did not do, and the insurgents
kept possession. Thus the carelessness of an officer blasted
the bright hopes of that morning, and the flames of a ter-
rible rebellion blazed higher than ever.

The reader by this time may wish to know something of
128 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

the divison commanded by B. B. Harvy, Commander-in-
chief, and President of the Council. His detachment was
designated to take the garrisoned town of Ross; but, as
thousands were flocking daily to his camp, he delayed the
attack until the fifth. Harvy, however, marched his division
to a place a few miles from Ross, and formed his camp,
where they remained until the fourth.

During this time many Protestants were brought tc
camp, together with some disaffected Catholics, who were
either shot immediately or put in confinement.

The house and barn of a Mr. King, of Sculaboge,
which was in the vicinity of the camp, were now selected
by Harvy and his men as a place of confinement for such
persons, and it was soon filled with prisoners—men, women,
and children—whose melancholy fate will be hereafter
detailed.

The camp of Harvy was but a few miles from Wexford ;
so that he could be present frequently at the meetings of
the Grand Council and still superintend the movements of
his men. No influence, however, that he could exert, could
prevent his Papist rebels from burning all the Protestants’
houses in the country around.

On the fourth of June, Harvy, at the head of thirty-
seven thousand men, reached Corbet Hill, and encamped
for the night at a beautiful country seat, the residence of
Edward Murphy, Esq., within half a mile of Ross, intending
to attack the place next morning.

Here we will leave them for the present, and return to
Mr. Gurley and the city of Wexford.

The rebel senate continued in session in Wexford, and
continued to look with deep solicitude for the promised aid
from France. The French Directory did not succeed in
dispatching troops to their assistance, as was promised in
April or May.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 129

“If, instead of waging an expensive and perilous war in
Egypt, leading thousands of French soldiers to perish in
the desert, Bonaparte had been sent to Ireland, he would
shave pierced England, his mortal foe and hated rival, in a
vital part, and perhaps in the end have escaped the miserable
fate which he afterward incurred from her power.

As war was then existing with England, it is wondeiful
that France was so blind to her own interests as not to
embrace the occasion to humble, on the soil of Ireland, her
hated rival. The Directory awoke at last to the im-
portance of the measure, but struck a blow when it was too
late to be available. The troops she promised landed after
the Rebellion was over. The absence of the main body of
the insurgents restored only comparative tranquility to
Wexford. Many of the Protestant families, through fear,
appeared to favor the seeming revolution. The shops and
stores were reopened, and Lizzrry, in large capitals, was
written on most of the doors and windows. Many of the
houses were decorated with green branches, while from the
public buildings the banners of independence waved in the
breeze. In the meantime, the cell in which Mr. Gurley was
placed continued to receive fresh inmates, some of whom
were brought several miles from the country. .Some of
them had narrowly escaped death; others had been tor-
mented in various ways.

The following, as an instance, is given: “One day the
Rey. Mr. Owen, a clergyman of the Episcopal Church, was
brought into our cell. He looked wildly; his hair was
shorn off, and his head daubed over with a coat of tar or
pitch. When he came near me he said, ‘O! Mr. Gurley,
I want you to make me a pair of gold boot buckles, as I
am to go a hunting in a day or two, perhaps to-morrow.’
I replied, ‘ Very well, sir, furnish me the gold, and if I have
time you shall have them.’ Poor man! he was deranged ;
130 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

and no wonder. He was torn from the bosom of his family ;
taken to the rebel camp at Gorey; his head shaved, and
covered with melted pitch; he was then taken to an upper
window in the market-house, and hung from it by his feet,
his head being nearly half way to the ground; directly
under him were a number of pikes placed, with their
handles sunk in the earth, their barbed points ready to
pierce him in his fall. A man was standing with a knife,
ready to cut the rope. In this horrid situation he was kept
some time, but the order to execute him was not given, and
he was brought to our prison stark mad.”

Rey. Andrew Taylor, preacher on Wexford circuit, was
also imprisoned, but he was finally liberated. For awhile he
was much dejected, but subsequently revived, and joined in
the prayers of the company. His escape is thus referred to
in the Life of Gideon Ouseley, Irish missionary, (page 176 :)

“During the reign of anarchy, (1798,) he was made a
prisoner by the rebel forces, in the garrison of Wexford.
While hundreds of Protestants were sacrificed at the shrine
of intolerance, and victim after victim, from the points of
the enemy’s pikes, swelled the tide of the blood-stained
Slaney, Andrew Taylor was brought before the Inquisitorial
court. The usual interrogatories were put: ‘What are you?’
‘I knew,’ said Mr. Taylor, ‘if I had said, “I am a Protes-
tant,” that would have been bad enough; to have said, “I
am a Methodist,’’ would have been worse; but to have said,
“I am a Methodist preacher,” would have been worst of
all.’ Raising himself up in calm defiance of the ruffian
host, he boldly exclaimed, ‘I am a Methodist preacher,’
not knowing but the next hour would have been his last.
Strange to say, they seemed, by his intrepid avowal, im-
pressed with awe; one of them interposed, and he escaped
unhurt.”

An event now occurred which gave great pain to Mr.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 131

Gurley: A Roman Catholic, who had in some way dis-
pleased the authorities, was condemned to die; and, as
usual, Protestant prisoners were required to shoot him.
His. brother Jonas, and two others, were commanded to be
his executioners. Had the principles of Jonas been fixed,
enlightened, and elevated, as those of his brother, he would
have declined the task, at all hazards. As it was, he per-
formed it with great reluctance, and doubtless considered
the guilt not his, but theirs, who, having him in their power,
demanded it at his hands. In the manuscript is the fol-
lowing:

“When my brother was passing out with the Papist who
was condemned, I asked him where he was going; he
replied, ‘I don’t know.’ I supposed they were taking my
brother out to be flogged or murdered. I burst into tears.
O how my soul was torn with a hundred conflicting feelings!
I wept and prayed for him and myself, that the Lord would
give us strengthening grace for suffering times. When
Jonas returned, I went to him, and inquired where he had
been, and for what he was called out. He then told me
what he had been required to do. He was greatly affected,
and wept much. He remarked to me, ‘ William, if the
Papists get the day, the Bible is all a lie.’ I replied, «No,
no, Jonas; the Bible is true, whatever may happen. “Let
God be true, though every man should be a liar.”’ Jonas
generally attended our noon meetings, and at other times
when he could.”

The following incident, recorded by Mr. Gurley, affords
a fine illustration of the triumph of Christian principle and
feeling over human nature, and shows what grace can do
for the fallen spirit of man. It was a literal fulfillment of
the Savior’s command, “Bless them that curse you; do
good to them that hate you.”

“As the rebels gave us no food but potatoes, my wife,
132 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

when she could get it, would send or bring me bread,
butter, and tea, even when she had scarcely enough for
herself and child. I remember one day she sent me a
bowl of tea, with bread and butter, I had taken my dinner;
so I reserved it for another time. Soon after, while walking
in the prison-yard, I saw at the foot of the stairs a rebel
sailor, whom I knew, keeping guard. When I came near
him, I said, ‘John, how are you getting along?’ ‘Bad
enough,’ said he. ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘I have been
standing here since nine o’clock yesterday morning, and
have had neither bit nor sup.’ He had an awful-looking
pike in his hand. I pitied the poor fellow, and went up to
my cell, took the food my wife had sent me, and brought it
to him. Tears of gratitude came in his eyes as he took it.
I held his pike while he was eating. ‘John,’ said I, as I
passed my hand over the rough barbs of the weapon, ‘you
will, I suppose, in a day or two, be pulling out my bowels
with this?’ ‘I hope not, sir,’ said he; ‘I wonder what
keeps your English friends from coming to your assistance!’

“As I took the bowl to the cell again, some of the men
asked me what I had done with my victuals. ‘I gave it,’
said I, ‘to that poor fellow standing guard at the foot of
the stairs.’ One replied, ‘I would rather give him a rope
to hang himself with.’ Another said, ‘I would sooner give
him poison.’ I replied, ‘“If thine enemy. hunger, feed
him; if he thirst, give him drink.” ’

“TI never saw a more grateful creature than he showed
himself to be toward me afterward. Being a sailor, he was
at Liverpool several times when I resided there, and he
would always call to inquire if I had any commands for
Treland.”’

Mr. Gurley’s mother found refuge with some Catholic
acquaintance during the worst part of the Rebellion. He
relates that, while he was in prison, “‘some Papists went to
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 133

her and asked if she would have a priest to baptize her?
She replied that, though her parents were Quakers, she was
already baptized. ‘For,’ said she, ‘when I was an infant,
I was put out to a Catholic nurse, who got the priest to
baptize me, because, as she said, she did not want to nurse
a “little devil.” ’ She told them they would not hold the
town a month; nor did they but only twenty-three days.”

The priests, during the rebel sway, were very busy in
baptizing heretics, especially women and children, although
the number of men who submitted to it was not small. To
this they were constrained by a hope of safety; but it was,
however, only a temporary protection ; “for,” says Taylor in
his history, “it was well understood that even these persons
would have been put to death if the rebels had prevailed.
Such as were baptized received the following protection:

“«T hereby certify that A. B., of C., in the parish of D.,
has done his duty and proved himself a Catholic.

Joun Bros.’ ”

Each division of the insurgents had some place which they
appropriated for the imprisonment of Protestants where
they were subjected to tortures, and from whence they
were led forth to suffer for the gratification of their blood-
thirsty enemies. About the same time that Mr. Gurley was
imprisoned in Wexford jail, the insurgent camp, under
priest Kearns, on Vinegar Hill, selected an old windmill on
its summit for this purpose. Here, for twenty-three days,
they perpetrated in cold blood deeds of cruelty which
make the heart shudder even to think of; but to detail
them all would require many volumes. Martyrs worthy of
the days of Luther here suffered with patience, and died in
the faith, “not accepting deliverance.”

A man, entitled to the fullest credit, who escaped faut
their hands, relates that, being in the old windmill, he saw
a man sitting on the ground, with only a piece of ragged

12
134 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

blanket to cover him. His eyes were put out of their
sockets, his tongue cut out of his head, his body swelled to
an enormous degree, and covered with ulcers. Not thinking
he was alive, till the poor sufferer gave a heart-piercing
groan, when the man started and exclaimed, “Good God,
what miserable object is that?” He was answered by one
of the guard, that the man was under slow punishment!
This was verified on oath.

“Tt has been remarked that none of their number were
30 blood-thirsty as those who were the most religious, and
constant attendants on the Popish ordinances. The drunken
and careless sort had the greatest share of good-nature.
It is a certain truth that they never had so many masses,
nor ever prayed so much, as during their month of usur-
pation, especially on their battle-days; then all the old
men, women, and children, betook themselves to the ‘Ave
Marias,’ etc. And when parties of two or three hundred
would go round the country burning the Protestant houses,
they generally fell on their knees as soon as they had set
them on fire.” (George Taylor’s History, page 147.)

Another Protestant, who was prisoner on the same hill,
whose narration is entitled to full credit, gives the following
account of his captivity, etc.:

“When I came to the prison door I was seized by the
breast and thrown in among the rest of the prisoners, where
I remained in the deepest sorrow and affliction, believing
death inevitable, as I was among the condemned. Seeing
aman, who had been piked the evening before, with signs
of life [it seems from this that he was left for dead] in the
prison, I asked him what had happened to him. He told
me he had been piked the evening before, and had crept in
from among the dead, which lay before the door, to avoid
the heat of the sun. His coat was off, his shirt covered
with a cake of blood, and his cheeks full of holes, which
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 135

they had made with their abominable pikes. Looking out
of the door I saw the rebels leading up a prisoner, whom
they soon after shot. Looking out of the other door I saw,
as nearly as I could judge, between thirty and forty lying
dead, about three yards from the building. Some of them
I knew, being in confinement with me; and one of them
was my brother-in-law. Shortly after a man coming in,
under pretense of searching for arms, robbed us of what
money we had, and went away.

«Then came that sanguinary monster, Luke Byrne, and
inquired how many prisoners had been condemned. He
was told twenty-seven. He answered, ‘If any one can
vouch for any of the prisoners not being Orange men, I
have no objection that they should be discharged.’ No one
returning an answer, he said, ‘Is there no one to speak?’
No answer. He then ordered six guns to be brought to
each door, intending to destroy us at once, and not spend
the night in watching over us. The guards, knowing they
would be in danger of shooting each other, obtained per-
mission to bring us out and shoot us one by one. We were
then ordered to kneel down, and each of us to be brought
out in our turn.

«Three rebels stood at the door with pistols in their hands;
and still, as the prisoners were brought out and placed on
their knees, they were shot and thrown among the dead.
Three of them, expecting they should escape death by
renouncing the Protestant religion, called for a priest. John
Murphy immediately arrived, and laying his hands on their
heads, repeated some prayers in Latin. Scarce were his
hands off their heads, when one of the executioners, who
had a grudge to one of the prisoners, fired at him; the ball
entered the unfortunate man’s ear and killed him. He was
garried off and let fall among the dead. I, being the next,
was brought to the door; a rebel calling me by my name,
136 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

caught the attention of one of the captains, whose name-
sake I happened to be. This was fortunate for me, as by
this circumstance my life was providentially spared.

«A man, named Thornton, from Wexford, was shot at
this instant. But the next man that was brought out broke
through the crowd and ran about seventeen perches, when
he was met by a rebel, who, with a sythe, severed his
head from his body, so that it hung down on his breast; in
an instant several pikes were fastened in him, and I saw
him no more. The priest walked away as unconcerned as
if no murder had taken place. Out of the twenty-seven
prisoners only three escaped; namely, Kendrick, William
Bennet, and myself.”

Many were the persons who were martyred on this
bloody hill. Some, before they were piked, were tor-
mented with whips, the lashes of which were made of brass
wire twisted into cord.. Mr. George Stacy, an intimate
friend of Mr. Gurley’s, received no less than two hundred
and fifty lashes with one of them. Some were piked, but
so as to leave them in slow torment; and, most horrid to
relate, sometimes the prisoner was bound and laid on his
back on the ground, when a stone, pointed at one end but
large at the other, was put in his mouth; on this a monster
in human form would stand and stamp with his heel, dislo-
cating the jaws and suffocating the victim. This was done
to a Mr. Henry Hatton.

Mr. Edward Hawkins was another victim of their cruelty.
He resided in a comfortable house, a short distance from
the camp. He was far advanced in years, and was in the
house when the rebels entered it. He made no resistance.
They first demanded something to eat; they were furnished
with the best the house afforded. After having eaten and
drank at his house, he would have been respected even by
the laws of Turks, Arabs, or savages; but, alas! what will
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 137

not bigotry and depravity do? He was led into the hall,
and there his throat was cut, and a pike thrust through his
body. His wife was sixty years old, and was totally blind;
she uttered the most melancholy screams while they were
leading away and killing her husband. They then set fire
to the house, leaving the blind old lady to find her way out
and to seek a place of safety as best she could. He had
five sons; one of them had fallen in battle, the other four
they now killed, and the mother was left a widow, child-
less and sightless. :

They also set fire to another house, owned by a Mr.
Croshea. He hoping to escape by it, run some distance, but
was shot in the attempt. His three sons lay concealed in a
bog for three days. They were young men. At length
they were found, and taken by the rebels to the side of a
gravel-pit, and threatened with instant death unless they
would disclose where some fire-arms were deposited, and
promised life if they would comply. The love of life pre-
vailed, and they gave the desired intelligence; when, with
hearts false as fiends, the rebels compelled them to stand
arm in arm until, by word of command, they were fired at,
and all fell, with screams and,groans, on the grass. They
were now dragged to a gravel-pit and thrown in, wounded
as they were, but still alive, and covered with earth, and
thus suffocated in their own graves. The distracted mother
came, in the anguish of her heart, to seek her sons. The
murderers pointed coolly to the spot where they lay to-
gether, saying that she might make herself easy, as they had
already buried them for her, and so saved her the trouble.

Thus did the infatuated priests and their deluded adhe-
rents and followers continue the work of extirpation, until,
according to the most reliable information, four hundred
Protestants were, within a few days, massacred on Vine-

gar Hill and its vicinity. Their mangled bodies were left
12*
188 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

frequently unburied for several days; and such was their
cruelty that they would not suffer the wives or mothers of
the slain to perform for them the last sacred acts of human-
ity, or even to take a farewell look at their cold remains.
Even the swine were permitted to prey upon many of them.
This is the more astonishing, since it is universally admitted
that generosity, humanity, and sympathy, are distinctive
and prominent features of Irish character.

How evident, then, must it be, that Popery is not the
religion of the blessed Jesus, since it can thus extinguish,
in bosoms naturally noble and generous, the last spark of
sympathy and compassion toward suffering humanity !

Indeed, the priests, fearing lest the people should begin
to revolt at these bloody deeds, appear to have taken
special pains to throw over the whole the sanctity of a
religious proceeding, and to induce them to believe it was
even the work of Divine goodness; for Taylor, who was
in their hands during these scenes, declares that “after
they had finished murdering the lot or party destined for
the day, they were assembled by a crier, through the camp
and town, who proclaimed the following harangue:

«To prayers: Three paters and three aves, to be offered
to God and the blessed Virgin Mary, for our glorious cause;
for the further dispersion and extirpation of all heretics;
for our glorious Church militant on earth and triumphant
in heaven,’

“A large tub of water was then brought, which one of
the priests immediately blessed; ordering the crowd to
kneel round about, he, with a wisp of heath, or broom,
sprinkled them with the water, repeating-the words of the
Psalmist over and over, ‘Thou shalt purge me with hyssop,
and I shall be clean; thou shalt wash me, and I shall be
whiter than snow.’”

These efforts of the priests were but too successful; a
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 189

dreadful thirst for human blood seemed to seize the people,
and the mere pleasure of tormenting them induced them to
send several miles for prisoners, when those they had taken
were all dispatched. Still, while our indignation is roused
against the inhuman conduct of the Roman clergy, Chris-
tian charity teaches us to throw the mantle of charity over
the deceived and deluded multitude, who were obsequious
to their biddings.
140 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

CHAPTER XI.

Battle of Ross—7,000 insurgents slain—Oath found in the
pocket of a Catholic.

Turnine from these scenes, at which humanity shudders,
let us direct our attention to the more manly, though
equally deplorable movements of their accumulating army.

During these transactions, expresses had been sent by
the Loyalists to Dublin for aid, and troops began to arrive
and concentrate at Ross, in the neighborhood of which we left
the division of insurgents under B. B. Harvy, reveling and
banqueting, on the eve of an eventful battle.

Ross was a place of considerable importance: it was
situated on the eastern bank of a fine river, over which, at
this place, there was an elegant bridge, seven hundred and
thirty feet long, and forty feet wide. The town lay at the
foot of a steep hill, down which most of the roads leading
into the town were constructed: on this hill the “look-out”
guard of the garrison was placed. It has already been re-
marked that, on the evening of the 4th of June, the rebel
army, 37,000 strong, encamped on Corbet Hill, half a mile
from Ross. The picket guard on the hill above the town saw
the rebels take position, and fired a gun at them. Notice of
their approach was communicated to the garrison, which was
drawn up at the evening parade. General Johnson imme-
diately marched out his men to meet them; but deeming it
rather too late to commence hostilities, he posted his men
advantageously, where they stood under arms till morning,
observing the most profound silence. Fortunately for the
Loyalists, that evening Lord Mountjoy, colonel of a regi-
ment of loyal troops, from Dublin, arrived, and united his
force with that under General Johnson, for the defense of
the place. This increased the number of troops to over
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 141

1,700 men. Mountjoy’s men were weary and enfeebled by
a forced march, and had suffered from hunger; but, without
time or means of refreshment, marched out to meet the
enemy. The conflict, however, did not commence till
morning.

Early on the morning of the 4th, B. B. Harvy put his
men in order. He-.then held a council of war, where it
was determined to summon the town to surrender, sup-
posing that, like Wexford, it would become an easy prey.
Harvy therefore dispatched the following summons to Gen-
eral Johnson:

“Srr,—As a friend to humanity, I request you will
surrender the town of New Ross to the Wexford forces
now assembled against it. Your resistance will but provoke
rapine and plunder, to the ruin of the innocent. Flushed
with victory, the Wexford forces, now insurmountable and
irresistible, will not be controlled if they meet with re-
sistance.

“To prevent the total ruin of all property in the town, I
urge you to a speedy surrender—a surrender which you
will be forced to in a few hours, with loss and bloodshed,
as you are surrounded on all sides. Your answer is re-
quested in a few hours.

“Citizen Furlong comes with this letter, and will bring
the answer. I am, sir, etc.,

“B. B. Harvy, M. G.”

“Camp, Corbet Hill, half-past three o'clock,

Tuesday, 5th June, 1798.”

When Furlong approached the advanced guard, they
shot him down. This was an unwarrantable and injudicious
act, and, it is but just to say, it was not authorized by the
commander of the garrison.

The summons, which was found in the pocket of the un-
fortunate messenger, was forwarded to’ headquarters, but
142 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

no answer was returned. At four o’clock in the morning
the insurgent army advanced to the attack, confident of suc-
cess from their numbers—37,000 against scarce 1,800 men.
The advanced posts of the loyal army were soon driven in,
though they kept up, in their movement, a smart fire on
the assailants. The insurgents approached in tolerable
order. They drove before them all the cattle they could
collect, for the purpose of disordering the ranks of the
loyal army: a few discharges of grape and canister, how-
ever, soon sent them scampering over the plains and fields.

As the dense columns of the insurgents approached,
they were met with a cool, but well-directed fire, from a
portion of the troops under General Johnson. The fire
was returned with great spirit by the insurgents, who now
entered the town with enthusiastic shouts. But their ad-
vancing columns were mowed down by a deadly fire of
musketry. Artillery was now brought to bear on the vast
masses crowding to the scene of destruction. At every
fire of the cannon a storm of grape-shot opened wide gaps
in the insurgent body; these, however, were soon filled
with others, who, in turn, were mowed down like grass,
But thousands still behind, many half intoxicated and void
of fear, rushed on, like tigers, to the onset. The artillery
being in imminent danger of being taken, it was now with-
drawn a short distance.

Encouraged by this movement, the insurgents shouted,
and rushed down the street. Here they were met by a
division of cavalry, who were ordered to charge through
them. The horsemen could only cut their way into the
solid masses, and now a terrible carnage ensued; heaps of
dead lay piled up in confusion. The sabres of the des-
perate cavalry glittered in the sunbeams; and waving high
over their heads, they fell on the maddened ranks below:
frightened and wounded horses, riderless, rushed madly
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 143

through the field, trampling beneath their iron hoofs the
crowded and terrified rebels.

To save their comrades, who were being cut to pieces by
the horsemen, Harvy directed a body of pikemen to ad-
* * vance in front; and, as the retiring rebels gave way, these,
with their long-handled weapons, stood firmly before the
advancing cavalry. The latter, finding their swords too
short to contend against such arms, were in turn obliged to
retreat. For four hours had the action now been raging,
and the streams from human bosoms rolled down the streets
in torrents. Numbers, enthusiasm, and native valor, con-
tended with military discipline, cool daring, and the tactics
of war, and as yet victory hung in an even balance over
the unequal hosts.

Steadily, however, the assailants pushed their raging
masses onward to the centre of the town, climbing over
heaps of the dead and dying; they threw themselves, like
furies, on the wearied columns of the loyal troops; the
ground trembled amid the.shock and roar of battle, and
the sound of clashing steel rang on the air. The Dublin
troops, which had partly given way, were rallied by the
brave Mountjoy, and led afresh to the charge; and the
action was revived again in every part of the town, and
raged with redoubled fury. At this moment the intrepid
Colonel Mountjoy fell, pierced with a fatal ball; for a few
moments his regiment fought like veterans round their
fallen commander, but soon their thinned ranks were secn
to waver; and, as there seemed no end to the torrent
of assailants which poured in upon them, they retreated
hastily from the town, across the bridge, and victory now
perched on the insurgent banners.

As the retreating troops halted beyond the bridge, Gen-
eral Johnson came galloping up, crying, as he waved his
sword over his head, “Soxtprers! I will lay my bones this

e
144 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

day in Ross; will you let me lie alone?” The exhausted,
but not subdued soldiers, gazed with tearful eyes on their
determined commander, cheered him heartily, and instantly
forming, followed him back to the bloody field. Major
Vesey, next in command to Mountjoy, led his men over the
bridge again, exclaiming, “Now, my brave fellows, revenge
for your murdered Colonel!” We finish the description of
the battle by quoting the account of an officer of artillery,
who shared in the conflict of the day:

“The whole brigade, except some who fled to Waterford,
being led on by General Jobnson, as brave a commander as
ever drew a sword, were determined to take the town—to
conquer or to die.

“Again we opened a tremendous fire on the rebels,
which was as fiercely returned. We retook the cannon
which were taken from the king’s forces in a former en-
gagement, and turned them on the enemy; the gun I had
the honor to command being called to the main guard.
Shocking was it to see the dreadful carnage that was there!
it continued for half an hour; it was obstinate and bloody:
the thundering of cannon shook the town; the windows
were shivered in pieces with the dreadful concussion. I
believe there were six hundred lying in the main street.
They would often come within a few yards of the guns.
One fellow ran up, and taking off his hat and wig,
thrust them up the cannon’s mouth the length of his arm,
calling to the rest, ‘Blood-an’-ounds, my boys, come and
take her now; she’s stopped; she’s stopped.’ The action
was doubtful and bloody, from four in the morning till four
in the evening, when they began to give way in all quarters,
and shortly after, fled with speed in every direction, leaving
behind them all their cannon, baggage, provision, and several
hogsheads of whisky, brandy, etc., which we spilled, lest
they should have been poisoned.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 145

“ During the action General Johnson was still in the hottest
part of the fire: he had three horses shot under him. If
he saw any of the men too forward, he would ride up and
say, ‘Brother soldier, stay till we all go together.’ He
would encourage them that were behind. Being once in a
hot fire, one of the soldiers called to him to remove out of
that, or he would be slain; he waved his hand and replied.
‘That ball was never made by a rebel that is to kill General
Johnson.’

«The computation of their dead was, as near as I can fur-
nish you, 3,400 buried; sixty-two carsfull thrown into the
river; sixty carsfull taken away by the rebels. Of the
loyal troops, 250 fell.”

Thus ended the battle of Ross, by far the most destruc-
tive and obstinate of any during the Rebellion. Seven
thousand insurgents who saw the rising sun of that morning,
ere it set, were cold in the embrace of death. Their spirits
had passed away to that world where contending armies
and bloody battles are unknown; but their bodies still lay
in heaps in the streets, mangled and bloody; while many
were strewed on the surrounding fields, whither they had
crawled, during the action, to die. When the engagement
ended, it was too late to bury the dead, or even take care
of all the wounded.

The groans of the dying broke on the ears of the re-
turning citizens, who had fled chiefly in the morning, when
the battle began. Night at length drew her dark curtain
over these scenes of horror. The flames of the houses
burned by the defeated rebels in their flight, threw a lurid
radiance on the reflecting clouds; and, long after the glowing
tints of evening had faded from the western sky, the com-
mingling light of various conflagrations continued to illumine
the summits of the surrounding hills.

That there was a solemn league among Catholics to
18
146 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

destroy Protestants was confirmed by the following oath,
which was found in the pockets of some of those who were
slain in this battle:

Oath.—I, A. B., do solemnly swear, by our Lord Jesus
Christ, who suffered for us on the cross, and by the blessed
Virgin Mary, that I will burn, destroy, and murder, all
heretics, up to my knees in blood, so help me God.”
(Taylor’s History.)

The result of the battle of Ross revived greatly the
dejected spirits of the Protestants. It was a salutary
lesson to some who were halting as to which party they
should espouse; while, on the other hand, it created im-
mense excitement among the insurgents. So many of their
comrades had fallen in one battle, and the day lost. It now
became evident to themselves that numbers merely would
not secure them victory.

Of the thousands of insurgents who found that day a
bloody bed, not one in a hundred, perhaps, could give a
rational account of what they were fighting for. Deluded
by their priests, excited by harangues on liberty and inde-
petdence, they had left their peaceful homes, their fields
and families, to wade through the blood of their Protestant
countrymen to freedom.

How terrible was their destiny! how desolate their be-
reaved families! and how fearful an account will those pro-
fessed ministers of the Church of Christ have to render at
the judgment, who, instead of leading their flocks into
“green pastures” and “beside still waters,” led them on to
fields of blood and carnage!
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 147

CHAPTER XII.

Sculaboge house and barn—Thirty-seven prisoners shot, one
hundred and eighty-four burned—Their skeletons, an awful
sight—Remorse of B. B. Harvy at the sight—He predicts their
defeat—Catholics burned—Miss Ryan—A bagpipe player—Harvy
disgusted with the priests—Attempts to prevent murder—Is de-
posed, and a priest elected in his place—Speech of priest Mur-
pbhy—Priest Roach Commander-in-chief—His character and hy-
pocrisy—Priest Roach’s gospels or protections—Letter.

Or all the deeds of cruelty perpetrated during the Rebel-
lion, no one was spoken of by Mr. Gurley with so much
severity and indignation, as the one we are now to relate.
He would detail the murder of his own brother, dreadful as
it was, with comparative calmness. But the martyrdom at
«“ Sculaboge” he never related without excitement. ‘The
cowardly wretches,” he would say, “why, if they wanted
blood, did they not go to Ross?”

It was indeed a transaction, which, for atrocity, scarce
finds a parallel in the annals of even savage barbarity—a
deed becoming a Nero or Caligula, and worthy of the
palmiest days of Papal domination.

We have already mentioned that the residence of a Mr.
King, of Sculaboge, was made a depot, or place of con-
finement, for persons arrested by the insurgent army. His
house and barn were both so occupied. The prisoners were
of all ages and both sexes; they were guarded by three
hundred rebels, who were posted there for the purpose. It
was several miles from Ross. The battle of Ross had been
raging about two hours, when the stern resistance they met
with from the loyal troops so enraged priest Philip Roach,
who was associated with Harvy in command, that, out of
pure revenge, it was determined to murder the prisoner at
Sculaboge.

About six o’clock in the morning a rebel, direct from the
148 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

battle of Ross, galloped up toward the place, and when
within hearing of the guard shouted aloud, “Destroy the
prisoners! destroy the prisoners! Our friends are all cut
off at Ross.” But the captain of the guard replied that it
should not be done without written orders from the Com-
mander-in-chief. One hour after another express arrived,
proclaiming, “Our friends are all destroyed. Murder all
the prisoners!” But the same answer was returned. At ten
o’clock a third messenger came running on foot, crying, “The.
priest has sent orders to put all the prisoners to death!”

The dwelling-house contained thirty-seven men. The barn
was of brick, covered with a thatch roof, with small windows.
There were in the barn one hundred and eighty-four per-
sons. Some few were Roman Catholics, who were suspected
of being “informers,” but had not been tried or proved
guilty; but the most were Protestants. The doors of the
building were strongly barricaded, and guards without kept
watch. Here were the gray-haired sire and the blooming
girl of seventeen—the husband, the wife, and the infant at
the breast. And now, not the National Council, not the
Commander-in-chief, but the “priest” sends word to “de-
stroy the prisoners.” This was sufficient; it must be right,
for their holy spiritual father had ordered it; and the infal-
libility of their Church was not to be doubted. It was
only the extirpation of heretics, and this, in the eyes of the
whole Church and the Pope himself, would be regarded as
a meritorious act.

Deliberately, as if preparing for their daily work, the
rebel guards now strip off their coats, tie bundles of straw,
bring ladders, and light torches, while half their number
stand under loaded arms. An oblation is now to be made
to the spirit of Popery—an offering of peculiar merit. It
was not sufficient that the mangled forms of brave men,
cloven down in battle, should be laid in heaps at her
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,. 149

shrine; the sacrifice is not perfect, till the blood, and bones,
and ashes of unresisting men, tender women, and sinless
babes, are laid on her altar. Falling upon their knees, a
short and hurried prayer is offered to the holy Virgin; a
fresh unction, but not from heaven, is poured into their
craven hearts, to prepare them for deeds which “dare not
seek repentance.”

Now, husbands, take your last fond embrace, and, with
your fainting wives, look to heaven, your only refuge. Now,
mothers, press for the last time to your throbbing bosoms
your cherub babes; they will soon be angels.

From the door of the cottage now issue, under a strong
guard, thirty-seven men; their hands are tied behind them.
Slowly they march out to the skirts of a beautiful orchard;
and placed in a row, they kneel down on the grass to await
the word of command which shall seal their fate. But no
word is given. A wave of the officer’s sword is seen; a
hundred muskets ring on the air and echo from the distant
hills. Slowly the cloud of smoke rises from the earth, and
there, stretched on the green turf, quivering in death or
writhing in anguish, lay the unfortunate martyrs; from
their heaving bosoms the last torrent was streaming. The
ready pikes finished the tragic work, and the spirits of
thirty-seven mortals are on their flight together to that
world where there is no more death.

Scarcely had the last groan from without died away on
the ear, when the command was given to “fire the barn.”
Instantly the ready torches were applied to the thatch of
the building—bundles of blazing straw were thrust into the
windows, which instantly communicated the fire to the
combustibles within. The desperate victims now rushed to
the door, and made a powerful effort to escape, but, alas!
im vain. At this moment a woman, trusting to the humanity
of the rebels, wrapped a garment around her infant and

13
150 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

threw it out of a window, in hope that some one would pity
it; but a rebel darted his pike through its tender body, and
bearing it aloft on his dreadful weapon, thrust it back into
the flames, with a most fearful and horrid oath. In two
minutes the barn was one dense mass of smoke and flame.
And now there rose to heaven one loud, long, piercing
shriek of utter despair, succeeded by dismal groans and
stifled cries of mercy! mercy! Slowly died away the wail-
ings of the martyrs, till no voice within broke the dread
roaring of the flames, which now, bursting through the com-
bustible roof, towered high in air mid volumes of ascending
smoke. No tears of pity filled the eyes of the murderers—
no sigh of compassion burst from their stony bosoms—but,
through apertures of the barn, they thrust their pikes into
the burning bodies, and gloried in their dreadful crimes.

Among the most sanguinary actors in this bloody scene,
the pen of the historian has recorded the names of Fardy,
Redmond, Sinnott, and Misskella. These treated with
revolting indignities the very bodies of the dead, and “be-
haved otherwise so cruel as to obtain from their comrades
the title of the ‘True born Romans.’” (Taylor’s History.)

The bodies of the sufferers were left undisturbed for four
days, when one hundred and eighty-fou. skeletons were
cleared out of the barn, thrown into one promiscuous heap
in a ditch, and slightly covered with clay.

B. B. Harvy escaped from the battle of Ross, and on the
next morning came to see the result of the tragedy at
Sculaboge. When he beheld the interior of the smolder-
ing building, he was filled with the greatest distress and
anguish of mind. This spectacle was too revolting to
behold, and too horrid for description. The crisp bodies
of the dead were in every attitude: some standing against
the blackened walls, others laying in heaps in each other’s
arms—some were buried beneath the ashes of the timber
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 151

of the building, and many burnt to a cinder. Harvy turned
from the scene with horror, wrung his hands, and said to
some around him, that “there were as innocent persons
burnt there as ever were born,” and “your conquests for
liberty are at an end.” To a Protestant friend he said, “I
aow see my folly in embarking with this people. If they
succeed J shall be murdered by them, and if they are
defeated I shall be hanged.”

Besides the Protestants who were burned, there were a
few well-disposed Papists. Some of these were servants
who would not consent to the massacre of their Protestant
masters. Among the Catholics who suffered was one young
lady, a Miss Elizabeth Ryan, a beautiful and blooming girl
of seventeen. Her sister, though a Catholic, was receiving
the special attentions of a Protestant gentleman in a neigh-
boring town. Presuming she would communicate to her
lover all she could learn of their plans and designs, the
insurgents went to her father’s in search of her; but not
finding her, they took her younger sister Elizabeth, alledg-
ing that she might be equally dangerous. The terrified
girl begged in vain for mercy; she was borne off in their
savage arms. Her father soon after followed to entreat
them to liberate her; but, instead of respecting the sorrows
of age, they thrust him into the barn. His wife, a feeble
old lady, uneasy at the long delay of her husband and
daughter, followed them to see what was the matter, when
the cruel wretches put her in with them, and all three per-
ished together.

Another who suffered was a Mr. William Johnson. He
was an old man, and obtained a scanty living by playing
the bagpipes, a favorite instrument of a large portion of
the Irish. But, unfortunately, while amusing the rebels
with various tunes, he unthinkingly played the popular one,
“Croppies, lie down.” Croppies was an old nickname for
152 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

disaffected Catholics, and the tune, though common in
ordinary times, and its origin unknown to many, was now a
mortal sin. The old man protested his innocence in vain—
and his feeble frame sunk down amid the devouring flames.

Thus ended the massacre at Sculaboge. The breath-
less forms of more than two hundred fellow-mortals, se
recently intrusted to their care, no longer needed_their
attention; and, exulting in the glorious achievement, the
rebel guard marched to reinforce their brethren at the bat-
tle of Ross. But the destroying angel had gone before
them, and that huge army were slain and dispersed.

They were soon met by multitudes of the wounded
retreating from the field; some borne in cars, some on foot,
crawling on as best they could, with broken arms, bleeding
heads, and mangled faces, begrimed with smoke and cov-
ered with dust and blood. Further on they met the main
body of insurgents, retreating with the utmost confusion
and haste—with curses, execrations, and noise of every
kind. Many of them stole home and ‘joined the rebel
standard no more. The destruction of the prisoners in
cold blood, with the more thoughtful Catholics, was a poor
consolation for the defeat of an army of thirty-seven thou-
sand men, seven thousand of whom lay stretched on the
field.

B. B. Harvy, though still retaining his official relations,
was in great distress of mind. He now penetrated fully
the design of the Catholic clergy; he now saw that they
had appointed him to office chiefly because he was rich and
otherwise available. All the next day after the battle he
was ina state of great agitation. He now set himself to the
humane, but hopeless task, of interposing his authority to
prevent the further shedding of Protestant blood. Accord-
ingly, the day after, he issued an order, or proclamation, of
which the following is an extract:
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 153

“All men refusing to obey their superior officers, to be
tried by court martial, and punished according to their
sentence. Any person or persons who shall take upon
themselves to kill or murder any person or persons, burn
any house, or commit any plunder, without special written
orders from the Commander-in-chief, shall suffer death.

“By order of
“B. B. Harvy, Commander-in-chief.
“F. Brien, Secretary and Adjutant.

“ Headquarters, June 6, 1798.”

The priests in the army had not failed to observe Harvy’s
disgust at their inhumanity, and that the proclamation was
a severe reflection on their whole course, and calculated to
interfere with their future designs. This humane policy,
therefore, of the Commander-in-chief they resented, and
resolved on his downfall. Nor were they at a loss for
means to revenge the affront. They soon called around
them their different flocks, and, after depicting, in glowing
language, the holy work in which they were engaged,
pointed out, in the strongest terms, the impropriety of
having a heretic for their commander; intimating that the
battle of Ross was lost on this account; that Heaven would
not prosper them under such a leader. Through these
measures, in a few days, they succeeded in getting Harvy
deposed of his generalship, and a priest, Philip Roach, was
elected in his stead.

Harvy being now out of the way, the Catholic clergy,
who had feared the loss of their influence with the people,
now once more strenuously exhorted them to go on in the
glorious work of extirpating all enemies to their Church.
Father Murphy, of Ballycannow, was among the most
zealous. To encourage the insurgents, after the defeat of
Ross, he addressed them, in a speech, as follows:

“Brethren, you see you are victorious everywhere; that
154 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

the balls of the heretics fly about you without hurting you;
that few of your number have fallen, whilst thousands of
the heretics are dead; and the few that have fallen was
from deviating from our cause, and want of faith; that this
visibly is the work of God, who is determined that the
heretics, who have reigned upward of one hundred years,
shall now be extirpated, and the true Catholic religion
be established.”

General Priest Roach is reported to have been a large,
corpulent person, of commanding appearance and authori-
tative air. To these qualities chiefly he must have been
indebted for his promotion; for he was utterly destitute of
the judgment, sagacity, and comprehensive intellect essen-
tial to a successful military leader. His first efforts to
distinguish himself were barefaced appeals to the ignorance
and superstition of his followers; for, having collected
several bullets, he held them up to the gaze of his aston-
ished men, assuring them, in the most solemn manner, that
he caught them as they were flying in the battle of Ross;
that many more, which he caught, he gave to his men,
during the heat of the battle, who loaded their pieces with
them; “and this,” said he, “is what no other army can
boast.” The credulous multitude listened to his statement
with amazement; and, as was exceedingly natural, were
anxious to know if this invulnerability to the shafts of death
could be transferred or communicated to them; and great
was their delight, when the holy father assured them that
it could. Accordingly, he published that he had prepared
a sort of charm, or “gospel,” which, if hung on the neck,
would make the wearer proof against all weapons of death;
but that, notwithstanding their extraordinary utility, they
would be of no avail, unless they were purchased. The
price, to the more wealthy, was half a crown; but the poor,
who were zealous in their glorious cause, could obtain them
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 155

for ‘“‘sixpence a-piece.” Thousands of them were made, and
sent round the country for sale. They were printed on
paper or muslin, and hung, by a bit of tape, on the neck.
The following will give the reader a correct idea of General
Priest Roach’s protection, or gospel:

IN THE AND OF THE
NAME OF BLESSED
GOD, I S VIRGIN.

AMEN.

No pistol, gun, sword, or any other offensive weapon can
hurt, or otherwise injure, the person who has
this paper in his possession.

This effort to deceive and rob his people, not only shows
the absence of essential requisites of mind, in a commander-
in-chief, but clearly stamps his character as a hypocrite,
deceiver, and notorious impostor. The letters in the scroll,
it will be observed, are the initials of the inscription placed
on the cross of the Savior, at his crucifixion. How a pro-
fessed minister of the Church of Christ could connect that
solemn writing, and the cross itself, with a palpable and
known lie, for the express purpose of deceiving and robbing,
I must leave for the holy fathers of the infallible Church
of Rome to explain.

Harvy did not much regret the loss of his command.

 
156 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

He was, as we have seen, heartily tired of his situation.
He continued, however, for some time, to act as President
of the Council. The following reply to a letter from an
acquaintance of Mr. Gurley’s, who had, happily, so far,
escaped arrest, will throw further light on his feelings:

“Dzar Sir,—I received your letter; but what to do for
you I know not. I, from my heart, wish to protect all]
property. I can scarce protect myself; and, indeed, my
situation is much to be pitied, and distressing to myself. I
took my present situation, in hopes of doing good, and
preventing mischief. My trust is in Providence. I acted
always an honest and disinterested part; and had the
‘advice I gave, some time since, been taken, the present
mischief could never have arisen. If I can retire to a
private station again, I will immediately. Mr. Tottingham’s
refusing to speak to the gentleman I sent to Ross, who was
madly shot by the soldiers, was very unfortunate. It has
set the people mad with rage, and there is no restraining
them.

“The person I sent in had private instructions to propose
a reconciliation: but God knows where this business will
end; but, end how it may, the good men of both parties
will be inevitably ruined.

“T am, with respect, dear sir, yours, etc.,
“B, B. Harvy.”
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 157

CHAPTER XIII.

Battle of Arklow—Sergeant Shepherd—Death of priest Mur-
phy—lInsurgents routed—End and Character of Murphy—Dese-
eration of achurch—Abuse of Bibles—Persecution of Protestants—
Murder of the Hornicks—Conscious guilt of Papists—Singular cir
cumstance—Rowsom shot by priest Kearns—Reflections.

During the transactions at Ross and Sculaboge, so
unfavorable to the rebel cause, a surprisingly large force
had rallied round the insurgent banner at Gorey. Here
they had remained, increasing in number from the 4th, on
which they took possession, until the 9th.

During this time the usual work—hunting Protestants
and murdering them—was pursued with their accustomed
industry and cruelty; while, in the camp, all kinds of abom-
ination were committed. Abandoned women flocked there,
and gambling, drunkenness, and debauchery were the order
of the day.

The news of the defeat at Ross roused them once more,
and they began to think they had been too long inactive.
The town of Arklow was still in possession of the loyal
troops and yeomanry. The conquest of this place was of
vital importance to the revolutionists; for it would open a
communication with the county of Wicklow and Killdare
rebels, and thus, by increasing their forces, prepare the way
for an immediate attack on Dublin. But, knowing that the
place was garrisoned by a strong body of yeomanry and
other troops, and dreading the consequences of a defeat,
they sent to Vinegar Hill and Wexford for reinforcement ;
and all persons in the surrounding counties were ordered to
repair to camp without delay. The Gorey camp now
contained thirty-four thousand men and three pieces of

artillery. It was from this camp priest Murphy wrote the
. 14
158 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

following letter to Mr. Thomas Houston, Dublin, dated
Gorey, June 6, 1798:

“Frizenp Hovston,—Great events are ripening. In a
few days we shall meet. The first-fruits of your regenera-
tion must be a tincture of poison and pike, in the metropolis,
against the heretics. This is a tribunal for such opinions.
Your talents must not be buried as a judge. Your soul
must be steeled with fortitude against heresy. Then we
shall do, and you shall shine in a higher sphere. We shall
have an army of brave republicans—one hundred thousand,
with fourteen pieces of cannon—on Tuesday, before Dublin.
Your heart will beat high at the news. You will rise with
a proportionable force.

«Yours, as ever, M. Mourpny.”

On the morning of the 9th of June mass was celebrated ;
and, at 2 o’clock, this heavy force halted within two miles
of Arklow. The town was a beautiful place, situated on a
fine stream, over which was a bridge of eighteen arches.
It was on the borders of Wexford and Wicklow counties,
and only thirty-five miles from the capital. General Need-
ham, with fifteen hundred troops, defended the town.
These were led out a short distance from the village, and—
several hundred being placed behind the hedges and in the
ditches—extended along the road by which the insurgents
were advancing. The rebel force made an imposing appear-
ance, as they came, with their green flags waving in the air.
Needham pushed forward a detachment of men, somewhat
beyond the men in ambush, and in the high road. On
these the rebels advanced, and, at a respectful distance,
opened a brisk fire, which was returned with spirit by the
troops. This was continued a few minutes, the rebels still
advancing, and men began to fall on both sides; when,
according to previous arrangement, the troops gave way,
and retreated, with seeming confusion, toward the town.
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GUILEY. 159

The assailants, perceiving this, instantly pursued, with loud
shouts of victory. The officers waved their caps, crying
out, “Come on, my boys, the town’s our own!” But
suddenly, from behind the hedges, there blazed a sheet of
fire, and hundreds dropped, as if struck with thunderbolts
from heaven. <A field-piece, which was in readiness, was
now placed in the centre of the road, and opened on them
with a deadly storm of grape, which swept the road,
hundreds falling at every discharge, until the insurgent
force in that direction made a retreat.

In the meantime the rebel artillery, under Captain Esmond
Kyan, had gained an elevation that commanded the town,
expecting from thence to do much execution. The manage-
ment of the cannon, however, was under the immediate
direction of Sergeant Shepherd, of the Royal Irish Artil-
lery, who had been taken prisoner some time before, and
whom they foolishly compelled to serve in their ranks.
Shepherd was a brave and shrewd man; he resolved that
they should profit as little as possible by the game. He
elevated the guns so high that the balls flew over the
town; and, at one time, he turned his gun a little on one
side, and loading with grape, swept away about thirty
of their own men.

Dick Monk, a rebel officer, perceiving this transaction,
galloped up, and would have killed him on the spot, had
not Esmond Kyan interposed, declaring it was the cannon
of the army that did the mischief. Kyan then ordered
Shepherd to load with ball, and demolish the town, and
then rode elsewhere. As soon as he was gone, Shepherd
again loaded with grape, which he knew could do no
injury.

Monk and Ryan, satisfied that all was not right, went to
watch the execution of their cannon, Perceiving that the
balls flew a mile beyond the town, Kyan leveled the piece
160 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

himself, and with such precision, that the first ball shivered
in pieces the carriage of one of the Needham guns, and a
second struck the top of the inn.

The insurgents had already begun to give way below the
hill, being repulsed in all quarters, in their efforts to enter
the town; but while some of them were retreating, they
were met by priest John Murphy, of Ballycannow, with a
reinforcement. He drove the flying rebels back, telling
them he would “beat them with the dust of the road.”
The wavering ranks hailed the approach of Murphy with
deafening shouts, for they were just ready to yield. <A
field-piece, planted by the loyal troops in an advantageous
position, was sweeping them down at every fire.

Murphy perceived this, and, cheered by the shouts of his
men, boldly advanced with his party to take it; but when
within a few yards of the gun, his bowels were torn out by
a discharge of canister, while his followers fell in heaps
around him. The cry, “the priest is down,” now spread
through the ranks, and at once decided the fortunes of the
day, scarcely doubtful before.

A deep conviction that Sergeant Shepherd had betrayed
his trust seized the defeated rebels, and it was with the
utmost difficulty Captain Kyan succeeded in saving his life.

This was a hard-fought battle. One who saw the field
after it was over, describes it as dreadful to behold. Men
and horses lay dead in heaps; mangled trunks, heads, and
limbs, were scattered over the plains, while the streets
leading into the town were red with gore. The loss on the
part of the Loyalists was but small; while the insurgents
lost a thousand men.*

* The following quotation, from a late traveler in Ireland, wil)
show that the battles and blood which have soiled and stained the
beautiful fields of Arklow, are not yet forgotten:

“The next day we visited Arklow. The only object of curiosity
was the decayed castle, of which but one tower is left; this the
MEMOIR OF RHV. WILLIAM GURLEY,. 161

Priest’ Murphy; who fell in ‘this action, was'the same who
resided in Ballycannow, the village in which Mr, Beatty
lived, the father-in-law’ of Mr. Gurley, who had presented
the Catholics’ the ground on which their chapel was built.
Murphy was foremost, with his followers, to deceive Lord
Mount. Norris, by: taking the oath of allegiance, as men-
tioned’ in the former part of this work. He now met the
end of his career, and the just reward of his perfidy, in-
gratitude, and hypocrisy.

The insurgents: retreated to their camp at Gorey, where
they continued’ to commit all'kinds of excesses. They took
two Protestants, who had fallen into their hands, into the
Protestant: church, and piked them just before the altar, in
order to show their contempt’ for the established religion.
They tore in' pieces the large pulpit Bible, and carrying the
leaves on the top of the pikes, exclaimed, “Behold the
French colors!” Others placed Bibles on their horses, and
used them for saddles. In short, they reveled in all kinds
of iniquity until the 19th, when they marched for Vinegar
Hill.
sergeant of the barracks, who had the care of it, kindly offered to
show us. It was built in the year 1200.

“Our guide conducted us to the top, by winding stairs, to look
out upon the adjacent country, and see where the great battles had
been fought, which had deluged that part of the country in blood.
The battle of Arklow; ‘ while seed-time and harvest remain,’ will
live in the memory of all who saw it or shall read of it.

«The prospect was both grand and awful. The river Avoca
was at our feet, winding gracefully through the rich vale called
by its name: At our'right hand lay the sea; at our left, the moun-
tains of Wicklow; behind us, the town of Arklow; and near where
I stood was once the skull of Hacket, which had been fixed to the
top of the castle in the days of the Rebellion. This man had
killed many’a Protestant, and in return they shot him, took off his
head, and placed it on the top of the castle, where it remained till
a few years since, when a wren made her nest in his mouth, and it

finally tumbled down, and received a burial by the side of the

tower.” (Ireland’s Welcome to'the Stranger, page 58.)
14
162 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

While the camp continued in the latter place, the follow-
ing cruelties occurred: A Mr. Hornick, a gentleman of
property, was supposed to have arms in his possession.
Priest Roach headed a body of men, and went in pursuit
of him. Not finding him, they burned his house, and
plundered his goods. He had two sons; one a clergyman
in Enniscorthy, and the other an apprentice to an apoth-
ecary, in the same place: these they took and murdered.

The latter, a fine young man, was promised his life if he
would write to his father for the arms in his possession,
stating that he was a hostage till they were delivered. This
he did; but as soon as the letter was sent, without waiting
for an answer, they piked him, shot him, stripped him
naked, and threw him among the dead. Life, however,
still remained, and during the night he made out to creep
away from the hill, and went home to his father’s place, in
hopes of meeting a friendly shelter, and, at least, to die in
the bosom of friends. But, alas! the parents had fled, and
the dwelling was in ashes! He was soon found by some
of his Papist neighbors, from whom he hoped for compas-
sion; but perceiving him naked and covered with blood,
they led him to a gravel-pit, and there thrust him in, and
covered him with earth.

The question will doubtless occur to the reader, Is it
possible that the perpetrators of these atrocious deeds
could be so blinded as to believe that they were doing
right? Doubtless, some of them were so profoundly igno-
rant as fully to believe that whatever their priests sanctioned
must be right. But to suppose that the majority of them,
though led on by their ghostly fathers, felt wholly innocent,
with their hands red in the blood of their neighbors, would
be to undervalue the teachings of conscience, and to over-
look the dictates of our common humanity. Doubtless,
after the season of excitement was over, calm reflection
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 162

took the place of frenzied bigotry. Many a guilty wretch
carried in his aching bosom an intolerable load of remorse.
The following singular case, related by Taylor, is confirma-
tory of this opinion:

“During the Rebellion a man named Patrick Darcy went
into the house of James Sherlock, of Enniscorthy, dragged
out his father, William Sherlock, a man over sixty years old,
and murdered him in the street. After the Rebellion, Darcy
was apprehended for the murder, and committed to Wexford
jail. On the night of the 9th of November following, his
wife, who was permitted to sleep with him in his cell, saw,
in the middle of the night, the appearance of an old man
coming in. She was so much alarmed that she awoke her
husband, who, when he beheld the apparition, gave a violent
screech, and immediately took ill; from which time he la-
bored under a very burdened mind until he died, which
happened a few days after. This account I had from the
jailer, while Darcy was in his coffin.” A guilty conscience
produces an excited imagination.

Not only were such cruelties as have been narrated com-
mitted by the people under the direction of their clergy, but
the priests themselves, it would seem, delighted to have
their sacerdotal vestments dyed in Protestant blood. This
will fully appear from the following case, which occurred
while Mr. Gurley was in prison:

When the Protestants were flying from Gorey to Arklow,
priest Kearns, with a party of rebels, overtook some of
them; among others was a Mr. Rowsom. Father Kearns
asked him his name. On hearing it, he told him that he
must die, and ordered him to kneel down till he would
shoot him. Some of the rebels, shocked, perhaps, to see
their holy father about to murder in cold blood with his
own hands, drew their pikes, and were about to kill him in
their own way; but father Kearns prevented them, saying,
164 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

“J will do him the honor to dispatch him myself;” then
placing his pistol to his head he drew the trigger, but it’
missed fire. Again the men were for relieving the priest
ot ‘he virtue of such an act, but he deliberately put fresh
poweer in the pan,.telling his: trembling victim not to stir.
His pistol, now faithful, rang on the air. The ball passed
through the man’s chin and neck, tearing him most fright-
fully. Here he left him weltering in his own blood. The
priest passed on as unconcerned as if nothing had occurred.
Merciful God, how are thy creatures fallen! What hid-
den depths of depravity lie buried in the human heart!
Alas for the Church that can sanction such unparalleled’
violation of every principle of justice and humanity! Sure-
ly, if there is a God on the throne of the universe, his
righteous retributions and judgment will fall on such a
people. In ordinary cases of condemnation for willful mur-
der, the judge weeps as he pronounces the sentence of the
law on the guilty culprit. But here, the judge, jury, and
executioner are united in the person of the priest, who
chooses the work and performs the dreadful deed, with an
evident gratification, worthy of a demon in human form.
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 165

CHAPTER XIV.

State of Wexford—Imprisonment of Rev. George Taylor, tray-
eling preacher—Extract from his narrative—Furnished with food
by Mr. Gurley—His narrow escape from death at Gorey—His dress,
sufferings, and persecutions—He is prevented from praying in
prison—Prayer meeting in Mr. Gurley’s cell well attended—Happy
result therefrom—Oonversion of a prisoner—His triumphant
death—Found afterward by Mr. Gurley on his knees in the
water—Arrival of King’s troops—Insurgents concentrate on Vin-
egar Hill—Troops under General Lake surround the hill—State
of things in Wexford—The death of all the prisoners announced,
to take place next day.

Durine the sanguinary scenes we have related, Wexford
still remained in the hands of the rebels, and Mr. Gurley
and his associates still remained in prison.

On the 14th of June, the Rev. George Taylor, a Wes-
leyan minister on an adjoining circuit, was brought to the
jail in a woful plight. He was clothed in a soldier’s old
garments, which were dirty and ragged; without hat, neck-
cloth, or comfortable shoes. A few extracts from his nar-
rative of his captivity and sufferings, may be interesting to
the reader:

“On our entering the prison the jailer took down our
names, and we were conducted to the back yard. Here I
washed my feet at the pump, which afforded me some relief;
after which I lay down before the sun to take a little rest.
J had not been long thus, when a gentleman who knew me,
and was also a prisoner, brought me to his cell and gave me
a part of his dinner, which I thought was the sweetest I
had ever tasted.”

This was Mr. Gurley, who found him with blistered feet,
weary, exhausted, and emaciated with hunger. They were
well acquainted with each other, for Mr. Taylor was a
townsman of Mrs. Gurley’s, and also an itinerant preacher.
166 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

Mr. Gurley embraced him with affection, and they wept in
each other’s arms. Finding he was extremely hungry, he
took him to his cell, as before related, and shared with him
some food which Mrs. Gurley had that morning sent to the
prison.

The day before he was arrested he was out at an appoint-
ment, on his way home. His feelings are thus described:

“On my return, being twelve miles from home, as I
passed by ‘Hinch church,’ between Coolgreny and Gorey,
I entered it to view the deserted tabernacle of the Lord;
and. was much affected to think, that both minister and
people were obliged to fly from it. The desolation likewise
which I now saw holding its melancholy reign through the
country as I passed along, and the destruction which seemed
to be brooding over the land in general, had such a powerful
effect on me that I could not refrain from weeping, and that
abundantly. I entreated the Lord not to desert his Church
and people for ever, but to tur their captivity as the
streams of the south, and not to give us over into the
hands of cruel and deceitful men.

“While reading the psalms for the day—5th of June—~
my soul was much comforted; and I found, also, the first
book of Samuel, 2d chapter, very precious, particularly the
ninth and tenth verses: ‘He will keep the feet of his saints,
and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength
shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall
be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall be thunder upon
them; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, and he
shall give strength unto his king and exalt the horn of his
anointed.’ ”

On his way home he was arrested by some armed rebels,
and taken to the camp at Gorey, where he was confined in
the market-house. He says:

“My Papist neighbors, hearing I was in confinement,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 167

caine to see me, and wished me a speedy deliverance, and
told me how to procure it; namely, to be baptized by a
priest and embrace the Roman Catholic faith, and jom
them in arms to fight for the cause of liberty; but that I
would be shot if I did not turn Papist. I told them I was
obliged to them, and doubted not it was good-nature which
induced them to speak as they did; but I was baptized
already, and had no reason to condemn the Church of
England. A few days after my being taken to Gorey, they
stripped me of a suit of black and gave me a soldier’s old
jacket, waistcoat, and small clothes; they also took from
me my hat, neckcloth, and shoes, and, having thus plun-
dered me, left me to meditate on what was likely to follow.
Nor was it I alone that was thus robbed, for all the prison-
ers were served in the same way. Having thus stripped us,
they led us forth to the camp to be shot. Providentially,
two days prior to this, B. B. Harvy, Commander-in-chief,
issued a proclamation, one article of which was, ‘Any per-
son who shall take upon him to kill or murder any person,
without special written orders from the Commander-in-chief,
shall be put to death.’ Just as we were ranged on our
knees, and our executioners in their appointed place, with
guns and pikes to put us all to death, a man came into the
camp with the above proclamation, which was immediately
read, and proved the means of saving our lives. Never-
theless, we were near being sacrificed by these blood-thirsty
men; being so enraged with disappointment, they would
hardly let us return to our prison alive. Some they stabbed,
at others they fired; one man received five wounds from a
pike, and had three ribs broken; another was shot through
the shoulders, and I, being arrayed with a soldier’s coat,
was struck several times and received a stab in the back.
After being thus abused, we were ordered to the guard-
house. Blessed be God! I can say, through the whole of
168 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

this trying scene my mind was given up to him, and at
peace with all mankind.”

His unaffected piety and meek deportment seem to have
moved even the hearts of his cruel enemies, as appears
from the following:

‘At night, when the prisoners were about to lie down, I
asked the guards if they would give me leave to pray with
them, as people of every persuasion should pray, if they
expected to be saved. They complied. I then prayed
The guards, though Papists, were much affected, and
seemed much attached to me; nor would they permit me ta
sit among the prisoners any more, but made me go among
themselves, and sent in a good character of me to their
officers. God was indeed very kind to me here; for the
next morning they cut the hair off all the prisoners’ heads,
and put pitched caps on them, but they meddled not with
me; yea, even a minister of the Church of England, a
fellow-prisoner, they served in the same way.*

“Tn the midst of all I was constantly engaged with God
to support me, and enable me to adorn the Gospel of our
Lord Jesus; to bless our gracious sovereign, and all his
forces, by land and sea; to establish his throne for ever,
that his children and children’s children might sway the
British sceptre till time should be no more, and be nursing
fathers to the Protestant religion.”

A good Briton he, nor less a Christian. The kindness
of his masters soon changed; for, after having had a trial,
he was acquitted of any special blame, and required to go
to the camp and take arms in their cause. This he refused
todo. He says:

“Me appointed to fight against that King who always
gave us liberty! I could not do it; and, therefore, resolved

*This was the Mr. Danniels referred to by Mr. Gurley who,
from his extreme suffering, became insane.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 169

to choose imprisonment, or death itself, rather than be
guilty of such a crime.” His refusal enraged the rebel
officers, and he was ordered to be pinioned—that is, to have
his wrists tied together, and his arms tied down to his sides—
and, with others, sent to Wexford prison. Speaking of his
appearance on the way, he says: “It may not be amiss,
perhaps, to describe my dress and situation. I had on a
soldier’s worn-out coat, a vest and breeches by much too
little, torn and ragged, a boot-slipper on one foot, and a
brogue-slipper on the other. My feet, of course, were
weary to the last degree.” In this condition he reached the
prison, as above related—a sad plight, indeed, for a minister
of the Gospel.

How trifling are the trials of itinerant ministers, now, in
comparison with those endured by those who have been
gathered to their fathers! And how diligent should we be,
as Protestants and as patriots, to resist and counteract the
mighty efforts of Romanism in our country—that deadliest
foe of liberty of conscience and free government!

Rey. Mr. Taylor was not kept long in the city prison,
but, owing to its crowded state, was, with others, taken to
the market-house, and confined there, in an upper room.
His guards were not so indulgent to him as those at Gorey.
“At night,” says he, “when my fellow-prisoners were
preparing for sleep, I asked them to kneel down, that I
might pray with them. The guards, on hearing this, were
so enraged, that they swore they would send a brace of
balls through me if I attempted it again. This menace so
intimidated the prisoners, that they could scarcely be pre-
vailed on to join in prayer for some time. Nevertheless,
they had my silent breathings. In the morning one man
said to me, ‘If your tongue had been between my teeth,
last night, I would have bit it off.’ I asked him, ‘Why?

He replied, ‘You are going the way to have us all mur-
15
170 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

dered.’ ‘No,’ said I; ‘but I am going the way to have
you all preserved ; for now is the time to call on the Boene
for strength.’ ”

In Mr. Gurley’s cell, however, they had better times.
The stated meetings for prayer were kept up, though,
almost every day, some were taken out and put to death.
Referring to these seasons of devotion, in his papers, Mr.
Gurley remarks:

“The number of Protestants taken out, from time to
time, to be put to death, caused my prayer meetings,
morning, noon, and evening, to be thronged; but, after we
were locked up at night, we had prayers by ourselves, in
the cell.”

Mr. Gurley often remarked, that a Divine power attended
these meetings, such as he never saw before; and several
were enabled to believe with the heart, and to trust in a
present Savior, and were happy in their bonds. Some who,
hitherto, had been lukewarm, were now quickened, and
made alive in Christ, rejoicing in their Redeemer. These
results were cordials to the heart of Mr. Gurley, so that he
realized the sentiment of the poet,

“« And prisons would palaces prove,
If Jesus would dwell with me there.”

Mr. Gurley records the following case as one of deep inter-
est to himself:

“William Clarke was, several years before the Rebellion,
a member of my class. I do not know that I ever knew
one so long and so earnestly seeking for pardon and the
witness of the Spirit, without finding peace. He was
constantly at class, and very prudent and sober in his
conduct, both at home and abroad. Poor William! from
the time he was put in the prison he attended regularly our
public prayer meetings, and especially our noon intercessions.
On the 20th of June, while at our mid-day meeting, God
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 171

spoke peace to his longing soul. O, how happy he was!
Indeed, our prison was a paradise, for Jesus was there,
He found Him whom he had long sought after; and O, at
how important a time! I do believe it was not two hours
from the time he found pardon till he was, I hope and
trust, admitted into glory. The rebels took him out; and
I was positively assured, that he acted as a noble martyr,
evincing the most calm and steadfast state of mind, as he
was led to a tormenting death. As he passed along toward
the bridge where he was to be murdered, he joyfully com-
menced singing praises to God. The guards ordered him
to stop, but he calmly replied, that he would praise God
while he had breath, and sang on. They barbarously
thrust their pikes through his body, calling him a swaddling
heretic, and then threw him over the bridge into the river.
I believe he had his senses to the last; for, when I went
down to the bridge, the day after we were liberated, there
I saw William Clarke, on his knees, at the bottom of the
river, with both his arms clasped round one of the pillars,
or trestles, of the bridge. Being thrown over the north
side of the bridge, and the tide setting to the south, on the
way he met with the pillar, and took a death-hold of it,
and doubtless there kept praying as long as he had life, and
after death kept his grasp, until the people brought him up.
I saw him after he was taken home. His kmees could not
be straightened ; his face was but little distorted, and nearly
as he used to look. Poor man, how soon, after he found
peace in Christ, did he find a happy asylum, ‘where the
wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest!”

British officers, with king’s troops and Irish volunteers,
were now daily arriving in the county; and the sore defeats
which they had met with in different places, created great
alarm in the rebel ranks.

On the morning of the 20th of June General Moore
172 MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY.

engaged a body of the insurgents, eighteen hundred strong,
near the Three Rocks, and routed them, after a severe
conflict, with great slaughter. On the same day the differ-
ent divisions of the insurgent army concentrated at Vinegar
Hill, a very strong position, which they had held from the
beginning of the insurrection, and where they deemed
themselves safe from the attack of any force which could be
brought against them. This confidence was soon to be put
to the test; for, on the evening of the 20th, his Majesty’s
forces, consisting of fifteen thousand men, under Lieutenant
General Lake, were seen advancing in two directions, and
taking position in four divisions, at some distance from the
hill. The first division was commanded by General John-
son, the second by General Dundas, the third by Sir James
Duff, and the fourth by General Needham. The march of
so formidable an army, so well dressed and armed, and with
so extensive a train of artillery and baggage, carried terror
and consternation to the hearts of the insurgents, through-
out the country. On the 19th the. people of Wexford
learned that the English forces were arriving, and marching
for Vinegar Hill. The intelligence created the greatest
consternation. Women were seen running through the
streets, pale and trembling. Groups of rebels were seen
collected in various parts of the town, cursing, and stamp-
ing the ground with rage.

Word was circulated, the same evening, that every pris-
oner in their power was to be executed the next day. This
heart-rending intelligence threw a deeper gloom over the
whole city. Even Catholics, now fearful of the issue,
shuddered at the thought, lest a terrible vengeance might
be taken on them; while many a wife, daughter, parent, or
sister of the prisoners, sat in silent sorrow, through the
dreadful night; or bewailing, in tearful anguish, the ap-
proaching fate of their dearest friends.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 173

CHAPTER XV.

Morning of the 20th of June—Murdering band assembled by
Dixon—Black flag—Massacre on the bridge—Inhumanity of Popish
bishop—Murder of Mr. Gurley’s brother and brother-in-law—Mr.
Gurley led out to be piked—He comes to murdering band—His
feelings—How rescued from death—He returns to prison—Nar
rowly escapes again—Rebukes a rebel officer—Affecting scene in
cell—Close of murders on bridge.

On the morning of the memorable 20th of June, in
Wexford, all was terror and consternation, The town bell
rang an alarm, and the drums beat to arms. This was to
assemble the rebel forces to go out and attack the ap-
proaching army.

Thomas Dixon, rebel captain, rode to the jail door, and
swore that not a prisoner should be alive at sunset. He
then rode into the street, repeating the same, with horrid
imprecations, saying that not a soul should be left to tell
the tale!

The place selected for the tragic scene was the bridge of
Wexford. This was erected three years previous, and was
a noble specimen of architecture. It crossed the Slaney on
a road leading northward from the city. It was remarkable
for its length and beauty, being fifteen hundred and fifty-
nine feet long, with a portcullis, and thirty feet wide, with
a toll house at each end. On each side were footways,
ornamented with Chinese railing, supported by strong bars.
It was not covered; but there were two recesses, with roofs,
as places of rest and shelter from sudden showers. It was
a place admirably adapted to the purpose: the populace
could be kept at a distance; the blood, instead of flowing
through the streets, as in Paris, on “St. Bartholomew’s
day,” could drip through the slippery planks; while the

stream below would bear away on its crimson tide the
15*
174 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

expiring bodies of the martyrs, and thus save their execu-
tioners the trouble of a burial.

In the afternoon Dixon made all arrangements to execute
his threat. He assembled the murdering band, and hoisted
the black flag, the choice ensign for their black atrocities.
The flag had painted on one side a bloody cross; on the
other, in large capitals, were “M. W. 8.,” the initials of
“murder without sin,” signifying that it was nou sin to
murder Protestants. What a sad sight it must have been
to such prisoners as knew the import of the letters. After
parading some time, to attract attention and give more
solemnity to the scene, they entered the jail yard, and
ordered out a parcel of prisoners. The poor fellows came
trembling from their cells; some pale and weeping. Some
fell on their knees, and implored mercy at their hands; but
all in vain. They were conducted, under a strong guard,
to the bridge, and piked to death in the most cruel manner,
and their bodies thrown, some only half dead, into the river.

Rey. George Taylor says, ‘While this was going on, a
rebel captain, being shocked at the cries of the victims, ran
to the Popish bishop, who was then drinking wine with the
utmost composure, after his dinner, and, knowing that he
could stop the massacre sooner than any other person,
entreated of him, ‘for the mercy of Jesus,’ to come and
save the prisoners. He, in a very unconcerned manner,
replied that it was no affair of his, and requested that the
captain would sit down and take a glass with him, adding
that the people should be gratified. The captain refused
the bishop’s invitation, and, filled with abhorrence and dis-
tress of mind, walked silently away.”

In a printed circular this prelate stoutly denied the above
charge brought against him. He alledged that no such man
ealled for his interference, and that, consequently, he did not
take the inhuman and ungracious reply above-mentioned,
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY, 175

A denial of the charge, if true, would not be strange, when
to have confessed to it would perhaps have endangered his
head; but as the report seems not to be fully supported by
evidence, it would not seem fair to insist on its truth with
certainty. This concession, however, it must be seen, re-
leves but little the character of this ecclesiastic; for, ac-
cording to his own confession, he was in the city all of that
eventful day, as the spiritual head and chief shepherd of
the Roman Catholic Church in that city; he could not be
ignorant of, or uninterested in, the sanguinary movements
of his people. He must have known, what every man,
woman, and child there knew, of the threat to murder the
prisoners. His residence was in sight of the jail; and the
drum-beat, which marshaled the murdering band, must
have been distinctly heard at his dwelling. Yet there he
sat, in quiet repose, without attempting to arrest the dreadful
proceedings. His word would have turned the scales. The
guilt which attaches with certainty to him, therefore, is pre-
cisely this: he permitted his flock to murder, in cold blood,
their unoffending fellow-citizens, without sympathizing with
the sufferers, or attempting to stop the sanguinary work.
All this time the unrelenting rebels were butchering the
poor Protestants on the bridge. Among these were Mr.
Gurley’s brother, (Jonas,) and brother-in-law, (John Smith.)
“Tn regard to my brother Jonas,” says Mr. G., “and my
brother-in-law, I did not see them on the day of their mas-
sacre. What I now write I had from a Mrs. Burn, a
member of my class at the time, and who saw Jonas when
he was taken on the_bridge. She said that when Jonas
came on the bridge, with several others, they took off his
coat and shirt, and then whipped him with iron nail rods for
a long time, the flesh flying off at every stroke; then four
of the pikemen began to stab him with their pikes, in the
legs, thighs, cheeks, and arms, and when falling, held him
176 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

up with their pikes; then, after they had fully glutted their
savage fury, the four darted their pikes into his body, lifted
him up, and, carrying him to the portcullis of the bridge,
pitched him over. It was flood tide; so he was carried up
the river. Poor fellow! he was horribly mangled. As to
John Smith, she did not give me so particular an account:
she said, however, that they piked him for some time, and
as they were piking and pushing him along to the portcullis,
she saw him tread on his own bowels. They threw him into
the river. How dreadful must have been their sufferings!

“T shudder, even now, at the thought of the awful death
Tescaped. I was told Jonas was offered his life if he would
have a priest to baptize him, and would take mass; but he
would not: he knew too well their treachery to trust them;
for had he complied, they would have thought him only the
better fitted to die. Smith was avery tender-hearted man. I
remember that, having once slightly wounded himself, he
fainted at the sight of his own blood. What, then, must
have been his feelings in this dreadful conflict!”

Several times did the murdering band get a fresh supply
of prisoners: some from the prison-ship, where several
were confined; others from the market-house. While they
were murdering one party, priest Roach, the general, rode
up in great haste, and bade them beat to arms, for that
Vinegar Hill was nearly surrounded by the King’s troops,
and that all should repair to camp.

This had for the time a wonderful effect, for they in-
stantly closed the bloody scene, and ran away in all direc-
tions, leaving several prisoners on their knees, who were so
stupefied with terror that they remained in that position
some time, without making any effort to escape. But
Dixon, the monster, soon returned, and ordered out more
victims from the market-house and prison. The time had
now arrived to try the faith of Mr. Gurley; he had been
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 177

expecting it daily. He collected his thoughts, and tried to
realize the scene. For a moment. ‘‘a horror, of great dark-
ness, fell on him, and the hair of his flesh stood up;” but
that precious promise, “Lo, I am with you, even to the
end,” rushed upon his soul, as if announced by a voice
from heaven, and in an instant, every particle of fear was
gone, and joy filled his soul. A part of his companions
had already been taken out and executed, among whom was
Mr. William Clark, before mentioned.

At first some of the leading rebels of the guard entered
the cell, and held a kind of mock trial or investigation, that
they might know who should be put to death, or, rather,
who should die first; for it had been published that not one
should live to tell the tale.

Referring to this in his manuscript, Mr. Gurley says:
“There was a man, to tell who was who: this was a Mr.
Pendergast, a man I dreaded most of all men in the place,
because he knew I was about commencing a suit in chancery
against his father, for the recovery of some real estate. Still,
I was quite composed; and well do I recollect how strong
and cheering were the promises of God to me: ‘No weapon
formed against thee shall prosper. Pendergast was rebel
captain of the ward in which I resided. ‘What fellow is
this?’ said the rebel leader of the party. Pendergast re-
plied, ‘It is William Gurley, the silversmith.’ ‘What sort
of a fellow is he?’ ‘A civil, harmless man.’ ‘What have
you against him?’ ‘Nothing, only he is a heretic, and goes
to hear the swaddlers.’ [Methodists.] ‘But is he not an
Orangeman?’ ‘No, I am not,’ said I. ‘No,’ said Pender-
gast, ‘he is not.’ ‘But,’ said he, ‘you made silver medals
for the Orangemen?’ ‘Yes,’ said I, ‘I have.’ ‘O, that is
of no consequence to our cause,’ said Pendergast; ‘let him
go with these two English sailors standing in the aisle, for
the present.”
178 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

“At that moment their eye caught sight of a person at the
far end of the hall. They, then ran from me to him, crying,
‘Blood! blood! we will have blood! and seizing the man,
they took him away to be piked.” Thus far Mr. Gurley
escaped.

During the afternoon, however, he had two more narrow
escapes: “ After Jonas and his company were piked, about
three o’clock, B. Kearney, the rebel ordinary of the prison,
came into my cell: we were engaged in prayer. He bade
us all stand up. Soon eight armed men came in and passed
us, eyeing us awfully; then they passed out into the aisle
again. Soon one Murphy, whom I knew well, returned to
where we were all standing, and caught me by my neck-
cloth, saying, ‘Turn out, you heretic dog, to be piked.’

“The sergeant of the guard stood at the celldoor. I knew
him also; his name was Carty. In former days he was in
comfortable circumstances; but latterly, by gambling, he
had become much reduced. I had often relieved him in
distress ; and when he would bring his silver plate to me to
pawn or sell, I used to give him as much for it as it would
sell for when worked anew. As I came to the door, I
showed him Captain Kengh’s protection, and asked if he
would pay no regard to that; but he waved his hand for
me to pass on, saying I was a heretic, and not fit to live;
so I went out.”

Death now seemed inevitable. Mr. Gurley, with others,
passed out till they came to the ‘murdering band.’ This
was a party of rebels; they stood. in two rows to receive
the prisoners as they came out. They were armed with
pikes, which were red with the blood of those they had
just murdered,

As Mr. Gurley was led toward them, they set up a shout:
“O boys, here comes Gurley, the heretic. Pike him! pike
him! pike the heretic dog!” With the true spirit of a
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 179

martyr, he heard his doom pronounced. ‘I felt, says he,
“the moment the ruffian’s hand was laid on my neck, the
power of God come on my soul, and I was filled with unut-
terable joy. JI had no doubt but that in a few minutes I
should ‘be with Jesus in paradise.’”’ Nor did the sight of
the murdering band, thirsting for his blood, interrupt this
equanimity of mind, or shake the firmness of his soul. His
eye quailed not as it met the revengeful glances of his foes.
He gazed on their blood-streaming pikes, and their sable
flag, with its dreadful initials, and as their malicious looks
met his eye, and their fiendish yells for blood struck his
ear, his emotions reached their crisis. His bosom heaved
with the rushing tide of feelings which would no longer be
restrained ; and in a clear, full tone of voice, he commenced
singing the following hymn:
“T’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath,
And when my voice is lost in death
Praise shall employ my nobler powers;
My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, or thought, or being last,
Or immortality endures.”

Thus rejoicing, he walked out between their bloody ranks.
The bitterness of death was past; visions of eternal bliss
were flitting before his imagination ; his glittering crown ap-
peared in view ; and often has he been heard to say, “ Never
was Iso happy in all my life.” O, what a blessing is true
religion in a dying hour! Few, indeed, are called under
such circumstances to test its value; but the bed of death,
whether of down or straw, whether surrounded by friends
or strangers, in the cottage or the palace, is a gloomy scene
without the hope of heaven. But with this, the Christian
can lie down to die tranquilly as the weary pilgrim sinks to
his evening slumbers, and glorious as the setting sun, whose
parting beams illumine the world he has left behind him.

The murdering band now proceeded to the market-house,
180 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

from whence they took other prisoners; and among them the
Rev. George Taylor, before mentioned. These were conduct-
ed with cursings and yells to the bloody bridge, already cov-
ered with human gore. The prisoners, arranged in a row on
their knees, awaited their miserable fate. Now the inhuman
tortures again commenced. An eye-witness thus describes
the scene and manner of torture: “Some they would per-
forate in places not mortal, to prolong and increase their
torture; others they would raise aloft on their pikes, and
while the poor, friendless victim writhed in the extreme of
agony, and his blood streamed down the handles of their
pikes, they exulted round him with savage joy.” Through
a gracious interposition of Divine Providence, only six of
this company of prisoners were murdered at this time.

The manner in which they finally escaped is so graphically
detailed by Rev. Mr. Taylor, who was one of the number,
and agrees so entirely with the statement of Mr. Gurley,
that we give it in his own words:

“We were led out and marched to the bridge, two and
two, guards before and behind, and on each side. They
were teasing us on the way to ‘bless’ ourselves. - They
would shout through the streets, as we passed on, ‘ Why
don’t you say your prayers? Bless yourselves before the
devil gets you. You will be in hell’s flames in a few
minutes,” as

“One of them came to me and asked me, ‘Can you bless
yourself?’ I replied, ‘No; but I can pray to God to bless
me, and you can do no more.’

“They would hardly let me go to the bridge, they so
thirsted for my blood. When we arrived there we kneeled
down, to commend our souls to God. They piked six in
the most horrid manner, and threw them over the bridge.
One man in his torture jumped into the river, where they
shot him. While these were being tortured, I thought
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY,. 181

surely I would be one of the next, as there was only one
between me and death, when the Lord appeared in our
behalf, by sending Mr. Corrin, parish priest of Wexford, to
rescue us. When he came to the place of execution, he
exclaimed, ‘O, what is it you are doing? desist from shed-
ding innocent blood; there has been too much of that al-
ready ; you have lost your cause, and for God’s sake shed no
more.’ On which these inhuman monsters exclaimed, ‘They
are all bloody Orangemen; we will pike them; for this is
the way they would serve us if they had us in their power.

“Mr. Corrin then took off his hat, and entreated them to
desist, but in vain. I thought he would not be able to
prevail. When he saw their determination, he requested
them to kneel down, and pray for the souls of the poor
prisoners, before they would kill any more of them. They
obeyed; and when he had got them in the attitude of devo-
tion, ‘Now,’ said he, ‘pray that the Lord Jesus may give
you to feel that mercy for them which you expect from
him in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment.’
They at length consented to spare us a while longer. He
then-led us away, and, as he was coming by me, I stood up
and kissed his hand, saying, ‘ “Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall obtain mercy.” ’ On our return we met that
tyrannical rebel, Thomas Dixon, who anxiously inquired
why we were brought back. Mr. Corrin told him that he
had begged us off for the present. Dixon was much dis-
pleased with Mr. Corrin, and intimated that he would yet
have satisfaction of every one of us.”

This unexpected rescue from the very jaws of death
produced a strong revulsion in the hitherto calm and joyful
mind of Mr. Gurley. There is a state of mind of which it
is difficult, perhaps impossible, for the person to form an
exact idea, who has not known it by experience; and such

as have experienced it are seldom permitted to enlighten us
16
182 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

on the subject. It is that state in which the mind has
settled into the full conviction that death is inevitable,
and that, too, the next moment. This sensation has been
realized by the convict on the gallows, or the deserter under
the sentence of martial law. The latter, for instance, sits
upon his coffin. He sees the file of soldiers, a few paces
distant. Their deadly muskets are presented. He hears
the words, “Ready—aim;” but, instead of “Fire!” the
word pronounced is “Pardon!” Yet, to proclaim pardon
then were scarce a mercy, if the condemned were but pre-
pared for heaven. All the mental suffering or conscious
misery is already experienced. The bitterness of death is
past. Some have so reached the point of absolute surren-
der to death, that it would seem that the will had the power
to dismiss the spirit. Certain it is that some die instantly
at the word “pardoned,” as if shot through the heart. Mr.
Gurley’s feelings did not reach that point precisely, but the
degree preceding it. Hope had surrendered its throne.
Certain death appeared to be at hand, and a moment more
his flesh should quiver on the points of steel. The spirit
was moving in “the direction of eternity,” with rapid speed.
A thread only held it, when suddenly the force which
impelled it onward ceased to operate. It was a sudden
stop—a strong jar—a powerful revulsion, affecting, most
remarkably, his whole frame, as the love of life awoke in his
bosom, and hope resumed its empire, and consciousness
exclaimed, “I may live.”

Almost unconscious of what he did, he sat down on a
stone, in the hall or aisle of the prison, fully exposed to the
view of the murderers, should they again return. He
remarks: “I had sat on the stone in the hall about half an
hour, when a corporal of the prison guard came to me, and
said, ‘Mr, Gurley, you are not safe here. There is no order
or subordination among us, and, if you sit here, you will be
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 183

hurried off and piked yet, as has been the case with your
brother Jonas and your brother-in-law.’ He then led me
to a far-off cell, in one of the wings of the prison, where
seven or eight young men, who had been acquitted, were
put, for safety. Thus was the Lord good to me, in softening
the hearts of some of those bloody tyrants. When I got
to my new cell I found the young men were Protestants.
In this cell there was one standing bed.

“ About six o’clock, as I was sitting in the cell wrapped in
contemplation—and sitting, as I may say, calm on tumult’s
wheel, all peace within—when suddenly our cell door was
thrown open; six or seven armed men rushed in, vocifer-
ating, ‘Is Jack Carty, the painter, here?’ ‘No,’ said one;
‘no,’ said another. ‘O, if you have hid him, and we find
him, we will not leave one of you alive;’ at the same mo-
ment they darted their pikes into the bed to see if he was
there. ‘What fellow is that, with his head down, there?’
said they. I was sitting on a block of wood with my head
on my hands. ‘Hold up your head, you sir, there. O,
Gurley, the d d heretic swaddler; let us pike him.’ So
they caught me by the arm and pulled me with them, to
be murdered. But some of the young men ran after us,
and told them that an officer had put me in their cell for
safety. At this the man who had me by the collar let me
go, giving me a push and kick, saying, ‘Begone, you d d
swaddling dog.’ So off they went, and I returned to the
young men’s cell. About an hour after, as I was looking
out of the small window, I saw a woman walking as fast as
she could, with one child on her back, another in her arms,
and a tin pail in her hand. She seemed to be in a great
fright; another was running, and appeared as if frantic,
wringing her hands and crying. ‘Ha! ha! my lads,’ said
I, ‘look here; our friends are coming to our relief. See
what a terror the Papists are in.’

 

 
x

184 “ MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

“In a few minutes Dick Monk, a rebel officer, came into
the prison to take an account of all the prisoners left. J
was called out by the jailer into the hall. When Monk
saw me, he exclaimed, ‘Why, Mr. Gurley! of all men in
the country, what did they put you here for?’ ‘Why not
me,’ said I, ‘as well as all other heretics? Dick, where is
my brother Jonas and John Smith? O, you have murdered
them! Ah, you will get it for this day’s work.’ Some
standing by checked me for speaking so plainly to him. J
replied, ‘I care not a pin what they do; they can only kill
the body; the soul is out of the reach of their cruel power.’
Monk, who a short time before would have punished such
an insult with death on the spot, now received the rebuke
in silence. He knew the tables were about to be turned,
and that he would soon be in the hands of the Loyalists;
and he feared for his own head.

«After Monk dismissed me,” continues Mr. Gurley, “I
returned to the cell. It was now dusk. ‘Well, boys,’ said
I, ‘I will go and see who in my cell is murdered, and how
the living are.’ But, O, my soul! when I went in and said,
‘Who have we alive here ?’—they all supposed I had been
piked—they ran to me and kissed my cheeks and forehead,
and clung around me, crying, with almost frantic joy, ‘Are
you alive? are you alive?’ ‘Yes,’ said I, ‘I am flesh and
bones yet.’ You cannot conceive, nor I describe, my feel-
ings; there was a mixture of joy, love, and gratitude to
God. Fortunately, but one had been taken and murdered
after I left.”

The massacre on the bridge was beheld by crowds of
people, both Catholics and Protestants, whom affection or
curiosity had drawn together. The wives and daughters
of many of the sufferers were there, but were not allowed
by the guard to approach or take a last farewell. The
dying groans of the martyrs were mingled with the wail of
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 185

sorrowful hearts on the banks of the river; while some, as
they beheld the bleeding forms of husbands and fathers
thrown headlong from the bridge, fell fainting in the arms
of their neighbors, and were borie senseless to their sad
and desolate homes. Mrs. Gurley did not venture to the
bridge. She was told, however, by some of her acquaint-
ances, that her husband and his brothers were murdered ;
but she could get no certain account, and thus spent the
night in the most gloomy and awful suspense.

As the day closed the Papist inhabitants were in the
greatest alarm. Fragments of their army, defeated that
morhing by General Moore, came into the town breath-
ing threats of revenge; and word was generally circulated
that on the next day every Protestant—man, woman, and
child—in the city should be put to death.

It is almost incredible that such barbarous cruelties could
be perpetrated by men professing to be patriots and Chris-
tians; but they are sustained by indubitable testimony, and
in his manuscript Mr. Gurley says: “As I was living in the
midst of all the passing events, I remember all I write to
you as positive facts.”

At length the gloomy day, during which, it is said, “the
sun did not: so much as glimmer through the frowning
heavens,” wore slowly away, and Night threw her dark
mantle once more over the guilty earth. Ninety-seven
unoffending citizens, who’ hailed the rising sun, had met
their cruel fate. Their bodies, bruised and mangled, were
sleeping: in-the bosom of the unconscious waters, but their
spirits had passed' away into the presence of their Creator;
and heaven’s recording’ angel made another dark entry
against. depraved. and: sinful man.

16'
186 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

CHAPTER XVI.

Battle of Vinegar Hill—Defeat of the insurgents—Danger of
prisoners at Wexford—Rebel authorities offer to capitulate—Cor-
respondence of leaders—Insurgents evacuate the city—Mr. Gurley
and others during the night preceding the battle—Prayer meeting
all night—Prison shaken by artillery in the morning—King’s
troops enter the town—Prison doors opened—Transports of prison-
ers and friends—Meeting at Mr. Gurley’s house—Mr. G. seeks the
dead bodies of his friends—Temporal cireumstances—He goes to
Dublin for goods.

Wuite these tragical events were occurring in Wexford,
the King’s troops, fifteen thousand in number, were taking
positions around Vinegar Hill, the last strong refuge of the
concentrated forces of the insurgent army.

This commanding position was strengthened by intrench-
ments, over which thirteen cannon frowned defiance. The
number of insurgents has been variously estimated at from
twenty to thirty thousand. These were their best disci-
plined and firmest men. Others had fallen or fled to their
homes.

A detachment of insurgents rushed down the hill, and
made a sortie on General Johnson’s division, which had
encamped about a mile from its base. A slight skirmish
only ensued, and the party returned speedily to camp. The
morning of the 21st found the different columns surrounding
the hill, impatient for battle. They hailed with cheerful
music the rising sun; their polished bayonets and furbished
arms glittered in the golden beams, while their unfurled
banners floated proudly on the morning breeze. At half-
past five o’clock a gun was fired from the right, and
answered from the centre and left columns. This was the
signal for a general attack. From elevated positions on the
north and west the cannon of the English troops opened on
the rebel camp. The town of Enniscorthy lay in the valley,

‘
MEMOIR OF REY, WILLIAM GURLEY. 187

between the western division of the army and the hill. A
part of this corps rushed down the hill into the town, which
was filled with the insurgent soldiery. Here a fierce con-
test ensued; but the impetuosity of the King’s troops was
resistless. Their rapid tread seemed to make the earth
tremble beneath them. It was the fierce onset of deter- -
mined men; in firm array, reckless alike of danger and
death, they swept like a fierce torrent through the town,
driving the astonished enemy before them in wild amaze-
ment. The thunder of the loyal artillery was answered by
the insurgents with a terrible fire from their intrenchments.
The mount seemed to blaze like a volcano amid the rapid
explosions of their guns.

The rebel commanders knew that their fate, and the fate
of their cause, hung on that battle; and they exhibited a
martial courage and noble bearing worthy of a better cause.
For an hour and three-quarters did the heavy ordnance of
the besiegers vomit forth destruction upon their ranks.
Grape-shot and balls rattled round them like a storm of
hail, and every moment they saw their comrades sinking to
the earth. Still these infatuated men, whose fate was
sealed, rode round their terror-stricken lines, cheering their
men by their presence, and animating them by their example.

Covered by their artillery, the advancing columns of the
besiegers opened a deadly fire of musketry, while the lines
of the rebel camp blazed with one continued sheet of flame
from their small arms. The roar of battle now rose all
round the hill, and its summit seemed on fire. The heavens
were darkened with ascending clouds of smoke and dust,
the solid earth shook under the dreadful concussion, and
the shouts of the warriors.and the thunder of battle echoed
and re-echoed from the distant hills.

A favorable position having been gained, the loyal troops
now planted their mortars, and a shower of bomb-shells
188 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

began to fall on the dark masses of the insurgents. As
the fatal shells exploded around them, scattering unlooked-
for destruction in their ranks, they were filled with conster-
nation and amazement; and, as shell followed shell in quick
succession, they held up their hands in utter despair, ex-
claiming, “We can stand any thing but these guns which
fire twice.” Taking advantage of this panic, the centre
column of the assailants charged up the hill like furies, and,
marching straight forward on the solid columns of the
rebels, poured their reserved fire directly in their faces, and’
then charged with their bayonets the staggering foe. Like
some thundering avalanche loosened from its Alpine height,
the insurgent hosts now gave way, and rolled down the
southern side of the hill. Their deserted cannon were now
turned on their flying squadrons, mowing down their re-
treating ranks.

The rebel standard, which had so long waved on the top
of the old windmill, was now torn down, and the royal
banners unfurled in its place.

The routed hosts fled toward Wexford, leaving all their
artillery and baggage in the hands of the victorious Lake.
The flying army divided, some passing through Wexford,
others through Gorey to the mountains on the borders of
the county.

Partly protected by their intrenchments, the insurgent
loss was only five or six hundred; the loss on the part of
the King’s troops, in killed and wounded, was less than one
hundred.

Filled with rage, and maddened with disappointment, the
retreating insurgents crowded into Wexford, with’ priest
Roach, their general, at their head. Here the. Catholic
authorities of the city held a council, to determine what
was to be done in their present emergency. Some were
for putting all the prisoners to death; some were for
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 189

evacuating the town; while many were for fighting to
the last.

A detachment of the victorious army were already in
motion under General Moore, and were now approaching
the city. Priest Roach, rendered desperate by defeat, now
evinced his total want of judgment, by urging his men to
march out boldly and meet the advancing army, telling
them that it was much more honorable to fight to the last.
But their confidence in his ability as a general was shaken;
and his efforts to lead them to certain destruction were fortu-
nately vain. At five o’clock General Moore with his brigade
arrived, and halted in the vicinity of the city.

After due deliberation, the rebel authorities of the town
liberated Lord Kingsborough and some other officers, who
were prisoners, and sent them to General Moore, to propose
a surrender on honorable terms. Kingsborough was accom-
panied by two insurgent captains, who bore to the comman-
der of the loyal troops the following terms of capitulation:

“That Captain M’Manus shall proceed from Wexford
toward Oulart, accompanied by Mr. E. Hay, appointed by
the inhabitants of all religious persuasions, to inform the
officers commanding the King’s troops that they are ready
to deliver up the town of Wexford, without opposition, lay
down their arms, and return to their allegiance; provided
that the protection of their persons and property are guar-
antied by the commanding officer, and that they will use all
the influence in their power to induce the people of the
country at large to return to their allegiance, also, These
terms we hope Captain M’Manus will be able to procure.

“Sioned, by order of the inhabitants of Wexford,

“Marr. Keven, Gov.”

These proposals were forwarded to General Lake, who
veturned the following answer:

“Lieutenant General Lake cannot attend to any terms
190 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

offered by rebels in arms against their sovereign ; while
they continue so, he must use the force intrusted to him
with the utmost energy for their destruction. . . To
the deluded multitude he promises pardon, on their deliver-
ing into his hands their leaders, surrendering their arms, and
returning with sincerity to their allegiance.

“ Signed, x G. Laxg.

“«“ Enniscorthy, 22d of June, 1798.”

As soon as this embassy was sent off, without waiting for
a reply, the drums beat a retreat, and the insurgent forces
left the town for the mountains. Before going, however,
the Popish bishop came and requested all to kneel down
till he would give them a parting benediction. This was
done with due solemnity, and in haif an hour not an armed
insurgent could be seen in the city.

Having traced the progress and results of the decisive
battle of Vinegar Hill, let us now return to Mr. Gurley and
his associates, whom we left, on the evening preceding the
engagement, rejoicing that he was still alive. Mr. Gurley
and other prisoners were satisfied that the King’s troops
must be at band, but had great reason to apprehend that
before they could fight a decisive battle, and come to their
assistance, they would be put to death by the rebels, as was
the case at the Sculaboge house and barn, during the bat-
tle of Ross. At all events, they felt that the crisis had
arrived; they believed this would be their last night in
prison, and that the setting sun of another day would find
them either enjoying the sweets of liberty or in the eternal
world; and judging the future by the past, the latter seemed.
by far the most probable.

The critical hour was fully appreciated by Mr. Gurley,
who thus refers to it:

« At eight o’clock, as usual, we had public prayers: it
was a good time, even better than ever.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 191

“After prayer, my companions began to prepare the
aaw to sleep on, as usual. When I saw this, I said to
them: ‘Friends, formerly we went out and came in when
we pleased—went to bed when we pleased and rose when
we pleased; but I presume this is the last night we shall
have in this world: let us not spend it in sleep, but in
prayer; as through mercy we have all been spared through
this dreadful day, so let us watch and pray all this night,
except father Atkins—let him go to rest.’ [This was an
aged man of seventy-two years; but the blood of his youth
seemed to beat anew in his veins. If the next day was to
see him at home in the arms of his children, or in paradise,
he scorned to sleep the precious hours away.] ‘Indeed,’
said the old man, ‘I will not lie down, for I have as much
need of prayer as the rest of you.’ ‘O, very well,’ said
I, ‘I have no objections;’ so we were all agreed, and it was
a night long to be remembered by us all.

“I had a strong impression during our prayers that
deliverance was at hand; so we prayed and sang at intervals
through the night—how often I do not now remember; but
this I recollect, that none fell asleep but a young man, six-
teen years of age. Some one pointed him out tome. ‘O,’
said I, ‘let him sleep on; he has had a hard day of it, as
well as ourselves.’”” Wearied with watching and prayer, the
morning at length broke on their devotions. A clear sun
darted his golden beams into the grated window of their
cell, as if to remind them that God had not ceased to reign.
The same sun was gilding with his radiance the bristling
bayonets and flashing helmets of the impatient hosts round
Vinegar Hill.

Mr. Gurley continues: “Morning came at last; it was
calm and clear. A Mr. Gill was standing by the window,
when we felt the prison tremble, and a sound like distant
thunder was heard. He called me to him, saying, ‘Do
192 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

you hear that?’ ‘Yes,’ said I, ‘it was the report of a can-
non.’ In a moment there was another, and then a third,
and soon there was one continued roar of distant artillery.
“O,’ said I, ‘our friends have come to our aid, at last; let us
go and help them.’ Several replied, ‘Why, if you attempt
to go out, you will be cut to pieces ina moment.’ ‘Come,’
said I, ‘we will help them with our prayers.’

“So down on our knees all fell; and if ever the Spirit of
God did help me to pray, it was then.

“T felt my soul to be very happy; I believe I continued
in prayer above half an hour.

“The roar of arms continued without intermission till
half-past seven o’clock, when it ceased entirely. You may
judge how anxious we were to know the result. We soon
found the rebels were defeated.”” This must, indeed, have
been to them most joyful intelligence: but that joy was
tempered with some fearful apprehensions; for when the
retreating insurgents reached Wexford, that day, many of
them surrounded the prison, with the most fearful execra-
tions and curses—demanding to be let in, that they might
murder the prisoners. Their clamor was heard within, and
preparations were instantly made by the inmates of the jail
to defend themselves to the last, in case the attempt should
be made.

This, also, is referred to in the manuscript :

“As soon as we had an idea that the rebels intended to
enter and put us to death, before the army could arrive, we
began to prepare to defend ourselves. We put all the beds
we could find in different cells against the windows, to stop
the balls; barricaded the door with every thing we could
get; and armed ourselves with iron bars, brickbats from the
hearth, and loose stones, determined to fight to the last.
Happily, the guards had the firmness to refuse the enraged
rebels admittance, while the latter, as we have seen, had
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 1938

little time to parley, and enough to do to take care of them-
selves. Finding that the rebels had fled from the town,
General Moore dispatched Captain Boyd, of the Wexford
cavalry, with a part of the brigade, to take possession of
the garrison. The Captain and a few other officers*rode up
to the jail to see the prisoners, who hailed their approach,
as the gates were thrown open, with tears of joy, and gave
them three hearty cheers. Captain Boyd cautioned them
not to leave the jail till the troops arrived, lest, being in
ordinary dress, and not in uniform, and so many of them
together, they might at a distance be mistaken for rebels,
and shot at by the soldiers, as an accident of this kind had
already occurred near Vinegar Hill. The greater portion,
therefore, remained, though a few ventured out singly, and
among these Mr. Gurley. He thus refers to this happy
deliverance :

“Between six and seven o’clock in the evening, Captain
Boyd rode up to the jail, with the glad news that we were
at liberty. Tears of joy gushed from every eye. O, what
a thing is life! and yet what is it but a vapor!

«Our life is a dream,
‘Our time is a stream,
‘ Gliding swiftly away.’

“How soon it passes off and all is over!

“Finding the rebels had all quit the town, I went up t
the far end of it, to see what had become of my wife.
When I got near the west gate, I saw the 29th regiment
just entering town, with several noblemen and gentlemen.
The latter bade me go with them back to the prison, to see
all set free. So I went with them; but when we came to
the jail yard, good mercy! what joy was depicted in every
face!’ Rev. George Taylor, who was liberated at the same
time, says: “I cannot describe the feelings of my soul,

when news came in that the rebels had retreated ; that the
17
194 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

King’s troops were coming into town; and that the English
colors wére hoisted at the quay. I could not paint the
transports of those that were liberated.

“There were the most delightful scenes, and the most
feeling I ever saw: young women coming into prison, em-
bracing their fathers, brothers, and friends, and all weeping
together for joy. It could not but affect me, it appeared
to be so solemn a time, so sacred and acceptable in the
sight of the Lord. The army came in, opened our prison
doors, and set us free. Now we tasted the sweets of free-
dom, and we gave them a hearty cheer; then went to the
house of Mr. William Gurley, where a few of the most
serious assembled and sung:

‘Tl praise my Maker while I’ve breath.’”

Before Mr. Gurley reached his house he was met by his
wife, who, still uncertain of his fate, was on her way to the
prison, to see whether he was dead or alive. We leave it
for the reader to imagine the tenderness and joy of that
meeting.

The house of Mr. Gurley seems to have been the rallying
point for the liberated disciples of Christ ; for scarcely had
he reached home, when, as related in the above extract,
Rev. Mr. Taylor, and several other prisoners and their friends
followed him.

After singing the hymn referred to, they engaged in a
prayer of thanksgiving to that God who had wrought out
for them so merciful a deliverance.

The joy of Mr. Gurley in being once more safely seated
in his own house, in the bosom of his own family, was
mingled with sad and heart-rending thoughts. Many of
his brethren in the Lord were slain. The dead bodies of
his brother and brother-in-law were either floating on the
troubled waters or rotting on the shore; his goods and prop-
erty were gone, and he was penniless; his wife and child
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 195

were all that remained ; and as he pressed them to his:throb-
bing bosom, he blessed that God who had preserved them
while all else was taken, and felt that with them and God’s
blessing he could still be happy.

What an imperishable treasure is true religion! The ship
freighted with treasure may sink; the house filled with mer-
chandise may be consumed by fire; but he who trusts in
God has a fortune which no earthly disaster can assail, or
time impair.

The next day Mr. Gurley went to seek the remains of his
murdered relatives. He observes: “Two days after my
liberation I got two coffins made, and went to find the bodies
of Jonas and Smith. A man showed me where they were
buried in the sand; ‘but,’ said he, ‘they are so mangled and
putrid you can only put them into a coffin with a shovel,
having been exposed to a hot sun for five days.’ So I let
them remain there for a time, and twice in twenty-four hours
the sea washed over them. I there saw, partly in the
water, the body of Mr. M’Daniels, the same that called on
me so earnestly to pray for him in the jail. I had his body
put in the coffin I took for my brother, and sent word to his
wife, who sent and had him buried.

“The strand was strewed all along with a vast number
of dead bodies, which, from time to time, during the ‘Reign
of Terror,’ had been thrown into the river. They were a
sad sight to behold. I could not help saying to myself,
‘Surely, God will take vengeance on the authors and perpe-
trators of these bloody deeds.’ ”

Mr. Gurley had now to begin the world anew. His shop
was a wreck, his tools many of them purloined, and his
property gone. Availing himself, however, of such small
resources as he could command, he went to Dublin, with
a view of purchasing such articles as were indispensable for
commencing business again.
196 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

He reached Dublin in August; and while there the French
squadron, under General Humbert, landed at Killala, and a
fresh effort was made to arouse the spirits of the United
Irishmen once more to strike for victory and independ-
ence—with what success will hereafter be seen.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 19%

CHAPTER XVII.

Proclamation of General Lake—Waning prospects of insur
gents—Leaders taken and executed—French troops land at Killa
Ja—Proclamations of French officers—Failure of French expedi-
tion—Their surrender—Amusing address of the Mackamores—
«The Emmets ”—Close of Rebellion—Reflections.

Guyerat Lake now issued a proclamation, for arresting
all the leaders of the insurrection, but promising pardon to
the deluded multitude, on condition of surrendering their
arms and returning to their allegiance. The defeat at Vin-
egar Hill had so dispirited the rebels, that most of them
retired speedily to their homes, though very few, indeed,
gave up their arms.

Having traced, thus far, the fortunes of the insurgents,
we will not dismiss them, in their waning glory, too uncere-
moniously, but follow their broken and disordered hosts a
little further. The routed army of Vinegar Hill separated
into two divisions; and several severe engagements took
place, after the evacuation of Wexford. Five thousand of
their number were attacked, at a place called Killcomney,
by two divisions of troops. The rebels made a desperate
defense, but were at last overpowered, leaving one thousand
of their number slaughtered on the field. The chief leaders
of the insurgents still kept the field. One division of their
forces was headed by General Priest Roach, Edward Fitz-
gerald, and priest John Murphy; the other by General
Perry, priest Kearns, and William Byrn.

Perry, despairing of doing any thing further in the
county of Wexford, now so strongly protected with victo-
rious troops, passed over into the county of Killdare, hoping
to penetrate to the north of Ireland. On the 11th of July

he marched against Clonard, intending, if successful, from
17*
198 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GQURLEY.

thence to pass northward, whence he expected large rein-
forcements. :

Clonard was defended by a small body of yeomanry; and
such was the skill and spirit with which they fought, that
they defended the place against the whole rebel force of
four thousand men, who, after six hours’ hard fighting, were
put to flight, leaving two hundred and ten killed and
wounded. Less than one hundred yeomanry gained this
decisive victory. They fought chiefly from covert places,
and from the upper stories of the buildings. The insurgent
leaders yet clung, with the greatest tenacity, to the hope of
success. Poorly supplied with food and ammunition, they
still braved the dangers and hardships of the field, and
occasionally gained some slight victories over their pursuers ;
but, chased from mountain to mountain, defeated in every
place, after repeated and unsuccessful struggles to retrieve
their fortunes, or reinforce their wasted ranks, they at length
yielded, reluctantly, to uncontrollable necessity, and aban-
doned the cause in utter despair. Each man now thought
only of his own safety. Many, who fell into the hands of
the royal troops, met with a hard fate. Others, tired of a
rebellious life, returned to their homes, took the oath of
allegiance, and received protection from government officers,
and, as a writer remarks, “were thus metamorphosed into
good and loyal subjects.”

Priest Kearns and General Perry fled to Kings county,
where they were, after two or three days, taken, and, after
a trial by court martial, were executed at Edenderry, on the
21st of July. Edward Fitzgerald, with fourteen other rebel
leaders, gave themselves up, on condition of being trans-
ported, which accordingly took place.

Thus, by the last of July, out of sixty thousand insur-
gents, who were in arms in the early part of the insurrec-
tion, there remained only a few scattered bands, in the
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 199

mountains of Wicklow, who, fearing to return home, contin-
ued, as a sort of banditti, to infest the country. The county
of Wexford was soon restored to a state of tranquility; but
nearly the whole population were in mourning. Many of
the Protestants, who had- been massacred, left desolate
widows and helpless children to mourn their loss; while
thousands of the infatuated Papists, who were slain in
battle, left families in the same condition.

General Lake extended pardon to those who were guilty
simply of rebellion, and who had not murdered in cold
blood; but upon the leaders of the insurrection, and those
guilty of murdering defenseless Protestants, the penalties
of the British code, and of martial law, were enforced with
dreadful rigor.

Priests of the Roman Catholic Church, who had. instiga-
ted their deluded flocks to rebellion, and led them on to
blood and carnage, now reaped the just but sad harvest
they had sown. The famous priest, Philip Roach, who had
succeeded in deposing Harvy, and in getting himself elected
Commander-in-chief, was arrested, and, after examination
before a court martial, condemned to death. He was a
large and corpulent man, and, as he fell, the rope broke;
but a stronger one was substituted, and he was lanched
into eternity, and, as is to be feared, with his crimes unfor-
given on his head. His body was thrown into the river
where so many Protestants had breathed their last.

B. B. Harvy fled to a small island, outside of Wexford
harbor. He took with him provisions, spirits, and arms,
designing to escape to France. His refuge, in the rocks,
was discovered, and a party dispatched to arrest him,
which was effected on the 27th of June. His trial com-
menced the same day. He was much dejected, and greatly
agitated, and scarcely spoke at all. It appeared, in evi-
dence, that he had acted as Commander-in-chief at the.

#
200 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,.

battle of Ross; and his letter, demanding the surrender of
the town, was produced against him, and acknowledged to
be his own handwriting. He attempted no further defense
than extenuation. He declared that he accepted the com-
mand to prevent much greater evils, which would have
accrued, had it fallen into other hands. He had no coun-
sel, and, after a trial which lasted eight hours, he was
condemned, and was executed the next morning. Thus
fell, a victim to his own rashness, a man of amiable dispo-
sition and patriotic principles, possessing a fine estate and
respectable talents. He was grandson to a distinguished
clergyman of the Established Church. The fond hope he
had entertained of Irish independence was blasted by the
bigotry and narrow-sightedness of the Roman priests, unfor-
tunately identified with the projected revolution, with
whom he had confidentially associated his name and inter-
est. He was, indeed, an unfortunate man. Degraded by
those whose cruelties he tried to restrain—persecuted by
the priests, to whom he had lent his influence—arrested
and condemned by the government, against which he had
rashly taken up arms—he was now compelled to meet the
doom of the traitor and the culprit. But the hearts of
true Irishmen commiserated his misfortunes, and humanity
dropped a tear at his untimely end.

Thomas Dixon, the rebel captain who conducted the
murders on the bridge at Wexford, on the 20th of June.
was the son of an innkeeper. He engaged in a seafariny
life, and became master of a ship. He was one of the
most sanguinary monsters that ever breathed. His acts of
cruelty were bounded only by his power. He was noted
for cruelty and cowardice, shunning the dangers of the
field, but delighting to revel in scenes of cold-blooded
slaughter. Aware of the fate he deserved, he succeeded
in making good his escape. Every effort was made to find
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 201

him, but in vain. But his name is remembered with horror
and detestation. There is a just tribunal, however, where
his account must be rendered, and from its decisions there
is no appeal.

Matthew Keugh, rebel governor of Wexford, had once
been a drummer in the army, and was advanced to the rank
of Captain. He joined the rebels when Wexford was
taken, and was elected governor of the city, which post he
held till the insurgents evacuated the place. He was kind
to Mr. Gurley, and furnished him a protection, at the time
when Wexford was taken. He was found guilty, and
executed.

John Murphy, priest of Bolavogue, who was the first to
call the Papists to arms in the county of Wexford, fought
his last battle at Killcomney, where he was totally defeated.
He fled from the battle, but was taken, and conducted to
the headquarters of General Duff, where he was hanged,
the same day, and his head was cut off and placed on the
market-house. He was an obstinate bigot, a daring com-
mander, a profound hypocrite, and an unmerciful wretch.
He forsook the altar for the camp—confounded liberty with
Popery. A professed minister of the Gospel of peace, he
taught the extirpation of heretics as an article of his creed,
and ranked the shedding of Protestant blood among the
Christian virtues. The ignorant and deluded are to be
pitied, and charity seeks a palliation of their crimes, and
would fain throw a mantle over their revolting cruelties;
but such men as he are to be execrated—the scourge of the
earth—the desolaters of homes. The bolt of Heaven that
strikes them down is a benefaction to mankind. The world
is blessed at their departure, and good men breathe freer
when they are gone.

The expiring embers of rebellion would now have been
totally extinguished, had it not been for the interposition of
202 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

France. The French Directory quietly permitted the Irish,
to whom they had made large promises, to prosecute, alone
and unaided, their projected revolution; but now, when
they saw the vast armies of the insurgents annihilated, and
beheld their leaders arrested, and executed or imprisoned—
now, when the day of hope for the patriots had passed,
they wake up to a sense of their great mistake, and, hoping,
vainly, however, to atone for their negligence, and retrieve
the fortunes of the day, dispatch in haste three frigates, and
eléven hundred men, under command of General Humbert.
Humbert landed his men at Killala, in the county of Mayo.
This was designed as a vanguard to a much more formida-
ble force, which was speedily to follow. On the 22d of
August the troops landed, and the following proclamation
was distributed amongst the people. It appears to have
been prepared by Lieutenant General Killmain, perhaps in
France. It breathes the spirit of the French Atheists. It
evinces, on the part of its author, great ignorance of human
nature, and of the religious circumstances and prejudices
of the Irish people, to conciliate and draw to his standard
a nation of Catholics, whose chief object was, the restora-
tion of the “old holy religion,” by a promise to “free
them from the frauds of priestcraft,” and the “grand
impostor, the Pope,” was surely an admirable exhibition of
political sagacity. We subjoin the document, as a historical
curiosity, and an illustration of Atheistic bombast and French
gasconade:

“HEALTH AND FRATERNITY TO THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND!

“The great nation has sent me to you, with a band of
heroes, to deliver you from the hand of tyrants. Fly to
our standard, and share with us the glory of subduing the
world. We will teach you the art of war, and to despise
the low pursuits of toil and industry. You shall live on
the spoils of war, and the labors of others. The acquisi-
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 2038

tion of wealth is the acquisition of misery, and the enjoy-
ment uf ease is inglorious. We have made all the nations
we have conquered happy, by arresting their property, by
applying it to the common cause, and consecrating it to the
champions of liberty. Property is a right belonging to the
valor that seizes it. We have already destroyed the unas-»
piring tranquility of Switzerland, and the wealth, and the
power, and the bigotry of Italy are no more.

“Tf, then, the justice of France has thus extended its
reforming vengeance to unoffending nations, consider with
how much more rigor it shall visit you, if you shall slight
its benignity !

“Fly to our standard, and we will free you from spiritual
as well as temporal subjection. We will free you from the
fetters of religion and the frauds of priestcraft. Religion
is a bondage intolerable to free minds. We have banished
it from our own country, and put down the grand impostor,
the Pope, whose wealth we have sacrificed on the altar of
reason. Fly to our standard, and we will break your connec-
tion with England. We will save you from the mortification
of seeing yourselves under an invidious government, and.
exalt you to the rank of those countries which now enjoy
the benefits of French fraternity. Let not the ties of kin-
dred, the seductions of ease, or any other unmanly attach-
ment to the comforts of life, teach you to neglect this
friendly call of your countryman and fellow-citizen,

“Kitimain, Lieutenant General.”

It appears that General Killmain did not land with the
French troops, but forwarded the proclamation by General
Humbert.

It is probable that the latter perceived that this address
was not likely to accomplish the object at which it aimed,
and therefore wrote one on the spot, to counteract its
dangerous insinuations and principles, and to win the Irish
204 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

to the French standard. This was a much more appropriate
document, and well adapted to rouse and conciliate the Irish.
It was as follows:

“TIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY, UNION.

“Trishmen, you have not forgotten Bantry Bay. You

sknow what efforts France has made to assist you. Her
affection for you, her desire for avenging your wrongs, and
insuring your independence, can never be impaired.

«After several unsuccessful attempts, behold Frenchmen’
arrived amongst you.

“They come to support your courage, to share your
dangers, to join their arms, and to mix their blood with
yours, in the sacred cause of liberty.

“Brave Irishmen, our cause is common. Like you, we
abhor the avaricious and blood-thirsty policy of an oppressive
government, Like you, we hold, as indefeasible, the right
of all nations to liberty. Like you, we are persuaded that
the peace of the world shall ever be troubled, as long as
the British ministry is suffered to make, with impunity, a
traffick of the industry, labor, and blood of the people.

«But, exclusive of the same interests which unite us, we
have powerful motives to love and defend you. Have we
not been the pretext of the cruelty exercised against you
by the cabinet of St. James? The heart-felt interests you
have shown, in the grand_events of our Revolution, have
they not been imputed to you as a crime? Are not tor-
tures and death continually hanging over such of you as
are barely suspected of being our friends? Let us unite,
then, and march to glory.

“We swear the most inviolable respect for your property,
your laws, and your religious opinions. Be free. Be mas-
ters in your country. We look for no other conquest than.
that of your liberty—no other success than yours.

“The moment for breaking your chains is arrived. Our
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 205

triumphant troops are now flying to the extremities of the
earth, to tear up the roots of the wealth and the tyranny of
our enemies. That frightful colossus is moldering away, in
every part. Can there be any Irishman base enough to
separate himself, at such a happy juncture, from the
grand interests of his country? If such there be, brave
friends, let him be chased from the country he betrays, and
let his property become the reward of those generous men
who know how to fight and die.

“ Trishmen, recollect the late defeats which your enemies
have experienced from the French. Recollect the plains of
Honscoote, Toulon, Quiberon, and Ostend. Recollect Amer-
ica, free from the moment she wished to be.

“The contest between you and your oppressors cannot be
long. Union—liberty—the Irish republic! such is our
shout. Let us march. Our hearts are devoted to you.
Our glory is in your happiness.

“Health and fraternity. Homserr, General.”

This proclamation, with the actual presence of the French
army, once more roused the expiring flame, and large num-
bers of rebels collected in the counties of Killdare, West-
meath, and Longford; the shout of liberty once more rang
out on the hills, but it received only a faint response from
the country at large. Yet, in some places, the hope of
success was so strong that the Catholics, true to their long-
taught creed, gave public notice or orders for the murdering
of Protestants.

On the church door in Killashee, soon after the Frencb
landed, was posted the following notice:

“TAKE NOTICE,

“Heretical usurpers, that the brave slaves of this island
will no longer live in bondage. The die is cast; our deliv-
erers are come; and the royal brute who held the iron rod
of despotic tyranny is expiring. No longer shall one govern
206 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

four. The old holy religion shall be re-established in this
house; and the earth shall no longer be burdened with
bloody heretics, who, under the pretense of rebellion—which
they themselves have raised—mean to massacre us.

‘The flower-de-luce and harp we will display,
‘ While tyrant heretics shall molder into clay.’

“REVENGE! REVENGE! REVENGE!”

When Humbert landed at Killala, he surprised the
Protestant bishop, whose palace was there, at his dinner.
He took possession of the bishop’s residence, and was as
snugly quartered there as Napoleon in the Kremlin at
Moscow. Humbert marched to Castlebar, where he met
and defeated over two thousand English troops who were
stationed there. Aware of the danger of an invading army,
at so critical a juncture, on the soil of Ireland, Lord Corn-
wallis left Dublin, at the head of an army of twenty thou-
sand men, and surrounding the French troops, they surren-
dered, after some ineffectual resistance, to his Majesty’s
forces. Other ships from France came too late to be of any
service to the cause of the revolutionists, and chiefly fell into
the hands of the English.

Thus did the late and feeble movement of the French
Directory only expose their policy to the contempt and ridi-
_cule of the British, who were greatly delighted with their
discomfiture and overthrow. Had Humbert landed in the
height of the insurrection, it is hard to say what might
have been the result; as it was, it resembled a farce at the
conclusion of a serious tragedy.

The rebels who had been in the ranks in the county of
Wexford, having taken the oath of allegiance, made no
effort to revive the flame of revolution; indeed, some of
them, especially those known as the Mackamores, residing
on the coast between Wexford and Gorey, professed to he
quite loyal in their feelings. For, during the time the
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 207

French were on the island, they met, and addressed the fol-
lowing communication to Major Fitzgerald, requesting him
to convey it to General Hunter, commander of the garrison
in Wexford.

The address is an amusing specimen of the volatility of
the low Irish, and their love of “fight.” It is given, as re-
gards orthography and punctuation, as it came from the pen
of those redoubtable champions—verbatim et literatim :
“To the general Hunter or govenor of Wasxford belonging

to King George the third.

“We the Macamore boys was in the turn out against the
Orrange-men and to who your noble honour gave your most
grasous pardon for we never desarved any other if we war
let alone and being tould that the French was cumeing to
take this counttry from his Royal Highness the King who
we swore to fite for and in regard to our oath and to your
lordships goodness in keeping the Orrange-men from killing
us all weel fite till we die if your honour will give us leave
and weel go in the front of the battle and we never ax to
go in the back of the army your honour will send wid us
and if we dont beat them weel never ax a bit to eat and as
you gave us pardon and spoke to the King about us as the
breggaddeer magar tould us and as we tould him weed
never deceive your honour tho the black mob says weel
turn out a bit again but weel shew them and the world if
your honour will bid us that weel fite and wont run away
from the best of them and if your honour will send down
the magar that was wid us from your lordship afore or the
honourable magar Curry or the Lord Sir James Fowler
general of the middle lothin sogers in Waxford and let them
lave word at Peppers castle and weel march into Waxford
go where your honour bids us do any thing atal to fite for
your honours and weel expect to hear from your honour
what weel do or if your honour will order a signal to be
208 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

made with a red flag weel draw up and march as good as
any sogers and as far as one or two thoughsand good stout
boys goes weel fite for your honour to the last man and
weer sure all the Barneys ill do the same if you will give
them leave.

“Sioned by the desire of all the parrishes in the

Mackamores. O’Brien
Watse and
“« August 27th, 1798.” Sunurvan.”

This loyal proposal the British officer respectfully de-
clined, deeming it rather uncertain whether they wished
most a chance to fight the French, or to join their ranks,
armed and equipped.

At Dublin, as well as at Wexford, a number of the
leading officers of the United Men were tried and executed ;
amongst whom were Bacon, Esmond, John Shears, William
Byrn, and John M’Can, Secretary to the Provincial Com-
mittee of the province of Leinster. In Wexford the execu-
tions went on with the miost exemplary severity, until, in
that place alone, not less than sixty-five were hanged.

The practice of cutting off the heads of the condemned
after they were dead, and putting them on the tops of posts
and government houses, and then throwing their headless
bodies to the sharks and fish, was resorted to by way of re-
taliation for their own barbarous treatment of the Protes-
tants; but such a course was revolting to humanity, and
was certainly beneath the dignity of the British laws, and
savored too much of savage ferocity to meet the approval
of the enlightened and the humane. But, if ever men de-
served death at the hands of an outraged government, the
merciless priests and others, who had led the deluded
multitudes to those acts of horrid cruelty which we have
described, met from the hand of the executioner only the
just desert of their dreadful crimes.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 209

The star of hope, for Ireland, had set; yet its rays still
lmgered on the horizon. Two years after the suppression
of the Rebellion, the hope of emancipating their country
occupied the thoughts and fired the breasts of some of her
noblest sons. Of these there was one, of whose name his
countrymen will always be proud; one whose misfortunes
and untimely end will long awaken the sympathies of Irish
hearts: this was Robert Emmet. He was a young man of
about twenty-three years of age, of noble birth and highly-
respectable connections. He had witnessed the deep devo-
tion to their country, and noble daring, of Fitzgerald and
others, whose sad fate moved his sympathies. He knew
the causes of Ireland’s discontent were still unremoved, and
he believed that there were yet many brave and ardent men
ready to step forth in her defense; but a master spirit was
wanting, around whom to rally, After musing on the im-
portant theme till his bosom glowed with an irrepressible
flame, in a fatal hour Emmet resolved to become that
master spirit himself. But, although the patriotic feelings
and chivalrous ambition of the young nobleman were fine
qualifications for deeds of military glory, and, under the
direction of sound judgment and experience, might have led
him to enviable distinction, yet he lacked the keen sagacity
and cool, reflecting mind, requisite to so arduous a task, if,
indeed, any mmd was equal to its accomplishment. He
perceived not the change which had taken place in the
public mind—how there was gradually a conviction settling
on all classes of the community, that the freedom of Ire-
land was but: an illusive dream. The Protestants, satisfied
that a successful revolution would re-establish Papal domi-
nation, preferred their present relation to such a change.
The Catholics knew that their policy was detected by the
loyal party, that their very name was hated, and that they

would not, for an age at least, be sufficiently reconciled to
18*
210 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

unite with each other in any great measure for the political
redemption of their country; and, already warned of the
vigilance and power of the government, they wisely con-
sulted too much their own safety to take up arms again;
while the dissenters, as they had very little to hope for,
whether the kingdom was governed by Popery or prelacy,
looked on, at least, with a cautious neutrality, if not with
sullen indifference—their fears, albeit, still counseling to
dread most of all Catholic ascendency. To a cool and
discerning mind, the state of the general feeling would
have been obvious. Emmet had an inquiring mind; but it
was busy in inquiring for compatriots, with ability and
prowess for joining in one more struggle for his country’s
freedom. Nor did he look wholly in vain: his fine talents,
his eloquence, his chivalrous bearing, and, above all, his
glowing enthusiasm, collected around him a club of asso-
ciates, several of whom were men of no mean pretensions.
To them he developed his plans, which they espoused with
an ardor equal to his own. But it is well known that their
plans were detected by the government, and, after a trial
by a jury, he was condemned and executed.

His bold and eloquent defense of his motives and de-
signs, delivered in the presence of the court, just before
sentence was pronounced upon him, has been read with
interest by every American, and has been pronounced one
of the most fearless, appropriate, and eloquent addresses
ever made by man. His name is dear to Ireland, and will
be held in honorable remembrance so long as history shall
chronicle the story of her sufferings and struggles for free-
dom. His elder brother, Thomas Addis Emmet, was one
of the early patriots of the attempted revolution. He was
a native of the city of Cork, and was born in the year 1765.
He was an able and eloquent member of the Irish bar. He
bore a conspicuous part in the first movements of the United
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 211

frishmen; but he was soon arrested by the government,
and sent, for safe-keeping, to Fort George, in Scotland,
There he was kept in confinement for three years. The
manly frankness of his character, and honorable bearing,
won the confidence of Governor Stewart, to whose charge
he was committed; for, upon the bare assurance of his
word, that he would make no effort to escape, he was per-
mitted to walk at large when he pleased, for bathing or
other exercise. Stewart would only say, as he opened to
him the gate, “I trust, sir, to your honor.” He might easily
have escaped, but he scorned to purchase freedom, however
desirable, at the expense of his honor. Soon after his lib-
eration he came to the United States, bidding adieu for ever
to his country, whose interests were interwoven with the
best feelings of his heart. In the city of New York, it is
generally known, he distinguished himself as an able lawyer
and patriotic citizen, where he died, a few years since, hon-
ored and respected by his fellow-citizens.

Jackson, his associate in the insurrection, was less for-
tunate. He was arrested by the government, and found
guilty. But his proud spirit could not brook the disgrace
of a public execution: it is said that he took arsenic, and
fell dead upon the floor while the Lord Chief Justice was
pronouncing his sentence.

» Thus have we traced to its termination that fierce and
wanguinary struggle, in which the best and the worst of men
were united—professedly for the same object, but in reality
with widely different views; some contending only for inde-
pendence or Parliamentary reform, while others, and they
the great majority, were plotting the re-establishment of
Popery by law, and the massacre of the Protestant popu-
lation. The amount of property destroyed by the burning
of houses, churches, stores, etc., was immense, while the
blood of forty thousand persons stained the soil of Ireland.
212 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

The part taken by Catholic priests in this convulsion,
affords matter of grave reflection for American citizens, A
Church, whose bigotry and intolerance had led to such
atrocious scenes of blood as those we have described, can-
not bé encouraged in any land with safety to its free insti-
tutions, unless its creed and its spirit are changed. But
the Church of Rome boasts that she is infallible; and if
the day shall ever dawn on this republic when Romanism
gains the ascendency in our political councils, then her
spirit of bigotry, which, shorn of its strength, has been
lurking in secrecy, shall come forth to kindle again the fires
of persecution, and, like Sampson, to seize the pillars which
support the temple of our liberty and rights, and bow them
to the earth.
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. 213

CHAPTER XVIII.

Alarm at Wexford on landing of French troops—Mrs. Gurley
goes to Dublin—Mr. Gurley concludes to remove to England—Re-
ception at Liverpool—Meets Dr. Coke—Resolves on emigration to
United States—Little son left in Ireland—Family reach New
York—Settle in Norwich, Connecticut—Methodism—Presbyte-
rians—Anecdote.

We have already stated that, soon after the suppression
of the Rebellion in Wexford, Mr. Gurley went to Dublin to
purchase stock for resuming his business again. Here he
remained for some days at his brother-in-law’s, Mr. James
Beatty, a merchant in the city. While there, news of the
arrival of the French at Killala, under General Humbert,
reached Wexford. The inhabitants were greatly alarmed.
Mr. Gurley thus refers to it:

“T was not long in Dublin, when fifteen hundred French
troops landed at Killala. The news of their arrival soon
reached Wexford; and as a burned child dreads the fire, so
Mrs. Gurley, child, and servant girl, left the place and
came to me in Dublin.”

They remained some weeks at her brother’s, when, at
length, yielding to the urgent desires of his wife, who
dreaded some new calamity or outbreak, he concluded to
remove to England. Accordingly, he arranged matters
with that view, and in a short time set sail for England,
where his family arrived in safety.

The religious friends of Mr. Gurley in Liverpool hailed
him as one from the dead, as they had been informed that
he was murdered. He writes:

“The morning after we reached Liverpool, there was, as
I understood, a love-feast. An English local preacher, who
loved me much, and was often at my house in Ireland,
when speaking in the meeting referred to me, and with tears
214 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY,

related to the assembly the dreadful death I had suffered.
That night I attended church. At the close of the meeting,
as I went up toward some friends that I saw, they drew
back at first as if afraid. Soon they found out that I was
flesh and bones yet; and such shaking of hands and tears—
O, it was an affecting time indeed!”

Mr. Gurley and family remained in Liverpool over two
years. He here became acquainted with Doctor Coke, who
baptized his eldest daughter, Ann Clarissa, who was born
soon after their arrival in England.

Two brothers of Mrs. Gurley had emigrated to the Uni-
ted States. Through their favorable representations of the
country, Mr. Gurley concluded to leave the old world, with
its scenes of strife and blood, and seek an asylum in the
new. It was not without some difficulty, being a mechanic,
that he could pass.the government authorities, appointed to
examine all emigrants, and to prevent any tradesmen of
any description from leaving England for America. These
regulations of tyranny, however, he found means to evade.
Accordingly, in the autumn of 1801, he embarked at Liv-
erpool, and, after a passage of six weeks, reached New
York without meeting with any disaster.

Mr. Gurley kept a journal of the voyage in rhyme,
which, for several years, was preserved in the family, and
was sometimes read to preachers and other friends as a
matter of entertainment. He never claimed for it any
poetic merit. During the war of 1812, when obliged to
fly from the Indians, it was buried with other papers and
books, and was never recovered. It would have made a
printed volume of considerable size.

Six months before the family left England, Mrs. Gurley
made a visit of some months to her father’s, in Ireland.
Here her third child was born—her first had died in Eng-
land. ‘This was a son, and was named for his grandfather,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 215

James Beatty. ‘The unnatural and foolish practice of put-
ting children out to nurse prevailed. A suitable one was
procured, who came to the house and took the entire charge
of the child; and when it was six weeks old its mother left
for England, intending, when it should be a year old, to
return and relieve the nurse of her charge.

As Mrs. Gurley embraced her parents, whom she most
tenderly loved, and bade adieu to her native place, little
did she think she was taking her last farewell of those dear
parents, and that the rural village of Ballycannow, with its
enchanting scenery, endeared by a thousand associations of
childhood, were to meet her sight no more for ever. Still
less did she think, as she paused by the waiting coach to
give her babe a parting kiss, that she should see his face
no more till she should meet him in the far-off wilds of
Ohio, a youth of fifteen, or that she would see him stand

up, as a minister of Christ, to preach the Gospel in regions
as yet unreclaimed from the wild hand of nature, the abode
only of prowling beasts and savage men. And yet, such
was the fact. Mrs. Gurley never revisited her native land.
When the babe was about six months old, Mr. Gurley had
engaged his passage to America. He crossed the Channel
to Ireland for little James, intending to bring his nurse
and him over to England, and then send her back; but the
child had just taken the small-pox, and could not be re-
moved. It was therefore decided that he should be brought
up by his grand-parents and uncle, and, when old enough,
be sent to America.

Before leaving Europe, Mr. Gurley took the precaution
to obtain testimonials of his standing from ministers and
others. He also brought with him the latest “plan” on
which his name was printed, according to the Wesleyan
usage. On these recommendations he was received as a
member and local preacher into the Methodist Episcopal
216 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

Church in this country, and his license renewed annually,
until ordained a deacon.

After a brief residence in New London, he established
himself in business in the town of Norwich, Connecticut,
where he remained about ten years.

Here his house became the resort of the heralds of the
cross. He formed an acquaintance with several of the
pioneers of Methodism in New England.

A door was again opened to him to enter the traveling
connection; but he again declined. A rising family were
now on his hands—his temporal resources quite limited.
But the answer he gave was, “ You have better men.” But
if he did not enter the itinerancy, rm1vERare he certainly did.
He was constantly occupied in preaching on Sabbath, in
various towns, for twenty miles round; and in some places
revivals followed his faithful labors. :

In Norwich the society of Methodists was not large; yet,
on Bean Hill, and at the Landing, there were some excellent
families, amongst whom were the Hydes, Bentlys, and Grif-
fins. But the “established order,” who had from the be-
ginning occupied the ground, held fast the community with
the conscious dignity which long-established dominion gener-
ally inspires. The Sulivans, Lathrops, and Strongs, were
numerous and opulent, and sturdy adherents to the faith
and order of their Pilgrim ancestors.

They beheld with apparent indifference, yet not without
some uneasy sensations, the leaven of Methodism at work
in their midst: it is probable, they little dreamed that it
would ever pervade so thoroughly as it now does that inter-
esting portion of our Union.

Of the family of Strongs, just mentioned, it would be
curious to know how many of them have been parsons—
certainly not a few—and they ranked among New England’s
most honorable clergy. Of one of them, I know not which,

,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 217

Mr. Gurley often related the following anecdote, illustrative
of olden times:

“Parson Strong had a shoemaker in his parish, who,
though he seldom or never attended his church, was assessed
five dollars. As delinquent in payment as in attendance, he
was at length waited on by the parson, who, not willing to
collect by-law until he had asked it, concluded to make a
pastoral visit, and modestly present his claim. The shoe-
maker heard the demand with well-feigned surprise, exclaim-
ing, ‘Why, sir, I never heard you preach in my life!’ ‘That
is not my fault,’ replied his reverence: ‘my church was
open to you, and you could have heard if you chose.’
‘True,’ replied the now hopeful disciple, ‘I did not think of
that. Well, parson, I will call to-morrow and settle all de-
mands.’ ‘QO, very well, sir. Good afternoon, sir,’ replied
the minister, and, bowing politely, left the shop. True to
his promise, the next day the parson was pleased to see the
shoemaker at his hall door. ‘I have come to settle with -
you, parson,’ said he. ‘O, very well; no hurry; sit down.
A glass of wine was offered and accepted; after which the
visitor took from under his arm his account-book, saying,
‘Well, parson, we will now compare accounts.’ The parson
looked a little confused, but replied, ‘I think you have
nothing charged to me.’ ‘O, yes,’ said he, ‘here is a charge
of five dollars, for a pair of boots.’ ‘Boots! boots!’ said
the astonished parson, ‘surely there must be some mistake ;
certainly, I never was in your shop till yesterday in my life.’
‘True enough; but, sure, that was not my fault: my shop
was open to you, as well as your church to me. The ac-
counts, you see, exactly balance; and of course you will be
satisfied.’ So saying, he made a low bow, and, bidding the
astonished parson ‘good evening,’ retired.”

Whether the parson farther urged his claims, tradition

does not say; but it is certain, that the principle on which
19
218 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

the shoemaker settled the account has since been recognized
as just, and the laws so changed that persons cannot be
compelled to support a ministry whose service they do not
choose to attend.
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 219

CHAPTER XIX.

Mr. Gurley removes to Ohio—Journey—First log cabin—Great
comet of 1811—Arrival at fire-lands—First sermon—Class form-
ed—Prairie on fire—First school—Bee-tree—New dwelling—
Scenery—War—Indian murders.

In the fall of 1811 Mr. Gurley emigrated to Ohio, hav-
ing purchased a hundred acres of land of his brother-in-
law, Mr. John Beatty, of New London, who had also deter-
mined on settling in the same state. Mr. Gurley supposed,
as do most foreigners, that to own a Farm is to be inde-
pendent. He had scarcely the remotest idea of the state
of things in the wild, unbroken forests of the west. Of the
hardships, deprivations, and dangers at that’ time especially
incident to a pioneer life, he knew nothing. He associated
with the idea of a farm verdant lawns, blooming orchards,
and fields of waving grain. True, he knew his land was
uncultivated; yet a little labor, and it would bud and blos-
som as the rose.

The spot to which his eye was directed was the “fire-
lands,” so called, now embracing the counties of Huron and
Erie, in northern Ohio. He took with him a considerable
portion of his tools, little thinking that twenty years almost
must roll away before there could be much demand, in that
wilderness, for silver plate and jewelry.

Nor does it appear to have occurred to him, that the war
of words then in progress between this country and Great
Britain would soon terminate in a contest of blood; that he
was about to take a helpless family where a few hours
might bring hundreds of savages to murder or take them
captive: in a word, that he was going to leave a land of
civilization, plenty, and peace, for a desert, exposed to hard-
ships, dangers, and death.

It was four o’clock in the afternoon of a pleasant day in
220 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

September, when Mr. Gurley, his wife, and five children,
entered the wagon, bound for the fire-lands.

Kind neighbors surrounded them, and, shaking hands,
bade them a long farewell. A full moon rode high in the
heavens, and it was ten o’clock at night when the wagon
stopped at a country inn, and the “movers” “put up” for
the first night; nor did Mr. Gurley omit, late as it was, to
have family prayer before retiring to rest. This duty was
faithfully attended to all the way to the west. The journey,
although at a favorable season of the year, was tedious and
difficult.

From Albany westward the roads, in general, were
exceedingly bad; and five axletrees were broken on the
way. Over eight weeks were spent on the journey. Many
miles of the way the sand beach of the lake was the road;
and in several places the teams were under the necessity of
going out into the lake some distance, to get round bold
rocks which projected into the water. In one instance
the whole family narrowly escaped destruction, as a rising
gale swept the waves over the bottom of the wagon, wetting
the goods, and came well-nigh driving team and all on the
rock, where they would inevitably have been dashed to
pieces. The first “regular built” log cabin was a great
curiosity to the “Trish.” Its rude, bark-covered logs, clap-
board door with wooden hinges, the stick-chimney, rough
puncheon floor, and paper windows—in short, a comfortable
habitation, constructed without a single nail—was an artisti-
cal wonder they had long wished to behold. Their curiosity
was now fully gratified, with the additional reflection, that
they would soon be where, for a long time, they would see
no other kind of dwellings. All the-way, as they journeyed,
the great comet of 1811 hung its blazing banner on the
western sky. Its long tail streamed on the illuminated
heavens, and was an interesting and impressive sight. Every
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 231

night its fiery banner swept above the horizon, as if portend-
ing the scenes of blood which soon followed.

It was late. in October when the emigrants reached the
fire-lands: the tall grass of the prairies had faded, and the
autumnal winds had well-nigh stripped the forest of its
gorgeous robe of gold and purple.

From the mouth of the river Huron they proceeded,
guided by a resident, who had met them, along the ridges,
ly a trail, then through the high grass, which rose above
the horses’ heads.

The saucy squirrel chattered as they passed; the wild
deer leaped up before them, and, throwing back his huge
antlers, galloped away to some distant grove; flocks of wild
geese, preparing for their autumnal flight, swept in circles
round their heads; while here and there the crack of an
Indian rifle told that these sons of the forest had not for-
saken their old hunting-grounds. At length Mr. Gurley
reached the destined place, a settlement of a few families,
at a spot since called Bloomingville, seven miles south from
Sandusky City.

A small cabin, on the edge of a prairie, was obtained as
the temporary residence of the family; and, poor as it was,
it was a welcome retreat and shelter to the weary emigrants.

There is a peculiar freshness and novelty in a frontier
life—an exquisite but inexpressible charm—as all who have
been pioneers acknowledge. This, perhaps, is more espe-
cially realized where a new country is diversified in its
aspect, as was the fire-lands. Here were extended plains,
dotted with intervening groves—winding streams, gliding
through forests of heavy timber—lakes glittering in the
sunbeams—bays, coves, and springs. Herds of fleet deer
leaped over the waving grass, or, in spring, grazed on the
tender herbage of the plains. Flocks of wild fowl covered

by thousands the coves and ponds; wild bees sung amid
19*
222 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

the summer flowers, and builded their cells on high. Here
Nature, in her wild luxuriance and unshorn glory, displayed
unwonted charms, and the freshness of a new Eden seemed
to bloom around the charmed and delighted adventurer.
Anticipation, too, lends its enchantments to the scene, and
clothes in the drapery of future improvements, and the
embellishments of industry and art, the abodes of future
generations.

Mr. Gurley had enough of the romantic in his disposition
to enjoy these scenes. He could admire what was beautiful
or grand in nature, and, amid the freshness and novelty of
a new country, he scarcely heeded its hardships and depri-
vations. This was less so with the partner of his toils and
cares. Unaccustomed to labor, and unused to the seclusion
and deprivations of a country life, Mrs. Gurley felt very
deeply the difference between her present and former situa-
tion. With one thing, however, she was charmed: the
cordial union and mutual friendship of the whole com-
munity. All within ten miles were neighbors; visits and
meetings for mutual assistance were kept up, notwith-
standing their distance from each other. This feeling was
the result of circumstances. They were far from the old
settlements, and the endeared scenes and friends of other
' years. Mutual dependence, mutual hardships, and mutual
dangers, bound them together. Nearly-on a level in regard
to their mode of living and apparent circumstances, envy,
contention, and jealousy found but little foothold among
them. A mutual affection and regard for each other’s
welfare sprang up, and brotherly kindness and charity
sweetened with their fragrance the moral atmosphere.

Great was the joy of the “settlers” when they heard that
a preacher had arrived. There was at this time no minister
of the Gospel within at least forty miles; no sermon had
been heard since the first emigrants reached the place.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 223

The next Sabbath after Mr. Gurley arrived, the log school-
house, but recently built, was well filled at the hour for wor-
ship. It was “Indian summer.” A rich, yellow sun threw
his golden rays through the smoky atmosphere peculiar to
that season of the year. The manner in which the audience
were dressed, was striking enough to a stranger direct
from “down east.’”” The men were mostly dressed in tow
shirts, linsey coats or hunting-shirts, and buckskin panta-
loons; and moccasons instead of shoes were extensively
worn. Here and there might be seen a vest of spotted
fawn-skin, made with the fur out, reminding one of Robin-
son Crusoe in his goat-skin costume. Caps, made of the
skins of the racoon and muskrat, were worn instead of
hats. These articles of dress were all of domestic manu-
facture, and mostly clumsy and often uncouth in appearance.
The costume of the ladies was not so remarkable, but was
almost entirely home manufacture, except that of those
who had recently arrived from the east. A few Indians,
attracted by curiosity, were present, and sat with becoming
gravity near the door during the services. They were in
their hunting costume, with rifle, tomahawk, and knife.

The scene was new to Mr. Gurley, and he felt an unusual
inspiration, as he broke the bread of life to these scattered
sheep in the wilderness. At the close of his sermon Mr.
Gurley referred to his own experience, as was quite com-
mon with the preachers of that day. He related the scenes
of persecution through which Divine goodness had brought
him in safety. He mentioned how his soul was sustained
by the comforts of religion, as he was led out to be piked,
and repeated the hymn he sung at the time; and how
narrowly he had escaped, while so many were slaughtered.
“And for what,” said he, the tears starting in his eyes,
“did God spare the poor worm? Was it that I might
preach the Lord Jesus in these ends of the earth?” The
224 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

assembly was deeply affected, and emotion was visible all
through the house.

Having dismissed the congregation, he requested those
to remain who would unite in a class, The precise num-
ber who at first joined is not recollected; but they soon
amounted to fifteen or twenty in all. Some of these resided
five or six miles distant. This was the first religious asso-
ciation, of any kind, organized in the county, or on the
Western Reserve west of Cleveland. Mount Vernon and
Wooster were the nearest points where circuits were formed
or itinerant ministers labored; and it was about seven years
before the society organized in that place was visited by an
itinerant preacher, or connected with a circuit.

The novelty, excitement, and pulpit labors of the day,
had somewhat exhausted Mr. G., who had scarcely become
rested after his tiresome journey, and, at an early hour, the
family retired to rest. Toward midnight he was startled
by a scream of terror from his wife. As he awoke, his ear
caught a distant rumbling sound, like that of an approach-
ing, tempest, while the very earth seemed to tremble.
Through every chink of the cottage, and through the small
windows of oiled paper, a brilliant light gleamed. Starting
from his bed, Mr. Gurley threw open the door, when, to
“his amazement and no small alarm, he saw it was the prairie
on fire. The fire approached from the south—a fresh
autumnal breeze from that direction had given it wings. It
was a sight at once sublime, beautiful, and terrific. A
column of fire, like an army in motion, extending its blazing
lines for two miles, came rolling on its billows of flame.
In three different places vans, or forward columns, were
formed, which stretched out beyond or in advance of the
line. The centre column was in advance of all; it swept
through the dry grass like a whirlwind; broad sheets of
flarne would rise, and, borne onward by the breeze, strike
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 225

some distance before, while burning tufts of grass, carried
upward and onward like blazing rockets, fell and kindled
still further in advance; while all along the extended
wings the flashing fire would crackle, and blaze, and
leap, as if in furious onset. Huge volumes of smoke rose
high in the heavens, and hung like a gloomy cloud of pitch
over the trembling earth. The dry grass reached to the
very walls of Mr. Gurley’s cottage, and its destruction
seemed to him inevitable. A short distance from the
dwelling ran a narrow creek. On its banks, directly in
front of the van of the approaching fire, were visible the
moving forms of three or four men; while, far over their
heads, rolled the broad columns of smoke. The flash of a
rifle, in the hands of one of them, was now distinctly seen,
and the report echoed on the midnight air. In a few mo-
ments, to the astonishment of Mr. Gurley, who by this time
had roused the whole family for flight, there was scen ex-
tending a line of fire along the bank of the stream, on the
side next to the approaching conflagration. Prevented by
the exertions of the men, who narrowly watched it, from
crossing the creek, it soon spread southward to meet the
coming line. This was called “ fighting-fire,” or ‘“back-
firing,” and is resorted 1o, under such circumstances, with
great dexterity, as the only means of securing hay, fences,
etc. Soon this new line gathered strength in its progress,
and now two columns of flame were rushing to meet each
other as if eager for battle. The encountering billows met
in fierce conflict, and, as if maddened by resistance, leaped,
and flashed, and towered, and waved on high their fiery
banners. Slowly as dies away the noise of battle, the roar
of the elements ceased. The wings met, and towered, and
fell, till, at length, afar off, the extreme flanks of the ex-
piring lines alone remained to be seen, gilding with their
fitful flashes the tops of the distant trees. Mr. Gurley and
226 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

his family breathed more freely, as their safety became
apparent; but the terrific impression of this first fire was
often recalled, with great vividness, to his mind, even after
the residence of many years in the country had made them
familiar to his eye.

It was but four miles from the residence of Mr. Gurley
to the line of the Indian grounds. The Indians, therefore,
were numerous. They still frequented their old hunting-
grounds on the fire-lands, alledging that, though the ground
was the white man’s, the game was the Indian’s. “The
deer are Indian catile. We sold the land, not the cattle,”
Mr. Gurley had numerous trinkets, such as rings, gilt watch-
chains, etc., which the Indians were eager to buy. By this
means his table was well supplied with venison. A school-
house had that fall been erected, by the enterprise of the
settlers; and a Mr. Bigsby, a young man of eighteen years,
taught the first school in the county. Young Bigsby was a
“down easter,” and a good teacher. His government was
rigorous and effective; but as every thing in a new country
is new, so the discipline of this first school was altogether
novel, in its character. As usual with log cabins, a large
hole, in the centre of the house, had been made, by taking
up clay for the chimney and for “daubing.” In this
“dark hole” incorrigible offenders were put, and the punch-
eon closed over them. This was rather a terrific place,
especially in summer, when it was known that snakes, of
different kinds, abounded in the vicinity, and might very
naturally make the shelter of the house a hiding-place. A
yellow rattlesnake, about eight feet in length, was killed, one
morning, two rods from the door; no accident, however,
occurred. The urchins had such a’ mortal hatred to the
“black hole,” that he was a bad scholar, indeed, who went
there the second time.

The winter wore pleasantly away. Mr. Gurley was
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM QURLEY. 227

employed in preparing logs for a house of his own, and
nothing specially occurred worth relating.

He had heard much of bee hunting. One morning, in
February, having been told by his neighbor that it was a
good “bee day,” he took his little son, eight years old,
by the hand, and, without very sanguine hopes of success,
set out to find a “bee-tree.” A bright, warm sun was
reflected back, with dazzling lustre, from the fast-melting
snow. With a tomahawk in hand, he proceeded to a ridge
covered with forest trees, which extended into the prairie
for a mile or more. After several hours of unsuccessful
search, he turned to go home, when he discovered a bee,
dead, on the white surface of the snow. This was a favor-
able omen. Soon another, and then a third; and then, at
the roots of a large black oak, were found the unmistakable
evidences of a “swarm.” The tree was marked, and, the
next day, a few neighboring men volunteered to “take up
the tree,” as it was called. As the ax, with steady strokes,
reached the heart of the tree, a few of its alarmed inhab-
itants flew out, as if to ask the cause of the disturbance.
When the tree fell, the hollow part of it, which was some
six feet in length, split, by the concussion, directly in twain,
dividing the richly-stored comb which filled the whole cav-
ity. It was a beautiful sight. Honey, as pure as ever
princes tasted, streamed from the white, broken cells. The
unfortunate insects seemed to bear their calamity with
becoming fortitude and apparent resignation. They ilew
around their dead and wounded companions, and gathered
in clusters on fragments of their ruined habitation, making
no effort at defense, nor manifesting any resentment, as they
usually do when but slightly disturbed. Perhaps the same
wonderful instinct which teaches these insects, at times, to
fly boldly in the face of their assailants, now taught them
that the catastrophe was too great to admit of remedy or
228 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM QURLEY.

hope; and the promptings of self-preservation gave way to
the resignation of despair. A barrel was half filled with
the avails of this tree, This was a very seasonable supply,
affording abundant sweetening for the corn cakes and pud-
dings of the “raising” and “mauling” frolics, which were
close at hand.

Before spring had thrown its green robe ovér the prairies
Mr. Gurley had erected his house, one mile eastwardly from
the present village of Bloomingville. It was sixteen by
twenty feet—a story and a half high. As soon as the
puncheon floor was laid, and the walls “ chinked,” the family
took possession. The scenery around the dwelling was
indeed beautiful. In front and on the right was a natural
orchard of burr oak and hickory. So clean had the ground
been kept, by the annual fires, that scarce a shrub or bush
grew between the trees. On the rear and southwardly there
stretched away, for miles, a level prairie, interspersed, here
and there, with small groves of timber. Not far from the
garden was a pond of fresh water, where wild fowl descend-
ed to rest their weary wing; and their glossy feathers often
glistened in the rising sun. Just before the door, little more
than their own length distant, two majestic oaks rose,’
spreading wide their giant arms, and throwing their large
and grateful shadows on the green sward beneath. If the
quality of the soil had been equal to the beauty of the site,
it would have been a most desirable residence; this, how-
ever, was not the case. It was subsequently exchanged by
Mr. Gurley for a more suitable farm; and to this day, after
the lapse of more than thirty years, it is but little im-
proved.

While here an event occurred, which called up afresh the
recollection of his persecutions and dangers in Ireland—an
event which showed, however, that, if he had carried to the
retirement of the wilderness a keen remembrance of the
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 229

wrongs he suffered, he cherished no unchristian hate to
the peovle whose bigotry thirsted for his blood. At the
close of a summer day, as the evening dew was beginning
to settle on the high grass of the prairie, a man was seen
riding leisurely up to the cabin. He wore a long, black
coat and a white cravat. His face wore a serious aspect,
and he appeared wearied with his journey. As he rode up
to the door Mrs. Gurley went out, her husband being absent
at the time. The traveler inquired if he could find enter-
tainment for the night. ‘We turn no one away,” said Mrs.
G.; “and you are welcome to such accommodations as our
house will afford.” A smile of gratification gleamed on the
face of the traveler, as he alighted; and, after tying the
fore feet of his jaded horse together, so as to prevent him
from wandering too far, he turned him on the prairie to
feed. From the first glance Mrs. Gurley conceived the idea
that her guest was a preacher; and, from his looks, she
hoped he might be a Methodist. He took from his saddle-
bags a cake of chocolate, and, handing it to Mrs. Gurley,
requested her to prepare some of it for his supper.

“You have not been long in this country, I presume?”
said the stranger. :

“No,” replied Mrs. G. ‘We came from Connecticut
last fall.”

“T should not take you to be a native of New England.”

«You are right, sir. We are from Ireland.”

“From Ireland!” repeated the stranger, with apparent
interest. “And, pray, what could have induced you to
leave your native land and friends for these ends of the
earth?”

«We came here,” replied Mrs. G., “to escape persecu-
tion from the Roman Catholics.” She then briefly men-
tioned the events of June, 1798, and the narrow escape of

Mr. Gurley.
20
230 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

The stranger evinced increased emotion, as she proceeded,
which, as she concluded, he walked to the door to conceal.

“And now,” said Mrs. G., “having told you who we
are, allow me to ask if you are not a clergyman?”

“T am, madam.”

“T thought so; but are you not a Methodist?”

The stranger smiled, and shook his head.

« An Episcopalian?”

“No.”

«A Presbyterian?”

“JT will tell you,” said he, “after supper.”

As they sat down to supper Mr. Gurley entered, and was
introduced to the traveler. When the meal was concluded
the stranger turned to Mrs. Gurley, and said, “Now I will
inform you who I am, if you will promise not to turn me out
of doors,” glancing his eye, at the same time, toward Mr.
Gurley. ‘We shall not do that,” said Mr. G., “you may
rest assured, whoever you may be.” The stranger then rose,
and taking from his portmanteau a book, presented it to
Mrs. G., saying, “This, madam, will answer your question.”
Mrs. G. glanced over the book hastily, and, coloring deeply,
handed it to her husband; then, looking seriously at her
guest, she exclaimed, in a subdued tone of voice, “Is it
possible that you are a Roman priest?” A constrained
smile, and a gentle inclination of the head, was the only
reply. ‘‘ Well,” said Mr. Gurley, looking the priest calmly
in the face, “you, sir, are not the first of your order that I
have seen. I have known many; and, up to the time of
the Rebellion, we lived together on the most friendly terms,
and if there has been love lost between us, the fault, I think,
is not mine.” The priest then courteously asked Mr. Gurley
to give him an account of the transactions of the. Rebellion,
so far as he understood them, which he did, entertaining
his guest till late in the evening ‘The priest listened to the
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 231

narration with evident interest, and, at its close, remarked,
that he hoped he would not judge all Catholics by the con-
duct of those engaged in those bloody scenes.

The traveler was a Jesuit missionary, on his way from
Lower Canada to Detroit. A warm breakfast, of chocolate,
corn cake, butter, and honey, prepared him for his journey;
and, as his proffered remuneration was courteously declined,
he took a friendly leave of the family, no doubt impressed
with the conviction that some “heretics,” at least, possess a
Christian spirit.

Unaccustomed to the labor of a farm, Mr. Gurley could
do but little himself, and, therefore, depended mostly on
hired help. Twenty acres of ground were fenced, and one-
half planted with corn. A garden was laid out, an orchard:
of small fruit trees set, and the prospect for a successful
year was very encouraging; but, alas! a storm was gather-
ing, which was to drive the family once more from their
peaceful home, and blast their pleasant prospects.

On the -12th of June, of this year, war with England was
declared. When the news reached the fire-lands the inhab-
itants were greatly alarmed. The intelligence arrived on
Saturday. The next day the men assembled, and, with
great haste, erected a log fort, or “block house,” as it was
termed, on the rising ground, where Bloomingville now
is. Mr. Gurley declined going on the Sabbath to begin
the house, but did what he could the next day.

Some signs of hostility had already been manifested by
the Indians. Some five or six miles from Mr. Gurley’s
there resided together, in a cabin, a Mr: Buel and a Michael
Gibbs. Their house stood near the cove, at the mouth of
Pipe creek, over one mile eastwardly from Sandusky City.
These men were at home, when, one day, three Indians
came into the house, m a friendly manner. One of the
men was sick, and was on the bed. Two of the savages
232 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

had frequently been there before, and no suspicion was
entertained of their design. While one of the men stepped
out of doors, for something, one of the Indians approached
the bed, and gave the sick man a stab in the breast with
his knife. His screams of murder caught the ear of his
companion, who was out of doors, who, seizing an ax, was
about to rush to the rescue of his friend, when he was met
at the door by one of the savages. He made a blow at his
head, which the Indian artfully dodged, and the ax flew
out of his hand. Thus disarmed, he turned and ran. One
of the Indians snatched his rifle and fired. The ball entered
his back, but did not wholly disable him. He continued to
run, but was overtaken by the other Indian, who struck a
spear, or spontoon, into the back part of his skull, just
above the neck. The point of the weapon’ broke off, and
remained in his head, and was of service in detecting the
murderer, as a smith recognized the weapon, as one he had
made, but a short time before, for an Indian whose name
was Semo. The day of their murder the men of the county
were assembled, for a military muster, at the mouth of
Huron. Some one, who happened to call at the cabin, ran,
with all speed, to Huron, and communicated the alarming
news. Dempster Beatty, a brother of Mrs. Gurley, who
resided with the family, was one of a party which went to
ascertain the truth of the messenger’s report. As they
entered the cabin door they found the floor burned in the
centre of the house, which had thus been set on fire; but,
the timbers being green, the fire had not made much prog-
ress. In a hole, under the floor, was found the dead body
of the sick man; and, after some search, the body of his
comrade was found in the grass where he had fallen. The
latter was tomahawked, beside his other wounds. The
Indians were both found and arrested. ‘Semo shot himself
through the heart. The other was hung at Cleveland.
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY, 233

The third Indian was but a youth, and said the older ones
compelled him to stab, with his knife, their victims, so that
he would be afraid to tell of the deed. He was set at
liberty.

Little danger was to be apprehended from the Wyandotts
and Senecas, as, in the war, they adhered to the States; but
from Malden the Canada Indians could cross in their canoes,
and land within two hours’ march of Mr. Gurley’s house—
seize their victims—hurry away with them—and be off in
their canoes before they could be pursued.

This was the case with the family of Mr. Snow and of Mr.
Putnam. These families lived four miles from Mr. Gurley,
at the head of Cold creek, where the only mill in the
country was erected. Snow and Putnam were out in the
fields at work; Mrs. Putnam was visiting at Mr. Snow’s.
The Indians came from Canada, landed on the peninsula,
crossed. over, and thus reached their victims.

They approached the house so cautiously that they were
not seen till they reached the door-yard. The number of
the Indians is not precisely known—not far from ten or
twelve. They took the children and mothers, in all thir-
teen—including a Mrs. Butler, who was also taken. Mrs.
Snow was a fine, intelligent woman; dignified in her ap-
pearance, and obliging in her disposition; not far from forty
years of age. Of the five children, the eldest was a young
lady, the youngest about two years old.

Mrs. Snow was in delicate health, and unable to travel
with the speed required by the Indians. They led her a
few rods from the dwelling, and then struck her down with
a tomahawk, which they buried in her skull. A little boy
who lagged behind was also killed, and one other child.
The remainder were taken to Detroit, where they were sold
to the commanding officer, who treated them kindly, and

set them at liberty.
20*
234 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

CHAPTER XX.

Surrender of General Hull—Alarm of settlers—Scene at dinner-
table—Inhabitants meet at Fort—Burying goods—Journey—Night
in woods—Death of a child—Family reach Zanesville—Bishop As-
bury—Mr. Gurley ordained—Rev. David Young—Mr. Gurley’s
views of American preachers—Letter from Ireland—Arrival of his
son James—Meeting of mother and son.

Tue army under General Hull, at Detroit, gave con-
fidence to the frontier settlements. The heavy cannonading
which preceded his surrender, notwithstanding the great
distance, was distinctly heard at the residence of Mr.
Gurley, and created quite an excitement in the neighbor-
hood. Borne by an evening breeze over the tranquil waters
of the lake, the reports of the guns followed each other in
quick succession, resembling in sound the low rolling of
very distant thunder. Entertaining no doubt, however, that
the Northwestern army would at all events hold its position,
no great fear was entertained by the settlers on the fire-
lands, nor had the idea of flying from their homes been for
a moment entertained.

The disgraceful surrender of General Hull occurred on
the 16th of August. Three days after, while Mr. Gurley
and family were seated around the dinner-table, enjoying
the luxuries of a good garden, the first-fruits of their own
soil, a messenger arrived at the door, and announced the
startling intelligence:

“Hull has surrendered to the British. Detroit is taken;
and the British commander has sent word to the frontiers
that they must take care of themselves, for that he could
not control the Indians; and that all the settlers must repair
to the block house that night, and start the next day for the
‘old settlements.’ ”

This news fell on their ears like a thunderbolt from heaven;
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY. , 285

for a moment the whole circle was dumb with consternation.
Mr. and Mrs. Gurley looked at each other in speechless
agony. The dread silence was broken by the children ex-
claiming, ‘Father, will the Indians kill us? will the Indians
kill us?” The tragic end of their murdered neighbors was
fresh in their recollection. Mr. Gurley calmed his frightened
children by replying, “God knows: but I trust he will not
let us be hurt.” A gush of tears now came to relieve the
almost bursting heart of Mrs. Gurley. Her mind took in,
at one comprehensive glance, the wreck of hopes, the ruin of
property, and struggles with misfortune, which must ensue.
But recollecting it was no time to indulge in unavailing grief,
but to rouse all her energies to meet the difficulties which
awaited them, she promptly commenced preparing for a
hasty flight.

That. night the children were conducted to the block
house, but Mr. Gurley and his wife concluded to risk the
danger, and remained at home, preparing food and packing
things needful for their journey. Most of the inhabitants
in the township assembled that night in the fort. Beds
were laid over the entire floor, on which the women laid
down to rest; sleep was scarcely expected. A portion of
the men were posted around the house at different points,
as sentinels, while others were occupied in casting bullets
from the pewter dishes and spoons furnished by the com-
pany, lead being exceedingly scarce.

No signs of an enemy appearing, the next morning
the families returned to their dwellings, and prepared for
flight. Those dangers which are undefined and uncertain
as to magnitude, are always most terrible to the imagina-
tion. Such was the nature of the present peril. They
knew that they were exposed to the will and mercy of a
relentless, savage foe, who in a few hours might reach their
abodes; nor were they without apprehensions that, after
236 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY,

commencing their flight, they might be pursued or inter-
cepted in the wildérness, and thus be cut off.

A number of families directed their course to Cleveland;
others to Mansfield and Mount Vernon.

After burying a considerable portion of their furniture,
clothing, and all their books, Mr. Gurley and family took
leave of the place where a short time before they had set-
tled with such pleasing prospects. The sun was just setting
behind a watery cloud when the flying company reached
the last house of the settlements: this was the “Comstock”
farm, about two miles from Milan, in the direction of Mans-
field. Here the several families halted, and were just turn-
ing loose their teams to pasture, intending to stay there that
night, when suddenly an express arrived, with the alarming
intelligence that the British and Indians were landing at the
mouth of Huron river, which was but eight miles distant.

Once more the company renewed their journey. Forty
miles of wilderness, uncheered by any human dwelling, lay
between them and Mansfield. The road was merely a
track blazed through the thick forest; the swamps and
streams unbridged.

After proceeding two miles into the woods, the party
stopped on the banks of a small creek to “bait,” and cook
supper. Fires were kindled against the trunks of large
trees which had fallen, and the true or real journey-cakes,
baked on large chips before the fire, were soon smoking on
the end-board of the wagon, or the lid of a chest. These,
with dried venison, cheese, and milk from the cows which
were driven along, formed a healthful and welcome repast
to the weary and hungry fugitives.

The rough and miry condition of the roads being but illy
adapted for the use of horses, Mr. Gurley had employed a
man, with a yoke of oxen, to take the family through to
Mount Vernon. Before the oxen, one of Mr. Gurley’s
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 237

horses was harnessed, to aid in drawing the wagon, while
another was ridden by one of the family. During supper,
@ man was seen by some of the company to mount the
latter animal, and to ride off at full trot. This was the
last Mr. Gurley saw of his horse, which cost eighty dollars.

Once more the company commenced their march. The
gloomy forest echoed with the crashing of wheels over the
brush and limbs of trees which lay in the way. Nothing
else was heard; for their progress had interrupted

“The bark of the fox, from the woodland hill,
And the whistling night-bird’s numbers shrill.”

Having penetrated six miles into the forest, the road
became exceedingly bad. The horse frequently plunged and
floundered, and the steady oxen could move but slowly
through the swampy soil. At length the driver became dis-
heartened ; most of the teams had passed on before him; and,
fearing he might be overtaken by the Indians, whom it was
thought most likely were in pursuit, he drove his wagon a
little out of the track, tied the horse to a tree, and, with his
oxen, unceremoniously departed.

Thus were Mr. Gurley, his wife, and five children, two of
whom were sick with chills and fever, left alone, without
any apparent means of either subsistence or escape. To
stay there would be starvation; to go back was, most
likely, to be tomahawked ; to go forward seemed impossible.
In about an hour a man with a loaded cart came up, and
Mr. G. persuaded him to permit his wife and child to ride
in his conveyance, and to let his little boy, a lad of eight
years, accompany them, and ride occasionally, when the
roads would permit; while he would remain with the other
children until morning, when he hoped to find some way of
taking them on; and, as a last resort, they had the re-
maining horse. The man employed to convey Mrs. Gurley
permitted her to ride about two miles; he then stopped,
238 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

and informed her that he could take her no further; that
he feared he could not get through with her safely; and
that, although he was sorry for her, she had better return
to her husband, while she could.

Mrs. Gurley did not remonstrate; her heart was too full.
She had already began to reproach herself for leaving the
rest of the family, especially the girls, sick and motherless;
and she therefore instantly resolved to grope her way back,
through the swampy wilderness, to live or die with them.

Mrs. Gurley was a delicate woman, unused until recently
to hardship or toil; but clasping her babe closer to her
breast, with her little boy at her side, holding to her cloak,
she commenced her lonely walk back to the wagon.

It was now about midnight ; the rain gently descended and
pattered on the leaves of the spreading beech. The moon
broke not through the sullen clouds. Yet it was not very
difficult to keep the track made by the wheels through the
thick underbrush of the dense forest.

: «The passing fire-fly’s vivid beam

Decked darkness with a transient gleam.”

The owl’s wild scream fell on their ear, and notwith-
standing their knowledge of its origin, earried a panic to
their fearful hearts. As she threaded the narrow and often
crooked defile through the overshadowing trees, the scenes
of other years rolled over the mind of Mrs. Gurley. She
thought of the home of her happy childhood ; the friends
separated from her by many a mile of forest and many a
league of ocean; and as she compared the bright hopes of
life’s joyous morning, with her present condition and dan-
gers, she felt that her cup was full; and her emotions were
such as may not be described.

Equally indescribable were the feelings of Mr. Gurley, as,
wearied and dripping with rain, his companion threw her
child into his arms, and sunk down exhausted at his feet,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 239

After a few moments, Mrs. Gurley so far recovered as to
enter the wagon, where, after laying aside her wet cloak, she
threw her slender form on a bed, and gave vent to her feel-
ings in a flood of tears. That, indeed, was an affecting mo-
ment, in a dark and houseless forest: blood-thirsty savages
every moment expected, while near forty miles of an un-
broken wilderness lay between them and any place of safety.
Now was a time to exercise faith; to trust in God.

Mr, Gurley paused until the first gush of emotion had
subsided: he then addressed his weeping companion in a
soothing tone of voice, and words of encouragement:

“My love,” said he, “we have tried every way in our
power to save ourselves; but in vain. The prospect is bad
enough, indeed; but let us not despair. God has promised
he will never leave nor forsake us. Let us, then, look to
him who has hitherto been our help in time of trouble.” He
then knelt down in the wagon and lifted up his voice, to
heaven in prayer.

As he proceeded in supplication, his earnestness increased.
His soul swelled with unutterable emotion. Kindled with
reviving courage his voice rose to its fullest swell, and its
tones of pathos and harmony echoed through the silent
shades around. “Son of the living God,” he exclaimed,
“thou hast hitherto been our refuge; and surely thou wilt
provide in this, our affliction, a way for our escape.”

After prayer, Mrs. Gurley was calm: she seemed to feel
the efficacy of prayer. The tempest of emotion that had
disturbed her soul was hushed, and she sunk into a quiet
slumber. Mr. Gurley took his stand, as a sentinel, beneath
the spreading foliage of a large tree a few yards from the
wagon, and waited with solicitude the coming day. As the
day dawned he struck a fire, and made preparation for a
morning meal, which his wife and eldest daughter provided.
Just as they were sitting down, a neighbor, who had been
240 MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY.

detained by an accident, came up. It was Dr. Hastings, a
respectable physician and intimate acquaintance. Having
broken his wagon in crossing the river, he had been obliged
to leave it, and, with a large family, mounted on both horses
and oxen, they were making their way to a place of security.
The tears of both families freely flowed, as they met and
embraced in the hour of their misfortunes. The Doctor
proposed, that if Mr. Gurley would throw out the house-
hold goods which he had brought, so that both families
could occupy the wagon, he would attach his team, and so
get through the wilderness. To this Mr. Gurley cheerfully
consented ; and, prompted by his natural vivacity, he endeav-
ored to throw a ray of pleasantry on the gloom which pre-
vailed. ‘Yes, Doctor,” said he, ‘Satan spoke the truth for
once, when he said, ‘ All that a man hath will he give for
his life.’” The goods were accordingly thrown out, at the
side of the wagon. Feather beds, bedding, carpet, table-
furniture, dishes, etc., were thrown in one promiscuous pile.
The children covered them slightly with spice-bush branches.
They were picked up, afterward, by returning travelers, and
were never recovered.

That day they traveled-about twenty miles, and overtook
a company, consisting of several families, who had preceded
them, and all encamped on the same ground. The weather
being warm, and the night pleasant, the beds were spread
mostly on the ground. In the morning a melancholy acci-
dent occurred. While breakfast was being provided, the
beds remained on the ground, in some of which the children
were still sleeping. A small tree, about eight or ten inches
in diameter, was needed for some purpose, and men were
cutting it down. Perceiving, contrary to their expectations,
that it would fall toward the camp, they placed their axes
against it to hold it, if possible, crying out to clear the way.
Supposing all safe, they let it fall. Its top struck a bed in
4M

MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY, 241

which was the child of a Mr. David Smith. As the tree
crashed on the earth, the mother uttered a fearful scream ;
but it was too late. A crooked limb had fallen on the
sleeping innocent ; and, doubtless unconscious of the slight-
est pain, its spirit passed away to the bosom of Him who
said, “Of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

In a hollow formed by an uprooted tree, wrapped in the
white folds of a sheet, they laid the little corpse to rest.
Its parents shed their farewell tears on the rude grave, and
left it to the care of angels till the resurrection morn.

That evening the company reached Mansfield, which then
consisted of a few cabins only. From thence Mr. Gurley
and family proceeded to Mount Vernon, where they re-
mained a few weeks. But thinking it too small a place to
resume business, Mr. Gurley proceeded to Zanesville, where
their journey terminated. The family arrived in that place
in a very destitute condition, The goods which were thrown
away in the woods would now have been of great service;
but, trusting in Providence, Mr. Gurley sent immediately to
Pittsburg for a few tools, and commenced work. He found
considerable employment in making silver eagles for the
hats and caps of the soldiers and officers who were recruited
at Zanesville. At length he became somewhat established
in business, and was enabled to meet, by industry and
economy, the ordinary expenses of the family—and but
little more.

The region of the Muskingum valley afforded him an op-
portunity for extending his labors round to some distance
from the town; while, in the absence of the circuit preachers,
he frequently occupied the pulpit in the village, for such
only was Zanesville at that time.

About three years after his arrival in Zanesville, he had
the high satisfaction of meeting Bishop’ Asbury, and his col-

league, Bishop M’Kendree, at a camp meeting near the town.
21
242 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

Here Mr. Gurley was ordained a deacon, by Bishop M’Ken-
dree. At what conference he was elected to deacon’s
orders, has not been ascertained ; most probably, at the pre-
vious session of the Ohio éonference.

Bishop Asbury was now very feeble; but he seems to
have thought, that he must preach as long as he could
breathe. Indeed, the anxiety to hear him was so great,
that the venerable and benevolent superintendent would
probably have gratified his “children,” as he regarded them,
if he could have known it would be his last effort.

He sat on a table which was placed on the preachers’
stand, with a feather bed on it for a cushion. Seated upon
this, he delivered 'a discourse, the subject of which has es-
caped recollection.*

His face, which beamed with benignity, gave manifest indi-
cation of care and exhaustion: His silver locks hung lightly
on his shoulders, giving to him a most venerable aspect.
The tremulous tones of his once rich and mellow voice,
thrilled on the nerves of the silent auditors; and, as he sat
on the table and stretched forth his shriveled hand, pointing
significantly with his finger to the glowing heavens above,
he seemed more like some ancient prophet of Israel, fresh
from the audience-chamber of God, than a toil-worn servant
of the Church in modern times.

He presented the embodiment of all that is venerable in
age, dignified in wisdom and authority, or ennobling in moral
worth. His paternal counsels fell upon the audience as the
dew on the tender grass: they listened as to the voice of
an oracle, evincing their.interest in his instructions by their
silence and their tears. The venerable Bishop died the fol-
lowing March.

The Rev. David Young presided at the meeting. He

* The writer of this biography was present and heard the dis-
course.
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEYR x48

was then in his strength and prime—a rare model of minis-
terial dignity, graceful bearing, and impressive oratory.
His sermon on the Sabbath was on the general judgment,
and his concluding remarks were awfully impressive, and in
part were nearly, if not exactly, in the following words:
« And now, my hearers, I call heaven to witness that I have
this day declared unto you the whole counsel of God.
And now, if I knew that this was the last hour of my life;
if I now heard the piercing notes of the archangel’s trump;
if I now saw the tall mountains flowing down like melted .
lava, and beheld the mighty ocean giving up its dead; if I
could now see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven, with all his holy angels; if now ‘the stars should
fall, the sun become as sackcloth, and the moon as blood—
even then I could not warn you with more sincerity, earnest-
ness, and affection, than I do at this moment.”

These words were uttered with a voice of amazing com-
pass. His clear, distinct intonations rang out like a bell on
the air, and echoed and re-echoed through the surrounding
ferest. The face of the orator glowed with intense emotion,
while adown it streams of perspiration and tears mingled
together. Ere he closed, a burst of sympathy overwhelmed
the audience with tears; and he took his seat amid the sobs,
groans, and shouts of an excited and subdued auditory.

No one appreciated more highly than did Mr. Gurley, the
able and gifted ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and especially those of the Ohio conference, with whom, at
this time, he began to be acquainted. He had heard Clarke,
Benson, Coke, and Wesley, addressing the crowded audito-
ries of Birmingham, Liverpool, and Dublin. To these stars
of the first magnitude he was constantly comparing the. pio-
neer itinerants of this then western state. “That man,” he
would say, “has Benson’s voice :” “that brother’s gestures
are much like Dw Clarke’s.”” And it was, I think, after
244 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

hearing the able sermon referred to, that he made the re-
mark, “I never heard a better sermon than that, either in
Ireland or England.” He thought father Collins, late of
the Ohio conference, whom he once heard, greatly resembled
Mr. Wesley, in voice and appearance, though he was taller
than the latter. _ Bigelow he compared to Joseph Benson.
Adam Clarke was comparatively young when Mr. Gurley.
became acquainted with him, in Dublin. He heard him,
however, occasionally, afterward, in England, and always
spoke of him with the most profound admiration of his abili-
ties, not unfrequently taking care to remark, that “he was
an Irishman.”

I will return from this apparent digression with the re-
mark, that, with all his early predilections for the able and
holy men whom the sagacity and influence of Mr. Wesley
called around him, it was the decided opinion of Mr. Gurley
that the itinerant ministers of this country were, in no re-
spect, inferior, and in some several respects superior to those
who were under Wesley’s immediate supervision. He con-
sidered the hardships, sacrifices, deprivations, and toil, en-
dured by our itinerants of the west, as finding no parallel
in Europe; and that, as revivalists, the ministers of this
country, as a body, greatly excel those of England or Ire-
land.

Soon after Mr. Gurley’s arrival.in America, his wife’s
father, Mr. Beatty, of Ballycannow, died ; and little James,
who had been left by his mother, as we have related, was
consigned to the caré of his uncle, James Beatty, Esq.
While residing in Zanesville, Mr. Gurley received a letter
from Ireland, stating that in a few weeks James would em-.
bark for the United States. For nearly a year from the
date of that letter nothing was heard from him, or of him;
and it was greatly feared by his parents that the ship which
was to bring him had fallen into the hands of the Algerines,
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 245

who about that time captured many vessels, making slaves
of the passengers and crew.

Little James had been brought up by tig uncle with
great care and tenderness. At the age of thirteen he was
sent to Wexford academy, to qualify him for a midship-
man’s post in the royal navy, which had been secured for
him already by the government. But, in consequence of
the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte, the ensuing general
peace of Europe, and, subsequently, the termination of
hostilities between Great Britain and the United States, all
commissions, except for those in actual service, were held
over. Thus was his destiny changed; and the aspiring
young Irishman, who had dreamed of acquiring a fortune
and a name amid the thunders of naval warfare, was re-
served, by Divine Providence, for a very different and more
useful department of human exertion.

About this time a political pamphlet fell into his hands,
which contained a likeness of Franklin, beneath which was
the celebrated motto: “ Where Liberty dwells, there is my
country.” This seemed to make a very strong, as well as
sudden, impression on his mind. “That sentiment,’ he has
since said, “was the germ of republicanism in my heart.
It became more intense as I witnessed the tyranny of the
aristocracy toward their less wealthy neighbors and depend-
ents. These, with a growing desire to see my parents,
induced me to resolve to make the United States my home.”
His uncle did not oppose his desire ; accordingly, on the
25th of April, he embarked at Dublin for New York. It
was not without some emotions of regret that he bade adieu
to the loved scenery of old Ireland, and the friends of his
childhood. He possessed a glowing imagination, which
associated with the romantic scenery of the Emerald Isle
all that is sublime and beautiful in nature. The same

imagination, however, found ample employment in forming
o1*
246 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

conceptions of the charms and terrors of a voyage to the new
world; and the thoughts of finding, in the far-off wilds of
the west, his parents, whom he had never known—brothers
and sisters, whom he had never seen—occupied many a pass-
ing hour, and stirred the deep fount of feeling in his soul.

‘He narrowly escaped destruction in a tremendous storm,
which occurred during the voyage, and arrived at the city
of New York after a passage of sixty-nine days. From
thence he proceeded to New London, in Connecticut. Hefe
he remained with his uncle, Mr. John Beatty, who, in the
fall, designed removing with his family to the fire-lands,
where he owned large quantities of land. He accompanied
Mr. Beatty as far as Cleveland, which then contained scarce
a dozen houses. Here he put his clothing in a knapsack,
and, there being no mode of public conveyance, he started
on foot, up the Cuyahoga to the portage, and thence down
the head waters of the Muskingum. This was rather a
serious journey for the young emigrant, the whole distance,
which was over one hundred miles, being through an entire
wilderness, with only here and there, at long intervals, a
cabin. Nothing daunted, however, he proceeded, animated
with the prospect of soon reaching his journey’s end. He
was obliged, part of the time, to sleep out alone in the
woods; and, wearied with the rough, untraveled way, he
reached the Tuscarawas with feet so blistered that he was
unable to walk. Here he rested for a day, and employed
a carpenter who resided there, and who had a few boards,
to construct him a small float, or skiff, which he himself
contrived. In this he embarked for Zanesville, where in a
day or two he arrived. On his way down he amused him-
self at the expense of the few settlers he found on the way,
telling them, when they inquired, that he came “from
Ireland ;” and some asked him if he came “all the way in
that thing”
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 247

Mr. Gurley and family were still brooding over the melan-

choly idea that their son might be a slave in Algiers, when,
one bright afternoon in October, 1815, a rap was heard at
vheir door; it was opened by Mrs. Gurley. A stout youth
of fifteen, with ruddy cheeks and dark, curly locks, entered,
accompanied by a colored man, who came to show him the
house. He inquired, with evident agitation, if Mr. Gurley
was at home. He was told he had gone out in the town.
The youth recognized in Mrs. Gurley his mother, by her
striking resemblance to his aunt; but he was so much
agitated, that he could find no words, and stood trembling
and mute with excitement. Mrs. Gurley beheld him with
surprise. At this moment the person who came with him
stepped forward, and said, “Mrs. Gurley, don’t you know
this young man?” She replied in the negative. “Why,”
said he, “this is your son, from Ireland.” Mrs. Gurley
fixed a steady gaze for an instant on the face of the youth,
then exclaimed, “James, my son, is this you?” The trem-
bling boy had scarce answered “yes,” when, overpowered
with emotion, she clasped him to her maternal bosom, and
fell powerless to the floor. Mr. Gurley soon came in, and
welcomed, with gratitude to God, the child he had not seen
since it was six months old. “God be praised,” said the
rejoicing father, as some friends entered the room, “this our
son was dead, but is alive again—was lost, but is found.”
Black “Andrew,” who conducted James to the dwelling,
must have been something of a physiognomist. He was
“somewhat familiar with the family, and had heard of the
lost son. Meeting the youth on the bridge, he at once
perceived a strong resemblance to Mr. Gurley, and boldly
accosted him thus: “Young man, do you want to find your
father?” “I have traveled a long way for that purpose,”
was the reply. ‘Then come along with me,” said Andy;
and so conducted him to the place. ~
248 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

There was a great difference in appearance between the
Irish boy and the other children. They were slender and
pale, having passed through the ordeal of a bilious climate.
But the pure air of Ireland, its fresh sea-breezes and crys-
tal springs, had given robustness to his frame and a glow
to his cheek, which was in striking contrast-to the rest of
the family. He was just fifteen years of age the day he
arrived.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 249

CHAPTER XXI.

Mr. Gurley returns to Huron county—Improvement of country—
Circuit preaching—James Gurley becomes a preacher—Mr. Gurley
settles in Milan—His extensive labors—His second son converted—
Joins Ohio conference—Traveling and local preachers—Pattee and
M'Intire—Mr. Gurley ordained elder—His age and death—His
character.

Mr. Gurizy resided in Zanesville a little over six years;
he then returned to his farm in the northern part of the state,
which he reached in February, 1819.

The lapse of six years had but little improved the fire-
lands. Although, after the close of the war, many new
settlers arrived, yet but little improvement was visible.
Sandusky City, Norwalk, and Milan, had, however, just
been laid out, and a few buildings were erected in each.

Among the new settlers who had arrived since the war,
were a number from Connecticut, who were members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. As a society was formed in
Perkins, and in some other places in the county, and Rev.
Alfred Brunson was on the circuit, Mr. Gurley resided,
during the spring and summer, at Perkins. Soon after the
arrival of the family there, a good work of grace com-
menced in the neighborhood. Among those whe united
with the Church was James Gurley, then in his eighteenth
year. In about six months he was licensed to exhort;
and at the first local preachers’ district meeting held in
Newark, in 1820, he was licensed to preach. He'was sub-
sequently admitted into the Ohio annual conference, within
whose bounds he has traveled nearly twenty years; but: at
the last ‘session of that body he was transferred to the
Missouri conference, and appointed to the. charge of the
Wyandott Indian mission.

His conversion and call to the ministry were in the
250 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

highest degree gratifying to his parents, who were am-
bitious of no higher honor for their son than that he should
become a faithful and useful Methodist preacher.

In the autumn of 1818 Mr. Gurley exchanged his farm
near Bloomingville for one two miles west of Milan. This,
with the aid of his sons, he improved, and continued on it
till his death. He was now about sixty, a time of life
when most ministers seek repose from their accustomed
labor and toil; but he was, apparently, in his strength and
prime.

A wide and comparatively-destitute field of labor now
opened before him, and into it he entered with a zeal and
endurance almost incredible. Certain it is that it was his
common practice to walk, almost every week, winter and
summer, from five to eighteen miles and back, to give Sab-
bath preaching to destitute places. He usually went, if it
was far, on Saturday, and returned on Monday. This,
together with the frequent calls to funerals, necessarily
made a heavy draft on his time, which most men in his cir-
cumstances would have thought they could not well afford;
but never was worldly interest known to weigh a feather
with him when called to preach Christ.

The following places, with some others, shared in his
frequent.labors: Milan, Huron, Perkins, Berlin, Florence,
Vermilion, Strong’s Ridge, Bloomingville, and Sandusky
City. Few of these places had Sabbath preaching. For
nearly twenty years did Mr. Gurley continue thus his
gratuitous labors: not a forest in the county but he had
threaded; not a prairie but he had crossed; and frequently,
in cold weather, he must off with shoes and stockings, and
wade the “swails” which then abounded, and were filled
with water. Subsequently, he would ride to his appoint-
ments. For the last ten years of his life he preached but
seldom; he was about eighty-five when he preached his
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY. 251

-ast sermon. No man, it is believed, has preached in that
county so many funeral discourses as he. He often re-
marked, “What multitudes have I buried, and nearly all of
them younger than myself!” He usually attended all
the quarterly meetings on the circuit; and it is questionable
whether any local preacher in modern times has been ‘in
labors more abundant.

Soon after Mr. Gurley’s return to the north, his third
daughter (Eliza) died, at the age of ‘sixteen; his two elder
daughters were married: they both became members of
the Church. They subsequently removed to the state of
Indiana, where their husbands were successfully engaged
in the cultivation of the soil. ;

In the "year 1824 the second son of Mr. Gurley, then
twenty years of age, embraced the truth, and united with
the Church. In 1828 he was admitted on trial, as a
traveling preacher, in the Ohio conference.*

Thus had Mr, Gurley the satisfaction of seeing two of
his sons in the itinerant field. He has been heard fre-
quently to say, that he could ‘now see why the providence
of God had led him to the wilds of Ohio.

He lived to see the work of God greatly revive and
extend throughout the rapidly-settling country. It would
be too great a digression to notice in this work the different
ministers, traveling and local, who fought, side by side in
that region, the battles of the Lord. I will, however, take
a passing glance at a few of them.

As leaders of, the host, we may name James M’Mahon,
William Swayze, Jacob Young, and Russell Bigelow, all of
whom were zealous presiding elders. Amongst those who
traveled on that circuit in early times, are found the names
of Alfred Brunson, Dennis Godard, Shadrach Ruarch, and
Adam Poe.

* The writer of this work.
252 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

There were a number of local preachers who, with com
mendable zeal, took part in the work of spiritual husbandry.
Two of these-were more.distinguished than others—True
Pattee and James M’Intire. These were both acceptable
and useful preachers, but widely different men.

Pattee was a well-built and fine-proportioned man, with
a manner easy and graceful; M’Intire was tall, raw-boned,
and loose-jointed, naturally reminding one of Pharaoh’s
“Jean kine.” Pattee dressed well, with broadcloth coat and
neat cravat; M’Intire wore a blue hunting-shirt, tow pants,
and shirt of the same material, the bosom of which was
fastened with an Indian broach; while the brown collar lay
open on his shoulder, exposing his long, sinewy neck.

The former was a dignified-looking man in the pulpit; the
latter could be dignified in no attitude, graceful in no move-
ment. Pattee studied to please and persuade; M’Intire to
enlighten and convince. The former addressed the softer
passions ; the latter appealed to the judgment. The one con-
ciliated and pleased, by his suavity of manner and natural
elocution; the other astonished by his depth of thought,

. and the originality and simplicity of his illustrations. ‘

Pattee would throw before the audience some pleasing
truth, strew around it some flowers of rhetoric, and leave
his hearers delighted with both it and himself; M’Intire,
with the first glance of his small, piercing eye, would seem
to penetrate every intellect and every heart. He would
then lead his audience along, disentangling some complicated
subject—pursuing some distant, but important conclusion—
exposing to contempt and laughter some specious sophistry ;
or, with some withering irony or scorching sarcasm, com-
pletely storm the bulwarks of the enemy. The former
could entertain an assembly for an hour; the latter en-
shain one for three. They were both good and useful
men, adapted to the times in which they flourished;
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 253

both had seals to their ministry, and their record is on
high.

In 1831 the Ohio conference held its session in Mans-
field. Mr. Gurley attended, and was elected to elder’s
orders, and ordained by Bishop Hedding: he was then in
his seventy-fifth year. He was not solicitous of this honor,
believing that it would seldom be necessary for him to
exercise its functions; he yielded, however, to the solicita-
tions of others, and consented to be ordained, Advanced
as he was in years, he had several times the opportunity,
in the absence of a traveling elder, at large meetings, to
administer the sacrament. As he advanced in years, his
presence at the quarterly meetings, which he punctually
attended, produced a marked impression. His frame, bowed
with the weight of ninety years, his animated face, his
lively step and cheerful air, his flowing silver locks, drew
the attention of all; while the original remarks ‘he often
made, and the deeply-interesting details of his long experi-
ence, related in the most graphic, yet humble and affecting
manner, often produced a very deep sensation in the con-
gregation, and sometimes an extraordinary overflow of
Christian sympathy. As a token of their respect and
affection, the quarterly conference of the Norwalk circuit,
on motion of the Rev. Edward Thomson, then’ Principal
of the Norwalk Seminary, passed a resolution, requesting
“father Gurley” to sit for his portrait, which should be
preserved by the stewards as the property of the quarterly
ccnference or circuit. Some twenty dollars were contributed
for the purpose, an artist was employed, and an excellent
portrait on canvas produced, which is preserved in the
“Baldwin Institute,’ a seminary under the patronage of
the North Ohio annual conference.

The temporal circumstances of Mr. Gurley, for the last

twenty years of his life, though not affluent, were easy.
22
254 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

For support he depended chiefly on his farm; though,
occasionally, he would make a set of silver spoons, mend
an article of jewelry, engrave a finger ring, or repair a
mathematical instrument.

His humble residence was a resort for many visitors.
Ministers of the Gospel: always found there a welcome
home. Members of the Church, living a hundred miles
distant, who had heard of him, being in that direction on
business, would turn aside to see a preacher who was
licensed by Wesley—who had been imprisoned by Roman
Catholics, and led out to be put to death.

His health was, in general, excellent, though that of
Mrs. Gurley was very defective. They had, in all, eleven
children. Six only of these were living at the time of his
death, his eldest daughter, Mrs. Broaded, having died
a short time previous. His second daughter, Mrs. Cox,
resided in Indiana; while his youngest daughter, who had
recently married a physician, lived in the vicinity. His, two
older sons, as we have seen, were in the itinerancy. The
two younger were members of the Church, the youngest
residing at Marion, and the other occupying the homestead,
where he resided. Occasional visits from these enlivened
the hours at the paternal mansion. With cheerful stories of
by-gone years—with the sacred songs which he had sung to
them in their childhood—with affectionate inquiries about
their respective charges and families, would he interest and
entertain his assembled children and grandchildren, and
close the evening’s interview with prayer for their welfare.
In the absence of all other company, he found, in books
and periodicals, abundant entertainment and a rich repast.

But the longest journey has its end; and the time at
length arrived, though by imperceptible gradations, when
the menfal and physical power of his vigorous constitution
began to give way.
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 255

Up to the age of eighty-six he could read, with but little
difficuity; but from that time his sight rapidly failed. It
was an affecting sight, to one who knew his strong love of
reading; to see him take the Christian Advocate, and, stand-
ing out of doors, hold it up to the direct rays of the sun.
This could not last long. Gradually the windows of the
soul were darkened, until, at last, he said, “I shall never
read more.” Exceedingly defective in hearing, no one could
read to him. Thus the intellectual man was left without
food, and, therefore, soon began to show signs of decay.
Yet he murmured not. He would say, “Well, why should
I complain? I have had my day, and a long one, too.”
Still his memory, in regard to early years, was good. He
conversed with vivacity, and would still, occasionally, speak
and pray in public. The last sermon which the writer of
this volume heard him déliver, was in Sandusky City, several
years before he died. His text was from Solomon’s Song,
v, 9: “What is thy beloved more than another’s beloved,
that thou dost so charge us?” He drew a picture of a
person, with the most lovely traits of character, and then
showed that Jesus possessed all these, in a superior degree.
“Ladies,” said he, “the rose on your cheeks will fade, your
glossy ringlets will become gray, and your polished brows
will be furrowed o’er with age, and your fair forms become
food for worms; but the charms of my Beloved shall never
wither. His beauty shall never die. Come, then, to the
arms of my Beloved. ‘He is the chief amongst ten thou-
sand, and the one altogether lovely.’ ”

The last time the writer heard him speak in love-feast
was at Perkins, in July, 1842. His remarks were noted
down at the time. He spoke, very briefly, as follows:

" «Thirty-one thousand, one hundred and sixty-six days
have passed over my head, since I have been a traveler in
this vale of tears; and O, what scenes and dangers have I
256 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

passed through !—dangers by sea and by land, by persecu-
tions and by war! But, out of all, the hand of God hath
safely brought me. Many things, this morning, unite to
make this a deeply-interesting season to me. I am now on
the verge of an awful eternity. I believe I shall never see
you again, here, in a love-feast; but I know there is a rest
for the people of God; and, although I am now but an old
and feeble servant of Christ, yet I believe that Jesus, my
' Savior, who has so long given me his grace to help me, will
still sustain the tottering clay, and never leave nor forsake
me, till I am received at last into the asylum of the blessed
above. This is the last time, I presume, I shall ever
meet with my son in a love-feast. You know he has been
four years on, this district, and must needs go, I know not
where. He may not be with me, even when dying, to close
my eyes.” Here the venerable father paused, overcome
with emotion. “But, glory to God! I shall be supported
by his presence, even down to the Jordan of death! I
love the Methodist Church; and it is my earnest desire and
prayer, that every one of you may come down to the Jor-
dan of death, adopting the lines of the poet, in that beau-
tiful hymn in your books:
‘O God, thou bottomless abyss !
Thee to perfection who can know?
O height immense! what words suffice,
Thy countless attributes to show?
Unfathomable depths thou art!
O, plunge me in thy mercy’s sea!
Void of true wisdom is my heart;
With love and wisdom cover me!
While thee, all infinite, I set,
By faith, before my ravésh’d eye;
My weakness bends beneath the weight ;
O’erpower’d I sink, I faint, I die.’
This is my desire,” he added, “that you may all be plunged
in that sea of mercy—that bottomless abyss of love, and
MEMOIR OF REV. WIDLIAM GURLEY. 257

rise to all the life of God, which may he grant for his Son’s
sake !” i

He repeated the foregoing lines of that sublime hymn
with appropriate emphasis and peculiar energy. He was
right in his conjecture. He never spoke in love-feast again,
in the hearing of that son. The mode of stating his age
in days was in keeping with his usual course, which was,
always to begin with something which, from its novelty,
would excite attention.

Notwithstanding the eye of this venerable servant of God
had become dim, and his natural force abated, yet, by the
filial attentions of his son William, with whom he resided,
he still attended public worship, until in November, 1847,
at which time he was over ninety years of age. During
that month he complained of debility; and, at length, was
confined to his bed with a slow fever. His appetite depart-
ed, and his strength gradually declined until the 10th of
February, 1848, when it became evident that the time of
his departure was at hand.. Through his protracted illness
he continued perfectly sensible; and it was exceedingly
edifying to hear him speak of his confidence in God. The
promises of God, which he had so often proclaimed to
others, were now sweet to his soul. When asked, by a friend,
if his prospects were bright for a better world, “O yes,”
said he, “his rod and his staff comfort me,” and then
repeated some expressive lines of one of our hymns. To
his son, who was with him until a few days before he died,
and was then obliged to leave, he said, at parting, “Tell all
the people, that Jesus is with me.”

It had ever been his wish that he might retain his reason
to the last; and he had often prayed that it might be so;
and God granted him his petition. On the morning of the
10th he gave evident indications of being om the brink of

the river. Of this he became fully aware. He was raised
22*
258 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

up in the bed; and now, calling for each member of the
family, he took them by the hand, and bade them farewell.
When this was over there was a short pause, when, raising
his eyes, he said, with peculiar ‘emphasis, ‘What a beauti-
ful country is heaven! I see God,” and, in a few moments,
ceased to breathe. Thus died this venerable father, in the
ninety-first year of his age. ;

His remains are deposited in a secluded spot, where
several of the family connections repose. His aged com-
panion did not long survive him. She closed her eyes in
peace on the ensuing September. For fifty-three years
they had traveled together life’s rugged path, in harmony
and affection. She was‘an intelligent, devoted, and exem-
plary Christian.

Having thus traced the subject of this memoir, from
infancy, through varied and striking vicissitudes of fortune,
to an honorable and extreme old age—having marked the
steadfastness of his faith in God, and the cheerfulness with
which he bore the ills of life—the industry with which he
labored in the harvest fields of our Zion—and, finally, the
triumphant. close of his mortal existence, it only remains
that we briefly sketch some of those characteristics which
distinguished him as a man, a Christian, and a minister.

He was intelligent, Though not a classical scholar, yet
he was well read in the works of the most distinguished
authors; both ancient and modern. With history he was
delighted: Josephus, Rollin, Plutarch, and Hume were
familiar to him.

In early life he read English translations of the ancient
poets. Of Homer, especially, he was very fond. With
biography and travels he was constantly conversant. He
perused Durbin’s, Olin’s, and Stephens’ works after he was
eighty years of age. With the political movements of all
Kurope, for the last fifty years, he was remarkably familiar,
MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM QURLEY. 259

as well as with the names and character of the leading
men; and he watched the progressive changes of the old
world with peculiar interest and sympathy. With the
literature of the Church he was also well acquainted.
Clarke’s Commentary he read in numbers, as it first issued
from the press. The: principal writings of Wesley and
Fletcher he brought with him from England. His library,
when he came to America, was quite extensive. The most
of it, however, he was obliged to leave in Connecticut.
He brought to the west only a box of choice volumes.
These, during the war, were buried. They were dug up
by some neighbors, at the close of hostilities, and none
were to be found, on Mr. Gurley’s return to the north,
except. a large folio Bible, with notes, and a quarto volume
of Josephus. But.he laid the whole country under contri-
bution for books; and, until near the close of his life, he
was seldom without a course of daily reading.

He delighted to read aloud to a company of friends, and
it was music to hear him. The sweet, mellow tones of his
silvery: voice: fell harmoniously on the ear, while his em-
phasis, and his distinct enunciation, and animated manner,
gave a double charm to the subjects.

He was well read in natural. history, and would illustrate
points of theology by Goldsmith’s description of a feather,
or Wesley’s: account of the polypus.

His extensive and close observation had enriched his
mind with much valuable information, and no intelligent
person could be in his company an hour, without being
struck with his retentive memory, extensive reading, and
versatile knowledge.

He was cheerful. There was about him a rich vein of
Irish humor, which he employed, not for the purpose of
provoking mirth and levity, but to entertain pleasantly and
agreeably the company in which he might happen to be.
260 MEMOIR OF REV. ‘WILLIAM GURLEY.

Some might deem this inconsistent with the dignity and
gravity so important to a minister of Christ; but in him
it was so blended with the useful and the serious, that
those who were a short time in his company could see that
it was not the frothy bubblings of a vain mind, but the
upgushings of a pure and perennial fountain of Christian
cheerfulness.

A minister of a decidedly gloomy cast of mind—one
who seemed to think earth would be better without its
smiles, and that a hearty laugh was a mortal sin—called
to spend a day or two with him. Having heard much
of “father Gurley” as an “old-fashioned” minister, he
doubtless thought he would find one man, at least, as
solemn as himself. Mr. Gurley was perusing some English
author, favorable to high Church principles, when the stran-
ger arrived. He was received with a cheerful welcome,
and his horse put up.

The gloomy aspect of the traveler led Mr. Gurley to the
conclusion, that probably he was way-worn and dejected;
he, therefore, at once endeavored to dissipate the cloud.

“T have just finished a book on the Church of England,”
said he. ‘How do you like it?” said the stranger, gravely.
“O, as to that,” replied Mr. Gurley, “I must say, as the
man said of his wooden god,.I don’t half like it.” A look
of astonishment, and a deep-drawn sigh, was the only
reply. Mr. G. then referred, in a humorous and witty
style, to the absurdities of the English hierarchy; but in
the stranger’s bosom there was no sympathy with such
humor, and not a muscle of his face relaxed.

This imperturbable gravity of his guest roused Mr. Gur-
ley completely, and he at once commenced an account of
an encounter between a Wesleyan preacher and a proud,
worldly parson, in Ireland.“ The narrative was so nearly
connected with Methodism, and so attractive and curious in
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 261

its details, that the attention of the stranger was riveted to
the subject. The close of it was so provokingly ludicrous,
that it completely stormed the fortress of his gravity, and
an irrepressible gush of risibility suffused his face. The
emotion, however, was only for a moment; and so much
was he wounded in feeling, that he actually called Mr.
Gurley out of his own house, and intimated modestly to
him that he was afraid they had indulged in too much
levity. Mr. Gurley replied by tapping him on the shoulder
and saying, ‘“‘ Never mind, brother; you will become better
acquainted with me hereafter. With me a merry heart is
a continual feast.”

The stranger afterward became one of his warmest
friends and admirers; and, indeed, finally dismissed that
constrained and affected gravity, which would exclude from
the domestic circle the smile which cheers and the humor
which enlivens.

To coarse and vulgar witticisms he never descended; yet
of genuine, ready wit, few men possessed more than him-
self—and certainly, few ever used it with less injury to
himself and others. Satire waits on wit; and many have
sacrificed a real friend for the pleasure of a fine joke.
But such was not his manner. He employed it to enliven
conversation and to expose folly, or to extricate himself or
others from some awkward dilemma.

He once had an appointment at Norwalk. He was
entertained at the house of Dr. G. . who was not a
member of the Church, but a respectable physician and a
worthy man. After morning worship in the family, the
Bible was laid on the bureau with the books from whence
it had been taken. When the hour of worship arrived,
Mr. Gurley took, as he supposed, the sacred book from its
place, and, putting it under his arm, proceeded with the
Doctor to the court-house, in which meetings were then

 
262 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

held. Whether he had previously selected:a text is uncer-
tain. It is not improbable that his mind was unsettled on
the point, as is frequently the case with those preachers
whose efforts are purely extemporaneous. Be that as it
may, he did not look into his Bible until he had sung and
prayed. While the audience were singing the last verse
of the hymn, he reached for the book, and, rising up,
looked in it earnestly. Then lifting his brilliant eye, which
flashed with some peculiar emotion, he glanced rapidly
round on the audience. A slight shade of perplexity,
whichwas visible on his countenance, passed away like a
shadow. He was looking into the wrong book; instead of
the good old Bible, so familiar to his eye, it was a modern
work on anatomy and physiology, departments of science
on which he had no disposition to discourse on that occa-
sion. The page on which his eye rested as he opened the
book, had on it an engraving of the human ear. A slight,
but scarcely discernible smile played round the lips of the
speaker; but, with scarcely an instant’s hesitation, he an-
nounced, in his accustomed tone and manner, the text,
which by instantaneous association came to his mind: “He
that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.” He preached with
his usual freedom on the value of the word of God, and
the manner and spirit in which it should be heard. As
they were passing homeward, “Doctor,” said Mr. Gurley,
looking archly in his face, “do you know what I had for
my text?” “TI remember the words, sir, but I think you
did not mention the chapter or verse.” ‘I suppose, Doc-
tor,” continued he, “you little thought it was this?” holding
up the volume with the ear visible. The Doctor was con-
yulsed with laughter, and often referred to the circumstance
when speaking of the preacher.

As a Christian, his piety was uniform; “no changes of
season or place” produced any observable difference in his
MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY. 268

state of mind. He seemed always what you saw him once.
He never spoke of his doubts, his fears, or his temptations;
but always of his confidence in God.

He had strong faith. His firm belief in a special provi-
dence, led him to make every matter a subject of prayer.
In several cases, when praying for persons not expected to
recover, he would rise from his knees with the fullest assu-
rance that they would live.

The habitual state of his mind, in relation to his Chris-
tian character, was that of calmness and serenity ; but he
never appeared to be dry or cold. His public and family
devotions were characterized by a freshness, originality, and
variety, rarely exceeded. His every-day prayers bore an
unusually slight resemblance to each other. They arose
from every-day duties or circumstances, and were, therefore,
diversified as the passing events, and were always appro-
priate and impressive.

He was habitually serious and devotional. His serious-
ness was as conspicuous as his cheerfulness: these seemed.
no more incompatible with each other than the color and
the fragrance of the rose. He realized constantly the
presence of God, and mental and ejaculatory prayer seemed
to occupy more or less of every hour of his life.

His amiable and charitable disposition effectually secured
him from those bickerings and difficulties into which hasty
and passionate persons are so liable to be betrayed. Though
a member of the Church more than sixty years, it is not
known that he ever had the slightest difficulty with any
member of it during all that time. It was his glory to pass
over a transgression.

He was a rare singer. Nature-had given him a voice of
great compass and volume, and its intonations were exqui-
sitely fine and musical. He never studied music as a science;
but he learned, in Europe, an amazing variety of tunes.
264 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

The hymns most. generally sung in our. Church were not
those of his choice, and he often remarked that in this coun-
try our best hymns are rarely sung. g

“The God of Abram praise,” and “Wrestling Jacob,”
were favorites of his; also, “I'll praise my Maker while I’ve
breath,” and “O, God, thou bottomless abyss.” His .solos
would entrance an audience; and tens of thousands will re-
member, through life, the thrilling tones of his powerful and
melodious voice.

He never despised the gifts of others, however weak, but
was always ready to encourage the desponding, and to sym-
pathize with the dejected or afflicted.

A. preacher of another denomination once had an appoint-
ment in the neighborhood where he resided. The audience
was large, for the place, and of different denominations.
He commenced his sermon with evident embarrassment ; pro-
ceeded about five minutes, when he became confused and
speechless, and to his great mortification was obliged to take
his seat ; which he did, requesting, as he sat down, that some
one would proceed with the meeting.

The preacher had just come from a sacramental] meeting,
and two or three of his brethren in the ministry were with
him. These were much mortified, likewise, and hung their
heads in silence. Perceiving their embarrassment, after a,
moment’s pause Mr. Gurley rose, and with a smile on his
countenance, broke the silence with this remark: “For the
iniquities of the people, hath the Lord shut the mouth of
his prophet.” ‘The audience, who were thus made to bear
the blame of the failure, whether deservedly or not, were
evidently relieved. Mr. Gurley proceeded to make a few
remarks on the subject introduced, and then took his-seat,
when the brethren of the minister, who had been thrown
“hors du combat,” proceeded with the exercises, and closed
the services.
MEMOIR OF REY, WILLIAM GURLEY. 265

The young preachers who were appointed to the circuit
attracted his special attention, and he usually ventured an
opinion as to their future promise. To one of these, whose
manner of speaking was unpleasant, he remarked: “Mr.
Wesley often spoke in loud tones; but he never screeched.”

The residence of Mr. Gurley was embraced in the first
circuit traveled by Dr. Thomson, now President of the Ohio
Wesleyan University. The first time he heard the Doctor
preach he observed, to a friend: “ He is a very small man;
but, mark my words, he will yet become a great one.”

To the Church of which he was a member, he had a
depth and strength of attachment seldom surpassed.

His personal acquaintance with Mr. Wesley, the great and -
excellent founder of Methodism, had impressed him with an
early and deep conviction, that it was the cause of God.
The intelligence, the zeal, the holiness, and the Herculean
labors of that wonderful man, were constantly associated in
his mind with the great body of Methodists raised up under
his supervision or through his instrumentality. He had
studied ecclesiastical history with attention, and he regarded
the Methodist Episcopal Church as distinguished beyond all
others, for the combined elements of simplicity, strength,
harmonious action, and conservative and aggressive power:
Though accustomed to the Wesleyan plan as it is in England
and Ireland, yet he regarded the office and labors of the
bishops of our Church, in this country, as of vast and vital
importance to the integrity and unity of American Metho-
dism. Of the power of the Episcopacy, of which so much
has been said, he had no fears: he knew they were respon-
sible, and that was sufficient. He believed them to be men
of God, in labors abundant. He read whatever came from
their pen with special attention, entertained for them a sin-
cere veneration, and never spoke of them but with profound

respect.
23
266 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM GURLEY.

On one occasion, when a “Radical” had exhausted his
stock of argument and eloquence to convince the people
that the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church pos-
sessed too much power, and were dangerous, tyrannical
men, and seemed to think that those present were satisfied
that it was high time to get out of such dangerous company,
Mr. Gurley rose, and in a pleasant tone remarked, that
through a long life he had been a member of the Methodist
Church ; and he could assure all present that he had never
felt any other power but “the power of “God, the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost. ”* « And, believe me, my friends,”
said he, “it never did me any harm.” The adversary was
foiled. 7

As a preacher, Mr. Gurley’s talents, without being of a
high order, were respectable. His sermons were purely ex-
temporaneous. It is doubtful if, during his whole ministry,
he ever penned one “sketch.” But he was by. no means
without study and research. He weighed well the import
of his subject ; consulted commentaries and authors; and fre-
quently his discourses were logical, clear, and systematic.

His sermons were rich with illustrations and anecdotes;
his knowledge of the Bible was extensive and accurate; and
he often drew from their recorded facts moral pictures of
peculiar power.

His well-stored memory 7 damalied facts and illustrations
from history, both sacred and profane; and he not unfre-
quently referred to some points in his own experience in con-
firmation of the truth.

His manner was animated, but not boisterous; he seldom
discussed controverted points, but he well understood the
doctrines of the Bible, and preached them plainly. The
atonement was his theme; entire sanctification he always
urged. Of his own attainments in holiness he spoke with
great modesty; but that he enjoyed in a large degree the
MEMOIR OF REV, WILLIAM GURLEY,. 267

blessing no one who knew him could doubt. But of his
constant faith, unwavering confidence, and cloudless joys,
he spoke with the greatest freedom.

In the comparative seclusion and -retirement of age, he
was still a watchful observer of the’ signs of the times, and
marked with~ heart-felt “joy the triumphs of our beloved
Zion; and well might he do so, for when he was born
Methodism was unknown on this continent. Before he died,
her communicants were more than a million. But he has
descended to his rest; he sleeps with his fathers, and his
spirit and his record are on high.

To the last he felt a deep sympathy for his native land,
and hoped and prayed for her prosperity. He found but
little, however, in her recent history and condition, to cheer
him. Most of the actors in those scenes of blood through
which he had passed, have indeed descended to the grave,
but the traces of the conflict are still visible on the moral
character and political condition of the nation. The smoth-
ered fires, like the pent-up lava of a volcano, still heave and
shake that unhappy land. Important concessions have
indeed been made to her Roman Catholic citizens, and
much has been attempted toward the amelioration of her
condition, and the reformation of her people; yet each,
succeeding year but deepens the sad picture of her dis-
tresses,

Her spasmodic efforts to throw off her burdens have en-
listed the sympathies of the civilized world; but amid her
struggles and misfortunes, which have awakened the com-
passion of mankind, England, with her gigantic power, still
holds her with a steady hand, alike unwilling to relieve her
sufferings or to let her go. Her future fortunes no human
foresight can penetrate. Philanthropy and patriotism, how-
ever, prompt us to hope that Great Britain will yet have
the sagacity to perceive, and the justice to apply, the
268 MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM GURLEY.

means of conciliating the affection and elevating the char-
acter of her Irish subjects; and that, ere long, the light of
a new era may dawn on her destiny, and the dreams of her
Currans and her Emmets find a realization in the brightness
and glory of her future history.
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