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others, for the two horses turned somersaults into the midst of some 

 fifty people closely packed. An investigation was held to ascertain 

 who was to blame for this appalling catastrophe, particulars of which 

 the narrative does not require. 



I was witness of another very dreadful occurrence at Punchestown 

 some twenty years ago. The Grand Stand was packed full of people 

 just before one of the races, when a cry was raised by some scoundrel in 

 the ring that it was falling. This created an immediate panic, and there 

 was a general stampede from off the stand. In the frantic struggle 

 several people fell and were trampled on Two or three had limbs 

 broken and many were otherwise severely injured. Luckily no one was 

 killed. If the fellow who raised the cry which caused this disaster 

 could have been recognised and captured, I should have liked to have 

 seen him treated as I once did a welsher in the same enclosure. He was 

 stripped to the skin, flogged unmercifully, daubed over with paint, and 

 then kicked out on the course with nothing whatsoever upon him except 

 one boot and stocking. 



I, with many thousands of my countrymen, regret that members of our 

 Royal family do not visit Ireland oftener than they do. We fail to see 

 why Scotland should be favoured yearly by visits from Royalty, any one 

 of which is of longer duration than all the visits put together, which our 

 gracious Majesty and her family have vouchsafed to Ireland since her 

 reign began ! 



This is all the more inexplicable when it is known that in no part of 

 the kingdom and upon no one occasion did our Queen or any member of 

 the Royal family receive more heartfelt loyal greeting than they did 

 upon the few occasions of their coming to Ireland. 



The Prince of Wales knows well what a welcome he got upon the two 

 visits he paid Punchestown, and I am very sure H.R.H. cannot recall 

 their like upon any other he ever paid to a racecourse. 



Having said thus much upon a subject we Irish feel very sorely about, 

 I shall relate what I was an eye-witness to the last time the Prince of 

 Wales came to Ireland. It was at the wet and windy Punchestown of 

 1886. 



At that time the country was very much disturbed by the Land 

 agitation. Nevertheless the welcome given H.R.H. was of the heartiest 

 description, and almost universal. Upon the Royal party leaving the 

 Reserved Stand, and while enthusiastic cheers rent the air, there came 

 a hiss from a young man standing quite close to where I was in the 

 Public Enclosure. Within a few paces of the individual there also 

 stood a dapper little man wearing a covert coat and billycock hat. No 

 sooner did the hiss reach the ears of this little chap than off came the hat 

 and the coat, and straight from the shoulder he let drive, right between 

 the eyes of the Nationalist, a sock-dolloger which for beauty and effect I 

 scarcely ever saw beaten. Heels over head the fellow went. After 

 picking himself out of the mud I never shall forget how the little man 

 danced round him, asking would he like to hiss the Prince of Wales 



