along with Arthur Forrester's mother, on hearing of the
arrest. They had tea with us, and, I need scarcely say, were warmly
welcomed in our little family circle, those in the house who were but
small children then being in after years proud to remember that they had
had such noble characters under their roof.

Mrs. Ellen Forrester was a homely, sweet-looking, little North of
Ireland woman. She was a native of the County Monaghan, and, at this
time, about forty years of age. Her maiden name was Magennis. Her father
was a schoolmaster, which would, no doubt, account for her literary
tastes. Songs and poems of hers appeared in the "Nation" and "Dundalk
Democrat." She was quite young when she came to England, and settled
first in Liverpool, and then in Manchester. She married Michael
Forrester, a stonemason, and had five children. It was quite evident
there was a poetic strain in the Magennis blood, for two of her
daughters, and her son Arthur, inherited the gift, which her brother
Bernard also possessed. She produced "Simple Strains" and (in
conjunction with her son Arthur) "Songs of the Rising Nation," and other
poems. She was a frequent contributor to the English press, her work
being much appreciated.

Arthur Forrester, whose release we were trying to effect, was, at this
time, only nineteen years old, though he looked much older. Besides the
poetic strain which he inherited from his mother, he must also have had
that fiery and unconquerable spirit which displayed itself in the
determined resistance he made against the police who came to arrest him
in 1867, in Dublin, where he had found his way for the projected rising.
He was a young Revolutionist truly--being then only seventeen. He was
not long kept in prison that time, there being no evidence to connect
him with Fenianism, nor, indeed, was there now, when he had fallen into
the hands of the police in Liverpool, though they were doing their best
to manufacture some.

His warlike proclivities seem to have been ever uppermost, as will be
seen later, where we find him joining the French "Foreign Legion" during
the Franco-Prussian War. Besides the "Songs of the Rising Nation" in
connection with his mother, he produced "An Irish Crazy Quilt," prose
and verse, and was a frequent contributor to the "Irish People" and
other papers over the signature of "Angus" and "William Tell."

It is too bad of me to be keeping poor Arthur in durance vile while I
am going into these