When Fr. Sheridan was P.P. in the Yellow Furze parish he was once obliged to go to Slane to attend to a dying man. At this time people had to pay a toll to be allowed from one parish into another. So there was a man from the Yellow Furze chosen to be the collector.
He was a Protestant and was very anxious to gather all he possibly could for the British king.
It happened that Fr. Sheridan while on his way to attend the sick man had to pass the gate where the collector was and when he put his hand in his pocket he found that he had forgotten his purse but the man refused to let the holy priest pass by.
The priest told him distinctly that he had forgotten his purse and that he had not the smallest coin in his possession.
He also told him that the man's soul whom he was on his way to attend would probably be lost owing to his delay.
The wicked man would not as much as listen to the good and patient priest and on no account would he let him pass.
The priest inflicted upon him a terrible plague of vermin which immediately made him fall helplessly to the ground and he remained there until the priest returned.
he gave him permission to rise then and made