The following articles are transcribed by Teena from the Banner of Ulster, Dublin Evening Mail, Dublin Mercantile Advertiser, Freeman's Journal, Northern Whig, and the Tyrone Constitution. (unless otherwise noted)
30 Dec. 1848 Dreadful Murder at Letterkenny it is with feelings of the deepest pain we record the fect that a most cold-blooded and determined murder was committed last night week, very early on Saturday morning last, in the town of Letterkenny. The victim was a protestant gentleman named Samuel DAVIS, surgeon, a native and resident of the town. Dr. DAVIS was an amiable and most benevolent man. His practice was confined principally to the middle and lower classes, and his services were frequently rendered gratuitously to the poor. His political opinions were of the class usually denominated liberal and he was esteemed a most popular man. The house of the deceased is in the public street and his hall door, where the deed of blood was committed, more exposed and under view from a greater number of points than any other in the entire town. It appears that the Doctor was absent from home during the whole of the day preceding his murder, (yesterday week) and he did not return till about midnight, before which hour 2 men called separately enquiring for him. On his way home, after visiting some of his patients it is supposed, he was met by 2 persons in the market square, who accompanied him to his house and obtained medicine from him. No suspicion of guilt whatever attaches to the 2 latter individuals. Having fastened the hall door, he was returning into the shop, when a double knock was heard, whereupon he went back to the door and reopened it and immediately after a shot was heard by Mrs. DAVIS and the servant, who were in the kitchen and on the latter going to the door, he found his master lying behind it, a lifeless corpse, but the assassin had fled. The wound which caused his death was on the upper part of the sternum or breast, to the left, where a large bullet and 6 slugs entered; the bullet passed through the body, coming out near the top of the left shoulder, behind, and completely lacerating some of the principal blood-vessels, causing instantaneous death. The police having been promptly apprised of the dreadful occurrence were immediately on the alert and scoured the neighbourhood in search of the assassin, but without success. At early hour in the morning that active and intelligent magistrate, John Vandeleur STEWART Esq., was on the spot, with his usual zeal and promptitude, investigating the matter, but nothing has yet transpired to throw light upon it. An inquest was likewise held on Saturday by Charles H. SWEENY Esq., coroner, assisted by John V. STEWART Esq. J.P., John CHAMBERS Esq. J.P., and William WRAY J.P. and a respectable jury and the details were thus stated; William M'LAUGHLIN, the servant, the principal witness examined - he deposed that he an occassional servant or caretaker about Dr. DAVIS'S house when he would be absent from it; he was sent for by Mrs. DAVIS on yesterday (Friday morning) to come to the house; the doctor was absent all day as it was the large Christmas market day of Letterkenny; about 9 o'clock in the evening, a man, tall and thin appearance, knocked at the door and when witness opened same he appeared not willing to come forward, but said he wanted the doctor to go to a sick call at the new mill; witness told him the doctor was not in; in about half an hour after another man, stouter in make and taller, came and told witness the same thing, when witneas said 'as you're in such a hurry about the doctor come in and see the mistress, and maybe she can tell you where to find him,' which the person refused to do. About 12 o'clock a voice was heard at the back door, saying, 'Mrs. O'DONNELL is dying of cramp in her stomach, and will not live fifteen minutes and is the doctor come?' Shortly afterwards the doctor came in, accompanied by, as witness believes, a man named James BIRNIE, carpenter, and his son, when, having made up some medicine for them, he let them out of the door, and was proceeding down the hall, witness having a view from the kitchen straight to the hall, being on the same flat, and in direct line, when a smart rap was heard and the doctor wheeled on his step and placed the candle down and went to the door; witness heard the bolt drawn, the door opened and about a minute from the doctor's touching the door he heard the report of a gun or pistol, upon which his mistress, who was in the kitchen at the time, said go up and see if the doctor is out after some of those foolish boys who fired to frighten him. Witness was unwilling and argued with the mistress for about 5 minutes, when he did go up and found the doctor dead; his weight in falling against the door having closed it again; he was shot through the breast, the bullet passed through his body and carried part of the chain of his watch which he wore round his neck with it and through a board behind him and finally lodged in the wail. The bullet was produced at the inquest and had part of the gold watch guard of the deceased battered into it. The verdict of the jury was in accordance with the facts sworn to, namely, that the deceased died from a gun shot wound inflicted by some person or persons unknown. The brother of the deceased gentleman arrived from Liverpool on Tuesday and the funeral took place at half-past 12 o'clock the next day. It was one of tbe largest ever seen in the town. It was attended by the following magistrates of the district, viz. Sir James STEWART Bart.; J. V. STEWART, John BEERS, John CHAMBERS, Wm. WRAY and John SPROULE, Esqrs., with scarfs, also the clergymen of all denominations. At the conclusion of the burial service, the Rev. R. SMITH made an impressive allusion to the awful and untimely death of the deceased. This atrocious outrage, occurring in a locality heretofore remarkable for its perfect tranquillity, has naturally produced an extraordinary sensation and various conjectures have been circulated to its cause, which is still involved in mystery. The magistrates of the district, who are pre-eminently distinguished for intelligence and discernment, have been prosecuting their inquiries on the subject during the week, but the result has not been permitted to transpire, lest it should tend to defeat the ends of justice. A proclamation from Dublin Castle arrived at Letterkenny on Thursday, offering reward of £100 for the discovery of the assassin. There will be a meeting of the magistrates of the county held next week, when it is expected that private subscriptions of a large amount will be offered for the apprehension of the murderer, in addition to the Government reward. We are sure that no exertion will be spared by the gentry of Donegal to prevent the introduction of that system of thuggism into their hitherto peaceable county which disgraces the south of Ireland. There was an impression abroad that this foul outrage might have been committed at the instigation of some of the relations of the deceased, with whom he had a protracted suit in the court of chancery, but we believe there are not the slightest grounds for entertaining such suspicion. The litigation in question has been brought to a close and we understand, that every decision in the matter was adverse to the deceased and in favour of those opposed to him and that his death at this moment is calculated to injure rather than promote their interests. Another reason assigned for the perpetration of this fearful crime is that the unfortunate gentleman thought proper to dispute the principle of fixity of tenure, which has been advocated with the most pernicious effect in some quarters and to exercise his legitimate rights as a landlord. He had a small estate in the mountain districts of Glenswilly, worth about £200 per annum. From this property, it is said, he evicted 2 families about a fortnight ago and had made arrangements to proceed at the approaching quarter sessions, on more ejectment processes. For this offence against the agrarian code, it is believed, his life has paid the forfeit. It is not alleged that he was a bad landlord; on the contrary he bore the reputation of being kind-hearted and indulgent one, but all his suavity of manner, benevolence of disposition, professional consideration for the wants of the poor, his political liberality, and good landlordism could not protect him from the bullet of the assassin and he was cut off in the midst of his usefulness, at the meridian of life, from a loving wife and wide circle of admiring friends, because he would not allow a number of individuals to hold possession of his property without yielding him any return for It. Diabolical Attempt to Destroy a whole Family in Donegal A correspondent writing from Donegal, states that on the night of Tuesday last, one of the most daringly atrocious outrages, ever committed in any neighbourhood, was attempted at Ardnamona, the residence of C. G. WRAY esq. About 11 o'clock on the night mentioned, some wretches placed 2 small kegs of gunpowder immediately under the front and lower windows of Mr. WRAY'S dwelling house. Along with the gunpowder were placed a variety of dangerous missiles, including old smoothing-irons, pieces of broken pots, the lower part of a turf spade, &c., so to make the work of destruction sure. Mr. WRAY and his family had retired to their bedrooms, about quarter of an hour before the gunpowder was ignited, and the explosion destroyed the hall door, the furniture in the parlour, smashed the windows and did considerable damage to the bedroom in which Mr. WRAY happened to be at the time, but most providentially without injuring any individual, although 9 persons, including a son of the late Col. WALLER of Armagh, were in the house at the time. Mr. WRAY is a gentleman who is held in universal estimation and before this occurrence, no one imagined that he had an enemy in the world. The supposed cause is his refusing to continue tenants upon a property, with whose management he entrusted, some persons from whom no rent could be obtained. Whatever may be the ostensible pretext, outrages of this most barbarous character must be put down by the strong arm of power and we trust that every good member of society in that neighbourhood will come promptly forward and will adopt vigorous measures for the discovery and signal punishment of the rufflans by whom this deed has been perpetrated. It is only by putting down the beginnings of crime that the peace of society can be effectually consulted. Christmas day in the Londonderry Workhouse Monday last (Christmas day), the paupers in the workhouse, in number 734, men, women, and children, partook of a comfortable breakfast of tea, bread, and butter and a good and plentiful dinner of spiced beef, soup and potatoes. The cooking department was ably superintended by Miss M'CANDLESS, the matron and the soup, which was excellent, could not have failed to have pleased the most fastidious epicure. The matron presided over the girls, and the schoolmaster over the boys, who dined about an hour earlier than the rest of the paupers. Several of the guardians visited the workhouse while they were at dinner and they expressed themselves highly pleased with the judicious arrangements which the master had made for the comfort of the paupers on this occasion. After dinner, the Master kindly permitted all the paupers to assemble in the boys schoolroom, where they enjoyed themselves in dancing. till the unwelcome bell summoned them to bed, And that Christmas for another year had fled. Ballymoney workhouse Christmas Treat The Rev. J. Ferguson CREERY, protestant chaplain, gave the inmates of this workhouse (to the number of nearly 700) a Christmas treat, in the shape of a plentiful supply of tea, with the usual substantial accompaniments. The poor people were much gratified at this attention on the part of the Rev. gentleman, who took advantage of the occasion to address to them a few appropriate remarks. Mr. HOPKINS also added some good advice, and Mr. BOGLE, the master of the workhouse, returned Mr. CREERY the thanks of the inmates, for his liberality and kindness. Sale or the Tolls on the Markets On Friday week the tolls of the following markets from 1st January 1849, were put up to competition by the Corporation, Mr. M'MURRAY being the auctioneer. The following were declared the purchasers John MILLS, for the fish and vegetable markets £73; Anthony DEVIN, for the stalls and standings £80; Edward LYNCH for the potato market £110; John MURRAY for the cattle market £127; Croker MILLER Esq., for the butchers market £75. Londonderry Sentinel 24 Dec. 1848 State of County Cavan Here is the state of Cavan, as described by the Anglo Celt - What a melancholy picture does Cavan present at this present moment! A half-starved, half-clothed peasantry, kept alive by a growing poor-rate, the land un-tilled, the labourer's idle, farmers sinking into paupers, landlords melting away into thin air. Are there any landlords in Cavan? Yes, a half-dozen perhaps - or is it maybe some 8 stout-hearted gentlemen, who still reside on their estates and manage, God knows how, to hold their heads above water. The rental of the country is large, but the proprietary is small, and at least if we may judge from appearances and 'de non apparentibus et non existentibus cadem (?) est ratio.' We must not be understood as wishing to lay under one sweeping censure all the land, lords now absent from their post. Nothing could be more unjust. Some of them are kept away by circumstances over which they have not, nor ever had, the slightest control. How could the most self-denying landlord who had an estate, say of ten thousand a year, mortgaged to three-fourths of its value, stand against the taxation consequent upon the potato blight? The utmost such man could do would be to make the best fight he could for a short time (the struggle could not be long) and fall like Caesar at the foot of Pompey's statue, decently. We could name some who have so fallen; men whose bitterest regrets, amid their miserably straitened circumstances, are not for themselves but for their impoverished tenantry, whose condition they had vainly strained every nerve to ameliorate. But truth compels us to add that there is a class of landlords in this country who, though they might do much to alleviate the sufferings of their tenantry, prefer to do nothing. They calculate, very justly, that the present state of things cannot last. The poor-rate is increasing, and will increase, perhaps for a few more years, to nearly the entire absorption of the rental. But what of that? They have other resources and can live out the crisis. In the mean time, there is a soul of goodness in things of evil. Farms are in process of consolidation. Nominal landlords are being used up and are slowly making way for men of capital and enterprise. Paupers are dying off, or emigrating. In a few years, more of their estates will be ripe for improvement, but the surplus population must wither off the land first. Is this the cold-blooded policy of the landlords of the Cross bane division of the Ballieborough union? Our readers are aware that the farmers of that division met some time ago, and passed a series of resolutions calling upon their landlords to enter into voluntary taxation with them, for the purpose of employing the able bodied poor at some remunerative labour. Here was a manly effort, the right direction, originating with the farmers. It ought to have originated with the landlords. But though they forgot, or neglected their duty, they ought to have been at least thankful to their tenants for putting them in mind of it, particularly when it jumped with their interest. Nevertheless, not one of them, with the exception of Mr. JOHNSON, condescended to reply to the meeting, or to take the slightest notice of a movement, which they ought to have encouraged by every means in their power. Bell's New Weekly Messenger 2 Jan. 1849 Emigration - The Ship 'Surinam' Sufferings of the Passengers and Crew The following letter has been addressed to us by one of the passengers on board the Surinam emigrant ship, which left this port for New York on the 11th November To The Editor of the Pilot On Board the Surinam Cove of Cork Harbour 28th December, 1848 Sir l must inform you that I sailed from the North Wall, Dublin, on the 11th of November, on board the emigrant ship Surinam, Captain KNOX, with 120 passengers, for New York and a more uncomfortable or inconvenient ship could not be selected for such a purpose. It was leaky almost in every part; it used to admit the rain and sea through its chinks in such abundance that were often obliged to leave our berths and sit up in the cold all night. Our wearing apparel and bed clothes were continually wet. It is really inhuman on the part of the authorities to permit such vessels to be employed for such purposes; but I suppose anything is good enough for the poor Irish. Your being at all times the faithful guardian and watchful sentinel of the Irish people induces me to acquaint you with the privation and hardship which a portion of your poor countrymen were subject to for more than 6 weeks, on board the above vessel, hoping it may serve as a warning to all persons who may in future be obliged to emigrate from Ireland. We were almost famished for want of fuel to cook our hurried meals. We made repeated application to the master to have this remedied, but to no avail, though the act, 11 Victoria, sec. 13 cap. 6. renders it imperative on every master of an emigrant ship to provide plenty of fuel for the passengers and a competent person to act as cook, neither of which was complied with. About 9 o'clock every morning a miserable fire would be lighted for us, with about as much coal as would fill a small bedroom grate, so that about 12 o'clock you might expect to get a sort of breakfast cooked and if we could get one meal of this sort each day, we would think ourselves happy. But our sufferings at night were of a much more painful nature. We were hungry and cold by day - by night we were hungry, wet, and cold. On the morning of the 12th November we doubled Cape Clear and got fairly into the Atlantic, when we were met with a violent head wind, which continued to blow with unabated fury till Sunday night, the 10th December. We were then about the 27 degree. Between 12 and 1 o'clock a dreadful gale blew against us with great fury, flittering into shreds our main, foretop, and mizen sails, and sent them adrift, which left us in a very pitiable state. The ship was obliged to let "lie to" till the noonday, when the captain endeavoured to continue his course, at which time the wheel chains were carried away. Instant destruction would be inevitable were they not replaced by repairing them with the weather tackle. At 2 o'clock on Tuesday morning, to add to our misfortune, we discovered that she became leaky and had four feet and a half of water made before it was observed, which destroyed all the property belonging to the passengers in the hold, leaving many of them in a deplorable condition and worse than all, the most part of the fresh water was destroyed. At 3 o'clock, p.m. on Tuesday, the captain, seeing that it was totally impossible to make head against such a wind and terrible sea, put about and made direct for Cork. All the passengers were obliged to work at the pumps from the 12th to the 28th December day and night, without cessation. The weather was so dreadful and the sea so high that we were obliged to lashed to the pumps, lest we should be washed overboard. Any language that I can command is totally inadequate to convey to you an idea of all we suffered in this respect. Day and night we had to work at the pumps with wet clothes on - no fire to warm or dry us. Oh! how often did I hear the poor emigrants bewail, in the bitterness of their heart, the fate that drove them to such misery and exclaim against unjust and oppressive laws that empowered heartless landlords to expel them from their little homesteads as wanderers on the cold and bleak world, to endure such privations as I have attempted to describe. I will give you one true and melancholy instance of what I have witnessed. A poor fellow named William MURTAGH, who held a few acres of land under Mr. _ of _ near Dublin, was after being dispossessed by the agent, who accompanied the bailiffs. MURTAGH assured me that when the agent (who also sports a military title) commenced his campaign, he had about a half a stone of potatoes boiling for his wife and seven children, and implored of the agent to desist till they would partake of their scanty meal, but he remained inexorable, took the little pot off the fire and left it in the yard. I am going (said poor MURTAGH) to a strange, but hospitable land, without a shilling in my pocket, carrying with me that natural hatred, that undying hostility, towards the government that arms heartless men to perpetrate such acts of cruelty. Here we are now, after being seven long and dreary weeks tossed about on the ocean, without knowing what will become of us, the greater portion of us not having a shilling to purchase a second sea store and not having any home to return to, you will admit we are in a deplorable condition. Yours faithfully, "AN EXILE” The Pilot 1 Mar. 1849 Important to Emigrants The Supreme Court of the United States in session at Washington, has come to a decision of vast importance to the State of New York, and to all the States upon the seaboard. That decision is that the passenger tax is unconstitutional and cannot be levied on either the emigrants or the owners of vessels and therefore, cannot be levied at all. The ground of the decision is that no State can pass a law to obstruct the commerce legalised by the laws the Union. This will, of course, reduce the passage money for emigrants and give an impetus to emigration. The court were nearly equally divided. Formal judgment will not be delivered till about another month, which will be the end of the term. Incendiarsm A Monaghan correspondent states that on Monday night last a house, part of a model farm belonging to James HAMILTON Esq., was maliciously set on fire, and before it was observed the whole property was consumed. It is difficult to account for the outrage, Mr. HAMILTON having, with many other acts of benevolence, expended large sums in the establishment of a model farm of 9 or 10 acres, for the sole benefit and instruction of his tenantry. A tenant had been previously evicted from the farm owing upwards of three and a half years rent. Blessings of Free Trade We have drawn our most extensive sources of employment in this vicinity from the manufacture of grain. Our large water power has been almost exclusively used for this purpose. What now is the condition of this, to us, all important branch of trade? Many of our bolting-mills are altogether idle - a large proportion of them are at half work. The flour of the countries we have enumerated is now brought to our doors in a manufactured state, depriving the farmer of his accustomed market and creating a competition with which it impossible for the home manufacturer to cope; thus also depriving the artisan and the man depending his daily labor of their wonted sources of employment. There is also another loss which might not at first strike the general reader; it is the injury sustained by the public and the poor in particular, through the want of the offal generated by a home manufacture of wheat; a means by which the feeding of cattle and pigs was rendered cheap and feasible, even to those in the humblest circumstances and the interests of the mercantile and agricultural communities were largely sustained. Take bran as an instance. This important adjunct to the food of cattle, when wheat sold high in consequence of the protection duty, was to be had at a few pence per stone; now in consequence of the small quantity of corn ground in this country and the introduction of the ready manufactured foreign flour, it is raised to an enormous price, so that this valuable assistant to the agriculturist, so important for the feeding of cattle, particularly since the failure of the potatoes, is now altogether lost. These are the benefits which our legislators foolishly throw away by encouraging the foreign markets to the prejudice of our own. The fact is, that we are depending altogether on our agricultural produce and this free trade must naturally destroy us. Belfast Cholera Report The following is the report for the last 4 days; Friday, new cases 7; died 6; recovered10; Saturday, new cases 7; died3; recovered 6; Sunday, new cases, 11; died 1; recovered 5; Yesterday, new cases, 28; died 4; recovered 16; Tuesday, new cases, 18; died 1; discharged cured 8; total cases in Belfast 634; died 211; discharged cured 283; remaining under treatment 140. It has been a matter of common remark for the last 4 or 5 weeks, that the cases on Sundays and Mondays amount to more than double, sometimes three-fifths, of the number of cases on the other days of the week, a circumstance evidently attributable to the fatal dissipation in lower classes on Saturday nights and during the Lord's day. Insolvent Debtor's Court On Wednesday last Mr. Commissioner CURRAN held a court of insolvency in Armagh County court-house. There were 31 applicants of whom 21 were discharged, 6 had their cases adjourned to the next commission, 3 cases were adjourned to next commission and one is to apply in Dublin to be discharged. Arrest of Beggars Two thousand, six hundred and eighty-nine beggars were taken into custody of the Dublin police, from the 1st Jan. to 24th February 1849, both days inclusive. Coroner’s Inquest An inquest was held on the 27th ult., at Ballyworkan, near Tandragee, before Edward D. ATKINSON Esq., coroner, on the infant child of a woman named Jane ADDIS, when the jury returned a verdict of "death from a want of nourishment." It appeared on the inquiry that the child’s mother (who was an unmarried woman) had been turned out of her brother’s house on last Saturday evening, about quarter of an hour before the child’s birth, when she was received into a house adjoining, the owner of which, however, was so poor as to be unable to afford to the mother and child the treatment they required; that the child did not get any nourishment until Sunday evening, when a neighbor woman came in and finding how matters were, went home and brought some bread, with which she fed the child twice; that its food disagreed with, and it got no more, and died the next morning. It appeared, also, that the neighbors on hearing of the woman's distress, subscribed and bought food, and sent it to the house on Sunday night; but, through motives of false delicacy, the woman, in whose house ADDIS lay, had it conveyed to the brother’s house, where nearly the entire of the food so bought was eaten, and from Monday evening the sick woman had not got anything to eat! Newry Union Number of paupers admitted into the workhouse during the week ended Saturday 24th of February 37; discharged 48; died 7. Number remaining in the house on the above date, aged and infirm men 92; women 122; able-bodied men 70; women 350; boys 225; girls 341; infants 53. Total 1,357. Average cost of a pauper per week, including all classes, 1s. 1¾ d. Number out-door relief same date, 2336; average cost, 5¾d. Cholera Newry (capitals inserted by transcriber) Of the 9 cases remaining at our last report, 3 have since died. The disease we are happy to announce has already assumed a milder form, forasmuch as though there were 10 new cases Tuesday and 5 yesterday, not one of these has eventuated in death.It should ever be borne in mind that the opinion of the faculty is, that the disease, alarming indeed, from the usual rapidity of its course, IS NOT CONTAGIOUS.* This should tend materially to abate the alarm unnecessarily prevalent. We may add that in consequence of Dr. MORRISON having resigned his appointment as cholera physician, the following medical gentlemen have been appointed to act, in his stead, by the cholera committee of the Board of Guardians; Dr. ERSKINE, Dr. DAVIS, Dr. MOLLOW, Surgeon John SAVAGE. The medicine to be supplied by Surgeon BLACK. * transcriber note- Cholera was highly contagious. It was transferred person to person by infected fecal matter entering a mouth, or by water, or food contaminated with it. The organism survives well in salty waters and can contaminate humans that contact or swim in the water. (bathing in our ancestors days, was often by swimming) https://www.medicinenet.com/is_cholera_contagious/article.htm Newry Telegraph 1st Mar. 1849 Preparation for the Harvest A correspondent writing on this subject says- I have seen a variety of letters from different parts of the country which, upon the whole, give a much less discouraging account of the progress made in spring cultivation than might have been expected, after such protracted and wide spread destitution. In Ulster and Leinster, with some really serious exceptions in the latter province, tillage is in forward state and grain and green crops are put down in a manner far superior to the cultivation of former years. A large quantity of potatoes also is planted, the early sowing having been generally adopted, as experience has proved the comparative safety of that crop when put down before the end of February. Shipping and Mercantile Gazette 10 Mar.1849 One hundred and sixty-eight young women, selected by Lieutenant HENRY R.N., from the different unions in Ireland sailed from the North Wall for Plymouth, on Wednesday evening. Their destination is Australia. Stay safe friends~ Teena _______________________________________________ [email protected] UlsterAncestry Mailing List Searchable Archives: https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ http://lists.cotyrone.com/mailman/listinfo/ulsterancestry Website: https://cotyrone.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CoTyroneIrelandGenealogy/
