The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-05-09 00:00:00

Assassination of Lord Frederick
Cauendish and Mr. Burke.

An unparalleled crime, and one which has caused a
thrill of honor and dismay throughout Christendom,
was committed on Saturday evening, when Lord
Frederick Cavendish, the now Chief Secretary, and
Mr. T. H. Burke, who has been for the lest ten years
Under Secretary for Ireland, and who was for years
before that i.rectically Under Secretary to Sir Thomas
broom, were foully murdered. Lord F. Cavendish
only arrived in Dublin at noon on Saturday to take up
his new office. lie drove through the city in the
Viceregal procession on the occasion of the State
entry of his Excellency Earl Spencer. The double
murder took piths under circumstances which heighten
the 'hocking character of the deed. The murderers
were four in number, and the murder took place
about ten minutes past seven o'clock, in view of his
Excellency the Lord Lieutenant., and quite close to
Viceregal grounds. The evening was beautifully fine,
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So rapidly was the deed perpetrated, and with such
Instant effect, that no one's attention we. directed to
the osocurrenn in any unusual degree. Even
those who did observe the presence of six men
imagined It was • friendly wresellog match on
the pert of roughs, and paid no attention to it.
It appears that Lord F. Cavendish, alter taking
part in the ceremony of the installation of the
Lord-Lientsinant, and havia been himself sworn in
as Chief Secretery, proosither on foot through the park,
to walk to the Orel Secretary's Lodge, which is
situated near the further end of the park, and to the
left of the main road. The Viceregal Lodge being to
the right, and about a mile nearer the city, Lord F.
Caverichsh, being • man of vigorous constitution.
determined to walk the whole way, the wall on • fins
evening Nang a very pleasant one. Mr. Burke, who
had been engaged ail day at the tulle, in connection
first with the installation and afterwards with the
ordinary business of his office, drove from the Carle,
whin he left shortly before seven o'clock on an out-
side car. When nearly opposite the Viceregal Lodge
he overtook Lord F. Caveudieh, and thereupon
dismissed his car. and the two walked on arm-le-arm
in the direction of the Secretary's Lodge. They had
or, walked a shoat distance when they were attathed
and brutally murdered.
Aocordieg to the statement of pecans who saw the
encounter from a distance of about two hundred yards,
and who as already stated, supposed that is was
merely a wrestling match, they observed a struggle
proceeding, but they heard on sounds. lonnediately
afterwards they saw four men leave the party and go
towards an outside car, get up on it, the driver being
on the driver's meat, and drive off rapidly in the
direction of the Hibernith School, and farther away
from the city. One of the eye-witnesses of the
occurrenes saw two out of the six pares who had
been struggling fail but being of opinion that there
was nothing serious in the matter no area.
lion was paid to it. The true nature of the
occurrence was first discovered by two gentle-
men who were riling on tricycles. Throe were Mr.
Patrick Maguire and Mr. Thomas C. Foley. They
had pared Lard F. Cavendish and Mr. Burke a few
minutes before on their way out through the park, and
had in the mentime travelled to the " Phinoie," at
the extreme end of the perk. On their return they
drained the two bodies lying near each other, one
06 the grass about ten yards from the main road, and
the other on the main road. There wars marks of •
severe struggle, and a large quantity A blood about
the spot. Mr. Maguire proceeded immediately
towel* the park gate at the city end of the park,
where there is • police-station, and informed the police
of the finding of the bodies, while Mr. Foley remained
in charge of the bodies until the police arrived. In the
meantime the guard at the Viceregal Lodge ha I been
apprised that something had happened, and they
brought a stretcher to the spot. The guard also turned
out at the same time. Tbe body of Lord Frederick
Cavendish was placed on the stretcher, and conveyed
to Stevens' Hospital, which is tear the park gate,
although at • distance of mire than • mile from the
spot were the murders were committed. Toe be ly
of Mr. Burke was placed on an outside car, and coo-
vend to the same place. The removal of the
bodies attracted great attention, and a crowd of
people followed,but it was not then known, save by 060
or two, who the decease I were, otherwise the excite-
ment would doubtless have been much greater. Both
bodies presence i a fearful spect ie., and both bore
evidence of the do,parate struggle whisli the demos i
had maintained with the brassies. Mr. Burke had
his gloves on, and, as was his custom, was dressed in
• tight-fitting frock-coat. Both his coat and his
wrote 'at were torn, and were covered with blood.
His throat we. cut so that the head WY nearly
severed from tho body. A large piece was cot off one
of his finger', where he hal evidently caught one of
the daggers, which apparently were the only
weep iii. use There was one stab-wound in the lett
ear which was of itself sufficient to hays caused in.
stout death, tie was also stabbed several times
through the heart and bread. Lord F. Cavenliah
hal apparently made • still more violent struggle for
his life. One of his arms, the right arm, warn broken
and lacerated severely. His throat was not cut, but
hews, stabbed in five or six places through the than
and lungs. A large crowd of peo,de rambled within
• few minutes, and the greatest consternation and
horror was visible on evemlaos. His Excellency the
Lord-Lieutenant had ridden by only a short time
before, accompanied by his private secretary and an
aide-deormp, also on horseback. His Excellency was
In the grouods to the south of the Viceregsl Lodge,
and saw • scuffle on the road, which he thought was •
drunken brawl, and not much attention was paid to
the matter.
A young man named Jacob, who was bird-nesting
in the park, saw the occurrence at a distance of two
hundred yards. He states that he saw four men drive
up on an outside car, and after a scuffle drive away into
the tress towards the Hibernian Military School, which
lies to the south of the Viceregal Lodge, and is hid len in
tall trees. He lost sight of the vehicle, and did not
think much of the occurrence. Ile says the men
struck at each other as if playing. There was no
noise or cries. The carman remained on the dickey
while the struggle proceeded. It did not last for more
than two minutes, and then the men jumped upon the
car hurriedly, but coolly, and drove off. It is believed
that the assassins had been watching Mr. Burks
closely, that they were well aware of all his move-
ments, and that they had lain in wait for him. Mr.
Burke hal been frequently advised to have an escort,
both, firmly declined. The men who depose as to
seeing the mimicries get on the oar were taken lute
custody by the police, and they have each given a
written account of what they saw, but at present there
I. no clue to the perpetrators of the fiendish outrage.
A guard of police were put on the blood marks at the
scene of the murder, and they remained on duty until
four o'clock Sunday morning, when an order was sent
from the Carle to have the marks cleared
away, which was done and the constables were
withdrawn This was done to allay excitement.
The news of the murder spread through the city about
ten o'clock. No one believed it at first. The news-
paper offices, which were closel, it being Saturday
night, were besieged, and at midnight special editions
of the papers were published containing an account of
the occurrence, and all might through the newsboys
shouted through the streets and knots of people
assembled under the lamps to read and discuss the
shocking occurrence. The authorities at the Castle
were up all night. The poet-office was crowded by
persons anxious to learn the later news, and persons
telegraphing the facts to their friends. Telegraphic
communications were passing all night between the
authorities In London and Dublin, and there is at
preetet • panic at the city. The report had spread in
• vague form before the theatres and other places of
amusement closed, but the authorities threw doubt on
It to allay the excitetneut. The entertainments were,
however, brought to • premature close. The occur-
mos is by many people believed to be a demonstration
on the pert of the Fenian organisation to intimate that
so far as they at all events are concerned Mr. Parnell
and the leaden of the Land League are powering.
The city is in a ferment.