The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-04-09 00:00:00

Ole John Simeon, SI P.

IRISH OUTRAGES, 1869-1870.

(From the Pail Mall Gazette.)

By command of her Majeety a statement has been
laid before both HOUPI., giving an account cf the out-
rages committed in Ireland during the past year.
Though some of the offence, rec trded in thia paper
hardly fall under the ordinary notion of outrage.,
ettpecially when the scene of the transgreesion is
Ireland, coining, forgery, embezzlement, bigamy,
and perjury are, doubtlese, crime, againet the come
MORWeal ; but they need no exceptional measures
for their repreesion or puniehment. The "return
of outrage., opecially reported to the constabulary
office," so far as measured by their mere number,
in lighter now than during the ten yeare ended with
1863, when the annual average was :1,976. In 1864
a marked dimimitnin i, recorded, the number for
that year being 2 968, in 1865 it was 2.604. and in
1866 the lowest nuniber was reached—namely, 1.964.
But each subsequent year they increased, being
respectively 2021,, 2,548. and 3,153. The laid aud the
heaviest of recent year. being, nevertheless, 823 under
the average of 1854-1863. The graver outrages of 18419
were—murders, 29; cases of manslaughter, 48 ;
firing at the person, 45; are:girths on police, 49; aggra-
vated assault!, 284; ageaults endangering life, 138 ;
cutting. or maiming the person, 42; incendiary fires,
203; nurglary and lumeehreaking, 141 ; highway
robbery. 23; robbery, 128; demand or robbery of
arms, 38; riot, 33; admibistering unlawful oath.,
175; threatening lettere, 666; other modes of intimi-
dation, 123 ; party demonstrations, 12; and injury to
property, 231.

_
Vrry nearly a fourth of the ontrarres in 1869 are
classed as "agrarian ; " of these 99 are ascribed to
Ulster ; 289 to Leinster ; 297 to Cont aught ; and 82 to
Munster. their rapid increase towards the close of
the year is strongly marked. . . .

Agrarian entrages.
Spring quarter of 1809 ........ .... 101
Summer „ „ . ......... ...... 75
Autumn ci
Winter „ „ .......... ...... 540

Total .

The number has been fearfully N./ellen thie year—in
January they amounted to 301, and in February to
303—total, C9l. Thum in live months, commencing
with Ostober last, the agrarian otorages mounted up to
1,231. It may be poor comfort to say that these
crimes were more rife formerly, but the mean number
in the years 1845 and 1846 was 1,612.
Reverting to the number of I fferces—agrarian and
non agrarian—for a series of years, we obtain the fol-
lowing results as to the graveet of all the homicides :
Aggresste Annual
number. average
Seven years ending with 1848
1855 OB5 138
OP • g
1412 .

Hence, during the 28 yearr there were 3,192 cares of
homicide known to the police, or an annual average of
114 case& _ . _

Even in Ireland it is not all darkness; one crime
at least has diminished. It would almost seem that
sheep and cattle stealing was in progress of extinction.
Contrast the present statistics with those given 20
years ago :
Sheep and Sheep and
Cattle stolen. Cattle stolen.
1847............15201 I 1567
1041
1849
The carrying off live stock diminished rapidly after
1843.
_ „ .

Under the category " particulars of homicide, some
curious and mit painful detail is chronicled. We
can otter hut a few cases in illustration. Drunkenness
is a frequent provocative of this crime,
_ _ . . _

Donegal, April 5 Frbl, farmer, died from the
effects of a beating received on the 23 A ult. from lateen Foy,
who, in a drunken quarrel, struck him on the head with a
Writ. No previous nil-will appears to have existed between
the xiartles. Foy was arrested, tried at the summer assizes,
and acquitted.
- - - - •

Kildare, May 15.—James Byrne, a labourer of weak in-
tellect, died in consequence of having drunk an excessive
quantity of whiney given to him, by way of a Joke, by Mn.
Thomas Wilson, Jun., who waatrled at summer amines, and
acquitted.
Wexford, August 11 —litchis, Flynn, labourer, died from
Injury on tine bead. necrived on August 6, when returning
!roan a funeral. The parties, wino were previously on
good terms, bad been drinking. Two men were arrested,
hint discharged, as the evidence wee insufficient to send them
to trial . . .

May 22.—Wi1llam Cuiteilo, farmer, died from locklaw,
cansed by injuries mflttrn him by John Garaghan, with-
out any aalpnable motive, when in a stale of irtoxlcation.
rho assailant wa arrested, tried at summer maize., and sen-
tenced to two years' imprisonment.

Sometimes deadly quarrels arise out of what many
people would consider perfectly ridiculous calms—
thus :
Gatway, w R , Feb. 13 —Martin Kenny, small farmer, died
from the etfucts of a blow received from James Fleming (a
lal)ourtng man), in a casual quarrel about the respective
merits of Galway and Mayo men, each etaocling up for his
own county.

Clare April 27.—Michatu Commit, farmer. died of fracture
of the Anil, caused by bbms inflicted upon him by Thwiy
Connell and James Qululivan, on their return from Ennis
fair. John Connell had a pool of water on his land, and,
wbhing to get rid of it, he cut a small drain, which let the
water Into an adjoining field belonging to Thady Connell.
. . . _

a
Cork, W K, Jan. 4.—Richard flallihsne, landholder, died
from the effects of a blow on the head, inflicted by James
Sweeney, on December 24. 1868 The parties were connected
by marnage, and there had been family disputes about some
pdtatseground. One a the Sweeny. claimed the potatoes
for ground rent, and ilallihane claimed them as marriage
portion.

Peace-making may be a blessed service, bat it is
certainly not a safe one in Ireland. There are several
cases of homicides reported as arising from well-meant
interposition. Here is one :

Oct. 13 —Peter Hunt. farmer, died from the effects of hi-
juries be received when trying to make peace In a drunken
quarrel between parties returning from a funeral the previous
evening. John Hunt, cousin of deceased, was arrested, and
! is balled to stand his trial at Spring Assizes, 1870.
The brutality of the assailant in the next instance is
legs remarkable than the tenacity of life in his victim—
' Tipperary, Nit, June 7.—John Ryan, farmer, was called to
the door of his house at nine o'clock pm. by his step-son,
John Rinke, who presented a revolver at him and fired one
shot through his mouth, aniaahing four of his teeth the
second shot he fired at his step-brother (aged four years',
which did not take effect ; the third he ag.lit fired at Ryan,
which carried away part of his ear; the fourth he fired again
at Ryan, which pierced his hat, anti carried away a large
piece of the ace'''. These wounds did not, however, endanger
the injured man's life.
This and a subsequent cane are not classed in the Irish
return among the homicides.
The long black before us is here and there re.
Revel by something funny or incongruous ; otherwis
it would harolv be Irish. That Peter Finnigan shoul
be committed for trial because he and another pauper
fell int., a cesspool seems rather hard :--

Monahan, Dec. 23 —Owen Corrigan, a peeper Inmate o!
Carrickmn cross workhouse, died on the 23rd of December. oi
acute bronchitis, produced by iminerbion in water on the 15th
of same month, upon which occasion deceased and another
pauper, named Peter Finnigan, had a dispute when cleaning
cot & cesspool, into which both fed. Finnigan WWI committed
for trial by the coroner.

The initlect of the next onkrage hear a name that
might have graced one of Mr. Thackeray's Mdeian
heroes. The ithort narrative opens with becoming
dignity. The scene is in Kerry, on the 25th of March,
when

The Mangillycnrldy of the Reeks, aged nineteen years was
aitting alone in his drawing-room, shortly before midnight,
when he heard • noise as if an Iron implement was grating
In the lock of the hall loot. fie found that it had been un-
locked, lie then went round by the garden and saw two
men standing close to a wall. One of them stepped ,orward
and stories dred two shots from • pistol ; the first hall
passed close M the Macgillycuddy's ear; tho other ball went
tin ough the left breast of his coat. Both men then ran
away. Two pedlars were afterwards arrested, but the
Macgillycuddy could not Identify them. Burglary is be-
lieved to have beau the object of the persons who committed
the outra:.m.

There is a tendency to anticlimax in the last sen-
tence, but we are constrained to present the account in
its native simplicity.