The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-11 00:00:00

THE CONVICT KIRWAN.

The Dublin Express publishes a statement, com-
piled from the depositions already sworn in the new
charge against the convict Kirwan. The police are
still making active inquiries into the particulars of
the crime, or rather series of crimes, with which
Kirwan stands accused, but it is understood that fur-
ther legal steps are still necessary before the entire
of the facts can be brought before the public. The
present charge is one of a conspiracy to murder, and
the following statement from the Express discloses
some very singular passages in the career of the con-
vict :
The new informations have been taken in the case of
Mrs. Downes Bayer against William Burke Kirwan and
others, for conspiring to rob and murder William Downes
Bayer, a miniature painter.
It appears that in the commencement of the year 1636
Mr. William Downes Boyer resided with his wife in the
house No. 4, Middle Mountjoy-street, and that up to that
period, having been married for upwards of 20 years, they
lived on terms of the most perfect mutual affection. Mr.
Boyer was a miniature painter, and had a collection of va-
luable pictures and other works of art. He became ac-
quainted with Kirwan in the month of May, 1836, and fre-
quently invited him to his house ; and at this period Kir-
wan resided in Parnell-place, and also occupied two top
' rooms in the house of Mr. Walsh, the dyer, in South King-
street, where he carried on the profession of anatomical
draughtsman, but was principally occupied in colouring the
Ordnance survey maps for the Dublin government agents.
About October, 1836, be induced Mr. B iyer to pay • visit
to his house, and his father and himself, together with two
sisters, one of whom has since died, it is alleged entered into
a conspiracy to destroy the life of the old artist, who was
then upwards of 60 years of age and to get possession of
his preperty, which was considerable. When Mr. Boyer
had been about three weeks residing with Kirwan (who
during this period endeavoured, with too much success, by
every means to alienate him from his wife, by concocting
unjust and unfounded accusations against her), the latter
persuaded the old man to consent to hand all his property,
including his bank book, containing receipts for lodgments
to the amount of 2,5001., over to him; and these were
transferred to Kirwan's house in Parnell-place, from
whence they were subsequently removed to Fleet-street,
and from thence to D'Olier-street. The manner in which
the pictures, furniture, aad other property were removed
from Mouatjoy-strcet, where Mr. Boyer's wife resided, is
net the least remarkable feature in the cue. Kirwan and
seven or tight of his companions proceeded, between the
hours of one and two o'clock in the morning, to the resi-
dence of Mrs. Boyer, to which they gained admission on
the plea that they had been sent by her husband ; the lady
and her servant girl were locked up by them in one of
the apartments, bud Cie house was completely (camel of
every article arsine. For this burglarious offence Kirwan
was prosecutol and trial before the recorder, and was ac•
quitted on a technical point of law. At this time Kirwan
had in his employment several young men, some of whom
he took out of the Royal Dublin Society's Schools, and en-
gaged at mere tzitling salaries to colour maps; and it is
well known that, when unable or unwilling to liquidate
'he lawful demands that:these assistants made against hint
for payment, he used to plead his poverty, and state that
he wished to act honourably. hut that his means did not
permit tum. Li the year 1837 fresh pruceee.hars were
threatened by the friends of Mrs. Boyer, which, however,
were compromised, a deed of separation execute], and an
annui,y settled up in hoe, which has been regularly paid by
Mr. \ incent, the solicitor; but from this petits', and in
fact fur several months antecedent to it, Mrs. Boyer had never
been able to we her husband, or to hear where lie was
residinr. The amcuht yearly received by the lady was 401.
In the same year k 1837) Kirwan seduced a female con-
needed with a highly respectable family, a Miss Jones, and
after living with her for some short period, be abandoned
her, and left her in a very destitute condition in Holyhead.
On Kirwan's return to Dublin, Mr. Joao, a brother to the

female in question, waind on him, and demanded an en-
I Planation of his conduct, with which demand Kirw.,n re-
fused to comply, neither would h. consent to u L+stile
meeting. Mr. Jones, lindine that he could obudii sinister-
lion iu no other manner, had a large bundler of placards
printed and posted thruugh Dublin, in which he gave •
contlemed sketch of Kirwait'a life, and denounced hail u a
coward, a poltroon, and a hypocrite, and made use of other
language of a violent nature. K imployed several
parties, his father end sisters amongst the number, to
tear down these utteusive publications, thiuking by
this simple moans destroy the esidence of his termer
conduct. Mr. Joins, however, was not contentiil with
tints publishing as accuuut of his wrongs, bat watched
Kirwan, and severely horsewhipped him. Fur this offence
Kirwan prosecuted his assailant to conviction' but suet' was
the impreaston on the court that it considered tie law wan
fully satisfied by the verdict, and wet, ly sentetetil the de-
fendant to be imprisoned until the riang of Cie court. flit
u well to remark th it the window were adjourned he fore
half-an-hour hail expired.

About thin time M.a. Boyer made frequent applications
at Kirwan's residence for information about her husband,
but was told on each occasion by t'!e convict that he did
not know where DJ, r was residing. lit the commence-
. ment of Mitt she be came more solteiteue about h:at, and
insisted upo., ascertaining where he was living, ter if I:-: had
left the country, and she was charged for annoyance by
Kirwan's lather ; but when the cast canse Utter: the
magistrate., and the peculiar nature of the trans.:ill=
was exolained, the enarge was dismissed. This o,•eutred on
' several' occasions, and the cars were heard ty different
1 magistrates; but when they 'viten i'neol that the anuoy•
ante arose from the natural fact of a wile making inquiries
concerning her husband, the complaints were ilitnisse d.
In the year l&ill Mts. Boyer obtained an intervie w with
the Rev. Mr. Nixon, anal that gentleman called upon Kir-
wan, out he reftco dto give way e sphinatioe, ..nd denied
that Mr. Boyer had ever resided wilts hint, and a'... linow-
' ledge of him, although, previous t ) that date, so d ever
since, the annuity has lievu regularly paid to M's. Buyer,
by Mr. Vincent, who has never yet asserted that Mr. D.
Boyer was dead.
During this year (Lilt), Kirwan's sister (wL', has ow.
died) appeared much confused when asked shout Mr.
Boyer, and stated, after some searching question', kod been
put to her, that she had never seen him or known any •
thing about him. When further questioned, however, she
said she remembered Mr. Boyer, her father, and he r bro-
ther, leaving the house on one evening together, taut the
convict and her father returned alone, and that she had
never seen Mr. Boyer since. The girl, however, lias -ins
died, but it is believed that her sister, who in If .:'y cogni-
sant of all the partitu',drt of this extraordinary es. , A still
living in Dublin, nod it is to be presumed .!:, wiii be
brought forward.
In this brief sketch of the life, from 1537, of the convict,

no allusion has been made to his connexion end warri..gi
with the unfortunate lady whose remains were touhd on
Ireland's Eye, or the still more unfortunate but criminal
connexion between the wretched uv.n and Misr Kenny, as
the particulars of these eases were Lai:), entered intu et the
recent trial at Green-street. We mis mertion that the
houses in Parnell-place, Fleet-street, and D'Olier-street
have been carefully examined by the officers of the 0
division ; and it is generally believed that the kitchens and
garden of the former place will he dug up on this day, as a
strong su•nicion prevails that Boyer has met with an [in-
firmly end, and that his remakes are buried in su•ue portion
of the premises.
An appeal having, in point of fact, been made to
public opinion from the verdict of the jury and sen-
tence of the court in the Ireland's Eye tragedy, the
jury who tried the case have adopted the very un-
usual course of appearing to answer the charge
against themselves before the Lew tribunal. A
lengthy statement from the foreman and ten others
of the jury appears this morning in Sattuders's News
Letter, in which they not only endeavour to defend
their verdict against Kirwan of " guiity of wilful
murder," but make fierce onslaughts upon all those
who have proclaimed their dissent from that verdict,
and roundly proclaim their disbelief of all the evi-
dence gleaned since the " trial" for the purpose of
showing that the death of the unfortunate iady may
have arisen from causes over which her hasband had
no control.