The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-11 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL FOR MURDER.

William Burke Kirwan, described as an artist, was
indicted before Judges Crampton and Greene at the
Dublin commission for the murder of his wife, on the
6th September last.
Mr. Smyly, in opening the case, stated that the pri-
soner was an artist—that he had been married to his
late
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purely circumstantial. It would appear that the accused
during the whole period that he was marl ied had lived
with a woman named Maria Kenny, by whom he had
eight. children. It was a remarkable fact that Mrs.
Kirwan did not know of his connection with Kenny, nor
did she know that he was a married man until about six
months before the murder was committed. On the 6th
of September, Kirwan and his wife proceeded in a boat
from the main land at Howth to the little island of
" Ireland's Eye ;" another family named Brew were
also on the, island that day, and offered Mrs. Kirwan
a seat in their ,boat at four o'clock in the evening,
but she said the boat was to return for them at
eight o'clock. There was a Mr. Hamilton on the
island that day also ; but it would be shown that after
four o'clock there was no one on the island but Mr. and
Mrs. Kirwan, and it would be proved by a man named
Hugh Campbell, that, leaning on 'the Howth harbour
wall, at about seven o'clock, he heard cries on the
island. Cries were heard by other persons also, includ-
ing a person named Alice Abernethy, who was standing
at the ladies' bathing place. Catherine Flood and Julia
Burrell also heard cries. A boat returning from fishing
passed near the island, and a man named Larkin, whol
was steering, would depose to having heard cries at the
same hour as that stated by the other witnesses. The
boat that was to convey Mr. and Mrs. Kirwan back to
Howth went over to the island at eight o'clock. The
jury knew that the island lay directly opposite Howth
harbour—due north, the nearest portion of the island
being the Broad Patch ; standing to-the -*ea of that
were two strands—one being in the immediate vicinity
of a martello tower. At the back of the Broad Patch
was a place called "The Long Hole," which was nearly
dry when the tide was out, the mouth being filled up with
small rocks, but in the inside was a quantity of water.
All the cries were heard coming from the direction of
"The Long Hole ;" and there was, he believed, no doubt
that the cries could be heard from thence across to
Howth. In the boat, when it went over at eight
o'clock, were four men—Michael and Thomas Nangle,
Styles, and Kavanagh. When Mr. Kirwan came to the
shore, he sent one of the men for his carpet-bag ; they
asked him, "Where Mrs. Kirwan was ?" He replied
that she had left him at half-past six to bathe, and that
she had not returned ; that he had been searching for
her for the previous hour, near the tower, that being,
the jury would observe, the west part of the island,
whilst " The Long Hole" was at the extreme east.
Some of the men and Mr. Kirwan went to search, and
as Patrick Naugle and Mr. Kirwan approached the hole,
Mr. Kirwan slipped and fell, which delayed the search
somewhat. Just at that time Nangle saw something
white in the hole. Full tide at the Dublin bar was at
half-past three o'clock that day, and there was low water
at half-past nine or ten, when the body was found. The
body was found in a corner on a small rock, about a
foot high, the rock being then quite dry. The feet'
were in a small pool of water. Mrs. Kirwan was in her
bathing dress and bathing boots, but she had no bathing
cap. She was lying on her back, her dress drawn up under
her arms, and under her was found a bathing sheet.
Her body was still warm. Nangle at once covered the
body. When Mr. Kirwan came up, he threw himself
on the body and cried, " Oh, Maria, Maria." He then
sent for her clothes, but the men could not find them.
He then went himself—remained away some time, came
back, and said, "Go up the rock and you will find
them." They did ; but they would swear that they
found them in a place where they had searched before,
and in which they they then were not. It would be
found that there were scratches on the face, blood
coming from both ears, and from another part of the
body. The body was taken to the house of a Mrs.
Campbell, at Howth, where Mr. and Mrs. Kirwan
lodged. The persons who washed the body saw the
appearances alluded to. On the 7th an inquest was
held, Mr. Kirwan being the principal witness. Ame
(heal student was also examined, as were also the
boatmen. At high water, on the 6th of September,
the depth of water above the rock where Mrs. Kirwan
was found was eight feet ; at half-past six o'clock
—the time Mr. Kirwan said his wife went to bathe—
there were two feet six inches there ; and at the time
the cries were heard there was below one foot nine
inches ; and at eight o'clock, when the boat left the har-
bour, the water was three inches above the rock ; and at
half-past nine it was two feet below it. The corpse was
interred at Glasnevin in very damp whether, and a
month after burial elapsed before there was a post-mortent
examination. However, the jury would hear medical
testimony on this point. It was almost impossible that
death was the consequence of suicide ; and Mrs. Kirwan
was an excellent swimmer. There was no rising tide to
wash her in where she was found. The neck of the bath-
ing dress was untied. There was no injury in that way.
The arms were stiffened, and it was not likely that they
could have been used in bringing about death. Then,
would accident have removed the cap from her head,
raised the clothes, or inflicted the description of injuries
which the body bore ?
The evidence occupied two days, and, at the close
of the trial, the jury retired to their room, and shortly
before twelve o'clock returned, when the foreman handed
down a verdict of Guilty, being visibly affected in so
doing.
The announcement was received by the crowd with a
murmur seeming to denote satisfaction, mingled with
commiseration ; whilst the prisoner, who, two minutes
previously, was talking carelessly to one of the prison,
officials, suddenly became overwhelmed, as it were, and
wore the aspect of one paralysed.
Judge CRAMPTON passed sentence of death on Mr.
Kirwan for the murder of his wife. The learned judge
held out no hopes of mercy, and stated that the verdict
had the full concurrence of of himself and Baron Greene.
The prisoner made a long address to the Court, strongly
protesting his innocence.

RAILWAY RETURNS.

TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR THE PAST WEEK.