The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-05 00:00:00

TIIE MURDER OF MR. CALLAGHAN.

The terrible fate which has befallen this unfortu-
nate gentleman caused a deep sensation in Dublin,
where he was long known as a practising solicitor in
the office of the late Mr. Pierce Mahouy, who was
for many years regarded as the head of the second
branch of the legal profession. From all the letters
which have come from the scene of the murder it
would appear that, in the exercise of the rights of
property, Mr. Callaghan frequently exceeded the
legitimate limits ; and there is no doubt that some
recent evictions of his tenants, including a Roman
Catholic clergyman (the landlord himself being a
Roman Catholic), engendered the conspiracy which
resulted in the sanguinary tragedy of Friday night.
One of the accounts which reached yesterday men-
tions that. Mr. Callaghan formerly acted as receiver'
on the property of Whitegate, near Woodford,
which then belonged to a gentleman named Mar-
tin, but the estate was subsequently brought into
the Encumbered Court, and there sold to Mr. Cal.
laghai3, who found it necessary to reduce the.

"We have just received an account of the lamentable
end of the above-named gentleman, who, it is mull to be
feared, fell a.victim .to the private revenge of some un-
' fortunate outcast evicted from a property which recently
came into his hapds. It is said that about IS' months
ago Mr. Callaghan came into p issessien of this pro-
perty, and that immediately after he crminenced 1. ro-
c aidirgs for the removal of every' occupant on it.
Several ejectments were successfully- carritel out, and,
ivas seer correctly or not, rumour attributes his death to
the irritation of some .of the at etches who were left
houseless and homeless in a hearties world. The ac•
counts received in town
.yesterday state that Mr. Cal-
laglian.was assailed on the high toad near Portumna,
and so seriously injured by stones flung at him that
death almost immediately ensued. The horrid outrage
occurred on his own lands, Ballinruanea near Marb'e-
bill, the residence, of Sir T. Burke, M.P. and has
caused the deepest excitement in the neigheuurhood. '
The following details are from a' correspondent :
" It is my painful duty to announce to you the per.
petration, in this hitherto peaceful district, of thehorrid
'crime of murder, under circumstances that reeve little
doubt but that the victim' fell before the wild justic& of
• revenge. Mr. Callaghan, of your city, was the unhappy
victim, and the shocking outrage is said to have taken
place between the hours of 11 •arid 12 o'clock nn the
night of Friday last, in the immediate vicinity of a cot-
tage occupied by the steward (a Scotehrnan) wise was
employed by Mr. CallaghesP take care of 'be estate of
Balliztruine. ,This cottage is a newly-huirt_seructnre;
and Mr. Callaghan had apartments in it fitted up for his
own occasional accommodation when visiting his estate.
A report, setting forth the details of the said occurrence,
was forwarded to the Constabulary-office, Dublin Castle,
on Saturday night last. It is stated that the body of the
unhappy gentleman was found lying near the high road,
stretched in-a pool of hie own blood, And bearing marks
of most brutal violence. The skull of the murdered
gentleman was absolutely' beaten into the earth, appa-
rently with stones, numbers of which of various sizes,
and stained with blood, lay on the ground near the body.
It appears that some time sines Mr. Callaghan became
the purchaser of the estate of Ballinruane by a decree of
sale under the Court of Bankruptcy. On coming into
possession Mr, Callaghan caused ejectments to be served
on the tenants in occupation of holdings on the estate,
and evictions took place in numerous instances. Many
of the tenants quietly surrendered 'their holdings, and
among • the rest a Catholic clergyman residing in the
neighbourhood. Others, however, of the occupiers were
supposed to entertain bitter feelings at the mode of ma-
nagement adopted. Mr. Callaghan projected improve-
meats' in the clearance way on a large scale on the
lands, and made application to the constabulary autho-
rities in Dublin for permission to erect a police barrack'
on the estate at his own expense. This permission
would seem to . have been accorded, as a barrack was
erected and occupied by a party of constabulary.. The
foundations of a mansion were also laid, and the build-
ing was in progress.. Last week a process was sued out
against Mr. Callaghan by one of the tenants, an appeal
was lodged, and the unfortunate gentleman's business
in the country on this occasion was to sustain that ap-
peal. He resided, as we have said, in the cottage of his
steward. It is stated that several angry and threaten.
ing letters had been received by Mr. Callaghan from
time to time, and that in one of those missives he was
warned'not to show his face on the estate, or he should
not • leave it 'alive. The only' notice he took of those
threttt: was to establish a police barrack in the vicinity.
On Friday evening last he went out from the steward's
cottage, saying be would not be long absent ; but as the
night advanced, the steward and his family,• not finding.
Mr. Callaghan returning, went to meet him, and at
about 11. o'elock found his lifeless body near the high
road, at about 150 yards from the cottage, lyit g in a pool
of blood. The body, was removed to the cottage to await
the Coroner's inquest. Mr. Callaghan has repeatedly
been advised by friends not to proceed in the course be
bad marked out for himself, but it is said that on more
than one occasion he replied by pointing to a revolver,
and speaking of it as his protector.'"
A correspondent, of another morning paper (the
Express) writes as follows, under date of Loughrea,
Sunday night f.--
" I have this morning obtained more accurate details
of the dreadful affair with which I made you acquainted
in the correspondence of last night. It turns out that
Mr. Callaghan, who some time ago purchased an estate
situated at Whitegate, in the Encumbered Estates Court,
went to Galway on Friday morning to appeal against
one or more processes served upon him by certain of the
tenant'. He returned to Whitegate in the ,evening, and, ,
as was his wont, proceeded to the house of- his agent,
with whom he was staying. Wishing to have some milk
for his supper, and there being none on the premises, he
went out fur the ourease of directing a female attendant
to a cottage hard by where it might be procured. He
nroceeded about 50 yaids, and then they separated:
When the woman returned with the milk; after a brier
interval, to her great consternation, she found Mr
Callaghan stretched upon the ground, weltering in his
own blond. She then discovered that immediately on
parting from her, he bad been pounced upon by some
personQ concealed in ambush, who sought. his destruc
tion. The alarm was gives], and the Wbitegateconeta
hulary were soon on the spot. A. pistol (loaded) was
found on deceased. It would appear that he had endea
voured to drag it from his pocket, but in vain. I may
inform yon, on good authority, that in consequence of
one or more evictions, to which Mr. Callaghan had
most reluctantly been driven, threatening notices had
previously reached him. I further learn that he had
been the subject of altar denunciations iu various parts
of the country. It is said that a family connen'i in exists
between one of the evicted and the anthers of these fast•
mentioned proceedings."