Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1859-07-28
Dying Innocent in the Penitantia7r

In the year 1853, three brothers bv the
name of Shea, patrick, John and nan.
MIS-, living in the county Of DONEGAL Tro.
land, having heard of a land of libor+v
where the down trodden and opnreesed
of all nations are received and Welcomed
tore themselves away from their aoed
parents, the scenes of their childhood
and the land of their birth, with the in
%tention of making enough money to bring
their loved parents to the country of their
adoption. Two Of them were men. but
Dennis, the hope and pride of his aged
parents, was but a boy of seventeen
years, full of youthful ardor. After re-
ceiving the blessing of their parents,
they crossed the ocean and landed in
New York. They shortly started to find
employment. The eldest stopped in New
Jersey, the next in Pennsylvania, and
Dennis anne to Ohio with an acquain.
lance.
Not long s.after he arrived, on one of
their holidays, two or three citizens were
passing along the road and found Dennis
Shea, with a dying man, at a spring
Dennis carried him there, and was en-
gagged in washing his face and cooling
the temples Of his dying countryman.g
Those who found him in this position
charged him with murder, arrested him,
and conveyed him to Athens. and logged
him in Jail. The man died without be-
ing able to communicate any Of the facts
of the case, and the story of poor Dennis
was not believed. He was tried at the
March term Of the Court in that county.
in 1854, found guilty of murder in the
second degree, and sentenced to the Ohio
Penitentiary for life. He arrived there
on the 18th of April following, at that
time but Is years Of age. Immediately
after his confinement be began to dwin
die away, and he told the narrator of
these facts that he could not survive a
year, and wished his brothers to be kept
ignorant of his misfortune and disgrace.
In the month Of September following,
he took his bed, and sent a message to
our informant. He wished for a Priest ;
said he would not die without making
his peace with God.
Father Meather was sent for and in
the presence of the Warden, Mr.. Wilson
and our informant, he told his simple
story. The dying boy was shriyed by
the Priest Of his religion-said that he
would die in peace, and in few moments
all was over.
He stated on his death bed, land it is
substantiated by Lot L. Smith, ESQ.,, a
lawyer of Athens, and formerly Private
Secretary to Gov. MedilD, that there ex
listed an old feud between what they call
the Fardowns and Corkonians-that a
few of them had met near the spring on
that day, in the absence of Dennis, and
had a fight, when they left this man for
dead and made good their escape.
Dennis came along a short time after
ward, and found him. dragged him to the
spring, and like the Good Smaritian,"
was trying to restore consciousness to the
dying man, when he was caught in the
charitable act his story discredited
hurried through the form Of a trial
without money and without friends, and
sentenced at the youthful age of eighteen,
to drag out a miserable existence within
the gloomy walls Of the Ohio Peniten-
tiary-and innocent went too. Who
wonders that he sickened-that he died ?