Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-08-01
Death OF an Innocent Wan Ia the Pcni.

Z
Death OF an Innocent Wan In the Pcui-
tcntinry.
In the year 1883 three brothers by the name
OF Shea, Patrick, John aud Dennis, living in the
county of Donegal, Ireland, having heard of II
land OF liberty, where the down.truddon aud
oppressed OF all nations are received and wei.
coined, tore themselves away from their aged
parents the scenes Of their childhood and the
land oftheir birth, with the intention of making
enough money to bring their loved parents To
the country OF their intended adoption, Two
of them were men, but Dennis, the hope and
pride of his agel parents, was but a boy OF
seventeen years, full of youthful ardor After
7 cevng the blessing of their parents they eros.
ssd the ocean and IaLdcd in New York, They
shortly started TO find employment The eldest
stopped in New Jersey, the next found place
in Pennsylvania, end Dennis came to Ohio with
acquaintances, and found his way to one of our
public works, near Athens, where there were q
number OF his COuntrymen employed.
Not long after he arrived, on one of their hOl
days, two or three citizens were passing along
the road and found Dennis Shea with dying
man at a spring. Dennis had carried him there,
and was engaged in washing his face and cool.
ing the temple OF his dying oountryman, Those
who found him in this position charged him
with murder arrested him and conveyed him to
Athens and lodged him in Jail The man, died
without being able to communicate any of the
facts Of the case, and tie tory of poor Dennis
was not believed. He was tried at The March
term of the court in that county, 1851 found
guilty OF murder in the second degree, and SEN
fenced to the Ohio Penitentiary for lilc lie
arrived there on the llth of April following, at
that time but eighteen years Of age, Imme-
diately after his confinement he began TO dwin-
die away, and he told the narrator of these facts
that he could not survive year, and wished
his brothers to be kept igorant Of his mislor.
tune and disgrace
In the month Of September folowinghe tool,
his bed, and sent message to our informant.
! He wished fora priest said he could not die
without making his peace with God
Father Meaher was sent for, aud in the pres.
cnee of the Warden, Mr. Wilson, aud our infor
mant, he told his simplO story. Tho dying
boy was arrived by the priest OF his religion
said that he would now die in peace, and in a
few moments all was over.
lie stated on his death.bed, (and il is sub.
stantiated by Lot J. Smith, lawyer of Athens,
and formerly Private Secretary to Governor Me
dill,) that there existed an old feud between what
they call the Fardowns and Corkonian-that
a few of them had met near the spring on that
day in tho absence of Dennis, and had fight
whom they left this man for dead and made
good their escape
Dennis clmo along a short time afterwards
and found him, dragged him to tho spring, and,
like the "Good Samaritan" was trying TO res.
toro consciousness TO the dying man, when he
was caught in the charitable act--his story dis
credited-hunied through the form of a trial
without money and without friends, and sen
fenced, at the youthful age of eighteen to drag
out miserable existence within The gloomy
walls Of the Ohio peniteutiary- and innocent,
diedl
At the request Of the dying boy our nior.
mant wrote 10 his parents informing them of
the untimey end Of their child Columbus
journal.