Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-07-14

ment, Is home again. The regiment
discharged.
-
The Dnngannon Murder.
Words would fail to give an adequat
idea Of the feelings of horror expressed
by the crowd of people gathered in an
about Dungannon on Friday and Satur.
day last, when it became known tina
horrible murder had been committed
The almost unheard-of concomitants o
the crime, and the mystery surrounde,
for a short time, had excited the homes
yeomen of the neighborhood to a fearful
pitch. And well they might, We wer,
told on the spot by men who first saw
the mangled body, and the blotches o
fresh gore, that the sight was indescriba
bly, horrible. Poor McCurdy lay doubled
sp in q corner of the fence, to which be
seemed to have b n dragged from (
few yards off, entirely nude, with the ex
ception of his pants and the wristbands
of red flannel shirt, and the body from
the hips up to the head and face hat
been hayed with the butt ends of heavy
rods until there was hardly a finger.
breadth that was not cut piece hat
been bitten or kicked out of one elbow
there were some five or six wounds in
the head, and it is not surprising that
some Of the witnesses had trouble in iden.
tifying the body. When McCurdy left
Blacks tavern on the fatal morning he
had on n white linen coat, white shirt
and under that red flannel shirt. These
covered with blood were found after sun
rise scattered along the road, and had
evidently been torn or cut from his back
with the rods. The rods used were cut
from a beech tree, and were four 10
number, varying in size from the thick
ness Of ones little finger to at least 3 4
IF an inch. They were we should say,
between four and five feet long, and from
he bits broken off the small ends appear
% have been twined around the murders
,r's hands in order to give more effect to
lis blows. They were nearly used up
md were found near the body.
AD inquest was opened before DR..
IcDougall, on Friday afternoon. After
ONE evidence had been taken, Wooley
made the following
CONFESSION.
William Wooley, being duly sworn,
aid: l am farmer by trade, / do not
ecolIect leaving the McDonogh brothers
t the door of Blacks tavern on the
morning of the 22nd inst. but, l will not
ispute their words. l do not recolect
tarting for home, or who was with me,
Tut after going piece, l remember first
ate that McCurdy was with me. | tried
o get him home but be wanted to turn
,ack. He kept falling, and sometimes |
ell with him. | had kitten in my arms
ii this time. At last he refused positive
y to 90 home, and l honestly acknowl-I
dge that if the man was killed, it was by
ne. l recolleet getting them switches
nd striking him with them, as we'll as of
licking him. Oh, if any one had told
1e Oh, what a man will do when under
he influence ofliquor and passion Poor
IcCurdy | am telling this voluntarily.
never told such lies in my life as | have
bout this affair, and never struck man
efore but once. / think / struck Nc
Jurdy with a piece of board thinking the
witches not heavy enough, but it broke
nd threw it away. | left him living,
nd never thought of killing him. l had
0 spite against him. Had it only &C.
urred in self-defence / would not have
AIRED. | have known him for about two
ears, and have never met him before to
~ knowledge. There was no hard feel
lg between US. l had been drinking
nat day, which was the cause of it ALL
.ecolect getting the switches first rate
knew that / was striking the man TO
lake him get up and 90 home with me
ut, so help me God, didn't think | was
Hing the man. Bat God help me 1t
as near daylight when l got home. !
ow remember that poor McCurdy, when
e first came out of the tavern, staggered
I'd fell on his face. bad drink at both
lacks and Swift's tavern, and | honest.
state that / would have sooner died
yself than have killed McCurdy if |
i'd been sober.
Although there were some fifty or sixty
,rsons in the room when the above
atement was made, perfect silence was S
,served, strong men turning their pale
ces towards each other as the awful
ctal went on.
The two McDonoghs, who had been '
lder arrest on suspicion of completely t
the murder, were now discharged from
stody. G
William Wooley is stout man, wears o
bushy head of hair and whiskers, and Il
forty-one years of age. His general a
'pearance is anything but murderous, r.
ID it is almost unaccountabe that man \
bis apparent intelligence should be led S
to the commission of such an atrocious c
ime. He has been married twice and e.
IS now a family of six children. When ii
moved to goal, his parting with fa- Z
rite daughter of fourteen 10y his first is
fey was a most painful scene to wit. ii
IS. The poor girl followed the carriage ST
some distance, wringing her hands in a:
ony of distress. Wooley has lived in Ii
2 neighborhood for about ten years. v
Taken ALTOGETHER this will be consid. NJ
I'd the most cold.blooded, and dreadful 81
TRACE perpetrated in Canada since the a
famed Mahon murder, which it would fo
pear to surpass in some PARTICULARS T
e confession of the real murderer, Ii
viewer, and his incarceration, will be