Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-27
DEATH OF AN IRISH sMUGGLER.
BY JAMES ANTHONY FRoUDE.


-
In S~cri6ner'S for December there is
the following graphic description, by
I Mr.. Froude, of the death of a famous
Irish smuggler Of the eighteenth CEN
Jury:
II was a strange wild place, close to
the sea, amidst rocks and hogs and utter
desolation. Near it stood the wreck Of
a r~ooiess church, and the yet older ruin
of some Danish pirates nest. The
shadOWy form Of the ~brigantine was
/ visible through the gray sheet of falling
rain, at anchor in the harbOr, and from
the rocks in the entrance came the
meaning Of the Atlantic swell. MOrty,
looking for no visitors on such a night,
had neglected to post sentineIs. The
house was surrounded, and the wolf
was trapped. The dogs inside were the
frst to take alarm. A violent barking
was heard, and then suddenly the door
was thrown open MOrty appeared in
This shirt, fred a blunderbuss at the men
who were nearest him and retired. A
volley of small arms followed from the
windows and Sits in the wall. One
soldier was killed and three Others
wounded. The strictest orders had been
given to take Morty, If possible, alive,
alA4 Nlt lAN was n0l az AAhL LtluIueus
The house was evidently full of men;
eighteen of them bOlted, one after the
other, in the hopes Of drawing OFF the
troops into pursuit. Each, however,
was caught aud examined, aud, when
found not to be the man whom the party
came in search Of, was let go. AT last
there were but five left in the house.
MOrty saw his time was come. He did
not choose 10 be taken, and determined
to die Ike a man. He sent QUE his wife |
and child, who were with him, with a
request that their lives might be saved
The officer in command received them
kindly, and gave them such protection
IS he could. MOrty himself refused to
Surrender; ID was determined to set fire
to the thatch, and wild-fire was thrust
under the caves. The straw was soaked
with the wet, and long refused to catch.
At last il blazed up; the flames seized
The dry ~rafters; the roof fell in; and,
amidst the burning ruins, MOTty and
his four remaining companions were
seen standing at bay, blunderbusss in
hand. He was evidently desperate, and
10 save life ID was necessary to shoot
him The soldiers fired; 8lorty fen with
a ball through his heart. Two Of his
comrades fell at his side; the other two
we're taken; the same two, it so hap
pened, who had been Mortyis cOmpan-
ions at the murder Of Puxley. One oil
them, Little John Sullivan he was
called, was perhaps Morty's kinsman:
the name Of the other was Daniel Con-
nell The barony Of Iveragh and Oar
Fynane Abbey, where the Councils, or
O'Connells, Of later celebrity had alrea-
dy established themselves, was but seven
miles distant across the water; and it is
thus possible, and eve probable, that
Daniel Cornell, who bad assisted at
Puxley's murder, and escaped the bullets
at Cleinderry, was a scion Of the same
family which, in the next generation,
produced the Liberator.
The weather making it impossible to
Ofthe ~brigantine, she was sunk,
when daylight came, at her anchorage.
The FIRE was extinguished; the ruins OF
o. were searched; and Morty's
tccount-books he was punctual as Dirk
Hatteraick himself in his money trans
acuonsl, ms bills, notes. and papers
we're found uninjurea Among them
we're ound letters rom many persons Of
Consequence in the country, showing
hat they were accomplices in the assas-
Of the revenue officers. Twenty
Of brandy and some chests of tea
lad been destroyed by the fire.
M0rty's body was carried to Cork.
head mOuldered upon a spike over
he gate Of the south jail. The rest of
him was buried in the Battery. The .
lrisonens can De traced to the Jail: there
3 no mention that either of them were f.
hanged, but Of their further fate the re-
lords are silent.
So ended one Of the last her0eg of Irish
Imagination, on whose character the
historian, who considers that he and I
iuch as he were the natural outgrowth
II the legislation 10 Whichit was thought
wise and Just to submit his country.
vail n0tcOmment uBchantabiy. He had Z
which, had Ireland been aobly
governed, might perhaps have recon-
lied him % It's rulers, and opened for Z
an honorable and mlustri0us career
At worst he might have continued 10
ergewitb hissWord Catholicsovereign.
nd might have carved his way with il
o rank and distinction. He was tempt
. home by the opportunities O fanarchy ,
nd the hopes OF revenge. IN his own .
dventunous way believed war To- the
asst against The men and the system
nder which Ireland was oppressed.
When he fell he fell with a courage =
Which made his crimes forgotten, and
he ghost Of bis name still Eovers about
be wild shores Of the Kenmare river, of :
which he was 80 long the terror and !.
be pride. .