The Van Buren press., 1872-12-10
Death Of en- Irish Smuggler.
BY JAMES ANTHONY FRoUDB.

1t wss a strange wild place, close to
: the sea, amidst rocks and begs and utter
desolation. Near it stood ths wreck Of
a rooiless church, and the vet older ruin
Of some Danish pirate nest The shad-
ewy form o. .ae brigantine was visible
through ihc. gray sheet OF the falling
rsin, at anchor in the harbor, and from
the rocks in The entrance came the moan
ing OF the Atlantic swell Morty, look
ing for no visitors on such night had
: neg elected to post ssntinols. The house
! was surrounded, and tho wolf was trap
ped. The dogs Inside were the first to
take alarm. A violent barking was
, heard, and then the door was thrown
open. Mor.y appeared in his shirt, fred
a blunderbuss at the men who were near
est him and retired. A foley OF small
arms followed from the windows and
Sits in the wall One soldier was killed
and three others wounded The strict
est orders had been given 10 take Morty,
if possible, alive, and tbs fire Was not at
first returned. The house WAS evidently
full Of men; eighteen Of them bolied, one
after the other, in the hopes Of drawing
ever, was caught and examined, AMI,
when found not to be the man whom the
party came in search Of was let go. At
I last there were but ive left in the house,
! Morty saw his time was come. He did
dot choose to be taken, and determined
| to die like man. He sent ont his wife
and child, who were with him, with re
quest that their lives might be saved.
| The officer in command received them
kindly, and gave them such protection
as he could. Morty himself refused to
surrender; it 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 it blazed up; the flames seized
the dry raftcrs; the roof fell in; and.
amidst the burning ruins Morty and his
four remaining companions were seen
standing at bay. blundsrbusscs in hand
He WAS evidently desperate, and to save
life it was necessary to shoot him. The
soldiers fired; Moriy fell with ball
through his heart Two Of his comrades
fell at his side; the other two were taken
the same two it so happened, who bad
been Morty's companions at the murder
Of Puxlcy, One of them, Little John
Sullivan h0 was called, was perhaps Nor
tvs kinsman; tho name Of the other was
Daniel Csnncll. The barony Of Iveragh
and Darrynane Abbey, where the Con
nells, or O'Connelis, Of later celebrity
had already established themselves, WAS
bat seven miles distant across the water
and it Is thus possible, and even pro5a.
BILE, that Danial Conncll, who had assist
ed at Puxlcy's murder and escaped the
balc s at Cleinderry, was a scion OF the
same family which, in the next genera.
tion, produced the Libera'or.
Tho weather making it impossible to
carry Clf the hrisantine, she was sank,
when daylight came, at her anchorage
The ire was extinguished tbs ruins Of
the house were searched; and Morty's
account book he was punctual rs Dirk
Ilattersiek himself in his money transac
tioAs, his bills, notes and papers were
found uninjured Among them were
| found letters from many persons Of con
sequence in the country, showing that
they were accomplicss in the assassina.
ton OF the revenue officers. Twenty an
ksrs of brandy aad some chests Of tea
had baen destroyed by the fire.
Mor;y's body was carried to Cork
His head mouldcred upon spike over
the gate OF the south Jail The rest OF
him was buried in the Battery. The
prisoners can be traced to tho jail there
is no mention that either Of tham were
hanged, but OF their future fate the rec
ords are silent.
So ended one Of the last heroes OF
Irish imagination, on whose character
the historian, who considers that he and
such as he were the natural outgrowth Of
the legislation to which it was thought
wise and just to submit his country, will
not comment unchsritably, He had
qualities which, had Ireland been nobly
governed, might perhaps havs rcconcil.
ed him to its rulers and opened for him
an honorable and illustrious career. Al
worst he might have continued 10 serve
with his sword Catholic sovereign. and
might have carved bis way with it to
rank and distraction lie was temple
home by the opportunities of anarchy
and the hopes Of revenge. In his own
adventurous way he levied war 10 the
last against the men and the system un-
der which ireland was oppressed When
he fell he fell with ceurage which made
his crimes forgotten, and the ghost Of
his namo still hovers about tho viii
shores of the kemmare river, of whic
he wss so long the terror and the pride
/ TuE MpANTsT MAN IN NEW loaK -