The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-05-24
AN AGRARLAN MURDER.
Tho Intended victim Escapes, but bis Driver
II Instantly Killed.

Mr.. Bridges, the intsnded victim in
the case to which we refer, says the
London Times, is the land agent for
some property near MitchelstoWn, q
place on The border between Limerick
and Cork, and not far from Tipperary.
He had some time ago made himself IN
popular among a certain class OF the
tenantry by attempting to raise rents, by
serving evictons, and worst OF all, by
taking lease on his own account OF
piece of land from which another man
had been e7icted. It was about eighteen
months ago chat he WAS first shot at, but
he was only slightly wounded, and being
q man Of great courage, kept his ground,
in every sense Of the word, atterward,
and even under the provisions OF the
Peace Preservation act, recovered COM
pensation for the outrage. That he has
been aware for some time OF the danger
to which he has been since exposed, may
be gathered from the fact that he has
not only gone about constantly armed,
but has also been attended III general BY
q body guard of four armed police. He
had, indeed, good prinaG Jacie reason
for being cautious. His late assailant
was at large, and was known to be some
where in the neighborhood, but owing
to some misunderstanding between the
constables Of the three border counties,
in any of which he might be found, he
had not been apprehended by any OF
them AS Mr.. Bridges was riding home
from Mitchelstown, where he had been
collecting rents, the next important at
tempt on his life was made, and made
under circumstances 30 peculiar as to
deserve special remark, even In Ireland.
MIR. Bridges whole party, including the
driver of the car, was five in number;
two were police, and at least four carried
firearms. They were on the queens
highway. It was still broad daylight;
but the part Of the road which they
were passing was lined on both sides by
hedges thick enough to shut out view
Of anything beyond them, and the road
itself, too, Just at this place dipped
slightly. Suddenly there came the re-
port Of q gun from behind one OF the
hedges. The charge, which was prob
ably intended for Mr.. Bridges himself,
struck his driver and killed him.
The confused scene which followed is
described in somewhat different ways by
those who took part in it. The firing
went on. Shots came in quick Success
sion from both sides of the road, and
Mr.. Bridges was wounded in the head
severely, if not fatally. One OF the two
constables who were with MIR. Bridges
now sprung over the ledge from which
the first shot had come, and, finding q
man behind it with blunderbuss in his
hand, seized bin and handcufted him.
His companion, less active or less enter
prising, failed to make his way over the
hedge on the other side, but, seeing two
men behind it, fred at them, and re-
ceiyed their fire in return. The men ran
off, but the constable followed, and dis
covered them sheltering themselves be-
hind haystack, and again exchanged
shots with them, but to- no purpose. On
his return to his own party he found
that no further attack had been made
upon them. The casualties which had
already occurred were, however, not
slight. One of the five had been killed
outright; another had been badly
wounded, and, of the three remaining,
one only had escaped altogether unhurt.
An Inquest on the unfortunate car
driver was held. The police were in no
doubt as to the side Of the road from
which the shot that killed him had
come, and they were equally certain that
no one else was discovered there except
the man whom they had handcuffed and
secured, and in whose possession .
blunderbuss, recently discharged, had
been found. The jury, however, were
unable to agree upon q verdict. There
had been good deal Of wind the day in
question on the highroad between
Mitchelstown and Cork, and there had
been a good deal of smoke, too, from
the repeated discharges of firearms. 1t
was difficult, under such perplexing CIR
cumstances, to arrive at the exact truth.
The Jury, in the words Of one Of their
own number, did not wish to saddle on
any one man the crime about which they
we're inquiring, and they limited them
selves, accordingly, to the very safe as.
sertion that the death had been caused
by gunshot wound. r.'.