The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-04-03
SHOT ON THE SCENE or AN EVICTION
Evidences of Desperate Struggle
with His Slayers.
EIGHTY-NINE NOTICES TO QUIT,
Career of the Murdered Man-Hls
Family History.

tbx CABLE TO The HERALD
~ LONDON, April 3, 1878.
Intelligence has been received here that the Earl
OF Leitrim, his clerk and also his driver were oil
shot dead yesterday morning while driving near
his lordship's lodge, Manor Vaughan, county Of
Derry.
AN AGRARIAN CRIME.
In the House of Commons last night Mr.. Lowther,
Chief Secretary for ireland confirmed the report OF
the shooting of the Earl OF Leitrim and said there
reason to suppose that the crime was one OF an
agrarlsn character
on THE SCENE OF AN EVICTION.
Later advices say that tho Earl OF Leitrim was
shot opposite cottage from which he had recently
evicted widow. Eighty nine OF his tenants were
under notice TO quit.
EVIDENCES OF A DESPERATE STRUGGLE.
The Earl or Leitrims body was found In ditch.
The left side OF his head Is battered in. 1t Is
thought he was also shot In the head but the
fatal shot was through the heart. The left arm Is
broken and the right completely shattered. The
driver ana clerk were shot in the head The
ground where the murder was committed showed
traces Of hard struggle. iowling piece and
part OF another gun were found near the spot.
Three or four men were seen lettering In the neigh
borhood before the occurrence OF the murder.
AN UNPOPULAR LANDI ORD CONSTANT STRIFE
WITH HIS TENANTRY--THE FAMILY HISTORY.
The Earl OF Leitrm was well known as landlord
whose ideas Of the rights OF property prompted
him to stretch the powers given him by the law
to the utmost limit, ind who was therefore
extremely unpopular with his tenantry and with
the small farmer class generally. For over
twenty-five years he had been consolidating farms,
evicting tenants and turning his land into
immense grass farms. During that time
he had, perhaps, received. more threatening
letters than any landlord or agent III Ireland and
on more than one occasion he Is supposed 10 have
narrowly escaped with mis- life FROM armed parties
lying In wait for him. lie owned immense tracts
OF land In the counties of Donegal Leitrlm anu
Derry, ~ well small estate In Kildare, and
probably cvicted more tenants In his lifetime than
any man In Ireland. II Is said that, unlike other
Landlords, he was quite impartial in regard to the
| religion Of his. tenants, and hundreds OF sturdy
Presby terrain farmers settled In ONO, Indiana
ana Illinois, well AZ Catholics, were forced TO
give up their homes in Donegal aud emgrate.
WAR WITH Ills TENAHTRY.
The popular press In ireland have Tor years held
him up to public odium az the worst Of the sex
terminating landlords and he frequently figured
IN the low courts as party In aggravated disputes
about land ON more than one occasion, also, ne
appeared at the local "petty sessions In cases
which aroused considerable popular indignation
and gained him great deal Of newspaper notori.
ETY.. Many of his tenantry live on the rocky coast
or the Atlantic, where the soil Is very
poor, and exc out miserable existence, partly
by fishing, partly by gathering kelp on the sea.
shore, which Is sold for manufacturing purposes
The night TO gather this kelp had been exercised
from time immemoral bye the tenanlry, but some
years ago Lord Letrm and few other landlords
claimed the kelp the property OF the landlord.
ana In cases where he found them gathering IL
had them arrested for theft. The irritation caused
by these petty prosecutions very deep and ex-
tended over many parts OF Ireland not imme diafey
affected by the litigation.
THE LEITRIx FAMILY AND ESTATES
william sydney Clements, third Earl OF Leitrim
yiscount Leitrim and Baron Letrim OF Manor
hamilton, In the pcerage OF Ireland, and Baron
| Clements o. Zimmerman, county Donegal. In that
| OF the United Kingdom, was born at Killadoon
county Kildare, where the family have handsome
cottage In 1906. His father had been mild landlord
and very popular man, and great expectations
were formed OF the when. In 1884, he succeeded
TO the title and estates The family seats are at
Tough Rynn Dromod, county Donegal, and Kia-
doom CeIbridge county Kildare. The family settled
In Ireland during the reign ofJamcs l.. when they
obtained large tracts Of coniscatei land and the
Earl who has just been mu rdercd added largely to
| his estates by purchase. lie was unmarried