The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-11-23
MURDERS.
TX Joyce Found Guilty and
Sentenced to be Hanged.

Joyce family at cong, returned YER
diet in the Court here this morning of
guilty. Judge Barry sentenced the pris-
Oner to be hanged on Dec. 10, prOximO.
A fres h jury was impanneled for the trial
of the remaining prisoners charged
with the murders, and the case of Pat
rick Casey was proceeded WITH He Is
accused of numbering Bridget Joyce.
THE STORY OF THE MURDERS.
When MIR. Justice Barry opened the
Special Commission TO try this case, he
said: 1t has been called murder; 1t
would more Justly be described as
massacre" The locality in which the
crime was committed, on the night of
August 18th last, lies in the widest and
lODeliest district of the most remote re-
giOns of the Joyce country, CODnemara,
and is almost inaccessible, owing to the
mountain Businesses and miles of lake
around which it is situated From Cong
it is over twelve miles distant, and from
Maam il is nearly an equal dl' tance,
these being the two villages nearest the
scene of the murders. Within view are
the waters of LOugh Mask, beneath
whose surface were last January found
the bodies of Joseph and John Huddy.
the two baiiiffs who were captured by a
band living in ambush and tied together
ID. whether first killed remains unknown
placed in sack and flung into the
Tough. Here also Mr.. George Robinson,
agent of Col. Clements UOTd Leitrim's
heir), was fired at but escaped assassin
alton, and not ten miles distant lies the
ground where Lord MOuntmOrres was
shot dead, and the place where the boy
GibbOn was assissinated. The cabin
lies IL hollow at the foot of a noun
tain, and is surrounded by high noun
tain ranges, the situation being very
lonely and almost inaccessible. The
land here forms portion of the estate
of Col. Clements, whose tenantry In the
Joyce country, numbering some three or
four hundred, have, with one or two tri-
fling exceptions, not paid single far
thing of rent during the last three
years. John Joyce was one of these ten
ants. He was man of about fOTty-tive
years of age, and some time ago held
farm from the murdered Earl of Leltrim
in district in the Joyce country, called
Derry Park, but had been evicted. In
1877, then being a WidOwer with four
children, he married the poor woman
who shared his tragic fate. She was
widow, ani at the time of the wedding
was in possession Of the farm at Mann
tra,sna. Since then he had lived peace
ably upon the farm, his mother. MargH-
ret Joyce, S5 years of age, his daughter,
Margaret Joyce, Is years of age, ana ms
sons, Michael Joyce, 16, and Patrick
Joyce, II years of age, residing III the
same house with himself and his wife
Bridget. His eldest son, Martin, youth
of about 20 years, lived a ClOnburg, be-
ing a servant in the employment of Mr..
George Hare, farmer, and to this cir
cumstance he owes his escape from be-
ing one Of the victims of the bloody and
terrible tragedy.
AN~T, III I'M
1t appears that the Joyce family re-
tired to bed at their usual hour. John
Joyce and his wife sleeping on a miser-
able little bed composed of rags and
straw, and placed in a slight recess in
the wall, few feet from the door, on
the left hand side as the cabin is enter
ed. The rest of the family slept in one
bed, a Wretched couch in the inner
apartment, the old woman and one of
her grandsons lying with their heads to
wards the little window, and Margaret
and her other brother lying in the con
tTary direction. All was quiet for the
first few hours, till about l o'clock in
the morning. when, as Michael related
with his dying breath he heard Shots
The door was taken off its hinges, and
a number of armed assassins poured
into the cabin. The father was shot on
the floor, having sprung out of bed; the
wife was bludgeOned to death, and then
the inner rOOm was entered. The feeble
old grandmother was attacked, and her
skull was crushed by rain of blows
which left bone, blood and brain one
red mass Of pulp. Michael was shot in
the head and stomach; his sister was
struck on the head by blow which left
her corpse; and Patrick, the youngest
child, was badly beaten over the head
and face with a stick. Michael, wound
ed fatally, and his bowels pTOtruding
through a bullet rent in the stomach,
cTawled out of the bed in which lay the
cOrpses of his grandmother and his sis
ter. He found his father lying dead on
the floor and his stepmOther dying in
bed. Terrified and faint, afraid to re-
turn to that horrible bed, reeking with
gore and CHASTITY with its dead, that he
had left in the inner room, trembling
with dread to remain by the naked
corpse of his father, feeling the pangs
OF death himself, he crept in by the side
of his fathers wife. She lay gTOaning,
but hOugh her head and face had been
beaten into a bloody mass, she did not
die till some time subsequently.
Hours passed slowly before assistance
cane. At length the son of a npighbOT-
ing farmer named Collins, accompanied
by two women named O'BTien, who were
coming to the cabin to borrow pair of
cards for wooden spinning, arrived at
the door. aud Collins entered. Alarmed
at what he saw, he did not advance fur
ther, out raj 1ed the alarm In the village
which lies i'll a scattered, struggling form
along the valley and mountain sides.
The villagers soon collected and body
of them entered the cabin. There they
beheld a spectacle which beggarS de-
scriptlOn. At half past 8 o'clock eleven
men went to the police hut at Finney, a
distance Of nearly two miles across the
mountains, and told what they had seen
and heard. Two cOnstabulaTy men re-
turned with them and visited the cabin,
when they beheld sight of the most
terrible character. Two dogs were in
the bed where the bodies of the grand
mother and granddaughter were lying,
and they had eaten all the flesh off the
left arm of the old woman, which was
hanging over the bedside. The police
endeaVOred to drive away the animals,
which were sort of sheep dog, but had
the greatest difficulty in doing so. The
dogs ran under the bed, evidently reluc-
tant to leave their horrible feast of hu-
man flesh. When at last they were driv-
en- away, they are said to have become
mad, and were destroyed by the inhabi-
tants Of the place.
APRFSTS AND TRIAL