Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-22
THE EMURDEisERS.
4 Dark Deed in n Benz shtcd Hill
Town.

Five of the 10 savage men who murdered
the Joyce family last August in the wrecEed
hamlet of Maamrasn1, county Galway
Ireland, will be hanged to-day Their COM
panions in the crime, who were to have died
with them, conf sscd their guilt and their
sentence has been commuted to Imprisonment
for life. The ghastly deed Of which these
men are convicted appears to have been mo-
tveess slaughter OF unotfcndiDg men, wo-
men and children.
a score of poor mud huts in deep valley
near the desolate shores of Lough Mask, in
habted by less than persons, is Malmtras-
ma. Few persons who lived beyond the
rugged hills which separated 1t rom lreland's
more fruitful regions LA ever heard of the
hamlet until the alrCciOus murders of last
Summer made it notorious. lis inhabitants
spoke no English and saw no English money,
living usually to a great age in the manner OF
Ireland's primitive people, marrying and inter-
marrying and largely obltcratlns family lines.
There are few persons in Maamtrasna who
do not bear the name either of Joyce or Casey
and us the hamlet's Christian names Gt was
Christian only In nance are in no great varie-
ty, the Johns and Patrcks and Michacls are
distinguished from each other by the addition
Of words which mark some peculiar personal
characteristic or place Of residence, or by the
repetition of the name. 1t was John Joyce
John who, with his mother, wife, daughter
and eldest SON. was found lying dead from
blows and bullet wounds in his cabin. The
hamlet was alarmed, and all save ten of its
men hurried to the scene. A man named
Anthony Joyce tod of following ten men 10
the house OF the murdered family late the
nigh. before, and as ho knew them all by
name they were arrested, taken to Dublin,
and separately tried. All were Cuseys or
Joyces except one Anthony philb!n none
save the latter could speak anything but
Irish, and the testimony was given through
an Interpreter of the lrish tongue.
The brief story was gone over with each Of
the six first witnesses, one of whom turned
Queens'evidcuce, and the remaining four, TAX.
the stand together, confessed their guilt. 1t
came out in the course of the testimony that
there were 12 murdercrs and that the two who
escaped were named kee aud Kelley, both
strangers to the prisoners who confessed.
Anthony Joyce, vino with his brother track
ed the band on its brutal march, saw them en-
ter the hut, heard the fatal blows and shots
and tie shrieking of the children, and then ran
away in fear of losing his own life The men
who swing to day have constantly asserted
their innocence and willingness to die, but they
are bound in chain ofevidence which cannot
be broken. The sole survivor of the John
Joyce family, blue-eycd boy of eight,
whom the murdrrers dangerously wounded
and left for dead, might have revealed some
important facts If he had been allowed to
testify. However, it is q theory of the law.
yris that the murders were committed ut the
command Of secret organization which
John Joyce John had in some way offended.
The five men whose sentences have been
commutcd unite IN saying that Patrick
Joyce of Shanvallycahill, the first of those
who were sentenced to death, is innocent,
and they have retitioncd for his pardon.