The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-11-13
0urran Oonfesses.
lie KILLED PAT MARTIN TWENTY-FIVE
YEARS AGO.

Patrick Curran has been in Jail at
Williamsport, for setting fire to the
woods in Gamble To oxnship, Lycom.
ing county. Curran was stricken with
paralysis and since then at times he
has been out of his mind. During bis
fits of raving he would cry, Take
him away. Why did | kill him :
That is my secret. will tell you all
some day" Sheriff ,Sprague visited
Curran and told him If he had any
thing to confess he had better do it, be-
cause he only had short time to live.
Curran said that he wanted to make
his statement TO barrister. The Sher-
iff told him that there was TO need Of
a lawyer, and that he would take his
statement and it would be all right,
Curran commenced to talk to Sheriff
Sprague, but before he had spoken five
minutes his tongue had become swoll-
en- and it was impossible for him to
proceed. The Sheriff left the cell, but
before he went away he told Curran
that if he felt better in his absence he
could makehis statement to one of the at
tendants Late last Thursday night Cur
called one of his nurses to him and
said: 81 tell better now and | will
now make my confession The nurse
procured paper and ink and after he
lad propped Curran up in the bed pro-
ceeded to write the confession which
is substantially as follows
| was born in small hamlet near
the city of Cork 81 years ago. In my
youth | received fair education, my
parents being engaged in the industry
of cotton bleaching. Upon my faith
er's death spent what money was left
me in gambling and drinking, and got
into any number of scrapes but was
not arrested. | joined the Fenians
and was leader of number of men
during the insurrection which was
started by William Smith O'Brien.
My boon companion was young man
by the name of Pat Martin and my
acquaintanceship with him was my
ruination. Martin and | got into a
scrape, and that together with our con-
nection with the Young Ireland party
compelled us to flee the country. We
left Cork in disguise and came to
America. After knocking about New
York for sometime we came to Penn
sylvania and procured employment in
the coal mines. We joined the Mollie
Maguires and were leaders in all of
their conclaves. firing of this as
there was not money enough in it for
us, we left the coal regions and tramp
ed to Howard, in Centre County,
where we heard there was band of
counterfeiters. We had learned the
art OF counterfeiting in the old country
and determined to join this band and
grow wealthy. AT Howard GOODNESS
sprang up between Martin and me on
account of girl whom we were both
paying attention to- We had buried
our money in an old barn ON the out
skirts of the town and one night in the
early part of 1868 we went there to
divide the spoils. Martin was very
ugly and We quarreled. He hit me
and then we came TO blows. He
threatened to blow on me and for my
own protection drew my knife from
my pocket and killed him. Feeling
that my crime would be discovered, l
dug a hole in the corner of the barn
and buried the body l covered the
spot with bundle of rye straw and
set it on fire. AS soon as the barn was
blaze made my escape and come to
Williamsport and have never seen the
the place where l committed the crime
since. This is my secret have kept
for the last % years, and l feel as if l
can't die until | confess.
Curran killed Martin by cutting his
throat. He is decrepit with old age,
his hair is gray and bis face is covered
with shraggy beard His body is
swollen with paralysis and he can
hardly move He chews tobacco con-
stantly and cries out for rum. His
yells and oaths are horifying, especial
ly when the delirium comes on and he
imagines that his victim, Martin, is
glaring at him from the corner of his
cell. The physician gays that Curran
is liable to die at any moment.