The Opelousas courier., 1886-03-13
UNQUALIFIED CRIME.
The Adsage that sMurder Win
Out" Again Confirmed.
Questions Rasedby the Discovery of Ter.
rible Triple TragedyAn ireland.

minated IN Cork, Ireland, adds contir-
nation to the old adage that murder
will out" William Sheehan was convict
ed of the murder of Catherine, Hannah,
and Thomas Sheeham, his mother, sister.
and brother. The crime was committed
in October, 1877, tGt was not discovered
till the summer of 1884. At that time a
farmer named BrHterick discovered at
the bottom Of a we'll seventy-two feet
deep the bodies of the three Sheehans.
They were fully Unidentified by their old
%neighbors by their clothing and articles
IN their pockets. The skull of each was
broken, clearly showing that they were
not drowned, but had been thrown into
the well after they were murdered. 1t
was known throughout the neighborhood
that the four Sheehans were living on "a
farm belonging to a widow, a near rela-
tive, during the fall of 1877. On a GER
tain day there was no one living in the
house but William, who stated that the
remainder of the family had left for
America, which was to be their future
home. Their friends thought it strange
that they should leave without saying
anything about the matter, and the Won
der was increased when neither thew nor
certain relatives living at some distance
from the farm received any letters from
them. William affirmed that they left in
the manner they did because they object
eel to his marrying a Miss Browne, the
daughter of a neighboring farmer. The
night after the alleged departure of the
three Sheehans for America William gave
a musical party at the house, which Miss
Browne and her brother attended. In a
few days William married the girl, and
continued to live on the farm till July,
1888, when he was evicted for non-pay-
ment of rent. He then left with his wife
for Australia.
After the finding of the three bodies in
the well, John Daune, who with his wife
and son were working for the Sheeaans
during the month of October, 1877, was
arrested on suspicion, and being thor
oughly frightened, related the story of
the murder. He stated that he and his
family lived in a cottage on the farm, and
that on the morning of the disappearance
he saw William Sheehan, accompanied
by David Browne, brother of the future
Mrs. Sheehan, strike Thomas Sheehan to
the ground with a blunt instrument, 10
cally called a "grifaun," after which the
two men entered the house and killed the
women in the same manner The three
bodies were then taken to the barn and
the door locked. David Duane, son of
John, confessed that on the night of the
musical party he was attracted to the
house by the music and a desire to have a
good time, that he quietly seated himself
beneath a window, where he could see
and hear without being observed. He
remained in his place till the party broke
up and the visitors went away. Not
wishing to be discovered then for fear of
being reproved, he still sat quietly. Soon
he saw William Sheehan, David Browne,
and a man he did not know go to the
barn, open the door. take out three bod
les. drag them to the well on the next
farm, and throw them in.
The officials being in possession of this
evidence traced William Sheehan to
Auckland, New Zealand, where he was
arrested and brought to Cork for trial.
On his passage home he told many con-
ficting stories about the disappearance of
his relatives. Lis father-in-laW attempt
ed suicide as soon as he heard of his ar
rest. Sheehan was convicted chiefly on
the testimony OF the two Duanes, but
there was much cireulnstancial evidence
to c%orroborate their testimony.
This remarkable case serves to raise
some interesting questions. A numerous
family drank for six years the water fur
nishcd by well that contained the bodies
of three human beings. It's tastes and
smell finally became so offensive that they
were obliged to clean out the web or to
fill it up. How many wells in this coun-
try that have been abandoned and filled
up on account of the condition of the
water they furnished contained hu-
man bodies2 The three persons whose
bodies were found in this well suddenly
disappeared, and it was reported that
theyshad gone tt q distant country. How
many persons that suddenly and mystcr-
iously disappear without any apparent
cause, and from whom no tidfngs ever
come, are murdered? Unless a body
is found under circumstances that serve
to make it probable that q murder was
committed, no ono is accused of commit
ting o crime, and in the majority of cases
one is suspected. Still, if a murder is
deliberately planned it is a very easy mat
ter to dispose of q body. A week rarely
passes that someone of considerable prom
inence does not mysteriously disappear !;
from this city. Hundreds of obscure
persons disappear in the course of a year, !
whose absence is never noticed even by
persons who lived near them. In a large
city there is a vast population who have
regular abidinr-pIace. MANY of them