The Irish standard., 1893-05-27

ing him guilty Of "Whiteboyjsm, rebel
lion and treason" and offered $500 re-
ward for his capture. The agricultural
leborers of Munster and Upper Leinster
who were at this time banded together
as "Whiteboys,' combined, not as rebels
against the government, but to resist the
aggression of their landlords, who had
commenced to enclose for their own use
the Common" lands Of those provinces,
from which many poor families had de-
rived a good)y portion Of their support.
The confederation had fixed it's strong
hold among the parishioners of Father
Sheehy, several of whom were arrested
and brought to trial. Their priest trav-
ersed the country in disguise, and COL
lected money wherewith he paid counsel
for their defense. The chief witness
against them was an informer named
Bridge, who swore away many of their
lives. In 1865, this fellow suddenly dis
appeared. and the authorities alleged
that the Whiteboys had murdered him.
On the appearance of the proclamation
against Father Sheehy, he wrote to the
Secretary of State, declaring he was not
guilty of the offences imputed to him
therein, and offered to surrender himself,
on nditionF that he be not tried by a
jury of Tipperary landlords. To this
stipulation the Secretary agreed. The
priest hastened to Dublin and gave him.
self up to the Castle authorities. He
was soon brought to trial. The witnesses
against him were man named Tuohey,
convict in Clonmel Gaol, for horse
stealing, and prostitute named Mary
Butler, {or "Moll Dunlea,' as she was
better known,) undergoing term of i'm
prisonment in the same institute, both of
whom so palpably contradicted them
selves that the priest was acquitted. Be-
fore he left the court, however, he was
again arrested on charge of having
murdered Bridge, the informer. He was
placed on horseback, with his hands
piuioned and his legs tied under the
hcree's belly, and taken by military
escort to Clonmel, the county town Of
Tipperary, for trial. Tuohey, who had
been prisoner in the county gaol for
more than q month prior to the supposed
murder OF Bridge, and the same infamous
woman, were again produced as witnesses
against him; and Notwithstanding that
several unexceptionable witnesses ewore
that Bridge was not murdered at all, but
had privately left the country, the jury
found verdict of guilty. and he was
condemned to death. The body of Bridge
was never found, though search was
made for it at a ceetain spot where Tuo-
hey swore it was buried. DR.. Curry, the
historian of "The Civil Wars of Ireland y
asserts that Bridge was seen, by q native
of Clogheen, in Newfoundland, a few
years afterwards. Father Sheehy was
sentenced to be hanged, drawn, beheaded
and quartered. His head was stuck upon
spear over the porch of Clonmel gaol,
where it remained for twenty years. His
sister, having at length got permission to
take it down, inferred it in his tomb at
Shandrsghan.
With Father Sheehy was condemned
and executed Edward Meehan, q respect
able farmer of the same district, who, it
was shown, even by the testimony of the
grand jurors, was man of the very best
character, who could not, possibly have
been impicated in the supposed murder
of Bridge. But the landlord party were
then ravening for blood, and to be ao-
cused before the tribunal in which their
influence was supreme was to be con-
demned. This was shown in the fact
that third unfortunate, whose name,
even the Crown witnesses did not know,
was arraigned on the same periured tes-
timony, and no particular offence being
attributable to him, he was found guilty
ION general principles" -of Whiteboy-
ism. and was hanged at the same time as
Father Sheehy and Edward Meehan.
The incident is forcible illustration of
the ferocity with which the Cromwellian
landlord element in Tipperary, at that
time, persecuted all who opposed their
arbitrary rule
tits matter, not,only of tradition, but
| Of record In Munster, that the Judge by
whom Father Sheehy was condemned,
and most Of the jurymen who convicted
him, met with sudden and unnatural
deaths. One OF them, named Ferris, be-
came lunatic, and died mad. Another
named Tuthill cut his throat. One named
IShaw was choked BY 9 morsel of food.
One named Minchin, from being q
wealthy man, fell into destitution, and
died Of want, in ditch by the roadside.
Another was killed by q fall from his
horse, and another waa found dead in q
Ewater closet. His most inveterate perse-
cutor was a magistrate named Maude,
Who turned insane. and died frantic.
loudly repeating the name "Sheehy. Z
The periirrd witnesses also died miser
ably. The history Of the troublous times
in which 1t was his lot to figure contains
the. name of no man whose memory is
mere highly venerated BY the Irish peas
antry than that of the mart Fsther
lNicholas Sheehy. =.ss.# .,ss.