The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-04-26
BURNING A WITCH.
CLONEEN, IRELAND, THE SCENE OF
AN AWFUL TRAGEDY.

Mrs. Cleary Said to BE Northumberland
on to Answer Thrice In the Name OF
God--Failing. She Was Set ON Fire by
Her Husband.
A story of cruelty and superstition,
eliminating in the murder of a woman
by her relatives, who thought her be-
witohed, comes from Ireland through
the London Daily News. The young
woman's name was Bridget Cleary, and
che lived with her husband at Cloneen,
near Clonmel, County Tipperary.
Ten persons were arrested, nine Of
whom were charged jointly and several
ly with committing the murder. These
were Michael Cleary. the husband; Pat
rick Boland, her father; Patrick Ken
nedy, James Kennedy, Michael Ken
nedy and William Kennedy, cousins;
Mary Kennedy, an aunt; John Dunno
and William Ahearne, neighbors.
Dennis Clancy, an herb doctor, was
charged with being an accessory before
the fact. William Simpson and Johanna
Burke, both of whom lived near the
Clearys, were the principal witnesses.
Their testimony was substantially the
same, and this is the story they told:
Mrs. Cleary had been i'll for some
time, and ON the night of March IA
Mrs. Burke went to see her. She met
Simpson and his wife outside. The door
was locked. and Mrs. Burke told Simp-
son that Michael Cleary had said they
were giving Mrs. Cleary some herbs
which they got from a man over the
mountain.
Voices could be heard inside, saying
''Take it, you witchp' and "Take it,
you old fagot, or we will kill you'll
When they finally gained admittance,
they saw Dunno and three of the Ken
nedys holding Mrs. Cleary down on the
bed by her hands and feet. Her husband
was standing by the bed with some de-
coction in spoon. He called for vile
liquid which was poured over the wom-
ans body. A man at each side of the
bed kept the body swinging about. The
woman screamed horribly. Then she
was forced to take the decoction out of
tho spoon, and Cleary asked:
''Are you Bridget Boland, the wife
of Michael Cleary? Answer in the name
of Godp'
She answered, 81 am Bridget b.
land, in the name of GodP'
'Come home, Bridget Boland!" they
all cried, and then Simpson understood
that they thought her body had been
taken possession of by witch.
After the woman had answered the
T1L
"Hold her over the fire, and she will
answer then.
She was taken from the bed and car
ried to the kitchen, where she was
placed in u sitting position over the fire.
Simpson noticed some red marks ON her
body and was told that they had used
redhot poker on her to make her take
the medicine.
AS she was held over the fire she was
compelled to make answer several times,
II am Bridget Boland, daughter of Pat
Boland, in the name of Godp" Then,
grooming and screaming, she was carried
back to bed.
The night after this occurrence Mrs
Burke went to sit up with Mrs. Cleary.
Mrs. Burke made some tea and offered
cup to Mrs. Cleary, but before she
could take it her husband jumped up,
and taking three bits of bread and jam
said his wife should eat them before
she should have a sup. He asked her
three times, "Are you Bridget Cleary,
my wife, in the name of God?" Twice
she answered and ate two pieces of
bread. The third time she did not an
swer.
Cleary forced the bread into her
mouth, saying, "If you don't take it
down, you will CO." He flung her on
the ground, and putting his knee ON her