Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-07-10
FATAL SUPERSTITION.
An Irishman Convicted of Burning His w ife
to Death, Believing Her to be Witch.

by Cable to the Herald
DUBLIN, July 5, 95-Michael
Cleary, living near the town of Clonmel,
was convicted to day of manslaughter
in having burned his wife, Bridget
Cleary, to death last March.
Cleary believed his wife was bewitch
ed. and upon the advice of Denis Ganey,
the fairy DOCTOR and in the presence
of her father and a number of other rel
atives, held her over fire and after
wards stripped her and poured paraf-
fine over her body and set fire to it,.
The woman was burned to death, with
out the slightest effort on the part of
the spectators to extinguish the flames
which were consuming her.
Cleary claimed that it was not his
wife. but a witch, that was burned.
Cleary was sentenced to twenty
years Imprisonment. His accomplices
were also convicted. Patrick Kennedy
was condemned to five and John Dunno
to three years imprisonment; William
and James Kennedy to eighteen
months each and Patrick Boland and
Michael Kennedy to six months each.
ONE OF THE MOST ATRocIous CRIMES IN THE AN
NAILS OF SUPERSTITION.
The evidence given at the preliminary
magisterial inquiry showed the murder
of Bridget Cleary to have been one of
those terrible crimes which in former
days were frequently perpetuated I'M
Ger the influence of strong supersti-
tious feeling, but which are generally
considered wholly inconsistent with
modern ideas. One of the principal
witnesses was William Simpson, who
said he saw Patrick Boland, Mrs.
Cleary's father, in the kitchen. and q
number of men holding Mrs. Cleary in
bed in the front room.
John Dunno was holding her by the
head, Patrick Kennedy by the arm on
the right side, James Kennedy was on
holding her by the legs. She appeared
to be in pain. Mrs. Cleary's husband
asked his wife, Are you Bridget b.
land, wife of Michael Cleary, in the
name of the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost - She replied, Yes, | am"
That was all the witness could hear.
The questions were repeated several
| times. The witness Michael Cleary af-
terward giving his wife some liquid in
a spoon out of the saucepan. He was
also forcing herbs into her mouth. She
resisted by keeping her mouth closed.
The liquid was forced in, Besides this
water was thrown on her. This was
called for by Michael Cieary, and fetch
ed by Mary Kennedy from an adjoin-
/ ing room. The father and husband
were both asking her questions in the
meantime, to which she made some re-
plies which the witness could not hear,
as she spoke low,
| TORTURED BY FIRE.
When the questions were put to Mrs.
Cleary and she did not answer some one
| said, Make a good fire and we'll make
her answer" She was carried from the
| room by John Dunno, Patrick, james
| and William Kennedy. They held her
| for a couple of seconds in front of the
kitchen fire, and her husband and heI
father asked her some questions, which
we've repeated more than three times
but she made no answer. Then the
men who were holding her laid hen
over the fire. She was put sideways
| onto the CRATE and her hip rested on it
The body was bent and forced in. She
gave evidence of being in pain, but did
not scream. She was beid on the fire
and over the fire about ten minutes.
When she was on the fire her father
asked her, Are you the daughter OF
Patrick Roland, wife of Michael Clearyi
Answer in the name of Cod She an
swered, Il ain, dada" Her husband
asked her q similar question, and she
said, Eyes, / am" They we're then
satisfied that she was not a witch, and
| the same men removed her from the
| fire.
A day or so later the witness heard
that Mrs. Clea2y was missing The
crime had, in fact, been completed
! The unhappy woman was stripped OF
! her clothing, drenched with paraf1ine
and burned to death in the presence OF
her relatives. Cleary and other men
present took away the remains, dug q
hole in the ground and buried them
Cieary pressing the body down into the
grave with bis foot. The police were
informed by Father Ryan, priest, who
suspected from what one of the me1
said to him that there had been fou
play.