The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-10-29
ANCESTOR,
OF Major Mckinley Fought for
Irish Liberty and Hanged.
HlSiRELAlylvEsFoRCGD ToFLEE
no III. cou, ,try, and the Republican
) Cnndidate ne sctnled FIONA One orThsn,.
4 st.,Thriiilng sni Tragic inel'lert OF Ire
4 iinnd,s Struggle Tor I.ibcriy.

III lFff -.
y y, New York piSss OF October Is: In
ssthe little graveyard OF Derryiteishsn.
Ssilmong the 10 ir hills OF Antrim, on the
A,orthcast coast of IRELAND, istn moss
grown, ivy.wreIithed monument, Long
ago /, was erected there by the hands
or sturdy Presbyterian patriots, who
wished to homer the memory OF one
\ who had passed, from among them,sac-
n r,feed TO She ,cuuSe he and obey loved,
!, isi The booty OF their comrade. few
troubled months beforc, had lanSle,l
from Il galluwy IN the public square IN
\ Coeralne. that comrade WAS William
Mckinley OF NDerv0ck,
!. Mckinley wus Il splendid specimen OF
Irish manhoOi. He had a heart In
which the blood boiled when he thought
( o. the wrongs from which his coun-.
Try suffered ami the Injustice whIc!s
his countrymen were forced 70 endure.
And so. when Tkeobald Wolfe Tone
and Henry Jay NJ ccracken and George
AiunIu and Thorn as Russell called On
the men OF Ircl9md to rescue their
\ inotherland from IL avery he was among
the first to respond.
lie Drilic,l the aIen.
Dervock was n pretty village then,
as now. Not far 10 tks north are the
hrad!ands OF Antrira, and the sough OF
the sea at, 1t ralls ,wer the columns OF
the cansewuy ard into the caves may
be heard IN Its single street when the
night Is silent
In the valley below the town, by the
banks OF the Bush. night after night,
before the outbreak OF '9S, the young
4 farmers or the nrighborhood led by
their captain, learned 10
WELD the pike fright sOldierly," and
. prepared 10 take n part IN the coming
struggle, which they fOrdly hoped
b would bring To Ireland the blessings Nt
4 liberty wht-h th=ir kith and kin had
won for tie new land beyond THE west
ern ocean.
The wished-for day at length arrived.
sand the United lrishmen wern called 10
the .ficld to do battle with Ensland's
Z red.coats.
81 Lost by Accident.
Mckinley and his men went south,
I past Bally1nena, until they to!ncd Nc
cracken's forces They we're with lam
at the hat1le OF Antrim. when victory
for a time blessed the arms OF the pa
tri0ts, and tl>sy were among the last 10
seek safety IN flight. when accident,
Si+wprhing for the British, turned the tide
& to defeat and disaster.
~ Mckinley Ve1turcd back to Drrvock.
believing h!mself safe among his old
:, aclghbors. who would be sure 10 battle
the hunting parties Of yeonans:y. Il
was fatal step. The price FOR a rebel
x was tempting.
At Derv0ck lived family named
I Smith. The fSmEhS were not III the best
; OF odor In the community. and We're
y known to have been engaged in shady
Z transactions. No man would think for
4 n moment OF taking one of these
Z Smiths into the United men; ants the
head Of tie house. Chestnut Smith. al
says made profession of his loyalty TO
the crown.
a Long Search.
McKinley's hiding place was kept a
close secret. ard, except 70 the most
trusted. it was given out that he had
Z, escaped TO America.
The ysomea frequently searched the
houses In Dervock and all round It. and
every nook In which they thought
man could be concealed. but they had
2 this trouble for nothing.
Four weeks passed. and Mckinley's
house was 4 blaCkened ruin, and his
family had 10 depend on neIshbors for
shelter.
The visits Of the red coated maraud-
" ers 20 Dcrvock had grown less frequent
and Mckinley and his friends began to
ahink he could come out OF hiding and
5 make an effort TO get out OF the cOun-
a. try.
They were reckoning. however, with
out Chestnut Smith. Before they could
put their plans In cXecutSon,SmIth I.ap-
ipcncd 10 call In the house in which Nc
Tinley was concealed, and an indiscre-
zion on the part Of one of the inmates
aroused his suspicion.
ysSl Not many minutes later he was on
Z his way to Coieralne. with word for the
capture OF the "Yeos." That afternoon
a strong force OF soldiers took posses
sion OF Dcrvock and Mckinley was
1 captured.
;;The red-coats set fire TO the house in
which he was concealed and he was
obliged to surrender. In those days In
Ireland there was little delay or cere-
mony about the trial Oc'a patriot.
q MckinieyAwas marched 10 ColeraInc.
where before shutdown he was tried by
drumhead court-mar;lal and sentenced
To he hanged.
That night he was swung OF cart.
y and when the soldiers tired OF jabbing
his body with their bayone;s, his head
was cut Off and fixed on 4 spike at the
Town Fall.
vs. Uncles In America.
Two Of McKinlcy's uncles, James and
4 William. had come TO this country sew
4 eral years before. having been driven
from their homes for their opposition to
English mlsrulc, and from one Of them
has descended the William Mckinley
who to-day seeks the highest honor
within the gift Of the people,
The descendants OF the Informer
Smith live at Dervock even now. A
i few years ago one OF his family, also a
Chestnut Smith, acted as secretary Of
the Unionist party in Belfast at the
time or The visits OF Chamberlain and
the Marquis Of Harrington, now the
~ duke OF DcvOnshirc. to that city. Then
he distinguished himself by engaging
In, daring scheme TO dctraud irs,Ir-
z ancc companies. When the frauds we're
discovered lra cndcavored to escape but
was arrested on board ship nj Mo-
Vile.
He reached the tender ut Derry CITY.
hut dceminG delays dangerous, hired
mr. outside car and drove thirteen miles
% !he packet station. There he had
himself rowcd TO the chip But hIy
hastc proved Ills ruin. The detective az
Hlovillc. who happened 10 he on board,
became suspicious. and took him ashore
under arrest
nnrt'a 4 ~, u.I,,,,