The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-25
KILLED BY HIS wv L A
MURDER USED NY RELIGIOUS
MANIA Nv IRELAND.

One OF The StrnnEeat Grimes In History
The Murdersrs Sturdy, but HnIEsnvnRe
Dwsiicrs IN n Family Hamlet, mud Rated
After the Ancient Patrinrchai Fashion.
In the irish papers received In Yesterdays
mail are accounts Of one Of the n ost remark
able crimes that has ever come tO light. II Is
the killing OF James Cunningham at i.isphclan,
county Roscommon. ireland. about three
weeks ago. Lisphelan Is a family hamlet OF
seven houses In which the Cunninghams, to the
number OF about thirty-nve, live, preserving a
latter day sty.e Of ratriarchal government.
The head Of the family Is Patrick cunningham.
a widower, and II was his eldest son who was
murdered, all the rest OF the family being
implicated In the killing. His death was the
result of a strange mania which took the form
Of superstitious hys.crin-
All tho Cunningham family are of gigantic
height and strength. No puny or understood
child has ever survived It's infancy In I.isphclpn,
and gossip OF the county has 1t that the old
Spartan law in this matter Is followed by the
Cunninghams. The seven families, each u
which has Its own house. have intermariicd to
an extent that has involved relationships IN a
hopeless tanRle. Farming Is the occupation Of
oil except James, the dead man, who was o cob
bier. They are wofully ignorant, speaking u
dialect 80 debased that even the near by peas
antry, whose own language has to an extent
been infected by the bastard tongue Of their
ncighbors, have difficulty often in understand
ing It. Instead Of being voluble and light
hearted, like most Of the county Roscommun
peasants. the Cunninghams are silent. stern,
and mcrosc. They are also deeply religious.
Their great physical strength makes them
feared, and because OF the jealousy with which
they guard their family life from intrusions
they have fallen under the ban Of suspicion
among their neighbors. In LeScarron. the
nearest town, which is twelve miles away. II is
openly said that the BLACK Cunninghams"-
who are not black, but fair, for the most part
maintain unholy alliance with evil spirits.
II appears that the dead man was the az
gressor In the fight that led to his death.
About three weeks ago he developed strange
habits of walking back and forth in the fields
talking to himself and gcsticulating. What
ever the ailment was. it was ansmittc by
nervous contagion undoubtedly. TO the other
member Of the household, Patrick. Jr.. John,
and Michael, his brothers.. and his sister
Bridget. They twitched and jcrked like per-
sons affected with st. Nitus's dance. William
Cunningham, who lived in the next house,
advised sending for a doctor, but tho patri-
arch said:
1T is the bad spirit upon him. Send for the
priest"
So William sent for both priest and doctor.
With the physician James would have moth
inR to do. but the priest succeeded in calming
him. Before leaving he exhorted the family
not to give way to foolish superstitions, but
to attend to their devotions regularly. and
above all to note carefully any increase Of the
affection in James, and let him know of il
immediat ely. AS matters turned out there
was no opportunity to let him know until 1t
was too late. His visit was on Tuesday,
March :. In a few days thereafter James
seemed to be better. lie still walked much
alone, but was rational in conversation and
did not gesticulate and talk 10 himself so
much. On Friday he went into his cobbler's
shop to work as usual. At the call of his
father he came in with the rest for the even
ing prayer, and, kneeling down near the big
fireplace, began to tell his beads. suddenly
he threw his rosary into the fire. sprang at tho
throat OF his father, hrowing him to the
floor. and began to throttle him.
The whole family came 10 the ratriarch's
rescue. dragged the maddened son away, and
thr ust him into an adjoining bedroom. What
then will probably never be known.
as the Cunningh ans are evidently, keeping
dreadful suspicion that the other members Of
the family, acting perhaps under the same
to kill him as a devil. This much Is known.
that he was slain with the instruments brought
from his Gpbhler,s shop at the other end Of the
terrible fight: The dead man was unrecogniza-
pie pie T faes, fund neck sG 's wna sI GS1,e5ed was
stab wounds. in his breast would lave
hands were stabbed through. Eor did lis
'laYers escape. Every one Of the family, when
trraigned for trial. showed some mark OF the
battle a knife wound, II bruised face, or the
mark of teeth.
No sound Of the battle was heard in William
with that silent tierceness that have
made all the Liaphelan people feared for miles
Ill over, terror fell upon the siayers. With
ne accord they burst. from the house. ran to
inees. begged in the name of God TO hc adj
nitted crying out that there were thousand
$iIia% hesitats cd. Tl 'Sl't the i "T FARE T E"ys
Break in the door"
nd entered. Meantime Bridget Cunningham
lad broken and crawleh through a window,
a% frightened S"S By nth the F@ @ois %"' I'VE we ' i"lt Min him
' Where is sey Jame %HEF c SGe'I w III h.m. lyon
ave killed him; Why YOU Killed him fort,,'
hortlly. There is no danger now. Our place
All we're twitching and writhinr continually,
nd from time to time they uttered short cries
s II involuntarlly. William ana his family
Mt up all night, fearing = further murccrous
peaccable enough. Twice during tAc ,
light the patriarch called upon them 10 - ,
own on their knees In thanks Ia tn" Virgin.
yho had spared them and giycl them power To Z
lay the evil spirit which had taken up its :
bOde In James's body. Information was sent
, the police In the morning, and Patrick tun- :
inglani, the elder. with all lis immediate ,
snily was arrested. ~ order Of the y ttrinr,n :
went peaceably 10 the jail, bat AT midnight :
n saturday. exactly the same hour vixen on !
he previous nigh. they had run f., IN the devils ,
nat infested their house, they raised i terri ,
le cry, tore tie bars from the prison door with y
Imost superhuInan strength, ard were only :
when u dozen cunSrahlrS with C,ut9 ;.
ttaCkel them and drove them back. All that -
light they PRAYED aud shrirked, the burden uf "
terror being that devils and imps w"ra Il
fter them. At the inquest held at lisplulri, :,
/" father testified In his harharuUs dale :, -
elpcd out by an interpreter. tnat ms son
lmes had first attacked him and then the
hers 50 ilercelY that they were forced 10 h.ll
IN 10 preserve their own lives.
when he was lead and the lcvil gone from -
I'm" he testified, i heard II voice from the lot Z"
~ out 'LCOk out for yourselves now II was !,
10 Evil One who has been turmCutlHg Ms, lie ..
'me 70 look after his own. We'll for ~ Mat "
q killed the man that was my son, lur the I"
vii had entered into him, Unless we htd al