The Sun. — 1845-11-04 (London, England)

MORE III:00D IN TIPPERARY. The North Riding papers of yesterday being the horrifying intelligence of the aseaseination, in open day, of Mr. Patrick Clarke, a gentleman of extensive property, and late of the firm of Clarke and Vincent, solicitors and land-agents, of Iklerrion- square in this city. The particulars are thus given in the Nenagh Guardian : "One of the most daring and. cold-blooded murders committed in this county since the double slaughter at Finnoe it now becomes our sad and painful duty to record in the murder of the above-named gentleman. As we were preparing for press (Friday afternoon) Nenagh was thrown into a slate of alarm by Mr. Clarke's servant galloping furiously into town, with the sad intelligence that his master hadbeen shot dead. We instantly proceeded to South-bill, about a mile and a half from Nenagh, and there beheld a scene harrowing to the feelings of all, except to such demons as are ever ready to imbrue their hands in blood. It appears that Mr. Clarke was riding round his own demesne, and had been visiting masons and other men who were at work for him, and when on his return to the house, about 2 o'clock, two men approached him behind a ditch, and shot him through the head, the ball and slugs entering the very centre of the forehead, scattering his brains in all directions. One of the women servants was in front of the house, and saw the riderless horse at the gate, when, search being made, the lifeless body of the lamented gentleman was discovered in a pool of blood. Mr. Clarke, who was about 55 years of age, was highly esteemed by all who knew him as a kind, affable, and courteous man, giving extensive employment, and making improvements under his own personal inspection. He was brother of Mr. Charles Clarke, justice of the peace, Holy-cross, andMr.Robert Clarke, and was partner and father-in-law of Mr. John Vincent, of Leeson-street, Dublin. We cannot do the memory of one so well esteemed justice in this brief and hurried account of bis untimely fate, familiar as we are with scenes of blood, habituated to acts of murder by our almost daily attendance at inquests of men cut off by the ruthless hand of the assassin, yet here, in this instance, where we have seen one whom we knew so well, and could call friend for many years' cut off from all, the heart sickens, and we turn in anguish from the task. Sub- Inspector O'Dell, with Head-Constable Hayes and a large police force, was almost immediately at the scene of murder, using every exertion to detect the perpetrators. Mr. O'Dell dispatched detachments of his men in different directions, so that within an hour after the perpetration of the deed the surrounding country was traversed in all quarters. This daring act was committed, as we have above stated, at two o'clock in the day, in a populous district, where in every field around men were engaged at labour. An inquest will be held this day (Saturday), which will be given in our next." The repeal local organ, it will be seen, endeavours to palliate the atrocity of the crime by imputing harsh conduct on the part of this, the last victim of Tipperary Thuggish), towards his tenantry : " Mr. Clarke," says the Vindicator, " held considerable property at Portarlington. and he had a mansion in Merrion-square also. He was esteemed a very wealthy gentleman. It is impossible just now to assign a cause for the perpetration of this deed of blood. The alarm was immediately given, and the police from Nenagh, and the surrounding districts, were quickly on the spot- Whilst we write the utmost activity prevails to discover the perpetrator of the deed. Since the above was put in type our reporter has returned from the scene. Two balls were driven through the ill-fated gentleman's head, and he expired immediately. We have heard that he had been compelling tenants to sell corn a few minutes before the murder, and that he was an exceedingly harsh and unrelenting person in his conduct towards the people generally. Two men were seen crossing the country immediately after the deed ; but no clue up to the time of our going to press had been discovered of the perpetrators." Such hearsay statements nit are put forward in the foregoing, and while the body of the victim was yet warm with his blood, might, in common decency, he postponed to some more fitting opportunity. If harshness, even the most gross (and in this unfortunate gentleman's case the Vindicator's information is only secondhand), is to be the ready apology for the aim of the assassin's bullet, Tipperary may long maintain its had pre-eminence as the Irish Aceldarna._