The Sun. — 1869-05-31 (London, England)

THE MURDER AT WATERFORD.  The alleged murder in Waterford is now confirmed. It took place nearly a week ago, in the parish of Rathgonna* county of Waterford. The murdered man was a respectable, peaceful fanner, named Patrick Power, who held a farm of fifty acres at Craiga-villa, in the parish of Rathgormack, which he came into possession of at his father's death. There is nothing in the crime which can in any way connect it with the long list of agrarian outrages. Power was on terms of friendship, and even intimacy, with all his neighbours, and has neither been evicted out of a holding nor taken the land of others. He has held the one farm always, and has never dabbled in any way with those of others. The particulars of the outrage are these :—On the morning of Tuesday last the deceased went into the town of Carrick-on-Suir, about seven miles from his own house, to dispose of three firkins of butter, which he sold, and left the town about eight o'clock in the evening, with some flour and oatmeal, in the cart he had brought with him. He was then observed to have taken a little drink. At ten o'clock the same night he called at the public-house of a Mrs. Kennedy, at Rathgormack, in company with a young man whom the Kennedys flo not know. They got some drink, and took more away with them in a porter bottle. The girl noticed deceased had taken drink, and diluted the whisky she gave him with water. The other man was sober. After leaving this house nothing more was heard of him till the following morning, when about seven o'clock he was found by his son and daughter, who had gone out to look for him, lying stone dead in a ditch on his hack, with his head literally smashed to pieces, having fourteen frightful wounds on it, so that the features were fearfully mutilated. The place where the body was found was only about fifty yards from some inhabited cabins, and about 300 yards round a turn in the road from Kennedy's house, and about a mile from his own dwelling. A large pool of blood was under him, and the stones lying near all besmeared with blood also. His horse was found straying by his son on Wednesday morning, which led to their going in search of him. Information was at once given to the police. Detachments scoured the country all day in search of the perpetrators of this deed. An inquest was held on the remains at deceased's house, by Mr. W. H. Gore, M.D., coroner, and a respect. able jury, when a verdict of " Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown" was returned. On Thursday morning a party of constabulary succeeded in arresting the man who was last seen in company with deceased. His name is Wall, and he admits having been with deceased, and tells a confused story of some recollection of lying down with the deceased to sleep on the roadside. His clothing was saturated with blood, and he was in bed in his own home when arrested. He has been committed to the county gaol on the suspicion of being connected With the murder. It is surmised that the renewal of some old faction feud gave rise to the commission of the deed. The deceased's father, it is said, was the leader of one of the factions in this part of the country called the " Polleens" and the "Gown," but the deceased himself was never mixed up with the faction feuds, but always led a peaceab;e, quiet life. It is further reported that the man arrested belonged to an opposite faction. This, of cohrse, is only rumour. All the money deceased had with him when leaving Carrick was found on his person when dead. Mr. Loch, county inspector, and Mr. M`Carthy, sub-inspector, are prosecuting the search for further information with great activity.