The Cork Examiner, 1 May 1846

CORONER'S INQUEST—INHUMAN CONDUCT
A SWEEP ROASTED ALIVE
An inquest was held on Sunday, at Barrington's Hospital, on the body of Michael O'Brien, a chimney sweep aged eight years, who was burned to death in the flue of a chimney in Patrick-street, on Saturday evening, which he was forced to descend by his master, Michael Sullivan, although the chimney had been on fire since early in the afternoon.  The body of the unfortunate creature presented an awful appearance, being literally roasted and mangled.  We subjoin the evidence of the witnesses which will speak for itself—

Thomas Costelloe, of Garryowen, labourer, deposed that he was in Mr. Mathew Ryan's house, in Patrick-street, on Saturday evening, where he saw two sweeps, Michael Sullivan (master) and Michael O'Brien (apprentice) aged eight years ; was present when Sullivan compelled the climbing boy to ascend the chimney ; shortly after being sent up, the boy cried out, he was burning, and Sullivan called him down ; Sullivan then brought the boy up to the top of the house, and directed him to go down through the chimney, which he did ; in about two hours after, witness saw Michael O'Brien taken out of the chimney dead ; deceased had objected to go down the chimney, upon which Sullivan seized him by the arms and forced him up stairs ; heard Mr. Ryan desire Sullivan not to send the boy up the chimney if there was any danger.

Catherine Ryan, servant in the house, sworn—I heard Sullivan desire the little boy go up Mr. Ryan's chimney for the purpose of cleaning it ; in about 15 minutes after I heard the boy cry in the flue, and say he was burning ; he then came down the chimney, and Sullivan caught hold of him by the leg, and pulled him into the grate of the fire-place ; he beat the boy with a leather belt so severely, that the little fellow threw himself on his knees, and said I will go to the top of the house, and come down through the chimney ; I saw Sullivan seize him by the arm, and carry him up stairs to the top of the house ; the boy was subsequently taken out of the chimney dead.

The jury returned the following verdict—“Michael O'Brien came to his death from the effects of heat and suffocation, in consequence of having been forced to descend a chimney in Mr. Ryan's house, Patrick-street by Michael Sullivan.”

The monster who was the cause of the boy's death has absconded. —Limerick Chronicle.
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The Cork Examiner, 6 May 1846
BIRTHS
   In Upper Mount-street, Dublin, May 4, the lady of Arthur Edward Gayer, Esq., Q.C, L.L.D., of a daughter.
    On Tuesday, May 5, at Ballinkeele, co. Wexford, the lady of John Maher, Esq., of a son and heir.
    On the 5th of March, at Government-house, Fort Thornton, the lady of his Excellency Norman William Macdonald, Governor of the colony of Sierra Leone, of a son and heir.
    On the 30th ult., at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, the wife of Capt. W. Walker, 69th Regiment, of a son.
MARRIED
   On the 6th inst., by the Rev. Dr. Hally, P.P., and afterwards in the rites of the Established Church, Mr. Simon Daly to Miss [Ann?] Penrose, Main-street, Dungarvan.
DEATHS
   On Wednesday evening, at his house, Great George's-street, Mr. John Rice, after a protracted illness, born with truly Christian resignation.  He has left a helpless family to mourn the bereavement of an idolizing parent.  Seldom, if ever, has the grave closed on a more truly upright, honest man.—May he rest in peace.
    At Cove, on Saturday last, Mrs. Johanna Fitzpatrick, aged 83 years.
   On the 7th inst., at the Governor's house, county prison, Cork, Agnes Eliza Fitzsimons, daughter of the late John Robert Fitzsimons, Esq., of Galway.
   Suddenly, on Sunday morning last at Rockfield, the residence of his son-in-law, Mr. Jeremiah Flynn, of Ballyvelly, near Tralee.  He was about 60 years of age, and has left a large family ; and he was very much respected by all who knew him.
   On the 4th inst., at Brighton, after a few day's illness, deeply lamented by her family and friends, Mary, the beloved wife of Sir Martin Archer Shee, President of the Royal Academy.
   At Devonport, on the 4th inst., Charlotte, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Warren, C.B., 55th Regiment, aged 8 years and [?] months.
DISTRESSING CASE.—
AN EVICTED IRISH FAMILY
(From the Manchester Times)
ARRIVAL IN MANCHESTER OF ONE OF THE “EXTERMINATED FAMILIES” OF IRELAND.—A shocking case of destitution was related to us yesterday (Thursday), resulting from the system now carrying into execution in Ireland for exterminating the poor.  It appears that a short time since, a family, bearing the name of Gallagher, was dislodged, from the estate of a Mr. Fox, county of Leitrim.  They consisted of a father, mother, and eleven children, and were allured by the offer of a passage to Liverpool, having no means of obtaining shelter and subsistence in Ireland, to come to England. 
   They arrived at Liverpool towards the close of last week, and immediately left that town to walk to Manchester.  They were without food and the means of procuring it, but on their way a gentleman who saw the foot-sore condition of the children had compassion upon them and gave them 2s.  With one of these shillings, a quantity of brown bread was obtained, and the family feasted for the first time in “Merrie England.”
   As night closed they reached Warrington (18 miles), and obtained shelter in the Workhouse, where they state that their remaining shilling was exacted from them for the food they had that night, and they were sent out on their way to Manchester, next morning, penniless again, and without breakfast.  In the course of that day they performed another journey of 18 miles, and were housed in the Manchester night Asylum.  They were provided with the most comfortable lodging the place affords for the homeless wanderer, and with food ; but as the third day broke upon them they were again turned adrift to the “Wide World.”
   Whether they spent any portion of the day in begging, we did not hear, but probably they did, for night—and cold and piercing nights we have had of late—overtook them at Newton Heath, only a short distance from the town ; and here they took up their lodgings in a ditch by the wayside! 
   The ditch was exceedingly damp and unfit for the purpose,—not so dry as the road,—but here, on the Queen's highway, it seems that the adage about "beggars not being choosers" did not apply, and they choose the damp ditch to the drier road, for the sake of a trifling shelter which a hedge on the one hand, and a ropemaker's shed on the other, offered them from the wind.  And in this wretched situation thirteen human beings, of both sexes, and the greater portion extremely young, ragged, —indeed, almost naked, remained for the whole night.
   The next morning the ropemaker went to his work at an earlier hour than usual, and hearing some moans in the ditch, when he arrived at the shed, he was from thence attracted to the scene of their wretched encampment.  He found the youngest children nearly starved to death, the mother in vain attempting to keep them warm, by spreading the bottom of her petticoat across their feet!  Compassion induced him to offer them immediate aid, and indeed, but for his assistance it is probable that one of the children would have died.  He provided coffee for those who were in a condition to receive it without injury ; but several of the family, it is said, were in such an exhausted state that it required gruels and more comfortable nursing to restore them. 
   They have now for nearly a week been, the inmates of the kind-hearted ropemaker's shed, subsisting on the hospitality of himself and his neighbors ; but yesterday a visit was to be paid by some of their countrymen, to whose ears the story had got of their misfortunes, and something that will be likely to afford a more permanent relief is to be attempted.  On this subject we have recieved the following letter, to which we readily give insertion—
TO THE EDITOR OF THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN,
SIR,—Having observed, in the Times of this day, an article headed, “Arrival of a family of the exterminated Irish.” I was determined to have ocular demonstration of the heart-rending suffering of the poor family therin alluded to.  I hurried to Newton Heath, in company with four others from Manchester ; and, on arriving at the place, to my unutterable surprise, I found the sad reality, alas ! too true.  A family consisting of thirteen persons, in the corner of a field, with a fire composed of brambles gathered from the ditches, endeavouring to boil a half-penny worth of coffee and an egg—the only substitute for the day's food of thirteen!

I made inquiries respecting their eviction, &c. and find every remark perfectly true.  But much as I deprecated the cause of their suffering, my heart was touched with reverance and gratitutde to the ropemaker, without whose timely aid the greater part of this wretched family must have unavoidably perished of want and exposure to the inclement season.   He, with a philanthropy worthy of imitation, administered relief to the sufferers, by procuring bread and coffee for such of them as were string enough to partake of it.  Meantime, his praiseworthy wife was preparing some more delicate beverage for such of them as were weak from long fasting and cold ; while his pious little children, imitating the hmanity of the parents, were collecting their spare articles of clothing to cover such of the poor children as were about their own size.

The name of this kindhearted individual is Thomas Holmes.  When he found the shelter of the rope-shed inadequate to sustain life, he with the assistance of his wife and children, made up a small house, eight by five, for their accomodation, by nailing some boards together ; procured some straw for a portion of them to lie on ; and, were it not for his charitable relief, all, or the greater part of the family, must have perished.  We were amazed at the intelligence and good manners of these creatures ; the elders of whom were engaged in washing the clothing of the others, with no other material than the cold water from the ditch side.  Hoping that, through the medium of your journal, these remarks may attract the observation of the charitable and humane, and that some timely assistance may be rendered to those hopeless poor people, I am, sir, your obedient servant, PHILO-HUMANITAS.
The names of the family are—Patrick Gallagher, aged 50 ; Mary, wife, aged 45.  Their children ; Mary, Michael, Anne, Catherine, Ellen, Elizabeth, Patrick, Margaret, Bridget, and John, from eighteen to two years of age ; and Catherine Dolan, a sister-in-law, aged 40.—Mr. Holmes is an Englishman ; and an English woman, named Nelson, also provided food and clothing for the poor creatures.
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The Cork Examiner, 11 May 1846

B I R T H S .
   At Armagh, the Lady of Capt. Donelan, Staff Officer, of a son.
   On Tuesday, the 5th inst., at Heytesbury Terrace, Wellington-road, Dublin, the Lady of Frances [sic] Farrell, Esq., of a daughter.
M A R R I E D .
   Nov. 11, in Sidney, N. S. W., by special license at St. James' Church, by the Rev. Wm. Cowper, D.D., Elias Pearson Laycock, son of the late Capt. Laycock, H.M. 98th Regiment, and grandson of John Connell, Esq., of Pitt-street, to Grace Lysaght, eldest daughter to the Rev. John Longfield, A.B., and grand daughter of the Rev. M. Longfield, Rector of Desertserges in the county of Cork, and of Templenoe and Kilcrohan in the co. Kerry, Ireland.
   On the 14th ultimo., at Edinburgh, Mrs. Arthur Anderson, of Charlton-house near Montrose, only daughter of Doctor Thomas Rawlins, formerly of Woodview, county Cork, to Dr. Inverarity, of Rose- mount near Montrose, formerly head Doctor of the East India Medical Department.
   April 30, John O'Sullivan, Esq., Solicitor, Great Brunswick-street, Dublin, to Mary Anne, only daughter of the late Joseph O'Neill of Dungarvan, in the county of Waterford. Esq.
   May 5, in St. Mary's Church, by the Rev. George Cuthbert, the brother of the bride, David Wotherspoon, of the city of London, Esq., to Jane Elizabeth, youngest daughter of William Pierce Cuthbert, of Blessington- street, Esq.
   May 5, at St. Paul's Church, Southsea, Capt. Cardew, 74th Highlanders, second son of Col. Cardew, Royal Engineers, to Harriet Anne Collier, eldest daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Fenwick, Royal Engineers.
D E A T H S .
   On the 8th inst., after a short illness, Mary, the beloved wife of Mr. Wm. Ahern, Leitrim-street, deeply and deservedly regretted.
   April 27, at Wexford, sincerely and deservedly regretted at the early age of 35 years, Deborah, wife of Mr. W. J. Turner, of Enniscorthy, and niece to Shephard Jeffares, Esq., Mayor of Wexford.
   April 22, at Hamburgh, of intestinal inflammation, Francis, eldest son of the Right Hon. Edward Lucas, of Castle Shane.
   At Ferozepore, on the 2nd of March, Lieutenant H. Gregg, 42nd Regiment Light Infantry of fever.
I N    C H A N C E R Y .
————
JOHN HARDING, Executor of PHILIP HARDING, deceased, Plaintiff.
RICHARD ASHE, ALICIA ASHE, his Wife, and others, Defendants.
PURSUANT to the decree in this cause, bearing date the 19th of January, 1846, I require all persons having charges and Incumbrances affecting the several lands and premises in the pleadings in this cause mentioned, subsequent as well as prior to, or contemporaneous with, the Plaintiff's demands in this Cause, to come in before me at my Chambers, Inns'-Quay, in the City of Dublin, on or before the 25th Day of MAY Next to prove the Same, otherwise they will be precluded the Benefit of said Decree. Dated this 18th day of April, 1846.
J. S. TOWNSEND.   
   Further particulars may be learned by application to PATRICK SCOTT, Plaintiff's Solicitor, No. 16, Kildare-street, Dublin.
   The Sisters of Charity gratefully acknowledge having received one pound for the relief of the poor, from an “honary member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.”
   George Thornton begs to acknowledge having received from the Rev. James S. O'Reardon the sum of 1l. restitution money.
   The Committee of the Blind Asylum gratefully acknowledges the receipt of one pound from a benevolent Lady, by the hands of Mrs. Gordon, Patrick-street.
   Mr. Owen, of the Board of Works, arrived in town on Thursday, and visited the sites of the Provincial College, and the Lunatic Asylum. He also inspected the Glanmire road, the Navigation Wall, the Park ground, and the sites for the proposed markets.
   The American barque Almade in 28 days from New York, with a cargo of Indian corn and meal, consigned to Messrs. N. and J. Cummins, of this city, on account of Her Majesty's Government, arrived on Friday in our harbour.
   A large American bark the Mary Norris, Capt. Jones arrived yesterday from Norfolk, Virginia State having on board over 27,000 bushels of Indian Corn. The cargo is consigned to Mr. John Cave, and is intended for the Cork market.
Submitted by dja
The Cork Examiner, 29 May 1846
MURDER BY TWO ITALIAN SAILORS.
——————
   We learn that about one o'clock this morning two sailors, natives of Genoa, accompanied by two women of bad character, hired a car from the deceased (a man named Keane) in John-street, and drove along the Quay to Mary-street, where they took up two other women, named Keane and Power, and put down the two in whose company they originally were. They were then driven out the Cork road, a little beyond the Manor Castle, where they alighted. The driver immediately demanded his fare, which was refused. He drove back again into town, and having informed the owner of the car what had happened, he put up the horse and car, and they both proceeded to the place where he had dropped his passengers. The fare was again demanded, but refused, and some blows were struck, and one of the sailors immediately plunged a stilletto into Keane's bosom, who fell dead on the spot. The other sailor, a powerful and athletic man, attempted also to stab the owner of the car, a man named Elliott, but he warded the blow from off his breast, the knife passing through his arm. Elliott escaped as quickly as possible, and gave the alarm at the Broad-street police station, and Sergeants Keely and Spillane, with their men, were on the spot in a few minutes afterwards. They found Keane dead, but still warm. They then proceeded at a rapid pace for some distance along the Cork road, but not succeeding in finding the parties they sought, they proceeded into town by another direction, by Barrack-street, and succeeded in arresting there the two women who were on the car. Following up the track they had thus struck upon, they traced their game through the Mayor's Walk, down by the back of the gaol, Sargeant's-lane, &c., and succeeded in arresting both parties in the neighbourhood of Broad-street. On searching the prisoners a knife covered with blood was found.—Waterford Freeman.
[see also Cork Examiner, 21 December 1846.]
   DINGLE, MAY, 26.—Arrived this morning, the Hamilton, Revenue cutter, with a supply of Indian meal.
   THE CROPS.—The crops of every description, but more particularly the potato crop, never presented a more healthful and encouraging appearance at so early a period of the season, than they do at this moment throughout the county. On no previous year was there a greater promise of early and abundant produce. A well-informed correspondent, writing from Inch Island, says, “that crops were never so good along the sea shore, from Castleisland to Inch, as at present.” In the corn sowed in last year's tillage there are as many potato stalks almost as corn, in consequence of the quantities of potatoes, rotten as it was then thought, left in the ground when digging ; the people are busily engaged uprooting those intruding potatoes. Fallow is the only crop at all backward ; and that has been occasioned by the weather being too wet to have the sods burned properly. —Kerry Post.
   HARWITH, MAY, 20.—The Alert, Eskdale, of Whithby, from Oporto for London, at ten o'clock last night got on the Long Sand, and at six this morning she upset, when the master and four seamen took to the boat, and were, with one passenger, who was picked up on a spar, brought in here by the smack William and Elizabeth, of Dartmouth. One seaman and eight passengers were drowned. Another wreck took place on the Gunkeet, situate a few miles from the sands, where the Alert capsized, and it is sadly feared that every soul belonging to her met with a watery grave. The vessel was apparently of Danish build and was laden with oats. At daybreak this morning she was seen by some fishermen beating over the sand. They took her in tow, and in attempting to get her clear she broke up and became a complete wreck.
   A WOMAN CHOKED BY A PIECE OF BREAD.—Saturday an inquest was held at the William the Fourth, Wandsworth-road, before Mr. Carter, on the body of Mary Anne Cooke, the wife of a sweep, living in Howard-street. A few days previously she was at tea, when a piece of crust of bread lodged in the larynx, and before a surgeon could be procured she was dead. Verdict, “Died from suffocation.”
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