TERRIBLE MURDERS IN IRELAND.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 230, 29 September 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

TERRIBLE MURDERS IN IRELAND.

A Boycotted Farmer Sliot Dead.

A Tealee correspondent telegraphs jbhat John Forhan was- shot'dead at five on Sun-* day evening,' August sth, at Mounib Gble, near Lisbowel. . , , , ■■ ■'..•-.- '•• • The deceased, a farmer, residing at Galebridge, on .Sunday evening left that ; plaee for Tralee to obtain the services. of;som> labourers.to save his hay. \ He had been unable to obtain help at home* in consequence oi his having been bqycqfeM.ior taking a farm some years ago, from which a former tenant, named Walsh, had ; been for the non-payment of what .was:considered to be an exorbitant Tent. The: murderers were evidently aware of Forhan's departure, and; about the time that he shoulabe returning they laid in wait for; brm at a lonely ;part of the road near Mount Cole. Forhari- had obtained three labourer?, at Tralee, and was driving them home jn a' cart. Asthey.neared the; spot indicated, jheywere confronted by two men,.who : dis-r i i charged the contents of a CQUple of revol- j ' vers into Forhan'S' body, one .of ,the ; bulletß passing through his heart. The men who were with deceased ran away, and, his - son, a young boy, galloped the horse into Lis: towel, and raised an glarrn/. Captain Mas" seyj&nd District-Inspector Bickie, with a force of .police, immediately.-; visited^ ;the : place, and searched the country round, but arrested no one.' Forhan's1 life was attempted, in the' fame ; place ■, about .twelve months ago. ",.;■.';* ■".•.■".■"■■ V"'A.■',"■' ' ' • j The intjuesb on the murdered man took j place at> Listowel on.- Monday. Only the I evidence pf Poljce:ppn|table Kegan, who swore he saw deceaseci coming from Tralee with five: men, was taken. The inqufesb v/ap ' adjpurhed. Six bullet wounds were found in, bis,body,' ~-.-, : !,: i :;p{^g'lijflr4er"^©^ir^apitmrifc.; ,;•■.: , On Sunday morning August 2nd between the boursof seven and eiglit, a mostdaring and cold-blooded murder was committed at. Glpwnamuckle, about ten miles from Newr market, the 'unfortunate .victim being a labourer named James Honane.;, The scene of the murder is in the .heart of,a most dis-. turbed . district bordenng Kerry. -I\. appears that the deceased^, James Epnane,. proceeded to a Meld in Glpwnamuclile for the purpose of. mowing some hay, the pjrpperty of a farmer named David -M'A^liffe, by whom, he had"been hired. , Mr. ML'A'uliffe was,in the field before him. ;JRpnane immediately proceeded to..work.' M'Auljfiej who was standing near him, saw. a disguised man armed with a double barrelled gun jump over the fence and come.over.to/vvhere they were standing. He had a.whii^imask over bjs face, and gruffly askecj them for their, .names. M'Auliffe ;: complied,; but Ronane told him his name was. John Fleming. The .strange individual told Jlpnane to beg bis jiardon, which he imniecliately proceeded "\<o do. At that moment the disguised assassin presented the gun, and fired two charges in rapid sucpessipr. into the unfortunate man's body.' itojd-.'! ane then fell tra his back, . cryipg out he ' „ was, shot. . The , murdjarer, then pulled' out a revolver, saying:, *If that don't do, you will get this.' He'thep decamped.; "During aIL the jsime tjhat this shocking tragedy, was; b t emg enacted, iM'Aulifi^, who stood by himself, Bays his senses were paralysed for the tjine. being, and were onby recalled by the moans.of the. llying man. Hp c^lll^ 0^ tdentify the murderer. Ronane barely livedto cave the last'Sacran^ent admihisteretj to hini b^y, 'the Eoman Catholic priest of Bpl?erh>ee ? The poiice at j&iskeane were ; in|m^.djately f-ofn-.municated with. As far as can be learned, the only mctive for the cruel deed, is that the unfortunate rn^n _for a farmer named Patrick Twomey, wh'p, . sameybst unpopular in the, neighbpurhpp.d, 1 and; has j baft poljcemen projecting him' for "i^caopast. The origin of Twomey's un^ popularity 'is' somewhati difficult to: a?P? rV tain but.it appears that,in. 187^ he lent a brpther-inrlaw of his named Timothy Shine: a SAjni of money t*> "be paid back in tljreej yepxs. In April, ,1886.' /Twoniey; evicted Shine in consequence of not having been ! paid t^e full amount of the,deb,t,s l>ut. sub- ! sequon tly reinstated hirnlii a portion* «?f this farm. Since then/Twomey has been ■.fprnewhat unpopular. Another significant fact is that about a mphth ago a hotice was ! fopnd posted on.Eqnane's "door threatening hifn with the death of Quipn if he worked for Twomey, (Jqinn was a bog ranger,^hp WBS recently niiircjered n^ary the;- sajne district. ]ijotwithstanding the notice. Rpnane forked for Twomey, thinkiiig that nothing would cotne of it, as, he had often:, received similar notices warning him 'noi? to' work for other people. The murder is ; one of !tl?e most brutal1 ahd;, daring ever perpetrated in this luifiappy country, and h4s evoked'the* moit severe condemnation from the clergy and people of the,, surrounding "district. Ronane, who was'amatapf about thirty-five yeara of age, was 'married ardhad one child. His chkracter was that: of an industrious and unobtrusive, man liyijig by his daily labour. Ji; young 'man. named1 Cbrn'elins O'Keefe has'been arrested; in connection >vith the gad affair^: There is ho branch of the National,Leagile in the .district;.'.' '. ' '"'.'. .: '.' ;', < ~. ' '

r !6n Saburdfty pight aftcit^ fired a$ "Thpmas. Minp.by,!ftt_Pftrnie^ Bridge,;n Ttalee by a man wearing a red harikerchief over :his face,'^Neither sho^ tpok. effect^ T|ip cause of this outrage seems:to be .ifcajb, Murphy's employer took a rpad contract contrary to, the wishes of his .neighbours. ,