THE MURDER OF CAREY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6739, 20 September 1883, Page 3

THE MURDER OF CAREY.

From a file of the Cape Argus to hand we make- the following extracts in connection with the arrival of Carey and his shooting by O'Dohnell:— ' '

: The information given in the Argus on Saturday (July 28) to the effect that James Carey, the Dublin informer, was a passenger to the Cape by the Kinfauns Castle, was in some quarters regarded as little bettor than.a hoax, but it is now known to have been too true. On Saturday morning, when tho Argus appeared, it wa3 known all over town that ,Oarey had been recognised, and the news soon spread over the ship. Williamß (a fellow passenger)' was ashore about 10 o'clock^ and procured a paper. When he got back to the ship, Power [Carey] asked him if, he could let , him see. a copy of the,; Argus. 'Williams said he could, and watched'him while he read it.' He looked hurriedly through the paper .until he came to what he required, read that, and then eat for some minutes with his hand covering his face.. Ho asked permission to take the paper to his wife, who waß in the cabin, as there was something in it which he wished her to see. He returned it a few minutes afterwards, saying that it was so dark in the cabin that he could not see to read. He' subsequently asked for the loan of the paper a second timo, and is said to have worn a very terrified appearance from the moment he knew that his identity was established.' V

> While the "Kinfauns Castle was in dock, Carey came ashore with his two eldest boys, and whilo in .town" fell in with Williams and another man who came out in the ship, known as "Scotty." Amongst other places they visited was the City Hotel,"in Waterkant 'street,, and while there an altercation arose amongst them on political questions. Carey said the English were a people too base to live. If he had his way, he said, he would exterminate every one of them. "Ireland for the Irish !—that's my motto," he said. " And ■what would they do with it ?" retorted Scotty. " They would eat one another up."—" Do you mean to Bay that they are cannibals ? " roared Carey, and his hand was on the throat of Scotty,'whom be would have soon choked but for the intervention of Williams.

Shortly after.his arrival in Port Elizabeth, |D'r \Knsor saw the.prisoner O'Donnell in his cell. He is a man standing fully six feet high, with a rather unusually high forehead, narrowing at the sides. He has not what any student of physiognomy would call by any means a bad face. The nose is straight and well shapen, grey eyes, dark hair, and he is about 44 years of age. He has the appearance of having either been in the army or in a, well-drilled constabulary force, at all events his appearance betokens him as having been subjected to military training of some kind or other. " Have you any relations with you ?" asked Dr Ensor.—" Yes; a niece," he replied; "Susan O'Donnell, a younsf woman of 18 years of age. She was in domestic service, but her mistress ill-treated her, and I brought her away with me, thinking she might do very well out here in South Africa. Finding things bad in Cape Town, I brought her on, intend- ' ing to go to Natal." Dr Ensor then observed, " Well, I will make it my early business to call on the heads of the Roman Catholic clergy of this town, and tell them of the ■ circumstances of your niece. They may probably interest themselves in "her behalf." O'Donnell then answered, with much emotion, " Then that is all I care for." Dr Ensor ordered whatever was necessary for the prisoner, and left him. In gaol, on Thursday night, 0 Donnell was most restless. He was heard throughout nearly the whole of the night, whilstling and talking to himself. Between 11 o'clock and midnight stones were thrown at the guard of Volunteers doing duty at the gaol. O'Donnell consented to be photographed, upon the understanding that he had a shave first, and he would be allowed to dress, himself neatly for the occasion. ' t < O'Dohnell gives the following particulars concerning himself :—" lam 48 years of age, and was born in the town of Manacladdy, County Donegal, where my mother and brother, Dan O'Donnell, and a sister, Maggie Duggan, etill reside." He further states that when four years of oge he wont with his father and his mother to the States, but after a short absence again returned to Ireland. Subsequently the prisoner paid eight visits to America, and has, lie says, several friends in Pennsylvania aud Philadelphia. While the struggle was going on between tho North and South, O'Donnell returned to America from Ireland, but seemed to have taken no part in that war., He followed the occupation of butler, though frequently between then and the present time having visited his native land. Ilia heart appears to have been _ centred in Amorica, and no took his citizenship papers on November 6,1876. On May 10 last he again left New York, with the intention of coming

to South Africa, but, wishing to pay a visit to his friends in Donegal, he landed in Londonderry, and ipent some time visiting his family, when he again sailed from Londonderry, en route to South Africa. Prisoner states that the woman who came out with him ia his wife.

Whon O'Donnell landed on the jetty at Port Elizabeth, heavily ironed and guarded by constables, dead silence reigned until a few hisses wero hoard, and then there was a loud outburst of choers, completely drowning the manifestations of disapproval at his act.