THE IRISH ASSASSINATIONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 649, 30 May 1882, Page 3

THE IRISH ASSASSINATIONS.

The following ate the detailed .particulars of the murders at Phoenix Park On the evening of May 6th, after dinner, the Secretary and Mr Thomas Henry Burke went for a walk in the Park, and when about half a mile from the city gate and a quarter of a mile from the lodge, a car dirove up, from which jumped four men, and immediately attacked Lord Cavendish and Mr Burke, stabbing them

both several times in the throat and breast. The victims struggled hard for life, and in the struggle became separated, their bodies being found some ten paces an art. ' Two gentlemen named Macguire and Artinel, who were on bicycles, shortly before had passed Mr Burke and Lord Frederick Cavendish when on their way along the main road through the xiark, and on their return journey they found the Chief Secretary dying iu the centre of the carriage way, and Mr Burke prostrate upon the pathway. Both gentlemen wore lying in large pools of blood. The police at the Park Gate Station were informed of what they had seen. They at once proceeded to the scene of the murder, and conveyed the bodies to the hospital. On examination it was found that Mr Burke had received several stabs near the region of the heart, and his throat had been cut almost completely across. Hia clothes were absolutely saturated with blood, and the hemorrhage must have been tremcnclothes were also tom. His gloves had boon torn in many places, and hia bands boro marks suggestive of a fierce encounter with his assailant. Lord Frederick did not wear gloves. He had been stabbed*in several places about the. chest. One'wiiihd was through the right lung, and • jpphetrated deeply. It is supposed that' Mr Burke was first assailed and •tabbed through the heart, and that Lord . Oavdadisb attempted to defend him, but 'stabbed the assasams.

vapidly from the park by the chapel gate’ When the bodies were fresh found, Lord Cavendish’s lips were moving, as if he was trying to speak, but he showed no further signs of consciousness. Lord Spencer and the vice-regal party were just going down to dinner at the Lodge when the news was sent to them. Some of the members of the household were at the opera at the Gaiety Theatre, and were sent for. When the cause of their departure was known, excitement was intense. A proposal was made to stop the performance, which was ultimately cut short. The murder must have been quite visible from the windows of the vice-regal lodge, and it is said that Earl Spencer himself saw a scuffle from his bedroom window. Earl Spencer, to whom the news at the first was broken by Colonel Coulfield, was terribly shocked.