THE KERANG TRAGEDY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1751, 27 January 1888, Page 4

THE KERANG TRAGEDY

AN INHUMAN FATHER KILLED BY HIS SON. The following acoonnt of the Keraog tragedy is dated Melbourne January 17:— A very painful case of parrfclda on the part of an eldest son occurred at Kerang, a farming district beychd Sandhurst, on Wednesday evening laat, m a family named Clancy, who live on a selection m Keraog east. JUr Clancy, who was a man of violent temper, was beating one r»f bis ohildren, a boy twelve yeara of «_e«. wuh the buck'e end of a strap whao '»• - f ' «* daughters remonstrated with bim. O auoy turned round and.threatened to kill her, whereupon she immediately ran for protection towards her eldest brother James, aged twenty-five years. The brother, seeing the position of affaire, took np a loaded doable barrelled gun and fired at bii father. Clancy staggered. A second ■hot wa* fired by the son at his father who dropped. Tbe son came immediately to Kerang ar.d obtained medical aid, and Informed tha police of what had occurred. Senior-Constable Doyle and Dr Gregory proceeded to the bpot and found the elder Clancy dead. Tne son was brought Into X.rang and locked up on a oharge of murd _r. An irqaest was held next day, at whioh the only evidence regarding the deceived, was given by Miss Clancy, whose atory was a most affecting one. Her name Is Josephine Maria, and she Is twenty two years old. She kept house for , her father and two brothers The following is her evidence : — James Clancy now present is my brother. I remember yesterday abont two o'olock. My father was on the verandah— [A.t. thia ata_e the witness fainted, and after anme trouble wa? brought to.] She resumed — He got into i> very violent tamper He had a nuap ; ci<'o that I had told my brother P .trick Jo«eph . who Is thirteen years of age, to ted him an untruth. On tbe 26b December my bro her James was II tha shed feeding horses, Tbe shed ia ab ut four chains from the house. About five or ten minutes after my father b. ome oro»s, and he beat me with a strap. Aft rhe had hit me about three or for times I laid his dinner on the table and put away the ■trap. I went round the back of the honse to keep out of hia way. My brothers then came from the shed. James came first and then Pat rick . Father didn't say anything to James when h>* came m. When Patrick came he called him to the table and aaid he wonld make him tell fie tin h about Christm»s Day. Tha boy said, 'It is not a lie, I have told you the troth " He replied, "It ie not tbe troth and I will make you tell it " Rising up from the table, he took tha boy by the shoulder He had not commenced hla dinner, and he crossed the vt*r-.ndah and took the strap from the roof, and ■aid, " I will make yon tell " I went to plead for my brother and sister, but be fell upon him the worse. He ordered my lister, into the kitohna. He took my brother Pat abont 100 yards from the home to the stock yard. He took off hla thtrt, and beat him there for about five minutes with the strap and then dragged him half as far again into the bush and took every stitch of clothes off him except his boots. He beat him most •everely. Every time the boy told the trnth be beat bim more ond more. James waa near bis father when he was beating tbe boy. He used to come away and go back again pleading with hi . father not io beat the boy. The beating lasted j about half an hour. James came back and said tbat tho boy had made a fatal admission. I heard my father coming to the boute and heard him cay— " I will have her life." I understood him to mean that he wonld have my life- James was present We were all m the kitchen, and be aaid — "Yon are not safe here if Patrick haa made a false admission. " We all came ont, and my father came np to the house. We ran out of the house and round to the back. . I saw nothing more until I heard the shots. I went into the kitchen and aaw my father lying on the ll )or m the same position as when the police found him. I went acd Bpoke to him, but be made no sniffer. No one was there but the members of the family , When tbey ran out of tho kitchen I s_w my br t v -er, and asked him, "Jimes, what shall Ido ." He said, '< He ahall never do tbat to yon while I have breath fo my body," When I came back to the kitchen 1 caw my brother standing ln the doorway with tbe gun. Tbe gun prodnoed is tha one. I saw him load the gun m the morning as he waa golog to a neighbor's, and be migh. ace some game. My brother J.mes said «— v Ob, my God, I have sh -t him through the head." He s%t down for about five toinu'es quite overcome, and aaid " I must go fur the doctor," To the j'iry The mark on my faoe was caused by my father beating me. He used the s rap with the buckle end Mr Gregory, a du'y qualified medisal praotltloner, described the wound, and ■aid that both charges bad struck d.'Ceao.d m the hesd, one completely smashing the iknll.

Tha jury returned a verdi.t of manslaughter, and the accused waa comtnitred for trial, bail be'ng allowed m £200 and tvio sureties of £110 each, Tne case has oreated a painful feeling, and sympathy is expressed for the son The

father was a powerful and violent man.

Ha was tried at the Sandhurst Aaßze *__,_. Court m 1865 for the minslaoghtir of a man named Cooper, who had been drink ing at Oiaocy's hotel, the Back The trial made a senstion at the time, Clancy gett ln cr off >n a lpgal technicality.

A Vioksburg paper has the following interesting paragraph :— We ask our readers to overlook the . shortcomings m this department of the paper. A man can't make arrangements to get married and at the same

time write much local news. And that's what's the matter with the local editor. It's going to taks place to day.

In Zanesville, a lady m cleaneing her bouse, found a package of two pounds of powder, and, thinking it was lampblack, threw it into the fire, Her husband thinks sh<- escaped, as nothing has been heard of her since, except a piece of calico dress, which was found m an apple tree m tbe orchard.

"Bough oh Piles."— Why suffer pHes immediate relieif and complete cure guaranteed. Ask for '-Rough on Piles."

• re cure, for itching, protruding, bleeding, or tbe form of pile?. _

The best medicine is Sander and Sons' Euoalypti Extract. Test its eminent powerful effects m coughs, colds, influenza, etc. — the relief is instantaneous. Thousands give the most gratifying testimony. His Majesty the King of Italy and medioal syndicates all over the globe are its patrons. Head the official reports that accompany each bottle. We have no occasion to oiler rewards m pro.! of, the. genuineness of our references. The official reports of medical clinics _nd universities, the officicial communication of the Consul-General for Italy at Melbourne ; the diploma awarded International Exhibition, Amsterdam — all these are authentic documents, and, as such, not open to doubt. We add here epitome of one of the various cases treated at the clinic of Schuitz, M.D., Professor, etc. — " 0.8., 2_ years old ; congestional abscess on the thigh. Incieionß i. made m two plaoes. Although Lister's dressing waa applied, tbe secretion became, two days later, very copious, and had adopted a foetid, decomposed character. The temperature rose enormously. In consequence the dressing was re.no-.ed, and on its place were made during the day-time repeated irrigations with Eucalypti Extract. Tbe offensive foeter disappeared very soon, the fever abated witbin a few days, and the patient recovered after the lapse of several weeks. In this inetanoe we mußt not lobo sight of the faot tbat the latter treatment caved the patieat'e life."--. (AM,) $