DARING OUTRAGE IN IRELND.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1246, 15 January 1886, Page 3

DARING OUTRAGE IN IRELND.

' Cue of the most ‘ dating' moonlight outrages that hat been committed for some years is reported from the Castle Island district;- " The scene bf the out-* rage was at Holahiffe, about seven miles from Tralee,, the 'plate of attack being the residence 6i 'Mr John O’Connell Curtin.*'i, He occupied a very good 'social position i in. the district, and was a gentleman of means far above, the. ip-evage ftrtgire of the place. The family consisted of the father, (John O’Oonnelll Curtin, his wife, two sons (Daniel and George), and two daughters. There 4vere five domestic aep-ajfita, the house. Shortly before'ten ‘ o’clock on the night of November 13, as the family were about party.nf armed and disguised men came to the door. The twS f in the kitchen.«o Mr,, CMrfito.*ed ids wile the two-* daughters werd! in' oms f.dniAev-partorafci The raiders gained' adniittaueed ..through the kitchen door. r ft: The*',tn*n who apparently filled the pla6e <4 leader asked -George, the - younger, son, for arms. The young man said he did not' fcndw wherertheywere kept The second brother, then, camel forward, and said he wduM 'give the arms if he could find his * fatter.: The ruffian during this time bad'a rifle presented full in the young man’s face, while two others of the gang,' wholhad come into the house, also presented arms. Daniel offered to go for his father, and walked from the kitchen across the hall into, the parlor, whjle all the time the, captain followed*with his rifle presented a few inches from the young man’s head. When in the parlor the young mar.- said he did not know where his' father .was; Just at this moment Mr Curtin, hearing the tumult, had come downstairs with a revolver. A lot ot the .raiders filled the doorway," where, as already stated, two of them had followed "the leader into the parlor alter the elder son Daniel. The young nian, describing the scene that .followed,,.says;—“I heard my father .at ,the foot of the stairs cry out • Come now, boys,’ and immediately a shot was fired, 1 believd by him. I turned abruptly round, and the'rifle was within an inch of or very close to my forehead. The captain jumped, startled by the shot in the hall, and I then made a grab at his gun, which I caught and laid) across his breast, catoh.ng with my right hand both the barrel of the gun and his coat collar. Ho shouted to one of the men to shoot me The man at first did not pretend to hear the order, and it -was. repeated. He then pulled out a revolver, which he handed to-the captain,"so I caught his his wrist-with, the'other hand The captain tried to sl(6dt me with it. I heard him click the hammer four times, but it did not go off. At fhat moment my' brother (Jeprge rushed into the room to ‘my rescue. He rushed at one jof the men while I pressed the captain against the door. The third man’ burst opep the window and threw himself into the yard. I pushed my man into the hall, and my sistes, Nora,ran up to me .and said : I So you know him then. ’ Slie then tore the mask off his face, and he begged for mercy. He said: ‘Mr Dan, leave me go. ’ ; 1 asked Liin who he was, and he .answered : ,‘Thady Casey, sir. ’ I had before this tripped him and thrown hint ea hia -hack in the hall, when he told me who he was. I said; ‘ Well, be off then ’ and ! let him go. During the struggle in the room he gave me a blow from a revolver oii the temple. The party on running away were followed by George, who ; had seized the captain’s gun. This he discharged after them, but does not think, it .had effect.” Mr Curtain was found in a dying state at the door. He had a ball, in the abdomen, The dead body of one of the moonlighters lay across the dOor. Tin's man was 'found : to be Thade Sullivap, -a. young,-, fellow, whose mother,'a widow, holds a few acres, near Curtain’s., JELe had a wound acrosa his" throat' where a shot had passed, severing or* of the large arteaies. ■ The dead body jjt another man, ■named Sullivan,- -. who is' supposed to have been the - 'actual murderer of Mr ‘ Curtain, hap been foufid in the River Maine, three miles-cffrtqnt from Mr Curtin’s house His knees were broken, aihj'it'is sn'iiifo'seSthat, b av i n g his dead body was' thrown into the liver by his compatiidns to avoid detection, Mr Curtin was carried to his bed, and medical attendance was at once summoned, but be never rallied. The police were soon on the spot, and in ' the early morning a dozen arrests were made; including the man Casey, who was identified in the house. He-has since-been committed for trial for wilful Murder of Mr Curtain, and two others have been remanded for further examination. The other nine arrested have been discharged.- ■ f . . -

Cowardice was displayed by four laborers, who.wereiu the kitchen when the Moonlighters first entered. They immediately concealed themselves, and remained secreted wiiile old Mr Our. tin was being foully murdered by a few men. 1 ’Daniel and GeOrge, the two sons of the deceased man, fought dcs perately, and there seems every probability that Mr Curtin's life would have been sayed but , for the cringing cowardice of the laborers. Their conduct seems altogether inexplicable.

They offer no explanation for their extraordinary action, except to state that they were afraid of the marauders. At the inquest on the bodies of Mr Curtin and Sullivan, Bryan Sullivan deposed that he was a servant to tho late Mr Curtin. The-witness was sitting at the fire when the Moonlighters entered. They were all armed They asked Mr D. Curtin for arms, and he in response said : “ Come up to my father, and I will get tho arms for you.” He then saw three of the men follow Mr D. Curtin. He heard them coming down shortly after, and heard about four shots fired, He denied that he was one of those wh6 hid themselves while the whole affair was going on. He admitted that he did nothing to aid the Curtins in their struggle. Mr Curtin lived about an hour and a-quarter after receiving the wounds. The jury found the foil lowing verdict: —“We find that Mr John O’Connell Curtin and Timothy Sullivan, who came by their deaths on. November 13, died of gunshot wounds, but we have no evidence before us to show by whom inflicted.”