Tke Castletownroche Tragedy.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 35, 12 January 1885, Page 2

Tke Castletownroche Tragedy.

In connection with the arrest at Auckland of William Sheehan, charged with „ the Castletownroche murder, th'e following details which appeared m a Dublin paper of September 6 will Be 4 Jnter^BtHUMAN REMAINS FOUND IN A WELL. •A .horrible discovery was made a few I days'^ago at a place called Lisnagooreen, I some six miles from Fermoy. The dis. I covery waas made, as already reported 1 m a well, the property of a farmer named Broderick. Tne well itself afforded unusual facilities for the concealment of a deadly crime... . It was for years unused and dry, and few expected that it would ever have been again utilised for its original purpose.' It was intended for the use of the tenants of the property. When madeat was 120. feet deep, and was built m a tegular, circular form, increasing froni the bottom ih diameter from Ihree to six feet. In the lapse . of years.rubbish of every kind was .pitched into the old , Kveli whi^ch -came to be regarded as a sort of lumber receptacle. Mr- Brodenck, however, detetfmined last week to clear out the ; place,; and try and make use of it to supply his domestic wants. The clears ing' of stones and rubbish went on-rapidly! , until the well was deepened to 85, feet,' the men being let down m a bucket. On Saturday, evening a man named, Fitzgerald was engaged m clearing up old limestone, etc., when he suddenly discpvered. three skulls, apcf hurried to the surface with them, refusing to go nfear the place v againJ ; Joe 'Foley, a fanner's son, living near the place, however, essayed. 6n' Sunday* and brought" up^three [gaunt fleshless. .trunks, which were laid Xipon the ! grass, presenting a horrible spectacle. : The -police kept guard over them iintil they were buried on Tuesday ! ai EockmiHs,Svhichiis about two miles froiri Lisnagoorneen. - ' : HE ftfcMAINS IDENTIFIED. : i The, three skeletons have been ideritiJfied as belonging to a family named ! Sheehan, supposed to have emigrated to i America some years ago. The three -mining persons are Mrs Sheehan and .her -son and. daughter. A girl who was iin service with Mrs Sheehan. at. the time 'of 4 heir disappearance has been found, arid states that one night m October, j 1877^, sbJe Was. sent out by Mrs Sheehan's 1 son ; td turn vi: the cows from the;farin to ; the yard. She was absent for soine time, and on hef return she missed Mrs < Sheehan. and her daughter." There was ■ a seconidi «o^ but he had been fnissing ' sinfie i&B pVbvious'night. > On her-reinm to the ,house she inquired of young Sheehan q/M p the absence of his mother and sister. vHe informed her that his mother was so displeased with the conduct of her married son, who lived on . an adjoining farm, that, she had decided to leave for America., The bits of clothing , found. with the remains were stated Jby the girl to be snnilar m texture to' the cloak worn by Mrs Sheehan. The finding of the legs of trousers and' of; two : • boots, a man's and woman's, are corro- : borating; circumstances as to the sexes of the discovered remains. A curious' fact has also transpired, which assists; the constabulary m tracing the date of the mysterious crime. The skeleton of a dog was 1 found m the well underneath; the human remains. It appears shortly! before October, 1877, a greyhound- of a gentleman was destroyed, and its body put m this hole. .After Mts Sheehari's disappearance, the son referred to' took , possession ot the farm, and remained m . occupation utitil a few years ago he was ! evicted, and emigrated to Austrah"a. Thfc people ofithat locality who remembered Mrs -Sheehan and her, children state $here ,were .frametof' family differences m reference to the settlement of th£ 'laud, ' ."!'".'■■•''•■;" '■; '' ■■■'■ ■ ; ' : .... ...TH^'-,SBttj|HAN' ; FAMILY. ';: "\ : ; The unfortunate woman Mrs Sheehan had been for some time a widow. She' ha4four,'^ons,;threeof ,whom are connected* with -the business arrangements 4 which immediately led up to what has now come to be regarded as her murder. She lived on a farm at Carrigdowning, which was comprised of two holdings incorporated, and, m addition, was the pro : prietress of a^ublic-house at Eockmillß, a short .distance'aw.ay^ ln^October, 1877, she seems to have entertained some desire to have her, son married. The latter, whq was then about 30 years of age, ajjs a prepHaaeasing feUow, ise^ms to have no dislike to the arrangement, and ie seems he fixed his attentions on Miss Brown, who lived with her father not a great distance, from himself. The connection, unfortunately for herself it; is. ' feared, did riot please* his iridther, ai a sumeient amount of " fortune " does not 1 hj^ye been forthcomin»,' a^so. ; the 'match' was. .broken qf£. w Tfle, yoijng man,, however, it qeenis/ had, iqi'ined a sentimental attachment," which was not understood by .his .^mother,, who valuedmatrimony from a' 'c'oinmerciat' s'tand-f point. He dohtinded his attentions to Miss .Brown, with the result that a wmoh cbwtßd'f6*t£ae.< was ;rdlfojpisitf>d f°f a smaller one, and the couple were mar,riedvj -But when the marriage vows had' Jb.een.iiold a. circumstance was brbiighi to light, from which now arises the terrible suspicion of matricide. 'Mrs, Sheehan was found not to be m her usual place of abode. Neither were her two children, $s;a^"4afagb;ter, wlio Itaftf^i^yfi w« mained wltft_ %^, Thp three seen) w have, taken the, same side pi. the dispute the 'marriage, and it was ruiiioured they intended to leave and work: far,; .themselves. Nevertheless their sudden departure 'did riot go unnoticed. The jeopte fi tlie Ip^ality enquired o^ John, ftnd ej|oiiiii?e.d C(f ajiid upon . 1 the latter sfeems tp devqlve-the er\tlre explanation: Of the latter we can ascertain ,j very few correct accounts, but it is an undoubted faijt that' Willijim then professed to knQW all aboujr- his .mother's dojngs. . He first seems to have "said that if| slie 4veren6t home jh a,ffeyf dq.yS'Bhdfnjught be abseil! for a., mgntb, ; ajid aubaequwtly : he said she" \had : gone %o dq for: her--self, and that he had given her £3000. ,, r Thss/ statement was' made on' the occasion of a payment made to iJohn^ Hk^w. pa account of aomer .incmej • trans-" action. mosf 'curious^'is,! that the 'explanations appear ;tb have been feceived by the latter with implicit eraUu j lity, and without a single further inquiry as to where his mother had gone. Of course, when' her own. relatives !were under jio" uneasiness m this way, ; the people pf the locality lost all interest, orrecollection, (jf M;r| Sfieg^ajJ- | ' ,' n. .„-■■■ y-1 .vWIIiLI^M.-SfIBpHAN. '■ ,■ , „.,, tWiffiain Sheehah^ eituL his wife' held : the principal portion of the land after she -and jhepspn. Thomas and her daughter "vyerVoHti of the \^ay? ''^The other portion ! of the lancj. and fcftp public-house ; were made oVertQ John Sheehan. The latter r rapidly^ sot into good, /sircunistances, lift! imgfo>'<iune>ygrtp^k*h|s^rother, who was evicted for non-payment of rent'ii yea£ jajfrQ hffy egjimatod to Auajtralia. Down fo of his emigration, or,. iat r fact, nqi, untU a few days ago, had ' airy' 'suspicions' 1 intervened ; concerning poor M^rs S^heehan and her children. In fact it was ' stated by several persons, that her son was with her m Australia.; The revelalibris' 6f Saturday arid 'the succeeding days, however, at once rget 'the Jbusy tongues : of, s|ieculation , ftfiWiflg? M& tU§ 0W f^ ts remejnbered by everyone. prqd}joe.4 an ftl)jM|4ft^ mass of isyidence at bhce, Qf which t^e formal was only the n^tur^i, sfrjue'nce, ■ ;3rt -f •"'■;■ ' •-->