The Castletownroche Murder.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 96, 26 March 1885, Page 2

The Castletownroche Murder.

READING THE DEPOSITIONS; At the the Auckland Police Court, last w^eek, William Sheehan, the accused m , the Castletownroche murders, was again brought up on the charge. The accused it will be remembered, was arrested on Dec. 22, and from the day following* has been brought before His Worship on numerous occasions since that date, and remanded for a period of seven days on each occasion. On the last remand it was arranged that the original' depositions taken m Ireland and the warrant issued to arrest him handed to the Imperial Government would be produced. The accused, who had been held m custody up to this time upon a provisional warrant issued under the Fugitive Offenders Act, 1881, was then re-charged upon the original warrant issued by the Home authorities. 1 Wm. Dunny, Sergeant R.I. Constabulary, deposed that he was stationed at Cork, and had known the accused about three months before he left Ireland. He knew him at Ballykeatie, which was about half a mile from Carrigdownane. Sheehan had been evicted from his farm m Nov. 1882, which he had occupied from the. time ot his mother 1 s* disappearance m 1877. He had been m his custody on a charge of wrecking the house of a caretaker at midnight m November. The accused left Ireland about July 25, 1883. He was not certain as to the exact date. On Sunday, Ausr. 31, 1884, he heard of the, discovery of some bodies m a well m the neighborhood. He made his examination the same evening and found a human head, a trunk, and a number of bones, and subsequently two more skulls were discovered. The remains were afterwards identified by the clothing, as being those of Thomas Sheehan, Catherine Sheehan, and Hannah. Sheehan. Inquiries were made, and depositions taken as to the circumstances surrounding their disappearance. He knew John Sheehan, brother of accused, who was still living m the neighborhood, .and his farm adjoined that of accused's mother. He knew Mary Reilly, servant, Dr Denis Quinlan, James Brown (accused's father-in-law),. Catherine Duane, Michael Spillone, Elizabeth Magner (he did not know her personally, her statement being taken m his absence), John Duane, Thomas Roche, and David • Duane. These persons, he knew, gave information at the inquiry, before Mr Eaton, Resident Magistrate, and their statements were given on oath. The witness identified the depositions (produced) as being the statements made by the above, and they bore the seal of the Secretary of State for Home Affairs; Lord Derby. \ The depositions of one of the witnesses „ was as follows: — David Duane, late of Carrigdowane, m Mount Joy Prison, deposed on his oath : I remember some seven years ago when I was Hying with my father and my mother at Carrigdownane. My father was m the . employment of old Mrs Sheehan, and we lived m a house on her farm, about two fields from her house. I knew Mrs" Sheehan and her sons,' William and Tom, and her daughter Hannah. I remember that Mrs Sheehan and her daughter and her son Tom Were said to have gone away out of the place one day, and they never came back again. I remember William Sheehan being married to Mary Ann Browne about a couple of weeks after they went. I remember the night after they left I was out late outside my own house, when I heard the music of a concertina m Mrs Sheehan's house, and went down to & wicket m the garden behind the house to listen. I was there for a long time. I think near two hours when the music ceased, and the lights ' m the house went out. Soon after I saw William Sheehan come out and go to the stable, and bring out the horse and put him to the cart m the yard. At the time William Sheehan came out, I saw David Browne standing at the door of the dwelling-house. 1 knew him very well./ I saw him come out and draw the cart up to the door. William Sheehan had brought the horse, and they put him to the cart, and they both went then to the- stable, and brought the cart near the door. They both went into the stable, and brought out three persons' bodies. One was a man, and the other two women. They (that is, Browne and Sheehan) carried them between them, and I saw their legs and heads hanging down. 1 was not near enough to see who they were. I was behind the wicket door, and about four spaaes off. The ■ door was broken, and I could see through 'i).i I saw a third man inside* the stable door-while they were bringing out the bodies. He came out afterwards. I did not know him. When the bodies were m the cart, they all went off m the direction of the old limekiln, and from that through James Sheehan's land, and over to the old well m David Broderiok's land. There is a passage the whole way. I followed then behind the ditch. I kept a good Way behind and outside the ditch, so that they could not see me. When they got to the well, I was behind the gate 'in James Sheehau,'s laud, about 100 yards from the well. I could see them plainly. I saw William take off; the sticks that were on the top of the well, aad then he and David Browuo got iiito the cart and lifted out the bodies and threw them over the little ditoh, and then they look them one by one and threw them into the well. I heaid them .falling down. The third man was by, ' but I did not see him do anything. I remember he had ou . a tall . white hat when the bodies were thrown down. I saw William Sheehan put the sticks over.. the well again. They then took put the horse and turned the cart round themselves, and put to the horse ' again, and they all three went back to the house. I followed them, and when they got to the yard they took the tackling off the horse, and turned him out into the field, and William Sheehan went for some water and washed the oart. David' Browne held it up for him. The three of them then went iuto Sheelmn's house. ' They oame out again after a few minutes and went off m the direotion of Browe's> house. I did not see them any more. I then went home; but I did not go m. I slept m the hay m an out-houso of John Slieehan's close by. I did not go into the house till next morning, after my father had gone to work. I told my mother that I had a great fright the night before, but I did not tell any more about it, nor did I tell anyone after. Some time after I heard William Sheolian Baying they were all gone to Newagh. I heard my father saying that he got a pair of boots from William Sheehau that had belonged to his brother Tom. I saw him wearing them afterwards. ■ 1 Diving the reading of the deposition of William Fitzgerald, who was employed to clean the well out aqd discovered the human remains, the wife of the accused fainted at one of the side doors of the Court- room, and had to bo carried out.