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Articles From The Tyrone Constitution, Omagh, Friday, March 19, 1847
INQUESTS
The following inquests were held during the past few days in this county, before Joseph ORR, Esq., coroner, and furnish the most melancholy proof of the rapid progress which destitution and consequent disease is making:
An inquest was held on the 10th inst., in the townland of Lisnamallard, near Omagh, on the body of a stranger, named MONAGHAN. It appeared that being on his way home to the neighbourhood of Trillick, he had obtained lodging in Lisnamallard, on the evening of the 9th, and died in the course of the next day. He had not been heard to complain of want of food. Verdict - died from fatigue and exposure to cold.
An inquest was held on the 12th inst., in the neighbourhood of Fintona, on the body of Robert BRENNAN. Verdict - died from want of food.
On the same day, and in the same neighbourhood, an inquest was held on the body of Dominick SHERRY, who had been awfully burned to death. It appeared that the house in which he resided, and of which he was the only inmate, had taken fire during the night, and when search was made amongst the burning materials, the next morning, the body was found, with the head and arms burned off. Verdict accordingly.
An inquest was held on the 13th instant, in the neighbourhood of Sixmilecross, on the body of a man named John CRAIG. It appeared that the unfortunate man had been for some time previously in the Omagh union workhouse; that he had left it from some cause, and died from dysentery on the very night he reached his own house which had become a ____ one.
An inquest was held in Strabane, on the same day on the bodies of two sisters, named Mary Jane and Anna HARKIN, one 12 years old and the other six. Their father had brought them from Castlefin to Strabane, when he was forced from destitution to leave them and go to the harvest in Scotland. They were taken into Strabane workhouse, where they remained until the return of their father, who took them out, finding them in a sickly and declining state of health. They were exposed to cold by being carried about, and, strange to say, both died on the 12th instant, at the same hour. Verdict - died from exposure to cold, being ins a ?diseased? state when leaving the workhouse.
An inquest was held on the 15th inst., in the neighborhood of Favor-Royal, on the body of a woman named Bridget NUGENT, it appeared that she was suffering from a protracted bowel complaint, and was extremely destitute, having scarcely sufficient fire to keep her warm. Her bed being close to the fire place she attempted to light a few straws, to create some heat, and in doing so, set fire to the bed, and was burned to death, no person being present to save her. A verdict was returned accordingly.
An inquest was held on the 16th inst., at Newtown-Stewart on the body of a stranger named Charles McMANUS, who had been on his way to Enniskillen, and had died in the County Derry on the 15th. Verdict - died from disease of the bowels, brought on from want of food.
ROBBERY IN CALEDON
On the night of Sunday last, the shop of Mr. John WILSON, of Caledon, was robbed of goods to the amount of about £100, the robbery being effected in the most secret, and even mysterious manner, without exciting the slightest alarm, or leaving any clue likely to lead to the discovery of those by whom it was committed. Mr. WILSON, before going to bed on Sunday night, went round the premises, and saw that everything was secure, the door of the shop being strongly fastened with iron cross bars, together with an upper and under bolt, and an excellent lock. The window shutters were properly keyed, and the door leading from the shop to the house was locked. The shop door had no key-hole outside - the key was left in the hall door, and the outside gate was secured. In the morning, Mr. WILSON found everything apparently as he had left it, with the exception of his shelves being completely stripped, and all his finest webs of cloth gone. The webs had been rolled on boards, which were taken out, and left lying on the floor, together with the tickets which had been attached in the usual way.
Two or three pounds of tobacco were also taken, together with the coppers which had been left in the drawer. The key of the inside door had been left on Mr. WILSON's bed-room table on the previous night, and it was found in the same spot in the morning. It is supposed that this key must have been taken away and left back again, as the front door could only be opened from the inside, and was only through it that the goods could have been removed. The sub-inspector of police endeavored to force the door with a crow bar, when fastened, but could not succeed, so that if the robbers had come in that way it could only have been by breaking the door, and there was not a single mark of violence upon it. The whole affair must have been most skillfully planned, and carried out in the most silent and expeditious manner. Inquiries have been set on foot, and a reward is about to be offered, with the view of discovering the perpetrators of the outrage, which has excited considerable sensation in that district, owing to the serious loss sustained by Mr. WILSON, and the mysterious manner in which the robbery was effected.
RELIEF ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Fintona - Mr. David LINDSAY, in addition to former announcements gratefully acknowledges the receipt of £15, granted by the committee of the Belfast general relief fund, "to be expended in the purchase of food;" also, £3 from Mrs. ECOLES, (?) of Dublin, being the second subscription of that lady in aid for the Fintona relief fund.
TYRONE ASSIZES - Friday, March 12
The following is the conclusion of the business transacted at our assizes on Friday last before Judge TORRENS. Owing to the lateness of the hour at which the proceedings terminated, we were unable to present our readers with a report of all the cases of road traverse in our last.
Several applications which were refused at the presentment sessions, as not previously certified by the County Surveyor, were granted by his lordship, on the report of the county surveyor, that they were now in good repair. Several applications for payment, which had been omitted in former years, some of them so long ago as the year 1844, were granted, on its being stated that the omission was occasioned through the change of one of the deputy surveyor's; and several other contractors were refused payment on the report of the county surveyor, that their contracts were in a bad state of repair.
The applications for payment having been disposed of, the following jury were sworn in to try the road traverses:
M_____, David D__NY, John HOUSTON, John McADAM, Joseph MOORS, James LOVE, Terence SMITH, James KINRAN, Samuel YOUNG, Daniel BLAIR, Robert LOVE, James M. McGREW, and Andrew PATTERSON.
The first traverse called was that of a person named JAMIESON, who traversed for damages sustained by a new line of road from Balligawley to Dungannon, passing through a portion of his land. £15 damages.
The next was that of a person named POWELL, for damages sustained by the same road. £19 3s. 4d. damages.
Daniel DEVLIN also claimed damages for loss sustained by the same road taking up 97 perches of his land. It was proved that the traverser held his land under a long lease at one guinea per acre. £20 10s. damages.
Several greenwaxes were discharged from liability, on promising to his lordship that they would never bail any person again.
