Transcribed by Teena from the Belfast Newsletter
A melancholy accident occurred last week at Mulloughduff, near Ballycastle. James M’CLOY, finding himself unwell, applied to a friend for some salts to take as a medicine. He gave him what he supposed to be salts, but unfortunately it proved to be arsenic, which he had laid beside a parcel of salts. M’CLOY took it and the dreadful mistake was not discovered till too late and he died in great agony. What adds to the distress of this melancholy event is that he has left a widow with eight children and far advanced in pregnancy. At the last birth she had twins.
Extract of a letter from Captain J. M’DOWELL of the brig ‘Hibernia’, from Jamaica, of and for Belfast, to his owners here, dated Cork, April 3, 1810.
I am sorry to inform you of my being captured on the 22nd March in lat. 46.47, long. 24.6., by the French privateer LeDeiste, of fourteen 24 pound carronades and two long nines and 150 men. In six days after she captured the ship ‘Wanstead’, of London, mounting sixteen guns, also a brig for this port, loaded with lumber and s_aves, (?), which the master of the privateer did not think worth keeping, but sent the captain of the ‘Wanstead’ and me, with part of our crews, in her and we arrived here yesterday.
The crew of the privateer took from us all our clothes, &c., they even took my watch and did not leave me a second shirt.
MARRIED
Mr. Robert CALLWELL, Springfield, to Miss WATSON, Lisleen.
Mr. Hugh STITT, Ballywarren, to Miss Eleanor STITT, of Comber.
At Newtownlimavady, Mr. George MOORE, woollen draper, to Miss FORSYTHE of Gortmore, near Newtownlimavady.
DIED
Mr. Edmund FLANAGAN, of Derry
At Ballyward, near Portaferry, Miss Mary Anne BOWDEN
At Larne, Mr. David HILL, merchant
Mr. Henry WIER of Banbridge, merchant.
Mr. John MACURRIE of Drumaness, near Ballinahinch, linen merchant.
Omagh Assizes
Thomas HOGAN, a corporal in the King’s Co. Militia, was indicted on several counts, for the murders of Henry M’LAUGHLIN, Arthur M’CLINTOCK, Andrew HARVEY and Matthew ROBINSON and also for being present, aiding and assisting, persons unknown, to kill and murder said persons.
It was admitted that the deceased persons were killed by gun-shot wounds, in the street of Omagh on the 12th August 1809.
On the part of the prosecution it was proved that shots were fired from the barrack, which was occupied by a detachment of the King’s County Militia and from the street near the barrack, by which the deceased persons were killed; and some of the witnesses said that the prisoner came down the barrack steps, with his firelock and belts; that he took aim and fired down the street, being then, not more than ten yards from the barrack; that when he had fired, he retired into the barrack and came out again, in such time as a man would prime and load; and that he and three more, then fired again. The deceased persons were killed by the shots from the barrack and the street, or some of them. There had been a scuffle at the head of the street, ten or fifteen minutes before; but all was quiet when the firing took place.
On the cross-examination, it appeared that upon the 12th August 1809, four corps of yeomanry, to the number of two or three hundred men, had assembled at Omagh for parade and to fire five rounds of blank cartridge; that after the parade, they were dismissed in the town and were dispersed in different public houses. On the same day, a party of about 50 volunteers for the line, from the King’s County Militia, marched into Omagh from Strabane, on their way to their respective regiments and had also retired into public houses. Nearly opposite the corner of the Court House, a scuffle took place between one of the volunteers and a yeoman and the latter having been knocked down by the former, both parties poured out in great numbers into the street, many of the yeomen having their arms. A furious encounter ensued, in which the volunteers being overpowered, ran down the street, in a direction towards the barrack. There were about 50 of the King’s County Militia quartered in the town, besides the volunteers, who had marched in that day. The volunteers had no arms but sticks.
On the part of the prisoner, it was proved that near Mr. MOSS’S shop and opposite to the corner of the Court house, a yeoman accosted a volunteer (who had an undress cap, bound with green tape) and asked him “why he wore so rebelly a colour?” The volunteer answered, “the colour was not a rebelly colour, but the colour of his regiment.” That the yeoman then pulled off the volunteer’s cap and trampled it in the channel, upon which the volunteer knocked him down; that immediately the street filled with yeomen and volunteers coming to the assistance of their respective friends and a dreadful riot took place.
That the volunteers being worsted, ran down the street towards the barrack; that both the militia and the yeomanry drums beat to arms; that in the meantime, another scuffle took place nearly opposite Mr, JENKIN’S, between the volunteers and the yeomanry, immediately after which, the shots were fired.
It further appeared, that at the commencement of the affray, the prisoner, with others of his regiment, was in the house of James M’KEOWN, a publican, nearly opposite the barrack; and that after three different messages had come that his comrades were killing and the drum having beat to arms, the prisoner ran to the barracks for his arms and the two witnesses deposed, that before the firing commenced, they saw the prisoner and another, running up the street; they saw them knocked down and that the prisoner was carried into an house, from whence, one of the witnesses saw him returning towards the barrack, bleeding, after the firing had ceased.
The learned judge, (Mr. Serjeant MOORE) after recapitulating the evidence, told the jury, that upon the whole of the case, it appeared that the deaths had ensued in consequence of a sudden and violent affray and that at most, the prisoner must be found guilty of man-slaughter; but that if the jury believed he was not of the party who fired, they ought to acquit him.
The jury without hesitation, found the prisoner not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.