Murder of Father MCCarthy.

IV. -   Murder of Fr. M’Carthy (MacCartney?), Trial of the Murderers.

It will be interesting to record from a contemporary paper all that can be gleaned regarding the tragic event.

In the issue of that paper of 11th June, 1807, we read:- “Too much praise cannot be given to that very active magistrate Captain Wilcock, to whose great exertions on many former, as well as the present occasion, the public feel themselves much indebted. We are happy to state to our readers that, through his increasing vigilance in pursuit of the desperate gang of villains, who have for some time infested the outlets of Dublin, and kept its vicinity in a constant state of alarm, by their heretofore too successful depradations, and a part of which gang perpetrated that most wanton murder on the night of the 3rd (?) inst., on the ever to be regretted Father M’Carthy, Parish Priest of Lucan, whose memory will ever exist in the memory of all who had the honour of his acquaintance, are now safely lodged in gaol.”

Tuesday: June 16:-

“A great variety of statements having been made respecting the melancholy fate of Mr. M’Carthy, we think it necessary to lay before our readers the following, which we have good reason to suppose is grounded on fact. On Wednesday, the 3rd inst., the unfortunate gentleman dined with the Steward of Lord Donoughmore (Palmerstown, now the Stewart Institution), having held for a few days previously a Station in that neighbourhood. While returning homeward about ten o’clock, he was fired upon by a gang of ruffians, six in number, who had no knowledge whatever of his person or his profession; he fell, it is imagined, almost instantly lifeless; his pockets were then robbed of his watch, etc. Mr. Lynch, Junior, of Lucan, who accompanied him from Lord Donoughmore’s, had been thrown from his horse before the gang of robbers had made their appearance, and the injury which he has received is solely attributable to the effects thereof.” *

Freeman’s Journal, 27th June, *1807:-

Commission Intelligence. Murder of Mr. M’Carthy.

“Thomas Weir and Christopher Walsh were indicted for the murder of the Rev. Mr. M’Carthy near Lucan, on the 2nd of the current month, for that, they, instigated by the devil, etc., did murder the said Mr. M’Carthy, by lodging the contents of a pistol under his left breast, of the wound whereof he died. There *was *another count charging the prisoners with robbing the said Mr. M’Carthy of a silver watch, and (2) ten shillings in cash. To both these counts the prisoners pleaded not guilty.

“The prisoners being asked had they any agents, Walsh answered he had no attorney but God Almighty.

“James Clarke, keeper of the turnpike near Lucan, knew the deceased, saw him dead on the 3rd June, saw him about the hour of eleven o’clock that night, he was lying on his back, with his right hand extended, nearly at the top of the hill of Lucan, he received a gunshot wound under his right breast, which bled profusely, had no other material injury upon his person that he could see, except a bruise under the left eye. Witness was one of those who joined in the pursuit.

“James Rooney, a surgeon, examined the body of the deceased, was of opinion that he died of the wound which he had received under his breast. Here Mr. Rooney described the wound in the professional way, and concluded by declaring that it was in consequence of that wound he had died.

“Mr. Lynch had seen the deceased that day about three o’clock, was in his company the greater part of the afternoon, dined with him at Palmerstown, left that together with the prisoner (?) and continued in his company till nearly a quarter of ten of the night of the murder - parted him near Lucan - never saw him afterwards.

“John Murphy, the King’s evidence, knows the two prisoners, both of whom he identified, calling them Mr. Walsh and Mr. Weir, which title he continued to bestow on them while his testimony was going on; remembers the 3rd June, saw the prisoner Weir with Donoghue, MacMahon, and Larkin.

“Donoghue told him he should go to the house of one MacKeon, a relative of his whom he hoped to induce them to accompany them.

A meeting was appointed that evening in Thomas-street, in which, accordingly Weir and Walsh, the two prisoners, the witness and Donoghue, Larkin and Fletcher, attended (the latter are not apprehended). It was then planned that the prisoners, together with witness, and the, three last mentioned of the gang, should go to the house of one Kenny, near Lucan, and rob it of £180, of which they understood Kenny to be possessed.

Accordingly witness, accompanied by Weir, went to the Queen’s Bridge for the purpose of hiring a jaunting car to convey them to Lucan. They hired one from Haverty, which was drawn by a white horse. They told him that it was for four who were going to Lucan to seek a deserter from the Green Horse, of whose retreat they had information. They stopped at James’s-street at the house of one Smith, where they took some spirits and porter, while they remained there, which might be almost twenty minutes. Walsh went out and changed his clothes (Walsh was a private in the Tipperary regiment). From James’s-street they proceeded until they came to Mount Brown, when the remainder of the gang mounted the car. About half an hour after seven they stopped again at Ford’s, of Palmerstown, a gossip of witness’s wife; here they also took some spirits and porter. About half-past ten Larkin went to the house of one Carroll, whom he hoped to induce to accompany him to Kenny’s but the latter declined; he sent his wife, however, under the pretence of fetching water, to show them the way. Here witness declared that his heart began to fail him - he did not oppose going - gave his pistol to Walsh, who, in return, presented witness his bayonet. There was another pistol in the company with which Donoghue was armed. At length they arrived at Kenny’s house, the place which they had designed to rob; their watchword was ‘George.’ One of them knocked at the door, and demanded admittance; it was opened, and the gang rushed in, with the exception of witness who, with his bayonet, stood sentinel at the door. The party demanded a deserter from the Green Horse, who, they understood, was secreted in the house. Under this pretence they read a paper which, they said, was a warrant of search, assuming all the time the character of bailiffs. There was in the house Mrs. Kenny and her daughter; they searched it, but could find no money, and they quitted it without offering any violence to the nmates. On their way towards Lucan they divided into two groups. Fletcher, Larkin, and witness went first. Weir, Walsh, and Donoghue followed them at a short distance. The first party saw, as they passed, an elderly gentleman in black on the road, engaged, seemingly, in some necessary office; they went on without regarding him, when the other party, however, came up; witness, turning about observed Walsh put his hand to his bosom, draw out a pistol, and seized the gentleman by the breast heard a pistol go off, saw a man fall, but thought at first it was Walsh. Witness immediately separated from his companions, and ran across the country; saw no more of them since that night, was apprehended next day. On the cross-examination no material evidence from his direct testimony was detected. He said that his pistol was loaded with swan drops, that he did not take it out with an intent to murder; that only for the Union he would not be so near coming to the gallows; his trade, a silver-plater, being a very good one before that unfortunate measure. This answer produced a laugh in which Mr. Justice Daly and Mr. Baron M’Clelland joined. Both the latter were made judges at the time of the Union.

“John White proved that on the night of the 3rd of June his car was hired from him by Walsh and Weir to carry four to Lucan to apprehend a deserter. The foregoing evidence was corroborated in the part which referred to her by Eliza Ford, at whose house they had stopped in James’s-street. She identified the prisoner, mentioned the porter and spirits which they had taken at her house. They said they were going to a funeral to Leixlip, which drew from her an observation that it was very late to be going to a funeral at that hour of the night - nothing material fell from this witness.

“Ellenor Burke is a servant at the house of James Kenny, near Lucan, corroborated in every particular the foregoing testimony.

“Major Sirr, before whom the depositions of Murphy were sworn, proved that he took them down verbatim.

“The confession of the prisoners, Weir and Walsh, were then read, who both charged Donoghue with the murder, but in no other material circumstance did they differ from evidence of the approver Murphy.

“Justice Daly charged the jury, who returned, without leaving the box, a verdict of murder against both the prisoners.

“The Judge, in passing sentence, warned the prisoners to indulge no hope.

“Weir begged for a longer day, but Judge Daly observed that there was no circumstance in the case to warrant a mitigation in the strict compliance and letter of the law. They are to be executed to-morrow. Walsh is about 34 years of age; Weir is about 19.”

There is no other reference in the *Freeman’s Journal *to this case except the following in the issue of June 29:-

“Dempsey, proprietor of the Old Cock Tavern, having seen a paragraph in a paper of Saturday, stating that Thomas Weir, who was lately executed for the murder of Mr. M’Carthy, was a waiter in his house, and Dempsey thinks it a duty encumbent on him to state to the public that the said Weir never was a waiter in his house, but in another house in the neighbourhood that went by the name of the Cock Tavern.”

The murderers were executed on the spot of the murder near Lucan Hill.

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