From The Times [of London] 17 September 1838 - BRUTAL MURDERS IN TIPPERARY The following is from the correspondent of the Tipperary Free Press, the Radical journal of that county:-- "Cashel, Sept. 8, 1838. "Sir,--I am grieved to have to inform you that the peace and happiness which so generally reigned over this district these months past was last night disturbed and woefully broken by the commission of two murders committed on the same line of road leading from this town, and at different hours. The ill-fated and unhappy victims of revenge, blended with intoxication, were Toby Bourke, of Garnacarty, near this town, and William Ahern, of Drishane, three miles distant. They were both married, and left large families to deplore their loss. Bourke was brutally murdered convenient to Rosanna, in the suburbs of this town, and William Ahern met the same fate at the hill of Grenane ; stones were the deadly weapons used in each case. I refrain for the presernt, for prudential reasons, from mentioning the names of the persons implicated in these barbarous murders, but I have no doubt that the perpetrators will be brought to justice, several having been already arrested. This day an inquest was held on the body by Captain Bradshaw, coroner when a verdict of 'Wilful murder' was returned. The worthy coroner then proceeded at a rapid pace to the lands of Drishane, accompanied by Chief Constable Blake, where he held an inquest on the body of William Ahern, but owing to the late hour he commenced, and after the examination of three witnesses and Surgeon Heuston, he adjourned the inquest until Monday next, the 10th inst., to be held at 11 o'clock, at the police barrack of Donaskeigh. "The principals said to be concerned in each murder were arrested by the police, and are at present confined in Tipperary bridewell." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dennis Ahern | Ireland Newspaper Abstracts Acton, Massachusetts | http://www.IrelandOldNews.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I thought I'd go in and see if there are any reports with my family name "Derham" - this came up: DUBLIN POLICE HENRY-STREET OFFICE Stabbing a Female- Friday a young man named Thomas Cooke, residing at 91, Dorset street, was brought before the magistrates in custody, charged with having stabbed Susan Lloyd (an unfortunate woman of the town) last evening at the Post office, between nine and ten o'clock. Police sergeant Derham C.I. stated that he was pissing by the Post-office at the hour already mentioned, when he saw the prisoner run at the female and stab her in three different places with a penknife which he held in his hand. He (the witness) immediately seized him by the collar, when he became very violent, struck him several times, and during the struggle, broke the blade of the knife. When taken to the station-house, he said he'd be hanged for her, but refused to tell what she did to provoke his wrath or cause his enmity. The unfortunate young man, it appears, is very respectably connected, and maintained during the proceedings before the magistrates, the most dogged silence. He was committed for trial, their worships not deeming it safe to admit him to bail. The woman, who appeared in the office, tho' very much hurt, is not, we are happy to state, considered in a dangerous state. The second paragraph refers to the Policeman Derham - but I'm not quite sure what he was doing near the Post Office :-) - perhaps a bit like the lady in Belgium who was crushed by a gravestone? Malvary in OTtawa

On Fri, 9 Sep 2005 09:17:42 -0400, "Malvary J Cole" <malvaryj@sympatico.ca> wrote: >I thought I'd go in and see if there are any reports with my family name >"Derham" - this came up: >DUBLIN POLICE >HENRY-STREET OFFICE > > Stabbing a Female- Friday a young man named Thomas Cooke, residing at >91, Dorset street, was brought before the magistrates in custody, charged >with having stabbed Susan Lloyd (an unfortunate woman of the town) last >evening at the Post office, between nine and ten o'clock. > Police sergeant Derham C.I. stated that he was pissing by the >Post-office at the hour already mentioned, when he saw the prisoner run at >the female and stab her in three different places with a penknife which he >held in his hand. He (the witness) immediately seized him by the collar, >when he became very violent, struck him several times, and during the >struggle, broke the blade of the knife. When taken to the station-house, he >said he'd be hanged for her, but refused to tell what she did to provoke his >wrath or cause his enmity. > The unfortunate young man, it appears, is very respectably connected, >and maintained during the proceedings before the magistrates, the most >dogged silence. > He was committed for trial, their worships not deeming it safe to admit >him to bail. > The woman, who appeared in the office, tho' very much hurt, is not, we >are happy to state, considered in a dangerous state. > > > >The second paragraph refers to the Policeman Derham - but I'm not quite sure >what he was doing near the Post Office :-) - perhaps a bit like the lady in >Belgium who was crushed by a gravestone? > Probably either a mistranscription of "passing", or a prank by a compositor. I don't think a Victorian newspaper would print "pissing" intentionally. -- Don Aitken Mail to the From: address is not read. To email me, substitute "clara.co.uk" for "freeuk.com"

From The Nenagh Guardian 20 March 1839 -- Clonmel Court. Murder. William Donovan was indicted for the murder of William Ahearn, at Grenane, on the 6th of September, last. Thomas Dwyer deposed that he saw William Ahearn the night in question; remembers the time he was struck at the cross of Grenane; William Donovan, the prisoner, Tom Collopy and witness were together in Tipperary; they left the town together; they met some people at the cross; witness passed the men on the road, and looked back to see if Collopy was coming on, and saw William Donovan , the prisoner, strike the deceased with a stone, which knocked him down; and when down he struck him another blow; shouted for Donovan and ran away; witness and two more persons brought the deceased into the house of man named Dwyer; he was dead, he never spoke a word after he got the blow; the prisoner is the man who struck the blow; he came behind deceased at the time he struck him; did not hear of any quarrel between deceased and the prisoner; never saw the deceased before that day; did not see Collopy at the time deceased was struck; it was not Collopy struck the blow; is positive it was the prisoner. Cross-examined by Mr Rolleston--Came out of gaol now; is not in custody for this murder; on his oath does not know what he was taken for; was taken on the 6th of Sept, the day Ahearn was killed; witness took off his small clothes after Ahearn was murdered, and left them at the house to be dried, as they were wet; was arrested the night of the murder in the house were he was in the habit of working. To a juror--The prisoner struck the second blow when the deceased was down. Mary Ahearn--Was in the town of Tipperary on the 6th of September; left the town with her husband; William Donovan and Thomas Dwyer, the last witness, had some variance on the road with deceased; Rody Murphy bid her husband take up the stones and witness bid him not; her husband asked her to take off his coat, and she would not; witness had some things in her apron, which she had bought in Tipperary, and while she just looked if she had dropped any of them, her husband ran about 20 or 30 perches before her, and when she came up to him he was lying dead on the road; she shook him, and called him, but he was as dead as he is now; there was no one near him on the road; Dwyer, Donovan and Rody Murphy, and deceased, had the argument; her husband had a cut on each side of his head; just as her husband went on before her on the road, Rody Murphy went into Mr. Mansergh's grove. To the Jury--saw Dwyer in the house where they took the deceased to; witness tried to hold Dwyer as she heard some of the people blame him and Donovan, for striking her husband, and Dwyer caught her and threw her down and then made away; Dwyer did not then say it was Donovan struck the blow. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dennis Ahern | Ireland Newspaper Abstracts Acton, Massachusetts | http://www.IrelandOldNews.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -