The Cork Examiner, 1 October 1856

GRIEVOUS ASSAULT.

Laurence Daly was charged with a grievous assault on James Bowden and John Henry Colvin, both members of the society of Friends, on the 21st August last, at Ballinure.    John H. Colvin and James Bowden were examined by Mr. P. O’Connell, Crown-solicitor, and proved that they were walking towards the Douglas Post-office, about 6½ oclock, on the evening in question, when between Mr. Crawford’s gate and Douglas, they perceived a man shouting towards them ; he appeared in a sailor’s dress, and had a bag or something in his hands ; when he came up to them, he accused them of throwing stones at him, which they denied, whereupon he struck Colvin with his clenched fist on the side of the head, and then took Mr. Bowden’s stick from him, and struck him with great force on the head, and cut his head in two places throught [sic] his hat ; they then struggled with him and got him down, calling loudly for help, when finding no one coming to their assistance, they thought it best to run away ; they had come to arrange the affairs of a deceased friend of theirs, who had been a tutor at Mr. Pike’s. Mr. Colvin was from Dublin, and Mr. Bowden from Surrey.     Mr. O’Hea, with Mr., Gillman, defended the prisoner, and called Mr. Denis Murpy as to character. The defense was, that the prisoner was under the impression that the prosecutors had been throwing stones at him.     The jury found him guilty of an assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one of the jurors in answer to his Worship amidst much laughter, stating that they had come to that decision without being influenced either by Mr. O’Hea’s eloquent speeches or his worship’s able charge.     The Court sentenced the prisoner to twelve months imprisonment at hard labour, observing that in his experience as Assistant Barrister for 20 years in this and the adjoining County he had never heard of a more unprovoked assault. Previous to that case he could assert that it was as safe to walk the roads of this county at night as the high streets of London in the day time, and that it was his duty, by the sentence in this case, to prevent such a thing occurring again.

BALLINA CHRONICLE Wednesday, August 1, 1849

DARING OUTRAGE- GALLANT CONDUCT OF A FEMALE – On Sunday morning, the 22nd inst., some persons called at the bed-room window of a farmer, named Gilbert Egan, residing near Lisduff, and desired him to get up that all of his property was stolen; upon which his wife got out of bed and opened the door; when four fellows fiercely rushed in, following her into the bed-room where her husband was asleep. One of them had two stones in his hands; and while he was in the act of lifting his hand to strike Egan, Mrs. Egan caught him by the breast, knocked him down and took one of the stones from him. Another of the party then struck her with a large stick on the hands and shoulders, whereupon her husband jumped out of bed, seized the fellow by the throat and took the stick from him. Egan and his wife then armed themselves and beat the party out of the room, and while doing so, Egan received a severe cut in the temple which deprived him of strength. Nothing daunted, Mrs. Egan and two of her children encountered three of the ruffians in the kitchen, but in the struggle she and her children were severely assaulted. She called repeatedly to her servant boy, and a schoolmaster named Cleary, who were in the house, to come to her assistance and make prisoners of the party. This they very cowardly and disgracefully refused to do, alleging they were afraid of being killed! On leaving they told her to make her husband give up the land he had lately taken or they would give him a barbarous death. Two of the party have been arrested and identified and fully committed to Nenagh gaol. —Nenagh Guardian.