NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
Joe Baker
INTRODUCTION By John Ferris, Editor, North Belfast News It has been a pleasure over the years to afford Joe Baker the space through the North Belfast News to write about the history of our fair city and its surroundings. I have to first of all admit that I have never been much of a history buff myself. At school I was more interested in what was on TV that night than the Blitz. And I may never have read Joe’s work, had I not been Editor of the North Belfast News. But I’m glad I am, because Joe’s talent in making history come alive and sound exciting to the reader is something that I look forward to reading every week. And just as the North Belfast News has become part of the fabric life in this part of the city, so too has Joe Baker’s column. In the years since starting Joe quickly became a readers’ favourite. Indeed, in our last reader survey the column this book is built around was the most popular across the paper’s pages. Week-on-week we receive letters and text messages about Joe’s column. And I can’t remember a time when we had more feedback over one article in our near eight-year history than when Joe claimed that the Barrack built the biggest bonfire the north of the city has ever seen! History is normally written by the winner, but I’ll leave it up to you, the reader, to make your own mind up as to who really had the biggest bonfire. Anyone who has ever read his weekly writings will know that whether it’s ghosts, ghouls, hangings or the war, Looking North never fails to entertain. In fact, there’s normally more murder and intrigue in just one of Joe’s columns than Miss Marple and Poirot would have seen in their lifetimes. During his time at the North Belfast News he doubled his workload, starting to write for our sister paper, the Andersonstown News Monday edition. This increased the already countless hours he spends working on the pieces of writing you have before you. Some have claimed that just "looking through old papers and copying out the stories" is easy. Those people couldn’t be further from the truth. I know from personal experience the huge amount of hard work, dedication and energy put into every single story on these pages for your pleasure. And it shines through in the writing. Whether you haven’t read his column before or you’re just looking forward to reading it all again – sit back, relax and enjoy this latest instalment of articles.
I would like to dedicate this little booklet to the memory of my childhood friend Jim Madden who was tragically killed on the 16th of October 1979
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
Joe Baker
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
A CAVEHILL GHOST STORY
I have always stated North Belfast is, without doubt, the most historic part of the city and with that long history comes stories of the strange and unusual. There are thousands of fascinating ghost stories in North Belfast but unfortunately most of them are undocumented and lack any real evidence such as a tragedy around which the story is based. However one of the few documented cases concerns a strange sighting in the Cavehiil a short time before the outbreak of the First World War. Today when we think of the Cavehill we think of the zoo, Belfast Castle, its surrounding area of natural beauty, the caves or Mc Art's Fort at the hills summit. However, ninety years ago many people were visiting the area not to see any of the above attractions but in the hope of seeing a ghost
which was said to be roaming the hillside. In 1913 many people who had visited the Cavehill at night reported hearing a wailing noise coming from within the woods. They had stated that it sounded like a man crying and that he was in a great deal of distress. Some of those who heard it investigated and ventured into the darkness of the tress to search for the unfortunate man. Some of those who did so found that the noises got louder and that when they appeared to be nearing the man they disappeared suddenly.
JOKER The matter was reported to the police a number of times who searched the area twice but with no success. At various dates afterwards the police were still receiving reports of the
noises but were now dismissing the whole episode as the workings of practical jokers, however two years later the story took a completely different twist. In June 1915 a man and woman were out for a walk in the area and as they were approaching the castle they noticed something ahead of them which seemed to be floating within the trees. The man decided to take a closer look and, leaving the woman standing by the pathway, went in among the trees. A few moments later he came stumbling down the hillside and, after grabbing the girl, both ran from the area. After calming down and knowing that he was within the safety of the Antrim Road area he told the woman what happened. He stated that when he got closer he saw what he described as a man who was hov-
Cavehill at the time of the strange haunting
ering in and out of the trees, he added that he watched for a few seconds and when the figure moved slowly towards him he ran back towards the path falling a number of times. He later had to be treated for cuts and severe bruising. News of the sighting spread and dozens of people flocked to the Cavehill hoping to catch a glance of the apparition but all went home disappointed. The police soon got to hear about it and still working on the theory that it was a practical joker who had now got out of hand. They investigated and some of those who ‘knocked about’ the area were even arrested, but once again no success. POACHER The story soon died away and was not heard again until five years later. In September 1920 two teenagers approached the estate manager and told him that they had seen someone in the trees and, as it was dark, they were scared to go down the path alone. The manager, believing it to be poachers, agreed to see the pair down and the trio set off. When they got to the point where the youths saw the man the manager had a closer look with his lamp but discovered nothing, not even any signs to show it was poachers. He then told the teenagers that there were ghosts reported in the area some years ago and that he and his fellow workers had trouble with the amount of people coming to the area. The teenagers laughed at the story and set off home towards the Antrim Road which in those days contained very few houses. After seeing them out of the grounds the manager then set off
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 5 back to the castle. When he got to SKULL the area were the boys told him of A few weeks later two men, John their sighting he saw a man standing McAleavey of Alexandra Park Avlooking into the trees. Still thinking enue and Frederick Orr of Duncairn that he was a poacher the estate man- Gardens, were walking in the area ager shouted a warning to him and when they approached what they bethe man completely ignored him and lieved to have been an unusual lookmoved into the trees. The manager ing rock. To their horror they found dashed towards him and shinning his it to have been a human skull. lamp found, to his horror, that he was The men immediately reported the floating about two feet above the findings to the police at Chichester ground. Dropping his lamp he ran to Road who sealed off the area where the castle and told a colleague what they recovered a full skeleton. Some he had just seen. The two men re- bits of clothing and an old pair of mained within the castle until the boots were attached to the bones, next day. while alongside were found a small empty medicine bottle and a teacup. DISAPPEARED A weather-eaten penknife and part of Once again numerous sightings were a watch chain were the only articles reported after this but the most sig- found in the clothing. All was renificant was in March 1922. A man moved by a Sergeant Greeney and out walking his dog was strolling two constables. The police appealed along the path when he noticed a for information and published a deman standing on the path ahead of scription of the findings in the local him. When he passed he noticed that press. When they did so a woman the man was staring into the trees and came to the barracks and identified had not moved, just remained on the the belongings as those of her husone spot. The man observed that his band who had disappeared some time dog was crouching down alongside ago. She said that his name was John him and was giving a slight growl. Scott, who originally came from The walker continued and allowed Waringstown and started his own his dog off the lead. business as a tailor. It was stated that On his return down (which was ap- all parties concerned believed the proximately an hour later) he was man had taken his own life. surprised to discover that the man had not moved and was still stand- The site in which the skeleton was ing and staring into the trees and with discovered was the area in which all his dog off its leash he noticed that the previous sightings occurred and the animal would not go near him. the police were mystified on how The walker then approached the man they had never discovered it before, to see if he was all right but to his however one theory for this was that shock he disappeared before his eyes. it may have been covered in bramble. He then ran home and informed his After the remains were buried the family of what he had just experi- ghostly sightings were never seen, or enced. heard of again.
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BOMB ATTACK ON CHILDREN AND A PENSIONER SHOT DEAD – A TIPICAL NORTH BELFAST DAY Bomb attacks on children playing in the street were a common occurance. This picture shows children playing in Earl Street where one such attack occured.
Old newspapers really do make a brilliant read and anyone who has been to the collections in any of the libraries will know exactly what I am talking about. You don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy them either as your interests can be from politics to sport to find the excuse to have a squint through them. Regular readers of my column will know that I often compile write-ups on there 1920’s period in North Belfast when atrocities such as the McMahon Family Murders occurred. Belfast during the partition of Ireland is a period I am fascinated in and the other day I was looking through an old paper when one single page caught my eye. It was the Weekly Northern Whig of Saturday 2nd September, 1922, and the page in question began with a report on the funeral of Michael Collins which I read with
great interest. I was surprised at the write up being balanced as this was a mainly Unionist newspaper and one paragraph which gripped my attention was as follows:"A touching incident was witnessed a few minutes before the mass concluded. A military dispatch rider, carrying in his hand a single white lily, rode up to the church and entered by the main door. The emblem was a token sent by Miss Kitty Kiernan, the dead leaders fiancee, and it was placed on the lid of the coffin, where it rested during the progress of the funeral procession to Glasnevin." To most reading this it would not seem to be a big deal reading this but when a sad personal touch is seen associated to one who is elevated to legendary status then it can remind us that, like us, they were only human too.
In the column next to this we are informed of a Belfast man being shot dead in a picture house on the Crumlin Road. This occurred on the 29th of August when a man named Peter Mullan, aged 65, of 109 Joy Street in the Markets area. Mr Mullan worked as an usher in the cinema and just after the film started three shots were heard and he fell to the floor. The audience panicked and made for the exits and it was during this that the gunmen made there escape. At the same time eight people were injured in a bomb attack in the North Queen Street area. A number of children had been standing at the junction of North Queen Street and Earl Street when a bomb was thrown at them. One of them, a boy named Hannin, who lived in nearby Spamount Street, told police that he was playing with other children when
an object like a large stone fell near them and exploded. He was then taken to a house in Hardinge Street from where he was taken to hospital in an armoured car. Two other children were also taken to hospital. Mary Coogin, aged 14, of 40 Hardinge Street and Mary Stewart , aged 15, of 162 Earl Street both received serious injuries to their legs. The others injured were Catherine Jennings, aged 17, of 47 Grove Street, John Graham from Sussex Street, John Spence, aged 14, of 65 Weir Street, Thomas Burns from Grove Street and six year old Lily Hagans of 60 Grove Street. At this time attacks on children playing in the streets were a common occurrence and one of the most horrific occurred in North Belfast when a number of children were killed in a Loyalist bomb attack on them in Weaver Street. Nearby, in Vere Street, a woman named Ellen Sweeny, was standing at her door talking to a neighbour when she was shot by a gunman from North Queen Street. She was rushed to Dr. Calwell in York Street where her wounds were dressed before being rushed to hospital where she made a full recovery. In the Corporation Street area the IRA were also active. At around midnight a massive explosion was heard after a bomb attack outside the Sinclair Seaman’s Schoolhouse which had been used as a post for the B-Specials. No one was injured in the attack although one of the Special’s had a very narrow escape as he passed just a few moments previously. On the same page of the newspaper
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 7 were are also informed that a man oughfare and then disappeared. He was shot on his way home in nearby fell wounded in the neck, and was Upper Library Street. A man named promptly taken to the Mater HospiJames McKeating, aged 30, was shot tal where he is stated to be in a critiin the neck as he was returning to his cal condition." home at number 22 Alton Street. The So there we are - this is just a tiny selection of the stories contained on report informs us:"McKeating, who is a married man, one single page of that old newspawas hurrying home a few minutes per. Given that there must be millions before Curfew, and was passing Up- of these pages in the bound volumes per Library Street going towards the of the newspaper libraries I would Old Lodge Road, when a couple of not like to guess how many stories men came from Upper Library Street there are on our local history but I’m and deliberately fired a revolver at sure there are enough to keep me him, and then ran back into the thor- writing for a while yet!
Looking up Donegall Street from York Street at around the time of the First World War St James’s Church at the junction of Cliftonville Road and Antrim Road around 1870. Most of this was destroyed during the Luftwaffe Blitz in 1941 and later rebuilt in its present form.
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MORE DRAMA FROM THE OLD VICTORIAN COURTS Regular readers will be aware that it’s been a while since I brought you some of the drama from the old Belfast Court. Going by what I hear it would seem that this is one of your favourite peices and in answer to the question I am continoulsy - yes, they are all true! May 4th 1895 PAIR OF CRUEL SONS John Kearney jnr was charged on a warrant with having threatened his father John Kearney. Mr Spiller prosecuted in the police cases. The information on which the warrant was issued for the prisoner’s apprehension stated that the Accused was addicted to drink and was in the habit of abusing his father. He worked none and on the Wednesday, April 17th, he came home and commenced to abuse his father and swore he would “knife him.” Owing to his violence and threats his father was afraid of him. The accused who had a large number of records against him, was ordered to be imprisoned for three months, in default of finding bail for his good behaviour. John Morrison was charged with being drunk, with assaulting his father and also threatening him. It appeared that the prisoner was under the influence of drink and smashed the door in his father’s house and also the door of a neighbour’s. On being arrested he threw himself down on the ground and became very violent and it was with great difficulty that he could be removed to the Police Office . When there he also threatened to take the life of his father and also spat in his face. HeadConstable Doyle characterised the prisoner as a desperado and stated that there were thirty-four records against him. The accused was fined 10 shillings and costs for being drunk, 5 shillings and 2 shillings-sixpence compensation for the malicious injury and for the assault, two months imprisonment with hard labour and at the expiration of that time, in default of finding bail for his
good behaviour in the future, to be further imprisoned for two months. November 14th 1866 CHARGE OF CHILD-STEALING John Woods, an ill-looking character, described as a professional beggar, was charged with stealing a little girl named Quinn, age seven years. Sub-Constable Murphy said that on the previous evening he observed the prisoner walking through Greencastle with a child on his back and he arrested him. The child was not crying but she began to cry when the witness took her off the prisoner’s back. Mrs Quinn, mother of the child, said that the prisoner had no liberty from her to take away the child. She lived at Robert Street and she had never seen the prisoner before Mr Orme - Evidently he has some foul intent in taking her away. Mr Rea - He wanted to take the poor child round the country and make a beggar of her. Mr Seeds - I believe he was convicted of a similar offence some time ago. Mr Orme (to the prisoner) - You are to take your trial at the Quarter Sessions and I hope that you are well punished. December 22nd 1866 PULL THE OTHER ONE Richard Watters was charged with being drunk and disorderly and with assaulting Sub-Constables Sherman and King. Sherman said that at a late hour the previous night the prisoner came rolling drunk up against the door of the Constabulary Barracks at North Queen Street. He then commenced to kick the shutters and swore that he did not care for all the police in Belfast. Witness went out of the Barracks and advised him to go home. The prisoner then attempted to get into the Barracks and struck him a blow on the back of the head with his fist. The prisoner next
caught hold of the witness by a whisker and pulled a portion of it away. Mr Orme - I see that the one whisker looks longer than the other. (Laughter) You’ll have to apply the scissors to the other side and make them even. Sherman - I never suffered such pain in my life. I was obliged to knock the prisoner down and he pulled me on top of him and attempted to choke me. SubConstable King - When I came to the assistance of Sherman, both he and the prisoner were lying on the ground. I caught hold of the prisoner and he struck me a deliberate blow on the breast. The prisoner was sent to jail for two months. THE CREDIT DRAPER SYSTEM Mary Coyle, a wretched-looking woman, who carried a child in her arms, was brought up on a summons, charged by James Moore, a credit draper, with obtaining goods from him under false pretences. Mr A O’Rorke appeared for the prosecution and Mr Rea appeared for the defendant. Hugh Houston, an assistant in the complainant’s establishment was examined and stated that the defendant came to the shop in the company with a man whom she represented to be her husband. On that pretence, he got blankets and other articles. When he went round to collect the money, he found that the man she had represented to be her husband was not her husband at all and her real husband stated that knew nothing about the goods and refused to pay for them. On cross-examination by Mr Rea, the witness stated that before he gave the goods to the defendant he gave her a card, informing her of the conditions on which she was to receive them. He also gave her a pass book and an account was opened between them. There had been some money paid by the defendant to the credit of the account.
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In Victorian Belfast this was the van that went around the various R.I.C. Barracks at night, collecting the prisoners to bring to the Police Office at Townhall Street. It is pictured here at the Musgrave Street Barrack. The defendant denied that there was any person with her when she got the goods. She was quite willing to pay for the gods when she was able. Mr O’Rorke applied for information to be taken against the defendant and the case returned for trial at the next Quarter Sessions. The Mayor said there was no case to send before a jury. He considered it was very bad practice for these credit drapers to be going round the town soliciting orders from women in the absence of their husbands, and, in his opinion, it was not an honourable course for them to pursue. Mr O’Rorke - It is a course adopted by the merchants of Belfast. The Mayor - I beg your pardon, it is not the course adopted by the merchants of this town. Mr O’Rorke - They send travellers through all the towns soliciting orders. Mr Rea - But they don’t induce wives to purchase goods in the absence of their husbands. The Mayor - I have been a long time in business in Belfast and I never knew a parallel to the course which has been
pursued in this case at present before the Court. After some further discussion Mr O’Rorke said he would withdraw the case. At the conclusion of the case there was some applause in the court which was instantly suppressed by the police. Christmas Day 1866 LANDLADY AND TENANT Mary Lamp, a wretched-looking old woman, was charged with assaulting an old man named John Hughes by striking him with a poker. The complainant on being called declined to press the charge. Head-Constable Lamb - I believe she is his landlady. Mr Orme - I suppose he is a vary bad tenant. He doesn’t pay his rent regularly and she tried to knock it out of him with a poker. (Laughter) Mr Orme (To Hughes) - Are you a married man? Hughes - I am married. Mr Orme - Are you a widow Mrs Lamp? Mrs Lamp - I am, your Worship.
Mr Orme - There may be something in that. Now Mr Hughes, you had better take Mrs Lamp home (Laughter) The complainant and defendant left the Courthouse together - a circumstance which created much amusement. Christmas Day 1866 CONCEALMENT WITH INTENT TO STEAL George Mulholland, Patrick Davey, Edward Lappin, Martin McClenaghan and Thomas Stevenson, five little boys, were charged by Harbour-Constable Gray with being concealed on Donegal Quay with intent to steal Gray said that lately several delf crates behind the Glasgow shed had been opened and some of the contents stolen. On that morning he observed that one of the crates had been opened and he found the prisoners in one of the Water Commissioners’ large metal pipes which was lying convenient to the crate. The prisoners all stated that they were newsboys and that they had gone into the pipe to have a sleep. The prisoners were discharged with a caution.
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HANGED BY THE NECK
In the first edition of this publication I have told the stories of some of the hangings which occurred in the Belfast Prison on the Crumlin Road. Those which I did cover were only those which were connected with North Belfast but over random weeks I plan to highlight all the hangings which occurred in this historic North Belfast building. But before I embark on this I think that it is only fair that I should present a brief history of executions in Belfast. At one stage these were open air public affairs with the idea being to create a state of terror for any wouldbe wrongdoer but the last public hanging on the streets of Belfast took place in 1816. At around this time Peter’s Hill area was to witness an outbreak of violent acts associated with a dispute between weavers and their employer, a certain Francis Johnston, who resided and had his business in the Peter’s Hill district. The actual weaving was done in the workers own homes at Millfield and Brown Square. The weavers had organised a boycott between themselves and had taken an oath ‘neither to weave a web for him or portion of a web, nor permit others to work for him’. It was alleged that he had given out work at lower prices than other employers at the time and so the argument soon developed in intensity. The intimidation of Johnston began with threatening letters, then on August 24th 1815, an attempt was made to burn him out. He and his family had retired for the night when his door and windows were coated with tar (the petrol of
Three horrific hangings in Belfast were as a result of a violent dispute between weavers and a man named Francis Johnston. that period), and after a further again. Johnston himself was by this bucket of this concoction was left at time at his upstairs window from the door the whole lot was set alight. which he fired upon his attackers Help was quickly at hand however with his blunderbuss. Just then the and the blaze was extinguished. To firebomb exploded with a tremenprevent the same thing happening dous bang which made the whole again Johnston had all his windows street shake. The Johnston’s large barred and shutters were sheeted with household consisting Johnston himiron. The boycott and subsequent self, his wife, eight children, two threats against Johnston continued maids and one manservant miracuuntil the following February when lously escaped injury. After the exevents took a different turn. A crowd plosion the weavers attacked the of about twenty starving and angry house, firing in to it while Johnston weavers surrounded the house. Af- did his best to defend his family and ter wrenching the bars off the win- home. After several minutes the firdows to gain access, they placed an ing abated and the weavers scattered. object in the centre of the room and A town meeting the following day then set fire to the parlour. A ser- was held to discuss this outrage vant, hearing the noise of the crowd, against the business community and wakened the household and managed a £2,000 reward was offered, a huge to hurl the cause of the blaze, a make- sum in those days, for the conviction shift firebomb, out into the street of the offenders. Several men were
subsequently arrested for the offence and were detained in Carrick Gaol. Two of them, James Park and James Dickson, were sentenced to 18 months imprisonment with 300 lashes each. The other men were sentenced to be hanged on the 18th September 1816, even though no one at the Johnston household were killed. Another man William Gray turned ‘approver’ to save his own neck, and in return for his evidence was to secure the reward. On the first week of September the death sentence was duly carried out. Two married men with young families, John Doe and John Magill were brought along to Castle Place in Belfast. The exact location of the scaffold was at an open space opposite the Bank Buildings around the site of the present newspaper kiosk. Four clergymen were in attendance to the condemned men and the hangman was himself disguised by a crepe headmask. The Fifth Dragoon Guards and the Royal Scots under the command of General Dalzell kept back the large crowds who thronged into Castle Place to witness this public execution. The scaffold was erected that same day and when the platforms and gibbets had been completed, the condemned men ascended the platform. John Doe, who admitted that he was among the crowd which attacked the Johnston house, read aloud a passage from the New Testament professing his hope in his salvation and contrition for his offence. As a last request he asked that the following statement be published; "As I am shortly to stand before the judgement seat of Jesus Christ, the
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 11 following in the presence of God, my I was taught to believe that Mr. Saviour, are my last words, dying Johnston’s family did not sleep in declaration and true confession. I their own house. I had no idea of was formerly a professor of the Gos- taking lives. I now see the evil of all pel and united to a church of Christ, such combinations and outrages, but forgetful of my profession, I fell though I once thought them innocent from the truth, co-habited with a and even laudable. I see I have ofwoman of bad character, was cut off fended God, dishonoured religion, from the church, and thus from step and injured society, for which I am to step was brought under the awful extremely sorry. Imploring the pardeserved chastenings of the Lord. I doning mercy of God and forgiving acknowledge that, although I have all my enemies I die trusting in the not been guilty of all the crimes laid atoning blood of Jesus Christ, my to my charge at my trial, yet I have only Redeemer." transgressed the laws of my country, and do justly merit the execution of When both statements had been read the sentence pronounced upon me." to the assembled crowds the cart on which both men were standing drove John Magill also had a declaration away and the two weavers were imwritten out which he wanted his min- mediately strangled to death. It was ister, the Rev. J. Stewart, to read reported that Magill was for a short aloud to those gathered; time in severe convulsions while Doe "I, John Magill, as a dying man and died instantaneously. Both were left impressed with the awful idea of ap- to hang before the crowd for around pearing shortly before my Judge, do an hour before they were cut down. solemnly declare my innocence re- Their bodies were given to their specting the following fact sworn friends who were present. The bodagainst me by the approver, Gray. ies were placed in black cloth-covContrary to the oath of said Gray, I ered coffins with white mountings appeal to the Judge of all that so far and were carried across the Long from calling him to a meeting of Bridge into County Down. They muslin weavers at the house of one were buried in an unmarked grave in Watson in the head of Mill Street, the Burial Ground at Meeting-House Belfast, I was never in that house in Green, Knockbreachan, County my life nor did I then know that there Down. There is no existing evidence was any such house. I protest, more- to what became of the Crown witover, in the same solemn manner that ness, William Grayor whether he got in various other particulars both Gray the £2,000 reward. No stone marks and his wife gave false evidence on the grave of Doe or Magill who paid the trial. I confess, however, with the the ultimate price for their offence. deepest contrition that I was present Another person, it should be noted, when the outrage was committed on was later executed for his part in the Mr. Johnston’s house. I now see and weavers action against Mr. Johnston. am extremely sorry that I acted un- That man was Joseph Madden, ander the influence of mistaken views. other Belfast weaver.
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THE HANGING OF HENRY JOY McCRACKEN
One of the most famous Belfast hangings was that of Henry Joy McCracken, the United Irishman, in 1798. At that time most of Europe was witnessing a general political upheaval and Ireland was by no means any different from the rest. The government of the time imposed a rigid clampdown after several small rebellions were organised throughout the country. In Belfast Henry Joy McCracken was one of the last United Irishmen to be publicly executed at High Street. McCracken was related to the noted Joy family, a well to do business family at that time and founder of the Belfast Newsletter. He was charged with treason relating to his part in the rising at Antrim but the Crown Attorney, John Pollock, hoped to do a deal with McCracken. In return for in-
criminating evidence against other insurgents, especially the name of the leader of the Antrim Rebellion, in whose place he had acted, the Crown would offer him a term of banishment instead of execution. McCracken declined the offer and after his court-martial at the Belfast Exchange at noon on July 17th he
The hanging of Henry Joy McCracken at the Market House at the junction of Corn Market and High Street.
was sentenced to death at 5 p.m. As Henry Joy was led to his death at High Street, the grim reminder of the previous week’s executions were still in evidence for all to see. Three weeks beforehand James Dickey, an attorney from Crumlin, had been executed. Four days later John Storey, a Belfast printer, met a similar fate. Then Hugh Graham and Henry Byres were executed at the beginning of July for their part in the Rebellion at Ballynahinch. With the exception of Graham all the men had been decapitated after being hanged. Their heads were then placed on spikes and placed up on the Market House. A horrific site for the citizens of Belfast. In the case of Henry Byres he had been convicted of stealing cattle from Nicholas Price for the United Irishmen. In a cruel twist of fate it was Price who actually led him to the gallows. Like Hugh Graham Henry Joy was not decapitated. After the execution, his body was cut down and was given over to Mrs. Burnside, a family friend. The body was immediately taken to the McCracken house at Rosemary Lane and it is stated that a close friend of the family, James Mc Donnell who studied artificial respiration, and Mr. McCluney, their ‘apothecary’, were immediately summoned. Nothing could be done to resuscitate the body and it was interred at St. George’s Churchyard later that same evening in accordance
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 13 Clifton Street. A sealed glass phial placed inside the coffin reads; "These bones were dug up in the old graveyard in High Street in 1902 and from several circumstances believed to be those of Henry Joy McCracken. They were reverently treated and were placed here by Robert May of Belfast 12 May 1909 when the monument was placed to his beloved sister." The old Exchange Building where McCracken stood trial. This building still stands at the foot of Donegall Street. with the orders of the military who oversaw the execution. In ‘The Town Book of Belfast’ there appears a report on the finding of a well made wooden box at Mount Collyer, the property of Mr. John Thompson the City’s Assessor, not far from the old fort at Milewater Bridge. To their horror the box contained the decayed remains of a human skull. It was believed that this head was one of those which had been spiked on the Market House in 1798. Why was the box found at Mount Collyer? A very good friend of those who were executed was a certain Dr. William Hamilton Drummond who had a school at Mount Collyer from 1805-1815. It was believed at the time of the discovery that Dr. Drummond had quite probably been the owner of the mysterious box. Henry Joy McCracken’s bones, or what were believed to be his remains, were later unearthed in 1902 during reconstruction work on the site of the old graveyard at St. George’s Church
in High Street. These remains were placed in a coffin and removed to the home of Francis Joseph Bigger, a local antiquarian. On May 12th 1909, the remains were re-interred in the grave of his sister, Mary Ann McCracken, in the burial ground at
Over random weeks between now and Easter I plan to cover all the hangings which occurred in the Belfast Prison on the Crumlin Road. As could be expected these are indeed tragic tales not only for the taking of life but also due to the theory that a few of these men may have been totally innocent of the crimes which sent them to the gallows
The battle of Antrim which McCracken led.
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A TERRIFIYING PHANTOM OR REAL PERSON Just who was ‘Galloper’ Thompson? Every square inch of Belfast has a history but sometimes finding that history can be quite something else. For example, a few months back I was looking for the history of a house named Bedeque which was situated on the site of the present Mater Hospital (the old section) and one of its occupants, the infamous Galloper Thompson. I found nothing. Last week I was researching something completely different in the local newspaper library when I came across a fascinating article by J. W. Kernohan and this told me everything I needed to know - so my basic tip is if you are researching a particular subject then look for something completely different! Gordon Thompson built Bedeque House and such a simple record invites inquiry. Where was Bedeque House, and who was responsible for its design? It was an attempt to acclimatise an American style of house and was modelled on a property in Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St Lawrence. This pretty villa came into being in 1851 and acted as a foil for its huge and gloomy neighbour, the Belfast Prison, just when the building was first developing on the Crumlin Road. The business of the Assizes had been transferred from Carrickfergus to the County Courthouse in the year before its erection. The Roman Catholic Diocesan Seminary had a good start of them all; it was opened in 1833. Bedeque House continued to be the residence of its first owner, Gordon Augustus Thompson, until 1872,
when it was sold for £2,000 to Frederick Kinahan, of Messrs. Lyle and Kinahan; and 11 years later the Mater Hospital began its beneficent work within its walls. Bishop Dorrian put forth whole-hearted efforts to gather funds for a hospital, and in 1882 purchased Bedeque House for £2,300. By means of collecting boxes, bazaars, public subscriptions, and supported by prominent personages and the citizens generally, the promoters were in the happy position of seeing the new hospital opened in 1900. Who was its planner? Gordon Augustus Thompson was of the old family of Thompson’s of Castleton, of Jennymount. Third son of John Thompson, one of the original directors of the Belfast Banking Company, he went out to relatives called Gordon, West India merchants, one of whom was Governor of Montserrat. Thompson’s mother, Anne Wilson, was of the same family as Walter Wilson, shipbuilder, and both were descended from Gordon’s of Traquair, Drumfrieshire. A faint idea of his wandering moods is gathered from the description of his having camped on part of the ground now covered by Melbourne. An early letter confirms the suggestion. "Gordon Thompson," said a Wilson of Maryville, "returned to Belfast after twelve years’ travel. He came to Maryville one evening every week, and delighted us all with his stories of the Rocky Mountains, Andes, etc." He was a member of the Belfast Town Council in 1849, and for a few
years afterwards. In response to the call of the wild he returned to Australia, and died at Melbourne in 1886 at the age of 87. For many years his portrait in oils was displayed in the old Municipal Art Gallery and part of the inscription on his tombstone in Carnmoney reads, "The last of the family name - Thompson’s of Jennymount." The Castleton Thompson’s were best known as bankers, of whom there were three generations, Robert (1736-1800) of Jennymount, John (1766-1824) of Jennymount and John (1798-1874) of Lowwood. The first John had three sons, Robert of Castleton (1792-1862), John of Lowwood and Gordon Augustus of Bedeque House. He was one of the founders of the Commercial Bank (1809) which by amalgamation subsequently with the Belfast Bank became the Belfast Banking Company (later the Northern Bank.) Both father and (second) son were in succession the head directors of this concern. The elder Robert Thompson, grandfather of Gordon, was principal partner in the earlier Discount Company, and was probably the first occupant of Jennymount, called after his sister, it is believed. Their father was John Thompson (16911765), Presbyterian Minister of Carnmoney for 34 years, and their mother was Jane Legg, of Malone House. The Rev. John Thompson was succeeded in the ministry of the same church by his nephew, also John Thompson, a man of very decided char-
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The first Mater Hospital which was situated in Bedeque House which was the home of ‘Galloper Thompson.
acter and great influence during his 62 years of active duty. He was a native of Shilvodan, near Connor, and it was probably here the family settled originally in the 17th century. His sons, Charles and William, were well-known merchants in High Street, their mother being a daughter of the Rev. William Laird, of Rosemary Street, and they were succeeded by their nephews, the Finlay’s. Sir Thomas McClure was also a grandson of the Carnmoney minister, and joined the Finlay’s in a business, which went on to become the Wolfhill Spinning Company. Among the family papers is a document (with seal) dated 1703, certifying that "Mr John Thompson, preacher of the Gospel," was admitted a burgess of
the Burgh of Irvine in Scotland, which may give some clue to the source of the family. There is also a licence issued by the chancellor of the Diocese to John Thompson to practice "the art and science of chirurgery" in Connor. As in many old houses, popular superstition attributed a banshee to the Jennymount residence; and in the legendary lore of Ireland "Galloper Thompson" has found a place, though we confess to knowing no authoritative account of the ghostly rider who was wont to haunt the avenue of Jennymount, nor any reason for the supernatural visitant who was evidently in life a hard and reckless rider, unlike the apparition of Cliff and his horses on which the discus-
sion turned in the Rainbow Inn in "Silas Marner." The same Thompson left another memorial in Thompson’s Bank, not a financial venture, but the embankment, which reclaimed from the sea the ground on which now stand the Jennymount Mills and many other buildings. "Castleton" and "Bedeque" are persevered in the names of streets with nothing remaining of the latter but the street name tablet, which can still be seen at its junction with the Crumlin Road. The "Galloper," according to another version, was the first Robert Thompson, and so called because of the pace at which he rode from his office in town to his home at the Milewater.
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ANOTHER PRISON HANGING
I do hereby order that you be taken from the bar of this court where you now stand to the prison from whence you last came; that you be there confined and then on the ..... day of .... in the year of Our Lord you be taken to the public place of execution and there be hanged by the neck until you are dead; and that your body shall be buried in the prison in which such sentence of death shall be executed, and may the Lord have mercy on your soul! Those were the words spoken by the in mind, we also learn that being a judges before after they put on the married man with a young child he infamous black cap when sentencing and his family were extremely disprisioners to death in the Belfast tressed because of the bleak future a Prison on the Crumlin Road. The life of poverty held for them. first execution in this establishment On Saturday evening 10th May, was on the 21st of June 1854 when Charles Wilgar's parents waited paPrivate Robert O’Neill was hanged tiently for the return of their son, as for shooting a coporal in the Belfast he always did each weekend. The Garrison on North Queen Street and following morning, anxious to find which was covered in a previous ar- out whether or not anything had hapticle. A few weeks ago I stated that I pened, they contacted the uncle, Wilwould be covering all the executions liam Wright. He informed them that in this North Belfast prison and will Charles had left at six o’clock the begin with the second execution, that previous evening in the company of of Daniel Ward on the 8th of April Daniel Ward. The distracted father 1863. and some relatives immediately went around to Ward’s cottage to find out On the 10th of May 1863 the body what had happened and were told that of Charles Wilgar was dragged from Charles had went on to meet his the River Lagan on the outskirts of brother who was returning from Belfast and so began what to become Belfast. The police were contacted known as the Ballyleeson Murder. A and they immediately began a search thirty year old man by the name of of the area. A watch, which was Daniel Ward was subsequently ar- known to have been in the pocket of rested and charged with his murder. Charles Wilgar was discovered in a Both men were well known to each Pawnshop in Lisburn, where it had other. It appeared that Wilgar, be- been left on the night of 10th May cause he lived quite some distance and two pounds received on it. Ward, from his place of employment, was his wife and his mother-in-law were in the habit of sometimes staying at arrested on suspicion and lodged in his uncle’s (William Wright) house Downpatrick Jail. The following which was situated close by. He was Wednesday, May 14th, strange marks a sawyer by trade. It also transpired indicating that a struggle had taken that Ward was a sawyer too but un- place were seen on the banks of the like his friend Wilgar he could not Lagan and opposite them, in the river seem to get regular work. With this was found the body of Charles
Wilgar, with his skull battered in. His own watch was missing but he had on his possession another watch which his uncle had given him. It had stopped apparently whenever it was immersed in the water and had stopped at 7.15 p.m. Near the spot where the body had been found, the drag brought up a handkerchief with a stone tied in the corner of it . Circumstantial evidence pointed the finger strongly at Ward. The handkerchief for example was identified by a Jane McCullagh, former sweetheart of Ward, who swore it had been given to him by her. The prosecution suggested that the stone tied to the end of the handkerchief would have made a formidable weapon, and whoever made such fatal use of it must have set out with murderous intent. On the tow-path which runs along the river bank, a watch key was discovered upon a drop of blood. A neighbour saw Ward and Wilgar turning from the high road and going down towards the water; a little over half an hour after another neighbour saw Ward returning alone, and actually greeted him. That same night Ward had been spotted in Lisburn by several persons and indeed several persons claimed to have seen Ward pawning the watch for £2. Daniel Ward was committed to the jail at Downpatrick on the charge of ‘Wilful Murder’. He was afterwards removed to Belfast, and at the Summer Assizes he was indicted for the crime, and a true bill was found against him. He pleaded not guilty. Counsel for the Crown then applied for a postponement till the Spring
Assizes of 1863. It was later claimed that if they had of went ahead with the trial in August, it is almost certain that he would have been acquitted. The trial eventually took place before Baron Deasy and extended over three whole days. It excited great interest in Belfast and indeed throughout the whole of Ireland. The crime was of unparalleled atrocity. To gain a small sum of money, he allegedly took the life of one who had often done done him a kindness, and the only circumstance that could have led any one for an instant to doubt his guilt was the very audacity of the crime, and the bold and defiant conduct of the accused after he had consigned the body of his victim into the river. Seldom in Ireland had there been a case where the circumstantial evidence had been so conclusive. Ward’s able defence struggled to discredit the witnesses but to no avail. The jury had no option but to find
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 17 the prisoner guilty. When the ver- On Wednesday morning at seventeen dict had been pronounced the pris- minutes after eight o’clock, the exoner still protested his innocence. ecution of Daniel Ward for the murHis execution was to take place on der of Charles Wilgar took place at Wednesday April 8th 1863. He was Belfast Prison in the presence of beled away to Belfast Prison where he tween 8,000 and 9,000 people. As awaited his doom. While here he was the Governor’s Lodge intervened visited regularly by his minister, Rev. between the road and the place of Charles Allen from the Episcopalian execution, the latter could only be Church. He listened attentively to the seen by looking from the road in an minister’s preachings and read scrip- oblique direction. The crowds thereture right up until his final hour. On fore, were located above and below Tuesday he was visited in his cell by the jail, and they spread over the his father and mother They had both fields in the immediate been regular visitors during his im- neighbourhood for a considerable prisonment. His wife left him when distance. The mood of the crowd was the verdict was pronounced and their one of solemn quietude and the the child was left with Wards parents. rain which commenced falling at Ward’s mother was inconsolable af- eight only added to the seriousness ter this final visit with her son , and of the situation. his father took a silent farewell. At eight o’clock in the evening Ward fell That morning Ward arose at an early asleep and slept till ten. On Monday hour and it was stated there was no the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper difference in his demeanour. He was was administered to him at his own stolid as usual. Mr. Allen came to his cell at around six and resumed request
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devotions. About a quarter past eight he was conducted from his cell, Mr. Allen being on his left and a warder on his right. A number of warders formed two and two behind; next came John Young Esq., High Sheriff; H. H. Bottomley Esq., Under Sheriff; Mr. Forbes, the governor of the jail; and then succeeded a number of reporters. The solemn procession moved along the passage and up the stairs to the press room. Ward walked perfectly erect, and held his cap in his hands in such a way that many believed him to be handcuffed. Such however was not the case because he was not restrained until he reached the scaffold. Prayers were said the whole time this procedure was being carried out until ten past eight. The hangman then went into the room. He wore a mask but it his reported that he could be quite clearly seen to be ‘eyeing up his victim with the air of a bulldog’. He pinioned the doomed man. He then jumped up onto the platform of the gallows
Ward took his place over the drop. ‘O Lord Jesus, be merciful to my soul. God pardon my sins for the sake of the Redeemer, and bless all my fellow-creatures" With that the bolt was pulled and Daniel Ward was launched into eternity. A terrific shriek erupted from the crowd, which for some minutes before had been in silent awe. Several documents were revealed after the execution, the most important being the following confession of his guilt which he instructed his minister not to make public until after his execution. " I, Daniel Ward, now a prisoner in the County Antrim Jail, Belfast, and under the sentence of death for the murder of Charles Wilgar, on the 10th of May last, in the presence of Almighty God, before whom I must soon stand, do make the following confession, and declare every portion of it to be strictly true :On the evening of the 9th May I was
in Belfast seeking for employment at any work I could obtain, but not did not succeed. I left Belfast between four and five o’clock in the evening, and, during my walk home, I thought of (as the last remedy) robbing or murdering some one in order to get money. My mind did not settle at that time on any one in particular but I felt no act whatever would prevent me from obtaining it. Before reaching home, I called at William Wright’s to ask him if he could give me a job, for I was idle. So far as to murdering Charles Wilgar in particular had not taken possession of my mind, nor any other if I could get money in any other way. On the next morning May the 10th, I went to Belfast. On going, I sat upon a heap of stones, thinking what to do; I took up a stone, and put it into my pocket handkerchief. I left Belfast between three or four that evening. On this evening also, I went to William Wright’s and waited till Wright and Wilgar returned from work. My ob-
ject in waiting in Wright’s was till it was dusk, that I might obtain by some means what I wanted, and had not up till this time settled my mind in taking the life of Charles Wilgar. After tea in Wright’s, I started with Charles Wilgar, towards home, and I do not think it was five minutes before the act that I determined to take his watch or life. I knew he had a watch. We came to a narrow path he went before me. I took then the stone which was in my handkerchief out of my pocket and gave him a blow. He fell, but did not speak. He was rising, I think, on his hands and feet. I then gave him a second blow - took his watch from him and put him in the water. The plunge appeared to revive him, for I saw him swimming across the Lagan, and thought he would get out at the other side. I then threw the stone and the handkerchief into the water, and went to Lisburn and pawned the watch for two pounds - and when on Monday evening I heard he was missing, I knew he was drowned. I also solemnly declare before God, that I never injured so as to take away the life of any other man, woman or child. I know and feel I am a great sinner in the sight of God. My past life has been an unprofitable one; happiness was the great object of my life, but I feel now what a bad way I took to obtain it. My short life may be said to have been a prayerless one, for although I did at times go through the form, I see now that it was no prayer at all. My sabbaths were badly spent, and the things of an endless life seldom or ever took possession of my mind. I thank God that for his namesake He has brought me to think
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 19 of Him. The last four months have Christ than from the whole world. been the happiest days of my life. I ‘For God so loved men as to give His have no enmity against a creature liv- own son to die for them.’ ‘And He ing. I willingly forgive all, and ask is exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to them to forgive me. I entreat all of give to them that ask Him true remy relatives and friends to live for pentance and pardon.’ I have had a eternity; it is the only thing which fair trial, and have no fault to find will make them happy. I have cast with it. But Jane Mc Cullagh and myself for salvation on the atoning Rebecca Mc Cullagh’s statement, so blood of Jesus Christ. I believe that far as ever having given me a handhe will fulfil His own promise, that kerchief, or having had conversation whoever cometh to Him with a heart with her in Lisburn on the evening truly sorry for the past and trusting of the 10th May, or having seen her in the Saviour will not be cast away. at all on that evening, is untrue. I I have nothing of myself, and deserve have no more to add, except to give nothing but His wrath. I believe He my sincere thanks to the chaplain, the will have mercy on me and receive Rev. Charles Allen ; the governor, me. I could wish that all who are and warders of the prison, for their living as I did would consider their continued attention and kindness to ways, lest they are brought to an end me during my imprisonment." like mine ; they would obtain more DANIEL WARD comfort from a single promise of County Gaol, Belfast, March, 1863.
Williamson’s Shop on York Street just before the outbreak of the First World War. If you’re going to advertise then do it right!
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NEW LODGE - OLD STORY
Over the past thirty years North Belfast has changed quite dramatically as have many of its streets. One example is the New Lodge Road which has been almost entirely rebuilt with the exception of a few houses on the right hand side. Fortunately we have old maps, photographs and records to remind us how our streets once were. Compiling basic research using a street directory and map can inform us of quite a bit and I can use an example here for the New Lodge Road in 1960 which was a few years before I came along. Moving up the left hand side of the road the street directory informs us that in 1960 the building at the junction of the New Lodge Road and North Queen Street was the pawnbrokers shop of A&P Lavery. Many people remember these shops with fondness but my belief is that in these days they just exploited people’s poverty in order to make money and many would agree with me. These shop were all over the place and using the same directory we can see that there were at least thirty of them. A few doors from this was the newsagent shop of Miss Mary McKnight which was situated at number 14 and next to this a fancy goods shop owned by a Mrs Austin. The old directories also listed the occupations of the residents at at number 26 a Miss Bridget McManus is listed with her profession being recorded as a tobacco worker which I can safely assume must have been at the nearby Gallaher factory on the other side of North Queen Street. The first street we came to was Bruslee
ABOVE - Looking up the New Lodge Road around 1960 BELOW - Lavery’s Pawnshop which stood at the junction of New Lodge Road and North Queen Street
Street the name of which continues in Bruslee Way. The next street was Carntall Street and at its corner was the first of the the drink establishments which in this case is that of P. F. Fitzpatrick, Wine and Sprit Grocer. The third street on this side was Carnmoney Street and at its corner was the pub of a Mrs J. McGovern but we did not have to travel before reaching the next pub which was four
doors away at the junction of Pinkerton Street under the ownership of John Brady. A little further up is listed the New Lodge entrance to the Victoria Military Barracks. At this stage this base was being demolished to clear the way for a new housing development. It was at this section that Trainfield House stood before being destroyed during the German blitz of 1941. This house was built
by the Lepper family who owned a large cotton mill in the area where Dawson Street is now situated. It later became the home of Joseph Bigger who was the first Nationalist MP. He regularly entertained officers from the nearby infantry barracks telling them the advantages of an independent Ireland. The house was later obtained by the military when they expanded the barracks in the 1880’s and it was thereafter used as the officers mess. The house was named Trainfield simply due to the fact that it was erected on the training field of Artillery Barracks which was separate from the infantry barrack. It was here that we cross Lepper Street, named after the mill owners, and at the opposite corner was the coal merchant Hugh Connor which is a name and trade still existing in North Belfast. At the next corner, with Burlington Street, was the
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 21 grocer shop of Patrick Devlin with house. This time it was Laurel Lodge the draper shop of Mrs Elizabeth which was also a home of the Lepper Hamilton opposite him. Next to her family. The grounds of this stretched was the butcher shop of Patrick from the Antrim Road down to Giffen and next to him another Lepper Street and included the mill draper, this time a Mr James McKay. itself - how things have changed! Next to this, at number 136, was an- At the other end of the school was other name and trade still familiar in Shandon Street with five houses bethe area only this time it is Morelli’s fore coming to Singleton Street. At ice cream seller who was at the cor- the opposite corner was another pub ner of Arlington Street. The next cor- which was owned by a Mrs K. Marner was vacant ground and then the tin. Moving up the road the next City Chemists next door to which street was the last before reaching the was the grocer shop of Francis Torbit. Antrim Road, Donore Street. At its Crossing Hartwell Street we come to junction stood a small cottage type the Duncairn Junior Primary School. dwelling which did not blend in the Like nearby Duncairn Gardens and the surrounding buildings at all. The Church this was named after the reason for this was due to the fact that Duncairn Estate which was situated this was the gardeners home of the on the opposite side of the New Lepper family estate and which was Lodge Road up until the 1880 and kept during the construction of the which was then a rural retreat. The streets and houses around it. We then general area around this school was come to the Antrim Road where the also the site of another mansion junction consisted of the massive
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Map showing the New Lodge Road in 1960
Duncairn Arms Public House, which was owned by John Lynch. The first building on the right hand side at the junction with North Queen Street was the chemist shop of P. McGrath. Like a lot of locals I can remember the inside of this shop and remember the very high ceiling and old fashioned interior, a style which is much sought after today. Next to this was a row of houses before coming to St Malachy’s Boys’ School. Now being a St Pat’s boy I can’t say too much about this school but if memory serves me right I can remember that it was built out of prefabricated concrete and must have been absolutely freezing in the winter time. Between here and New Lodge Place was a row of large houses with the Patrickville Recreation Club situated at number 29. Now I was a bit young for this place but many of the people I talk to about the old New Lodge seem to remember this place with fondness. I always find this amazing as it is long gone but I bet if it was still standing it would be referred to as a dump! Houses continued up past New Lodge Place and to Fountain Street North where a Miss Mary Steele had a grocery shop at the corner. Four doors away was one of the most famous buildings on the old New Lodge Road - the Starry Plough Bar. Again this was a place remembered with fondness but my own memories of it were of a small cramped place as I was in it a few times when a child. I also remember my mum running to it screaming after it was bombed by Loyalists. She knew that my Dad had been in it but fortunately
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 23 he had left some time before to head time soldiers living in and around the off to another bar. One little known New Lodge were not unusual as fact relating to the bar is the fact that many were based in the nearby it had a twin in West Germany. The Victoria Barracks but another factor British Army had a training depot which must be remembered is that at there to practice patrolling Belfast this time the area was mainly Protstreets and the bar on the recon- estant. The next street we came to structed street was the Starry Plough was Edlingham Street which ran complete with anti blast wall outside right through the area, across it. It was owned by James O’Kane Duncairn Gardens and through and when demolished he opened an Tiger’s Bay. At the first corner was off licence under the same name fur- the printers shop of Tradepress and ther up the street but sadly the old at the other the old Circle Picture name is now gone as it was renamed House, the building of which still O’Kane’s. Moving up the road the remains. Although it has served many next street we came to was Ludlow purposes with the last being the Street at at its corner was the Celtic Supporters Club it was, at this greengrocer Thomas Cassidy with time, the Christian’s Meeting Room another grocer shop at the end of this with the draper shop of Mrs row owned by Miss Theresa McKelvey below it and next door an McMahon. Crossing Tranifield obvious relative had a newsagents Street we then came to the fruit shop under the name of George McKelvey. of Hugh Simpson and at the end of Up to Donore Court we had another this row at the junction of Lepper row of large houses most of which Street we had another greengrocers still remain today and at number 209 listed under the name of W. H. Max- McKee’s bookies. At the corner of well. Although completely refur- Donore Court was the grocer and bished this row of buildings between sweet shop of John Rice and at the Trainfield Street and Lepper Street other side the famous Lyceum Cinsurvive from the original New Lodge ema. This was one of the most popuRoad. Crossing Lepper Street we lar pictures houses in Belfast and came to a waste ground where the when it closed it was used as a store old Felon’s Club was built on some room by Rank Films. I can rememyears later. Then there was a mixture ber it being burned around about of houses and businesses with the 1971 and the rolls and canisters of supper salon of Henry Lockhart at films all over the New Lodge Road. number 145 which later became It was soon after demolished and like Tucker Kelly’s famous establish- a lot of the old New Lodge Road conment. As I mentioned in last weeks fined to the memories of those who article the old street directories listed lived on and around it. professions as well as residents for the numerous streets it listed. Num- As previously mentioned I was not ber 163 New Lodge Road caught my even born in 1960 but with a street eye which was the home of a Harlod directory and map its amazing what Saxon who was a soldier. Up to this you can find out!
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TIME TO MEET YOUR DEATH
This story on one of the Belfast Prison’s executions begins with how it was reported at the time in the local press on Thursday, 16th of September 1875. "At an early hour yesterday morning, or a late hour on the previous night, a murder of an exceptionally brutal character was committed in Belfast. The victim was a charwoman named Margaret Whitley, a person bearing the reputation of being quiet in her habit, sober and industrious. The circumstances surrounding her death were at first surrounded in mystery. In fact the accomplishment of the tragedy with the secrecy and quietude which must have accompanied it was a very startling element in the outrage. The locality in which it is alleged to have taken place and the neighbourhood most certainly, in which the body was most certainly deposited, was thickly populated. Any alarm, cry out, or indeed a struggle anywhere in the vicinity would have almost certainly Looking towards Durham Street with Divis Street to the right.
reached other ears and brought assistance. So far as can be learned no one heard any indication whatever of the perpetration of the fearful crime, which was only revealed by the discovery of the body lying in a seminude condition under the pale light of morning in an uninhabited lane within a few yards of a leading thoroughfare. Thomas Burns, a plasterer, was proceeding to his work that morning at half-past five o’clock when he saw, in Bathurst Court off Durham Street, something bulky lying against the wall. On going over to the bundle, in company with another person called Callaghan, he found it to be the body of a woman terribly mutilated about the head, entirely uncovered about the legs and with the trunk enveloped with an old shawl and portion of a skirt. The body lay right across the footpath, the head being slightly elevated against a gateway. There was no blood upon the adjacent ground; no marks of a scuffle were apparent; and it was at
once evident that the unfortunate woman, having been foully murdered elsewhere, had been conveyed to this entry and her poor body dumped there. The police were promptly communicated with, and in a few minutes Sub-Constable Peyton was in charge of the body. In a very short time a more immense crowd had assembled, principally composed of mill workers and artisans going to their work. The excitement which prevailed soon aroused the people of the district, and then began speculation as to how the body was conveyed to the spot and whence it came. Bathurst Court is a small narrow culde-sac running off Durham Street, a few yards from Divis Street and nearly fronting McMillen’s Place. It contains some half dozen houses on either side, yet none of the occupants of those heard anything during the night that in any way attracted their attention. Not even a footfall seems to have been made by anyone within its quiet precincts after dark. The
body was allowed to remain where it was found for several hours in the charge of the police, but so disfigured were the remains that identification for some time appeared hopeless. At length a female named Whiteside recognised the body to be that of Margaret Whitely, of Humphrey’s Court. This was a clue and the police seemed to have followed and developed it with great vigilance. Inquiries were made at Humphrey’s Court, which resulted in the disclosure that the deceased had gone on the previous day to visit her niece, a Mrs. Daly, who lived in Durham Street, and had not since returned. Further investigation showed that this house was not a dozen yards removed from where the body was discovered and that it occupied about a central position between Divis Street and Bathurst Court. The premises are small, and consist of two upper rooms, built over a gateway, access to them being gained by stairs leading direct from the street door which is next to the gateway. Having knocked at this door for some time, and failing to gain admittance, the police managed to effect an entrance from the rear. No person was found in the house, which bore internally most of the tokens of penury and neglect. One of the rooms was evidently used as a kitchen and the other a sleeping apartment. In the latter the police found a number of articles which helped secure a conviction against the murderer. These consist for the most part of several articles of wearing apparel, the daily attire of the murdered woman; but no marks of blood are discernible upon any of them. In the centre of the room lay a quantity of straw used as bed-
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 25 ding, and portions of this were found have been, made the first assault saturated with blood. The floor also when Whitley was either sleeping or appeared to be deeply stained here unsuspecting, and the severity of the and there with the same ugly tokens blow prevented any scream or alarm of the commission of crime. But until all was over. It would be quite perhaps the most important of the inexplicable that a healthy vigorous discoveries made by the police as woman, of some thirty-five years of localising the place of the murder age, could have been otherwise maswas the finding of a large heavy and sacred - for such she surely was clumsily constructed stool, which without being able to cry out with had beyond doubt, been recently split some considerable distinctness and into pieces by violence, and was effect. On searching the scene deeply dyed with blood. It was just around the house the unfortunate such an instrument as would be most woman’s clothes were found, placed likely to commit terrible havoc if over a grating, evidently with the inwielded by a powerful hand. A few tention of allowing the blood to drop blows from it would easily smash in out of them under the ground. a human skull beyond all recognition, Daly, who is a coal-cart driver, apand its fractured condition, the gore pears to have gone to his work as which stains it, and the nature of the usual early yesterday morning, beghastly injuries inflicted upon the tween five and six o’clock. Mrs. deceased, combine to render this dis- Daly, it should be said slept with a covery awfully significant. Unques- friend all night. At half past eight tionably the deceased was in this o’clock Sub-Constable Maguire, by house on the previous evening, and direction of Sub-Inspector it is stated that, contrary to her cus- McDermott, arrested Daly. He is a tom, she had taken some drink with little strong wiry looking individual, Mrs. Daly, her niece. It is further al- with a small face and regular but leged that the husband of the latter, sharply put features. His hair is inJohn Daly, came home at night in a tensely black, and his appearance aldrunken state, and beat both the de- together gives one the idea of shrewd ceased and his wife. Mrs. Daly sub- intelligence. In years he is rather sequently left the house, leaving over forty. When arraigned before Margaret Whitley in bed and her hus- the magistrates on the charge of ‘wilband also in the house. Margaret ful murder’ he seemed to be acutely Whitley was never seen alive again. distressed, but merely for a moment. If it was in this house she met her He looked feebly at the constable, death, the fact that her clothing bears and endeavoured to speak, but his no indications of blood, notwith- utterance failed him. In a few minstanding the ferocity of the attack utes more he was again calm and made upon her, was quite consistent, steady looking, and replied to the seeing that Mrs. Daly left her in bed bench in a self possessed and reso- in all probability undressed. There lute manner. The whole affair crebeing no outcry of any kind was fur- ated great excitement throughout ther explainable by the inference that Belfast. The tragic news circulated the murderer, whoever he or she may with amazing rapidity and the resi-
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History dence of the prisoner and the place prisoner that the clothes which were where the body was found have been found in the grating were not seen now visited by thousands of curious there at a very early hour on the same people. During the forenoon Mrs. morning by the lamplighter who Daly was arrested in the vicinity of passed through the court in which the 'brickfields', Durham Street. She they were afterwards discovered. had with her at the time two children, Notwithstanding the very exhaustive one about six years old and the other defence put forward by the prisonan infant some eighteen months old ers counsel, the jury, on a short deand completely blind. The woman liberation, brought in a verdict of was completely exculpated from any guilty participation in the outrage and was On the morning of 26th of April, soon released from custody. The 1876, at eight o’clock, John Daly, deceased was never married but she who was at the late County Antrim had a daughter, a very intelligent Assizes, before Baron Fitzgerald, child of about eleven or twelve at the found guilty of the wilful murder of time and it was stated she was a Margaret Whitley in Durham Street, native of Brookborough. on the fifteenth of September last, suffered the extreme penalty of the This girl, observed Daly attacking law. The recommendation of mercy Margaret Whitley - then seen alive on the part of some of the jury, and for the last time by any human the petition sent forward to his Exbeing. This girl was Daly’s own cellency the Lord Lieutenant praydaughter, who consequently became ing a commutation of the sentence the prosecutions principal witness. passed on the culprit,, must naturally The hearing of the case occupied have given rise to some hopes in his nearly two whole days for there were mind that the carrying out of the paina very large number of witnesses ful sentence might be averted. But though the facts were comparatively such hopes he was forced to relinfew. It must be pointed out that in quish when he learned that his Exhis trial before the magistrates Daly cellency, having considered the cirhad not got any professional assis- cumstances, had decided that the law tance, nor did he seem to care for any. must take its course. Doubtless this A very able and ingenious defence announcement brought him to a set up for him by Dr. Boyd, the coun- keener realisation of the end that sel whom the Crown assigned to con- awaited him: for though he received duct the case of the accused. The it with that indifference and apparfacts that there were no blood marks ent fortitude that have marked his from Daly’s door to to where the demeanour and conduct from his first body was found and that there was incarceration, and though he continno noise was heard in the house dur- ued to display a disinclination to the ing the night of the 14th were dwelt slightest conversation with the wardupon as showing that it was impos- ers of the prison, nevertheless in his sible that the murder could have been manner towards his religious advicommitted in Daly’s house. It was sors he evinced signs of penitence also urged forcibly on behalf of the and resignation, and an earnest de-
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sire to join in the spiritual exercises which were conducted by the Rev. Hamill, the Roman Catholic Chaplain at the Gaol. On Monday he was visited in his cell by firstly his mother and then later by his wife. Their stay was brief. The mother upon seeing her condemned son, shrieked most painfully, and it was reported that she could scarcely be pacified. Daly himself, hardened as he seemed to be, was moved to tears. Daly was also visited by the Sisters Of Mercy and his clergyman, who had tirelessly ministered to him while he awaited his fate. The erection of the scaffold, was commenced a week previous to the actual execution. It was placed at the entrance to what was formerly known as the debtors prison, at the north end of the gaol. The scaffold was in the form of an oblong platform, having a trap-door in the centre. This door did not, as in ordinary constructions of the kind, open into two parts, but opened and fell in one connected piece, a 56lb weight being attached to it by means of a cord, which passed through several small pulleys running along the lower portion of the platform to prevent it from swinging back and coming in contact with the body. The platform was about 12ft. wide by 16 or 17ft. long, resting on six strong supports, and was about 10ft. from the ground. At each side were uprights supporting a thick crossbeam, from which hung a new rope, about one and a half inches thick, having a running noose attached. The previous execution which took place at Belfast was according to former regulations open to the inspection of the public. Since that time the Legislature, in its wis-
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
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dom and humanity, altered the law in this respect, and ordered that henceforth executions should be performed in private. For this reason the scaffold, though outside the walls of the prison proper, was perfectly secluded, so that there was not any possibility of the execution being seen by the public. Still, there were many, who influenced by a curiosity to witness an execution, stood on the road opposite the gaol, from which they could only witness a confused view of a small portion of the wood of the scaffold. Daly was upwards of 40 years of age and from Dungannon, of which his parents were natives. His father died when he was very young and his only brother died in his early years through an accident at a coal pit near Dungannon. John grew up on the farm where he supported his mother, sister and his grandmother. His mother expected great things from him. After an argument with his mother, John Daly left the farm and went to Belfast, where he commenced work as a labourer at the docks. Shortly afterwards he met Mary Anne Whitley, a mill girl, who became his wife, and who was the niece of the murdered woman Margaret Whitley. Daly slept until 5 o’clock on the day of his death, when he was awakened by a warder. He resumed his devotional duties with every appearance of earnest penitence. He attended Mass at six o’clock and continued praying until the terrible hour arrived. Eight o’clock came and the unhappy man was pinioned with leather straps by the executioner, who it is believed
was Marwood. The pinioning took place in the cell in the presence of Captain Keough, the governor of the gaol Daly came out of his cell dressed in his prison garb, followed by the executioner, his clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Hamill, walked by his reading prayers to the condemned man, who it is reported walked firmly to the scaffold. When arrived at the place of execution the rope was placed on his neck, a white cap was drawn over his head and face. The drop fell and he died instantaneously. As soon as it was observed that the man was dead the black flag was hoisted. Daly did not make a public confession of his guilt. A few minutes before eight o’clock the dismal tolling of the prison bell was heard which continued up to the time of the execution. The tolling was audible a considerable distance from the gaol, and to the inhabitants of the surrounding district it brought the intelligence, if such were necessary, that a solemn and impressive scene was about to take place within the walls of the prison. The part of the prison bounding the Crumlin Road was quite crowded
with people on the morning of the execution. The whole road and the streets leading off it from Fairview Street up to Agnes Street was thronged, and every available window in the neighbourhood was filled up with anxious spectators. The gate of the prison was anxiously watched by the crowd and nearly every person who entered the prison was taken for the executioner The body after hanging for an hour or so, was cut down and placed in an ordinary deal coffin painted black, which had been in readiness for some time. The body having been lowered into the coffin, it was conveyed to a passage underneath the scaffold, where it was placed on a stand prepared for the occasion. The body of the wretched man was divested of the whole of the clothing which he wore at the time of his execution, and the coffin was filled up with quicklime. The lid was then screwed down, and John Daly was for ever removed from mortal eye. The body was buried in the course of the evening in one of the gloomy passages of the gaol by the side of the last convicted murderers, O’Neill and Ward.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
WHEN THE SHORE ROAD WAS A RURAL RETREAT Not much more than a century and a half ago Belfast’s centre was practically linked to fields, hedgerows, and leafy green lanes all covered now by thousand’s of houses. Today the name Carrick Hill may be mystifying until we learn that here was the actual beginning of the Antrim Coast Road terminating 86 miles away from Portrush. In 1826 Peter Shannon's farm occupied the whole western side of Buttle’s Lane (now Clifton Street). Carrick Hill’s eastern continuation (now North Queen Street) was called Fishers Row because of its row of white fishermen’s cottages. Otherwise all the south side of this thoroughfare consisted of fields, later to be crossed and criss-crossed in Grid iron patterns by streets having York Street as their main axis. On the north side of North Queen Street, from the military barracks eastwards began a series of imposing tree surrounded detached residences the mansions of Belfast’s industrial aristocracy. Duncairn House, with its demesne extending up to the Antrim Road. Garden Hill, Castleton, Mount Collyer, Jennymount, Lillput today they are but mere names of places that once were. Until the 18th century Belfast was practically surrounded by woods, but the heavy demands made by tanners (for oak bark), charcoal burners (for iron smelting), carpenters and shipbuilders as well by the fast increasing population made
havoc. Cromac woods were reduced but the town’s most prized approach in the early 1800’s was its Shore Road a magnificent marine drive, twixt woods and water. And so came into existence a chain of stately Georgian mansions nestling on shelves among the luxuriant woods extending far upwards on the Cave Hill slopes. The financial crisis of the Donegall heirs caused land to go cheap, and with income tax only 7d in the pound enterprising merchants could afford their pleasures as befitted gentlemen. The Milewater River, coursing through the grounds of Lilliput, was the town boundary, and close by was Jennymount, the residence of John Thompson, one of the originators of the Commercial Bank which became the Belfast Bank. Occupied in succession by the Simms family, John Sinclair and finally until its erasure in 1918 by W. Barry Ritchie, the Mountpottinger felt and fertiliser manufacturer, was the Grove, now superseded by a modern school and a spacious park. In ancient times this area was "the Earl’s Meadows" granted to the Alderman, or Earl of a county to support his office’s dignity. It was held by William De Burgh the Earl of Ulster, who was strangely slain here by his own relatives on Sunday morning June 6th 1333. Hence the name Skeiganeril (the Earl’s thorn) now corrupted into
Skegoneill as bestowed on "Buttermilk Loney," the nearest road a century ago to the Cavehill. Here at its junction was the noted Peggy Barclay’s Inn with its pictorial sign, "The Mill for Grinding Old People Young," representing old men and women hobbling on crutches into the mill hopper and dancing out merrily below. Seaview came next, the residence successively of Robert Getty, John Bommer, the cotton spinner, and, before its dispersal, by Sir James Johnston, Belfast’s 1917-18 Lord Mayor. At the Greencastle side of Fortwilliam Park entrance is Ringan (or Ringsend) point, long used as a burial ground for suicides and bodies washed ashore, although it was probably an early church site, the name being a corruption of St. Ninian. Mount Vernon was occupied by Hill Hamilton the banker, and later by Alderman Sam Lather the shipowner, prior to his removal to Kilkenny. At Lowood, adjoining resided another banker, John Cunningham and in 1882 it was sold to Frederick Kinahan (of Lyle and Kinahan), together with its 17 acres park, for £6,000. Parkmount of its fine timbered demesne of over 100 acres extending up to the Antrim Road. Originally occupied by the first Earl of Donegall, it came to the Cairns family in 1796, and two of their descendants gained world fame.
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Educated at Belfast Academy, Hugh M’Calmont Cairns (born 1819, died 1885), became barrister in 1844, and was one of Belfast’s M.P.s when only 33 years old. Both at the Bar and in Parliament (14 years), his talents were so superlative that he became in succession a Knight, Attorney General, Judge of Appeal, Lord Chancellor, Viscount, and in 1867, Earl Cairns of Garmoyle. The latter was suggested by the Pool of Garmoyle, the deep water visible from Parkmount at which larger ships anchored to have their heavy cargoes and passengers transferred to shallow craft completing the passage to Belfast Quay. Lady Cairns was daughter of John M’Neill, D.L. the banker who succeeded the elder Cairns brothers in Parkmount, and disposed of it in 1895 to Sir Robert Anderson (Anderson & M’Auley) Lord Mayor in 1914. The second Lord Garmoyle, or "Lud Gumboil" as he was dubbed by the wits of the time, came into very prominent notice as the defendant in a breach of promise case in which the plaintiff was Miss Fortescue, an actress classed "a moderately good walking lady." For her moral and intellectual loss (including a probable coronet). Julia Sarah Hayfield Fortescue received the colossal sum of £10,000. Subsequently the lucky lady married another peer, Lord Gardner, so losing a lord proved even greater publicity than the usual "actress has jewels stolen" headline. Today there are very few of the old mansion houses left in North Belfast as the land which surrounded them became just to valuable for the 'investors' to resist.
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Jennymount
The Grove
Parkmount
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
YET MORE TRUE CASES FROM THE VICTORIAN BELFAST COURTROOMS 15 January, 1898 FOOTBALL IN THE STREETS Jacob Morgan, William Kennedy, Ernest McKee, Coote McKee, and Albert Morgan, five little boys, were summoned for playing football in the street. Constable Penders, Antrim Road, proved the offence, and defendants were ordered to pay the costs of the Courts. Sergeant Campbell proved a case of a similar nature against Samuel Orr and John Wilson. They were kicking a tin in the street in Mountpottinger on the 28th of December. They were also ordered to pay the costs of the Court. There were about twenty other similar cases against young boys at the suit of the Ballymacarrett police, and the same ruling was made. The Judge (Mr. Nagle) stated that this was the last occasion on which he would let the boys charged with this offence off so easily and that he would strike a heavy fine in future. Their conduct was dangerous, and the police were constantly being requested to put a stop to this practice. 29 January, 1898 A NOVEL CURE FOR DRUNKENNESS A man named Gourley was charged with stealing seventeen eggs at the quay. Mr. McErlean, who defended, put in the plea that the accused was drunk and took the eggs with the intention of eating them raw as an antidote against the liquor. The Magistrates failed, however, to see the matter in this light, and sent the prisoner to jail for seven days.
12 February, 1898 INHUMAN NEGLECT OF CHILDREN A quay labourer named John McCune was charged with having systematically neglected, ill-treated, and abandoned his five children. The latter, who were all under the age of twelve years, were present in court, clad in workhouse apparel. Mr J. Donnelly, who prosecuted, said that the case was one of the worst that he had ever come before the Court. Sergeant Magee deposed that at halfpast eleven o’clock on Saturday night week the children were brought into Henry Street Barrack by Patrick McNally, who stated that he had found them wandering about the streets. The night was cold and wet, and the children were very poorly clad. One of them who was just recovering from typhoid fever had nothing on at all but a light pinafore. Witness sent the children to the Workhouse, and afterwards proceeded to a house in Little Corporation Street, where he had ascertained the father resided. He found him there drunk. Witness issued a summons against him, but having failed to appear in the Summons Court a warrant was issued for his arrest. The prisoner was a drunken, worthless fellow. Joseph McNally, prisoner’s brother-in-law, stated that McCune’s wife died a year and nine months ago. At that time they had a comfortable home, in which there was about £50 worth of goods. After his wife’s death the accused pawned clothing and furniture and spent the money so
obtained in drink. On two previous occasions witness had found the children on the streets at night. The house was in a filthy condition, and there was nothing for the children to lie upon except an old rotten mattress. At Christmas witness spent £1 17s on clothes for the children, but the clothes were almost immediately pawned. Since his wife's death witness had visited the house twice a week, and only on two occasions during that period had he seen food and fire in the place. Mrs Knocker and Inspector Barry, N.S.P.C.C., were also examined in support of the case for the prosecution. Prisoner was sentenced to four months imprisonment, and ordered hard labour. 19 February, 1898 AN EXCITED PRISONER A woman named Catherine Davis was charged with drunkenness and with having maliciously broken two panes of glass in the public-house of John Kelly, North Street. It appeared that when the prisoner was arrested at a late hour on Saturday night she gave the constable considerable trouble. Mr. Kelly’s evidence showed that the accused came into his premises on Saturday night, and, having partaken of a drink, she smashed a half-pint measure. She was then ejected from the shop, and while on the street she lifted a stone and threw it at the window, smashing two panes. There were seven convictions against the prisoner, and she was sentenced to a fortnight’s imprisonment. As soon
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 31 12 March, 1898 CRUELTY TO A WIFE Bridget Crawford, 43 Springview Street, summoned her husband for having used abusive language towards her. The defendant was bound In Victorian Belfast it over in his own recognisances in £10. was a real serious crime for young boys to 26 April, 1898 play football in the A CAREFUL MOTHER street! Elizabeth Trainor was put forward on remand on the charge of not taking care of her children. She was found by a policeman staggering about the road with one of her children in her arms, whose head every now and then was in danger of being knocked against the wall. When the constable entered the house another baby was in a flood of water which covered the floor from a broken pipe. A sentence of six months imprisonment was ordered.
as the sentence had been pronounced the prisoner, who became very excited, produced a hard bap from under her shawl, and threw it at the magistrates. It fell short of the bench, and struck a gentleman at the Press table. The judge ordered the woman to be remanded to the cells till the conclusion of the business. At this moment Mr Kelly, the prosecutor, passed underneath the dock, and the prisoner caught him by the hair and made use of abusive language towards him. At the end of the business the prisoner was brought back into the dock, with great difficulty by two policemen, and sentenced to a month’s imprisonment.
5 March, 1898 A SHILLING FOR A SHILLING! James Leonard was charged with being guilty of indecent behaviour. The evidence went to show that the accused was on a trap announcing to a crowd that he would sell purses containing 5s for a shilling. He had four or five confederates with him to whom he sold a few of the purses containing the sum specified, but on one of these finding its way into the hands of a member of the crowd the prisoner threatened to beat him if he did not return it. The other purses the accused had in his possession contained only three halfpence. The prisoner was ordered to pay a fine of 20s.
28 May, 1898 AN ITALIAN ON THE WARPATH Alfonso Messa, who carries on the business of an ice-cream vendor in Donegall Street, was charged by Constable Lee with having assaulted Michael Archer. According to the prosecutor’s evidence he went to the shop of the accused at midnight on Saturday and ordered a penny worth of hot peas. He paid his money, but as the peas were not supplied he protested. The accused thereupon made a dash at witness and chased him from the shop. Archer, who further alleged that he was struck on the cheek with some implement ran down Donegall Street, and to escape the Italian he jumped through a barbers window, doing damage to the extent of 7s 6d. The prisoner promised to pay for the smashed window, and on this condition he was let off with a caution.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
A FATAL SHOT FIRED
Following the shooting of Mr. Lyle Gardiner, a seventy-eight year old man, in Dervock on 30th April 1894, the police swiftly arrested a local man, Mr. Robert Gilmore for the crime and a few days later an inquest jury was established, the purpose of which was to investigate and return a verdict on the death of Lyle Gardiner. The inquest was held in the kitchen of the deceased’s house where he had been shot dead several days previous. The first witness called was Mrs. Gardiner, the wife of the dead man. She was only asked a few questions by Mr. C. R. Anderson, solicitor of Coleraine, who in conjunction with Dr. Taggart, solicitor, of Ballymoney, had been entrusted with Gilmore’s defence. The only other witness called were medical men, who gave evidence as to the cause of death, and on this testimony the jury had no difficulty in returning an open verdict. Shortly after the post-mortem examination the body was placed in a coffin and the funeral took place that very evening at Derrykeighan graveyard. Public interest, at the monthly fair in Ballymoney that Thursday, was centred around the tragic incident. All sorts of statements and suggestions were made as to the motives, and explanations offered, but many of these were based on assumptions on the facts that were in the police possession were shown to be completely groundless The police at once tried to trace all of Gilmore’s movements on that fateful day in order to build a case against him. It was found that on leaving Dervock the
young man was driven to Ballymoney on a cart by some young women and that he returned in the direction of Dervock in the same car and in the same company. According to Mrs. Gardiner's statement at the inquest, when she last saw Gilmore on Monday night as he was leaving the front of the house. The next was seen was at a house of a family friend named Wilson, some hundreds of yards away, but a comparatively short distance from his own residence. The theory of the police is that Gilmore did not leave the yard, but went round the house to the back window, watched his opportunity, fired the shot, then escaped over a hedge. From this field he crossed a bank into a field sown with oats, and then into a grass field, in a corner of which is a large patch of whin bushes, a number of these forming a hedge. On the top of the shough is an old path, which is a short cut between Wilson’s house and some other farm houses. It was in the whin
bushes, just underneath the path, and inside the shough, that the gun had been cleverly concealed. The discovery of the gun happened merely by chance and if fate had not so desired this vital piece of evidence would not have arisen. DETAILS OF THE CRIME The crime for which the unfortunate young man suffered the extreme penalty of the law was committed under circumstances which point to the greatest possible coolness and premeditation on Gilmore’s part. The victim was an aged farmer who lived close to to the farm which was occupied by Gilmore’s father. Between the two families, close and friendly relations existed. Some weeks before the night of the shooting, a daughter of the Gardiner’s gave birth to a child, of which it was said that Gilmore was the father. There appears to have been some talk about an action being brought against Gilmore in respect of his relations
with the daughter and judging from the conversation that took place on the fatal night between the murderer and the murdered man, this talk led to the commission of the crime. Early on the evening of the fatal day Gilmore took a horse into the village of Dervock in order to have it shod. He left the animal at the village forge, and, procuring a cart, he drove into Ballymoney. In this town he purchased at the shop of Mr. Hamill, a single-barrelled hunting gun, a quantity of powder and shot, together with a few other articles. With these in his possession he returned to Dervock, and thence found his way to the house occupied by Gardiner. He was seen looking around the house by both Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner who came out to investigate. The two men then had a conversation in regard to probable proceedings with regard to the child and Gilmore then went away in the direction of the gate of the farmyard. Whether or not he left the yard has not yet been ascertained; but this fact is certain, that within a very short time he was at the rear of the house, having in his possession a loaded gun. While the old man was standing in front of the fire, and while he was in the act of undressing, Gilmore fired the fatal shot and fled. The police received notice of the incident at around eleven o’clock and arrested Gilmore in bed at his own home at around one o’clock. In his possession was found the powder and shot purchased during that day, and an examination of that showed that sufficient had only been used to make one charge. The gun was later found under some furze bushes about four hundred yards from Gardiner’s
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 33 house, and in the direction Gilmore death was passed in accordance with would have most probably taken to the law. reach his own house where he was Just as the bolt was being drawn proved to have spent an hour and a Gilmore exclaimed, " Farewell to all half after the murder in friendly con- ‘till we meet again." So marked the versation. At the police court inves- final moments of Robert Gilmore tigation which was held on May 6th, who found himself standing on the at Dervock, Robert Gilmore was scaffold on the morning of 17th Aucharged with wilful murder, and gust 1894. The executioner, T. H. committed for trial. The trial took Scott, ensured that the execution was place at the Assizes for the County carried out as quickly as possible on of Antrim, before Mr. Justice Gibson, this the fifth person to suffer the exand on the verdict of guilty being treme penalty of the law at Belfast brought in by the jury, sentence of Prison.
The Old House in Little Patrick Street at the begining of the last century McCusker’s Warehouse, Haliday’s Road around 1910. The top of the New Lodge Road is to the right.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
CRUEL MURDER AT BUSHMILLS
William Woods was the sixth victim of the hangman of North Belfast’s Crumlin Road Prison and the first to be executed in the new chamber specially constructed within the jail. At eight o’clock on the morning of Friday January 11th 1901, William Woods was convicted at the Assizes held in Belfast for the wilful murder of Bridget McGivern at Eagry, near Bushmills, on 26th September 1900, suffered the extreme penalty of the law. The crime committed by the condemned man was of an appalling character in its cruelty, without any extenuating circumstances. The City Coroner, Mr. E. S. Finnegan held an inquest at eleven o’clock in the Boardroom of the prison on the body of the deceased William Woods. The necessary formalities having been complied with at the entrance to the jail, the coroner intimated to the officials that any resident in the County of Antrim who wished to be present at the inquest must be admitted. After the jury had been sworn in, they proceeded to the execution chamber, accompanied by a number of reporters, and viewed the body and the scaffold. At the end of the proceedings the jury agreed with the doctors verdict which was read by the coroner and duly signed :" That the said William Woods, a male person, of the age of fifty-eight years, and a pedlar, was a prisoner in Belfast Prison under judgement of death for the murder of Bridget McGivern, and that the judgement of death was duly executed on him by
The cottage in which Woods horrifically murdered Bridget McGivern. being hanged by the neck till dead morning and missed his mother from within the walls of the said prison on the bed. the 11th January, 1901; not more than twenty-four hours before holding of Looking round in the dim light of the this inquest, and that the body on early dawn, he saw her lying on the which this inquest is held is the iden- other bed, while Woods had disaptical body of the said William Woods, peared. Going over to his mother the adjudged to death aforesaid." poor lad found her covered in blood and, horrified he fled out the door to Following the business of a pedlar, alarm the neighbours. William it appeared that woods was in the Woods however had already went to habit of visiting Bushmills and stay- the police barracks in Bushmills. His ing in the house of Bridget clothes soaked in blood, he calmly McGivern, a widow with two chil- admitted the murder of Brigid dren. William Woods went into the McGivern. The police rushed to the Taggart’s shop in Bushmills on 25th scene and found the unfortunate September and bought a razor, stat- woman lying dead on the bed, her ing to the assistant who sold it to him throat cut from ear to ear. The body that he wanted it to sell again. He by this time was almost cold. The subsequently went to Brigid place was like a shambles. Woods’ McGivern’s house and stayed there muffler had been thrown over the until a late hour where he had tea. poor woman’s throat, and his coat He produced a naggin bottle of whis- placed under her head. Later on key, gave the deceased a drink from November 17th, a razor, identical to it and then proceeded to take the rest the one sold to Woods at Taggart’s himself. Ultimately they all lay down shop, was found in an old ruin half to rest. There were two beds in the way between the scene of the mursingle room which formed the cabin. der and the police barracks. The deceased, preceded by the chil- The case proved to be quite a simple dren went to one of them and Woods one because in addition to the other went to the other. The youngest boy conclusive evidence which the didn’t rise till late the following Crown produced there was also the
Woods’ statement of admission. At the trial before Mr. Justice Madden in December, Woods was reported by the press to seem to take very little interest in the proceedings, and appeared was very callous throughout. He was ably defended by Mr. Thomas Harrison, who suggested that the crime was not one of premeditated malice but homicidal mania; but the jury after a short deliberation returned a verdict of guilty. Woods showed no sign of anxiety as to the result and after the judge had solemnly pronounced the death sentence Woods airily remarked, "Oh its not as bad as a bad marriage". He was returned to the prison to await his execution where he was attended to daily by his minister, the Rev. Dr. Spence. This was not the first time however that William Woods had appeared in court. In the spring of 1890 he narrowly missed execution for the brutal killing of Mary Irwin. This incident happened near the village of Claudy after he was arrested along with Mary Irwin for drunkenness. Both were released from the barracks at midnight. Next morning the woman was found tied to a cart wheel, brutally hacked to death with a scythe. It transpired that the deceased had often given the accused provocation, and the jury, taking this into consideration, and believing that the crime was not premeditated, returned a verdict of manslaughter. Woods was sentenced to twelve years penal servitude, and released in July 1899. As further proof of his violent character it was also shown that he had been convicted on thirty-two other occasions, mostly for assaults on the police, and in one case on a
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 35 and placed him in position over the magistrate. Early on the morning of Friday Janu- trap door. The white hood was placed ary 11th crowds began to assemble over his head. The noose was adin the vicinity of the prison. A new justed round his neck. The lever was stone execution chamber which was pulled and Woods was hanged. For specially constructed for hangings an hour or so the body remained was ready to accept Woods as its first hanging, after which it was cut down victim. This room was to be a per- and placed in a coffin, which was laid manent feature of the jail and was out in the death chamber ready for built in the wing adjacent to the the inspection of the jury. Mater Informorium Hospital. It was described at the time as a substantial Outside at a quarter to eight the bell apartment entered from the corridor tolled to send the message throughof the prison, with roughly plastered out the neighbourhood of the grim walls, and a glass roof. Beneath the events which were about to take trap door, which is on a level with place. Crowds had gathered at the the floor, is a deep pit, sufficient, it prison and stood silently awaiting the was said , to give any length of drop hoisting of the black flag. The bell considered necessary by the execu- suddenly stopped at eight o’clock tioner. The scaffold was only a few and the flag was hoisted. Then the yards away from the condemned cell. bell recommenced, intimating that all Scott of Huddersfield was the hang- was over. The crowd afterwards quiman and he quickly pinioned Woods etly dispersed.
William Woods
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SOLDIERS IN THE DOCK WHEN BELFAST WAS A GARRISON TOWN One item which I am always highlighting through my writings is the fascination of looking through old newspapers. Recently I had been looking up some material relating to the old Victoria Barracks when I came across some interesting court appearances of soldiers based there. The first I came upon was on the 11th of April 1881 when a soldier named John O’Donnell, of the 86th Regiment, was charged with having assaulted a woman named Ellen Scott. The prosecution stated that on the previous day, at about half past nine, she was going down Donegall Street accompanied by another young woman. The prisoner was coming in the opposite direction. When he came to them he shoved them off the footpath, and gave her a violent blow with a stick. She then had to go to the Royal Hospital in Frederick Street to have her wound dressed. The prisoner said that the reason he struck the girl was because she said when he was passing her "There goes one of the 86th murderers." A certificate was read from the house surgeon of the hospital to the effect that Scott was now free from danger. The prisoner was remanded for a week and on his next appearance fined and confined to barracks. A few days later, on April 18th, A private in the 16th Regiment named Samuel Torbitt, was put forward in custody, charged by Sub Constable Dickson with having assaulted him on the previous night.
In Victorian times soldiers based in the North Queen Street Barracks were no strangers to the local courts. In this picture the Recy can be seen in the background. From the evidence it appeared that the prisoner had been disorderly in a public house, and that the constable had been called to remove him. When outside the prisoner struck him a blow with his fist, cutting his lip. On the way to the Police Office he became so violent that handcuffs had to be put on him. He was imprisoned in the Belfast Jail on the Crumlin Road for one month. The next prisoner to appear in the court after Torbitt was yet another soldier. He was Patrick McVeigh again of the 86th Regiment who was described as ‘a fine young fellow’ and who was put forward by Sub Constable Breen charged with being drunk and disorderly by shouting. An officer of the Regiment was in court, and stated that the prisoner had only been eighteen months in the service, and twelve months out of that time had been spent by him in jail for breaches of military laws. The magistrates imposed a fine of
20s and costs, with the alternative of fourteen days’ imprisonment. On the 10th of May a private in the 19th Regiment named James Crone, was put forward in custody of Sub Constable McCabe, charged with having been drunk and disorderly and with having assaulted him. The constable disposed that on the previous evening, shortly before seven o’clock, the prisoner formed one of a large crowd which had collected in Clifton Street. The constable went forward and told the crowd generally to move into the middle of the road so as not to obstruct the thoroughfare. The prisoner stepped forward and made use of bad language. The constable said he would send for a picket to have the prisoner removed to the guardroom, when the prisoner became so disorderly that he had to arrest him. After the arrest he became so violent that he had to be taken to the Donegall
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Street Barracks, where he was handcuffed, and gave all the trouble he could. It took three policemen to take him to the Police Office on a cart. Colour Sergeant Booth told the court that the prisoner had only been a short time in the regiment, and bore a bad character. The magistrates sentenced the prisoner to prison for three months for the assault on the policeman, and fourteen days for the drunkenness and disorderly conduct. A few days later, on the 13th of May, Mary Jane Patterson, and Henry Wood, a private soldier of the 2nd Dragoon Guards, were put forward in custody of Sub Constable Galbraith, charged with having received a silver watch, and with having stolen it, the property of William Gowan. Gowan, it appeared, had been in the military barracks on North Queen Street on the 14th of April. He was drunk at the time, and had gone in with another soldier, who was not the male prisoner. He fell asleep, and when he awoke his watch was gone. The female prisoner was identified as having pawned the watch. When arrested she said she got it in Henry Street from the male prisoner, who, when arrested, denied that he had stolen it. The magistrate remanded the female prisoner and discharged the soldier as the evidence against him was insufficient. This was just in the period of the few weeks I was looking through so it gives a good idea of the amount of soldiers who came before the local Police Courts when Belfast was a garrison town.
The Royal Damask Weaving Factory, Ardoyne Village at the turn of the last century.
Harmony Village, Ligoniel mid 1960’s.
Frederick Street around 1895 showing the last thatched cottages in Belfast.
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CHILD KILLERS AND A ROBBERY GONE BAD
Following the execution of William Woods in the Crumlin Road Jail in 1901 two child killers were hanged. The first was Richard Justin in 1909 for the horrific murder of young Annie Thompson in the New Lodge area and the second Simon McKeown for the murder of Maggie Fullerton on the slopes of Cavehill, both cases covered in the first part of this publication. The next case was that of Michael Pratley who was hanged on the 8th of May 1924. On March 7th 1924, Nelson Leech, an employee with Messrs. Purdy & Millard (Sculptors) of Hamill Street had just returned from the Ulster Bank at Queen Street having collected the money to pay the wages of the firm’s employees. Unknown to him he was being stalked by a gang of robbers. Upon his return he was ‘held up’ by three masked men who burst into the office. All three men were carrying revolvers. As Mr. Leech ran to the phone to raise the alarm a shot rang out, which hit the phone kiosk above the head of the terrified employee. Mr. Leech continued to the phone to summon the help of the police when one of the raiders pounced on him. As a result of the ensuing struggle another shot rang out and Mr. Leech fell fatally wounded to the floor. At this the three men immediately fled the premises followed in quick pursuit by a girl from the office. One of the raiders ran down Hamill Street while the other two ran along Galway Street. Meanwhile an office employee was
able to catch the attention of a policeman who was coming out of the Barracks at College Square. He immediately went after two of the raiders and caught one of them, Michael Pratley from Moira Street, Belfast.
As he caught up on him however it was claimed that Pratley pulled out his revolver and tried to shoot him but the gun jammed and he was quickly overpowered. This revolver when later examined had eight car-
ABOVE - Purdy & Millard's workshop BELOW - The office in which the killing took place.
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
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tridges in it, seven of which were unused. One of the bullets had been fired, but the cartridge had not been ejected from the chamber. It was later discovered that Pratley had another clip containing eight more cartridges, and when his house was searched another revolver was found.
ABOVE - The spot in Barrack Street where Michael Pratley was arrested BELOW - College Square Barracks which is facing Purdy & Millard's
Michael Pratley
Constable Morteshed who arrested Pratley
The Crown tried to prove that if necessary Pratley was prepared to kill anyone who tried to prevent him carrying out this robbery. The Attorney General also pointed out that even if the Crown failed to prove that the man who fired the shot was Pratley, but proved that he was one of the raiders when the crime was committed, then the prisoner was guilty of murder. Alexander Briggs, an employee with Purdy & Millard, told the court of witnessing the whole sequence of
events from the entrance of the masked raiders, the scuffle with Mr. Leech, the shooting and the escape of the perpetrators. Elizabeth Allen corroborated his evidence and continued to tell how she raised the alarm which led to Constable Morteshed catching Michael Pratley in a nearby street. She said that she had no doubt that Pratley was one of the gang of armed raiders. Constable. Morteshed said he was on duty on 7th March when he heard the alarm in the street. He ran out and
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History saw a crowd at Galway Street. had when the constable caught you claimed that the evidence indicated Someone shouted , "They ran down was the same as you had in the that there was no premeditation and there". Constable Morteshed reached shop?" - "Yes." that Mr. Leech died as a result of a Durham Street and told of how he "And you had it in your pocket when struggle. It was undoubtedly a crime saw two men running into Barrack the constable caught you?" - "Yes." that the man had been shot but the Street. He caught Pratley half way The prosecutor then produced a pen- defence’s point was that it was not down the street. He explained that cil written letter and asked him was necessarily murder because the man when he eventually caught up with it his writing. "It might be". was shot and he further suggested him Pratley whipped around and The Attorney General explained to that if the gang had gone to Purdy & pulled out an automatic pistol. The the court that the letter had been in- Millard’s offices with murder in their pistol however jammed and he tercepted and was evidently written hearts then Miss Allen and indeed knocked it out of the prisoners hand. to the prisoners wife although it had Mr. Briggs would have certainly Head Constable Slake was then been addressed to someone else. never have been allowed to survive called as a witness and he told of his "MY DEAREST JOE - I want to say as witnesses. He went on to say that examination of the premises of a few things that are best said now. the attempt on the life of the conMessrs. Purdy & Millard, where he When I stand on my trial it is not stable had been brought in as evifound a bullet hole in the sheeting unlikely that I may be sentenced to dence purely to prejudice the chances under the stairs. When he followed death, and it is best to know it now, of the man in the dock. He suggested the line of fire he discovered embed- instead of coming as a shock later on. that the jury should consider the ded in the wood of the stairs, a bullet This letter is being slipped out, and shooting of Mr. Leech as manslaughof the same calibre as those in it would be better to burn it in case it ter. Pratley’s revolver and it also corre- comes into the hands of the police. The jury retired at 1.17p.m. and responded to the one which killed Mr. No matter how the case goes I hope turned at 1.45p.m. with a verdict of Leech. the two men who were with me will guilty. Michael Pratley showed no District Inspector Jennings told of do their best for you. When the trial emotion on hearing the verdict and how, when charged with the crime, comes I am going to say that after when asked by the judge had he anyPratley said he did not fire the shot the shooting I changed guns with one thing to say, he calmly replied - " I which killed Mr. Leech. He admit- of the others, as his gun was too big have no more to say than I have alted taking part in the hold up but said to go in his pocket. That was how I ready said." he only fired one shot, which went had that particular gun." over the Deceased’s head. On being further grilled about the The execution was duly carried out On cross-examination Pratley re- gun he admitted that he had never in accordance with the law on Thursfused to name his co-conspirator, one exchanged guns. day May 8th 1924. The executioner of whom he claimed was the person The defence counsel appealed to the who was paid to hang Pratley was who shot Mr. Leech. He readily ad- court on behalf of his client. He Willis. mitted entering the office with the intent of stealing the wages and claimed they all carried loaded revolvers to ‘fire over their heads’. When he was asked to account for the fact that the bullet which killed Mr. Leech corresponded to those in his revolver he claimed that all the revolvers were the same. A large crowd assembles outside the Belfast "Do you admit that the weapon you Prison on the day of Pratley's execution
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Ask most people today where the Fenian Gut was and no doubt the response you’ll get will be bewilderment. Well to answer the question the Fenian Gut was the area bordered by North Queen Street, Henry Street, York Street and Great George’s Street. The construction of the Westlike has halved the original district and the section remaining is today known as the Henry Street area.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
BELFAST - THE CITY OF RIOTS
If there is one thing that can be said about Belfast it is the fact that it is certainly a city of riots. Now we are all aware of the riots of the past thirty odd years of conflict in but the fact of the matter is that Belfast has been at conflict within itself basically since day one. Even in the years before we became a city Belfast had riots and in the days before the recent conflict they were always over the same thing - Fenian's and Prods getting into each other! Regular readers of my material will be aware that one of the worst periods in our history was the horrific violence during the partition of Ireland when hundreds were killed in a short period of time and brutal atrocities committed which are still talked about today, the McMahon Murders being one example. But another period of horrific violence occurred in the 1930’s when it seemed that the conflict of the early 1920’s was going to be repeated. Now I don’t plan to go into the details of what exactly occurred because the basic answer is I don’t know. The problem for the modern historian is that history is told differently by both sides. For example if we consulted old newspapers and read what was going on in the Northern Whig, when you looked up the same period in the Irish News you would instantly think that they were talking about completely different incidents. A lot of the riots in Belfast’s history seem to have occurred as a result of Orange parades and a look at the Unionist Northern Whig of July 13th, 1935 would confirm this. Under the
An R.U.C. patrol in Little Georges Street heading "Belfast’s Tragic Night of Soon after the parade reached North Rioting" we are told that there were Street a number of revolver shots "Dastardly Attacks Made on a Re- were fired at it and when it reached turning Orange Procession" and then Lancaster Street while going along the details of what (in their opinion) York Street more shots were fired. occurred. We are informed that the This resulted in the worst trouble and trouble broke out following a das- it is here that the paper begins to contardly attack on the Orange Lodges tradict itself. In one line we are inwhen they reached the Markets area. formed that "incensed processionists Showers of stones were thrown by endeavoured to retaliate, but were hostile crowds at Stewart Street, pressed back by their marshals and Turnley Street and Annette Street. police" but reading down the page a
R.U.C. patrols at the junction of North Queen Street and New Lodge Road
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 43 mitted to the Children's Hospital and 74 year old Lydia O’Connor of Vere Street who was shot in the head. Those killed were Thomas Jordan, aged 18, of Ninth Street, William Lyttle, aged 23, of Collyer Street both shot in the head, Margaret Broderick, of Marine Street who was shot in the chest and 18 year old Edward Withers of Nelson Street who was shot in the abdomen. As the rioting progressed the Stormont Government were forced to impose a curfew which basically meant that anyone seen out after a certain time could be shot dead but the rioting continued. A member of the R.U.C. commandeers a car during trouble in York Street bit we are informed that "in a few moments general trouble developed. Shots were fired from the narrow streets intersecting York Street and rival parties threw pavers across the roadway." Leaving this aside the Orange version was that they were fired upon from Lancaster Street but the Catholic version is that Lancaster Street came under attack from the parade sound familiar! Whatever the truth the result was one of the biggest riots ever seen in the city which left a number dead and scores injured. Houses were attacked and set on fire in North Ann Street, Earl Street, Nelson Street, Trafalgar Street, Corporation Street, Little York Street, North Thomas Street, Dock Street, New Dock Street and Dock Lane. In the whole area rival crowds clashed with each other and when the R.U.C. reached breaking point they sent for the military in nearby Victoria Barracks. By this time the
gunmen on both sides were out and the sniping had began. Four R.U.C. men from Glenravel Street Barracks were shot and injured as were countless civilians including women and children two examples being 7 year old Norman Boardman who was ad-
All this was in the 1930’s and it’s a subject which I will be coming back to but today, as were are four years into a new millennium, we would think that this is a thing of the past but remember the old saying - the more things change, the more they remain the same!
Junction of York Street and Donegall Street during a sniper attack
Map of the area at the time NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History During my tours of the Donegall Street/Half Bap area one of the topics raised was the uncovering of human bones in the area during the Victorian period. No sooner had I completed my latest tour when a glance through one of the old newspapers revealed another discovery. This time in was in Waring Street when the foundations of a building were being laid and two human skulls were unearthed. It would seem in the Belfast of really olden times people must have been buried here, there and everywhere. It was also while looking through the old newspapers that I came across yet another incident of human bones being discovered, this time in the Peter’s Hill area. However this one was a fascinating case and I reprint the whole article as it appeared in the Weekly Northern Whig of Saturday, 27th May 1871: -
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EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY OF HUMAN REMAINS Mr Mairs, who for some time past carried on a grocery establishment at the corner of Peter’s Hill and Boyd Street, has had a number of labourers employed during the past week in taking down the old building that the premises may be reconstructed on an extensive scale. On Monday morning, about eleven o’clock, some of the workmen, who were making excavations and clearing away the debris, prior to putting in new foundations, made an extraordinary discovery of human remains.
While they were digging in the rear of the building they brought up a number of bones, and on continuing their work, they found, within a distance of a few yards and not more than a foot and a half beneath the surface, no less than nine human skulls, and as many bones as would go to make up nine human bodies. The place where the remains were discovered would lead to the belief that they must have been interred at some point subsequent to the erection of the old house, as the spot
Peter’s Hill at the turn of the last century.
where the excavations were being made was where a doorway existed, leading from one room to another. When the old doorstep was removed, the skulls were found resting against the stonework of the foundations, and the bones lay in a straight line from each skull in a manner in which bodies are interred in graveyards. The news of the discovery soon spread, and in a short time thousands of people were attracted by curiosity to the place, and different opinions were formed as to when, and owing
e of the gruesome discovery to what cause, the remains had been deposited in this place. Some persons who examined the skulls said that at least three of them were those of females. By some they were set down as being the remains of persons who fell during the rebellion of 1798. Others said that the house was built on a prison graveyard, and that they were the remains of persons who had suffered execution. Some people went so far as to assert that a wholesale murder had been perpetrated, and that the guilty parties had buried their victims in the place where the bones have been discovered. For the present, however, there is no reliable one to unravel the mystery. During the day, the thoroughfare of Peter’s Hill was almost impassable, as hundreds assembled from all parts of the town to obtain a view of the bones, and to make inquiries as to their discovery. The remains were placed in a box, and an eccentric individual took charge of it and would allow no person to view it its contents, unless he received a money contribution for the privilege of inspection. The matter was reported to the police, and on their making inquiries in the neighbourhood they found that "the oldest inhabitant" remembered a doctors shop in existence at this corner at one time. This may account for the bones being found there. When the coroner was informed of the discovery, he ordered the remains to be buried. A fascinating article indeed but by reading it there are a few theories that can be ruled out. No prison existed there and all of the executions dating from before the 1798 rebellion can be accounted for. In relation to
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Map of the area at the time of the gruesome discovery the rebellion they could not have been the bodies of those who fell as no battle took place in Belfast but the theory of this being a pre-Victorian serial killer is indeed an extremely interesting one. Because of the description of the bones resting against the stonework then it is obvious that the stonework was there before the bones so it’s obvious that a previous tenant of the building buried these. With the ‘oldest resident’ remembering a doctor’s being there is it possible that he was buying corpses from bodysnatchers? It is certainly a reasonable thought bearing in mind that it was the remains of nine bodies discovered thus ruling out the straightforward murder with the body lobbed beneath the floorboards.
As covered in my tours of this area there are numerous cases of bones being uncovered all around what is now the city centre. There were those discovered at the junction of Royal Avenue and North Street when the foundations of the old Foster Green building were being laid and a few months later a complete human skeleton was found nearby. In the same area in February 1894 a total of nine skulls were unearthed at Royal Avenue. It is thought they date from 1700, as coins dated 1742 were found in the same place. These are just a few examples so the next time you think that all old human remains are buried in the old graveyards think again!
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WE HAVE GARDENS, AVENUE AND PARADE BUT WHERE WAS DUNCAIRN STREET? Many of us remember the Duncairn Street post office which was situated a few doors down from the Phoenix Bar on the Antrim Road. But here’s an interesting question which I’m sure people have asked over the years where exactly is Duncairn Street? We have a Duncairn Gardens, a Duncairn Parade and even a Duncairn Avenue but no Duncairn Street. Many would think that it may have been a nearby street which is now gone due to the blitz or even redevelopment but you would be surprised to know that, technically speaking, Duncairn Street is still with us. The reason is simple as the name Duncairn Street was later changed to the Antrim Road! Now the whole of the Antrim Road was not named Duncairn Street as this was only from Carlisle Circus up to the junction of the Cavehill Road and Limestone Road and from there on up we had the Antrim Road. The street got its name from the massive private estate which made up the right hand side of the New Lodge Road and Tiger’s Bay and which was called Duncairn. It is an Irish word and translates roughly as monumental pile of stone which would have been an old Irish shrine or even a grave. Many names still survive from it such as the above street names, a community centre and the Duncairn Church at the top of the New Lodge Road. But what was this street like all those years ago when the Duncairn Estate was still there? Well there is only one way to find out and that’s through an old
Duncairn Church pictured when this section of the Antrim Road was known as Duncairn Street.
Belfast Street directory with my choice being that of 1884. On the right hand side coming up from Carlisle Circus the first building was that of an A.F.O Beyer and which is listed as a pianoforte, harmonium and organ wareroom. Next door was the grocers and provision merchants of Watt & Co., then a sweet shop of Mr Flemming. Next to him was a Margaret Flanagan who is listed as a flesher which does not sound like a very pleasant occupation, and next door to which
was a stationer and fruit shop. Roughly where Pim Street is situated today we had a back entrance into the military barracks and then a row of houses called Brookvale Terrace with a professor of music at number 5, a solicitor at number 2 and Miss Brady, dress and mantel maker at number 4. Next to this is another row called Duncairn Place and it is then that we come to Dawson Street. Crossing over we come to Clive Villa which was home to Captain Jackson of the Royal Irish Rifles and then
another row of houses called Antrim Place leading up to Annadale Street. The next row of houses is called Laburnum Terrace with another military man living in 27, this time a Major Anson who was the staff paymaster. The next row of houses was known as Laburnum Place and at the corner the Duncairn Arms which was then under the ownership of a P. Leonard. Crossing the New Lodge Road we come to Eafleson Place and the directory informs us that new houses are under construction with a Post Office Pillar Box at number 61. A few doors away we had a posting establishment and next to it a Margaret McMenamy who ran a servant’s registry office there. The Phoenix Bar was then not long opened and was under a woman named Eliza Hughes. Next door was another flesher, James Rollestone and then a row of houses called Fortview Terrace although what fort it was viewing is a bit of a mystery unless they were looking out their back window (Duncairn Estate was also known as Fortfield). This row also had a derelict Manor House as part of it. Then we come to Gloucester Villa which brought us up to Atlantic Avenue. (remember Duncairn Gardens did not exist then). Crossing we came to Cavendish Terrace which led on to Antrim Terrace. It is here that the modern offices of the North Belfast News are situated but we are informed by the directory that in 1884 it was here that a Gilbert Ogilvie lived and he was a sub-editor of the Belfast Newsletter. Crossing Baltic Avenue the next row is known as Benvista with a watchmaker at number 2, Lloyd’s local shipping surveyor at number 6 and where the Sinn Fein office is situated, that was Miss Annie
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 47 Henderson the bookseller. After Oce- that the Rev. Hugh Hanna lived, or, as anic Avenue we had Arthur Terrace with he was more commonly known, "Roara post office at number 5 , another ing Hanna". Next door to him was a flesher at number 9 and a Peeler Bar- Charlotte Griem who was a teacher of rack at number 12 this then brought us German. Crossing Kinnaird Street we to the Limestone Road and the begin- came to two large rows of houses called ning of the Antrim Road. Thorndale Terrace and Duncairn TerMoving back down to Carlisle Circus race with two private houses in between it is time to have a look at the left hand called Woodbine Cottage and side. Once again one of the first build- Clanerlean. Crossing Duncairn Avenue ings is piano related and is once again we come to Duncairn Church and then a property of A.F.O. Beyer who this Pebble Cottage which was then the time is listed as a pianoforte tuner al- home of a builder called William though I suspect that this may have been Miskimmon. This brought us to the his home. Crossing Annesley Street the Cliftonville and St James’s Church at first house we would have come to was the other side and their schoolrooms that of a James Smyth who was a sur- next to that. Then we had St James’s geon in the nearby Mater Hospital. At Villa which led up to Hillview and then the opposite corner, this time with Eia Street. On the other side of this was Adela Street was a grocer shop and then Eia House, Laurington and Holly a row of houses known as Adela Ter- Mount. Allworthy Avenue then interrace, which ended in a street also known sected and at the other side the home as Adela Place. We then reached the of Edward Allworthy. Now it’s obvigates of St Malachy’s College with the ous that the nearby street is named afpresident being listed as the Rev. H. ter him but it was also he who named Henry before coming to Lincoln Av- Eia Street and not knowing which one enue. Here the row of houses were of his three daughters to call it after he called Cranston Place and at number 3 simply took the first letters of their first was Andrew Wright who was a pawn- names and there we have it. Next to him broker. Crossing Cranebourne Street (as was the Mariner’s Parsonage which was it was spelt then) we came to home to the Rev. John Spence, the minMcCormick’s Stone Works and then ister of the Mariner’s Church. Murray's Lime Works. This has an in- Antrimville was the next big house and teresting point today. If we look at the then Brookville which later became a levelled ground where Coulter’s was Masonic Lodge but at this time was situated, at the top we can see a mas- home to a ship owner called Samuel sive amount of limestone - now we Lawther. Crossing Broovale Avenue we know why! After this was a small lane then came to the Waterworks and the leading to the park called Murray’s Row gate lodge at that time was home to the and then a row of houses known as parks two caretakers, William Smith Donegall Terrace with a ship owner and William Ball. named Alexander Blaney living at num- And so there we have it, a simple bit of ber 5. St James’s Street then intersected historical research using an old direcand then a row of houses named Clifton tory which I hope explains how Terrace. It was at the corner house here Duncairn Street looked in 1884
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"A CRIME OF REVOLTING HORROR AND BRUTALITY" The above heading was how the Attorney General described the horrific murders for which William Smylie was hanged in the Belfast Prison. In returning to my series of articles on those executed within the Crumlin Road jail in North Belfast we look at the hanging of the tenth man within its walls The Armoy murder for which William Smylie paid the supreme penalty of the law was committed on the 24th of May, 1928. The victims of this ghastly murder were Miss Margaret and Miss Sarah Macauley, both sisters in their forties who lived on the family farm at Mullaghduffbeg, County Antrim. The crime created widespread public interest as it had been the first double murder perpetrated in these parts in a very long time. William Smylie was a trusted servant of the Macauley family and on that fateful day in May the two Macauley sisters were found dead on the kitchen floor with terrible head injuries. They had both been shot at close range and the gun lay beside the bodies. The only other persons at the farmhouse that day were William Smylie and another house servant Kate Murdoch. The other Macauley brothers were out in the fields working. It transpired that after the murder was discovered, Smylie rushed off to inform the police. Several statements were subsequently made and eventually Smylie had implicated himself in the whole affair. On searching Smylie it was found that
The cottage where the brutal murders occurred. he had thirty pounds stuffed into his boot. It was later discovered that thirty pounds had been stolen from the house that same day from Andrew Macauley’s cash box. Upon being further questioned he admitted that he had stolen the money but that he did not murder the two sisters. The Lord Chief Justice summed up by pointing out that Smylie had been found in possession of the stolen money and there being no evidence of other persons having been in the vicinity of the house at the time of the double murder it was up to Smylie to explain how he came to have the money. Was it before the murder or after? He emphasised that if the jury thought there was a reasonable doubt they should give the prisoner the benefit of it. If there was no doubt, the prisoner would have to pay the penalty for one of the most
barbarous and brutal murders that had happened in their time and generation Less than a quarter of an hour was taken by the jury to reach their decision. The court was hushed and in a few moments it was realised the verdict which was agreed upon was GUILTY. The clerk of the court then asked Smylie if he had anything to say. Smylie who was slightly pale stood up and stated firmly, "I AM INNOCENT OF THE MURDER!" He was then taken across to the prison through an underground passage which leads between the courthouse and the prison directly below the Crumlin Road. It appeared that on the day of the murders Margaret Macauley was left in the house after dinner. The servants had all left to go about their
work and Sarah Macauley had went to bring dinner to her brothers who were out in the fields working, a couple of hundred yards away. It was at this stage that the ghastly sequence of events unfolded. Kate Murdoch, a domestic servant at the Macauley house gave some interesting evidence which when added to the evidence of one of the Macauley brothers formed part of the conclusive evidence submitted by the prosecution. Kate Murdoch stated that she was watering the cattle after having dinner at 12.20. She saw Sarah Macauley coming from where her brothers were working. She waited for Sarah to join her and she left Sarah to go to back of the house to bud potatoes. After working a few minutes she heard a shot, and a few minutes later she heard the sound of horses feet. She described her horror when she went into the house and saw both sisters lying dead in their own blood. She told Smylie, who at this time was ploughing, about the murders. He immediately ran to the house while she went out to raise the alarm. Leslie Macauley told the court that from where he was standing he had a clear view of the farmhouse. He estimated that his sister Sarah would get back to the house after leaving them at about 1 p.m. and the first movement he noticed at the farmhouse was around 1.25 p.m. when he saw Smylie leaving the house. Smylie told the brothers about the murder while they were working in the fields at around 3.30 p.m. and told them that there had been a raid and that the gun was lying across their dead bodies.
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 49 He also drew the attention of the jury to the fact that the police were unable to find any of the accused man's fingerprints at the scene of the crime. Smylie when he was arrested told the police that he had accompanied Leslie Macauley back to the farmhouse and had entered the house and the bedroom. When there, he claimed he found the money which was discovered hidden in his boot. "It was lying on the floor near Andy’s cash-box." Leslie Macauley however testified to the fact that Smylie was not allowed to enter the house after the murder and did not accompany him to the bedroom. Asked if he had entered the house after the murder, Smylie said he went Kate Murdoch who made the in at 5.30 p.m. along with Leslie horrific discovery. Macauley while Constable Waugh This gun had been hanging on the was on guard duty. They went upkitchen wall and it had been sug- stairs to the loft (bedroom) to see if gested that it had almost certainly the money was right. There were been loaded in front of Margaret papers scattered all over the floor and Macauley before Sarah had come he claimed he took three £10 notes back from the fields. It was sug- which were lying in a lump under the gested that only the accused could dressing table. It was not until he have done this without arising the made a closer examination in the suspicions of the murdered woman stables that he found the lump of pafor he had used this gun on several per contained the £10 notes. Lord Chief Justice -"You did not other occasions. think it was paper at the time! You The defence counsel declared that the would not steal paper? circumstantial evidence of the Crown Smylie did not answer the question. was inconclusive and would not jus- In passing the death sentence the tify the jury in returning a verdict of judge stated that he agreed with the guilty. He claimed that Smylie defi- decision of the jury - "You gave those nitely did not commit these murders. unfortunate women not a moment He reminded the jury that the kitchen before you hurled them into eternity. was like a shambles on that instant The law is more merciful to you beand that the sisters had been shot at cause you will be afforded some peclose range yet there was not one riod in which to make your peace speck of blood on Smylie’s clothes. with your Maker!"
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VICTIM No.11 GETS HANGMAN’S NOOSE
Victim No.11 of the hangman at the Crumlin Road Jail was William Cushnan was executed on the morning of April 8th, 1930 for the brutal murder of James McCann, a postman on May 16th, 1929. He had been sentenced in March 1930 after the jury at his original trial in December had disagreed. After the execution Fr. McGouran said, "Cushnan died with great Christian courage and charity." and he was afterwards interred within the prison in accordance with the law An eyewitness recalled that Cushnan was in the condemned cell that morning praying along with a priest when at two minutes to eight the Sub-Sheriff accompanied by Pierrepoint, appeared at the door and demanded that the prisoner be handed over for execution. The Governor of the gaol, Major Long formally handed over his prisoner. Cushnan stood up and the hangman strapped his arms to his side. In a moment the procession to the scaffold had begun. Cushnan had only a dozen steps to take and on the stroke of eight he was dead. The morning had been cold and wet and a slight fog which hung over the city added to the dismal scene. James McCann was a rural postman who carried the mail from Toomebridge Post Office to Crosskeys. He had to make a delivery of letters to people upon the way, and having done so, he went on to Crosskeys Post Office where
he left the remainder of his delivery. On the days when the old age pension was paid out he also collected it at Toomebridge and brought it to Crosskeys with the rest of his delivery. Toomebridge to Crosskeys is a distance of about four and a half miles and on the morning of his murder, Thursday May 16th, he had the money in a sealed bag which had been sent down from head office in Belfast. James McCann set off from Toomebridge on his bicycle at 8.20 a.m. and should have reached Crosskeys around 9.30 a.m. The fact that he carried the old age pension money every Thursday was common knowledge around that area, a fact that the prosecution impressed upon the jury. His body was found later that morning. He had apparently been robbed and shot dead. The Attorney General, Right Honourable A. B. Babington K.C., submitted that the murder was done by a local, who obviously had prior knowledge of both the locality and of McCann’s movements and also knowledge of the fact that McCann would be carrying the money on that particular morning. He finished his address by stating, "the prisoner at the bar answered the description suggested by these facts". McCann had been shot through the neck with a shotgun. Alcohol was later found to be in the victims stomach when the post mortem examination was carried out. The
police also found a porter bottle of poteen close to where the body was found. These facts seemed very strange to the detectives who wondered why he would have been drinking at such an early hour. The Crown suggested that McCann had been lured down the lane by Cushnan by offering him a quick drink of poteen. (McCann would not have perceived that such a move would have proved fatal as he knew Cushnan). It was this bait which ultimately led to his death and the stealing of the £60 from his delivery. The murder had obviously been meticulously planned out beforehand. The gun had been concealed in a hedge in the laneway where the murder took place. They therefore had the motive for the crime - robbery. They had the method used - the use of poteen as a bait and the callous use of a shotgun to shoot the victim at close range. They had also narrowed down the suspects to someone who was living in the locality. Many people seemed to have heard the shot that morning but thought it was someone scaring crows. Referring to Cushnan’s possession of a gun, the judge thought it strange to have a certificate when his family’s position did not really warrant the need for one. When police went to inquire about this gun only the butt could be found. Cushnan when asked what happened to the barrel claimed that it
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History had been left in an outhouse when he was ‘flitting’ from one house to another and someone must have lifted it. Witnesses were produced however who testified having seen him with the gun after he had moved house. Cushnan also claimed to have been working in a certain field from 9 to 11 a.m. on the morning of the murder but other witnesses were produced by the prosecution who gave evidence to the contrary. They claimed that they had been working in adjoining fields and on that particular morning he didn’t come into the field until well after 10 o’clock. Witnesses also told of seeing Cushnan’s bicycle in the laneway before the murder and it was still there at six or seven that same evening. The greatest evidence according to the prosecution was a piece of cloth allegedly identical in texture to that of the coat which witnesses said the accused was wearing on the morning of the murder. On the morning of the murder a friend of Cushnan’s, Mrs. Robinson and her niece told the court of how Cushnan hurried past them while they were talking at the door. She noticed that he was wearing a darkish coat and brown khaki riding breeches and leggings. Cushnan denied talking to either women that morning. Mrs. Robinson also claimed that Cushnan called at her house about a week after the murder asking if the police had interviewed her and if they had asked her had she seen him that day. Only one witness, Mrs. Brown saw anyone acting
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The murdered postman James McCann suspiciously that morning and her evidence was used to outline the supposed scenario. " It would be the natural thing for the murderer to go through the back fields rather than through the village. A man, for the moment there was no evidence that it was the prisoner, made his way up the back fields and got as far as a point from which he could be seen from Mrs. Brown’s house. This stranger was seen by Mrs. Brown from a distance of around 200 yards. Although Mrs.
Brown knew Cushnan from childhood she could not positively identify him although from her observations she could confirm that he was of small build (similar to Cushnan) and wearing a darkish coat and khaki-coloured trousers. Did they think that the man was the murderer or someone concerned with the murder trying to escape? That was a matter for the jury. On May 29th police arrested Cushnan and charged him with murdering James McCann.
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BELFAST LOUGH HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OR JUST A STRETCH OF WATER?
One fascinating aspect of North Belfast and Newtownabbey is the absolutely amazing view some parts have over Belfast Lough, a feature well known to those who have went up Cavehill. Now there are many out there who may just state that this is only a stretch of water and can’t really have any history connected with it - well they’d be wrong. Belfast Lough started out as Carrickfergus Lough and has been the scene of many an amazing naval battle. But it has also been the scene of tremendous tragedy and the amount of people who have lost their lives within it is simply countless. As an example I have looked back to Victorian times and one of the worst tragedies to have occurred within Belfast Lough. For the story we look at the Weekly Northern Whig of Saturday 25th June, 1859 under the heading of:DISTRESSING ACCIDENT ON BELFAST LOUGH Today it was our melancholy duty to record an accident, attended by the greatest loss of life that has taken place for very many years in this harbour. Indeed we cannot call to our recollection, either from reading or memory, an event in the history of the Belfast harbour so tragic from the number of deaths connected with it as that which occurred nearly opposite Whitehouse, on Wednesday afternoon. The news of the catastrophe reached down in the course of that evening, but in the form of a vague rumour, and, although the state
of the weather gave probability to the melancholy, intelligence, nothing certain on the subject was known here till an advanced hour of the night. On Thursday, we despatched a reporter to the coastguard station near the scene of the disaster, and, from inquiries made there and elsewhere, we have ascertained the following particulars in relation to this shocking disaster:Captain Wright, the gentleman charged with the duty of enlightening volunteers for the Navy, had enrolled the names of thirteen young men willing to embark in that branch of the service. The Wellington, cutter, under orders to proceed round the coast, and bring off recruits from the different stations to the Ajax now lying in Kingstown harbour, arrived in this lough for that purpose, and anchored near the lighthouse, and about a mile from the coastguard station on the Antrim wide. Early in the day, a boat, with four of the crew, was sent off from the cutter to bring the volunteers on board. It was in command of the steward, a fine young man, named Jonathan Woodcook, who was fated never to return to his ship. He seems to have been much respected, and, amongst the ill-starred eleven, he is particularly lamented. On reaching the quay, Woodcock and his three companions proceeded to the sailors’ Home, where the young men had been quartered, and where their steady and respectable conduct elicited the admiration of Captain Wright
and Mr. M’Clean, the excellent superintendent of "the home." The volunteers have quickly got ready, Lieutenant Hardy, commander of the cutter, and two others from the crew of the cutter, and two others of the crew who had been on shore, joined the party, who, twenty in number (thirteen volunteers, and seven of the crew of the cutter, including the captain), left the quay at a quarter past three o’clock, in an open boat, about twenty-five feet long. It had a logsail, which was closely reefed. The volunteers and all in the boat were perfectly sober, and, as Captain Wright shook hands with some of the volunteers, he felt much satisfaction in having enlisted so fine a lot of steady young men for the important service on which they had willingly entered. Throughout the morning the weather was showery and very unsettled; but the wind was favourable, and it was expected they would send down to the cutter in a very short time. It has been remarked that the boat was overloaded, and there is some reason for the opinion; but, as Lieutenant Hardy is an experienced officer, and was going in the boat himself, we may concluded that, at least when leaving the quay, no danger threatened in any alarming shape. The captain reports that the weather was comparatively moderate when the boat was shoved off, but it came on to blow when she was half way down towards the cutter. It blew in dangerous squalls from the N.W., and the boat was stuck by three "flowing
seas," which broke right over and completely swamped her when about half a mile north of the lighthouse and three quarters from the cutter. The dreadful accident was observed by those parties who hastened to the rescue, namely the men on board the cutter, those of the pilot-boat, and of the coastguard station at Whitehouse. There was a very heavy sea running at the time, and the squalls came rapidly, with all the strength of a wintry storm. The boat from the cutter first reached the sufferers, and was soon joined by the yawl from the pilotboat. The captain was rescued, after being three-quaters of an hour in the water; two others of the cutter’s crew were also saved, and six of the volunteers - the other eleven sinking to
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 53 unteer, who is in "sick quarters" at Carrickfergus. The names of the volunteers saved are:- Henry M’Kee, landsmen; James Finley, stoker; John M’Connell, ordinary seaman; William Wilson, second-class ordinary seaman; Hugh Douglass, assistant stoker; and John Hart a boy. Those of the cutter rescued areLient. Hardy, John Devine (a boy), second class; John Lanigan, able seaman. The volunteers drowned are- Henry Walsh (joiner), William Moore (a boy), William Stothart (able seaman), Finlay Murray (ship carpenter), Alex Straw (a boy). Those of the cutter’s men lost areJonathan Stapleton (first class boy), John Kitson (able seaman), J. Barker (able seaman). Those rescued, with the exception of the one who lies ill at Carrick, have quite got over the effects of the accirise no more alive, despite all efforts dent. An inquest will, of course, he to save them. The men of the held as soon as any of the bodies are coastguard at the Whitehouse recovered, and the county in which launched a boat with all possible it will take place must be determined speed, and pulled to the assistance of by the side of the lough on which the those endeavouring to preserve the first body is found. We have not yet drowning men. The task was a most been able to ascertain the places to difficult one. One of the boats that which the volunteers belonged; the had been engaged in picking up the majority of them are believed to be drowning men was swamped along- natives of Belfast. The cutter sailed side the pilot boat, so heavy was the on Thursday evening for sea during the evening. The crew of Kingstown, those on board being, no the Wellington having succeeded in doubt, much depressed by the melgetting the nine rescued placed on ancholy occurrence connected with board the pilot boat, every attention their visit to Belfast Lough. and all possible kindness was shown Needless to say a dreadful tragedy to them. On being sufficiently re- and just one of many to occur in stored, they were all taken on board Belfast Lough. Something to think the cutter, with the exception of John about the next time you hear that a M’Connell, an ordinary seaman vol- stretch of water can’t have a history!
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DOWNFALL OF SOOTY!
Like everything else the subject of local history is never what it seems. For example each year various Nationalist organisations march to the grave of Wolfe Tone as the founder of Irish Republicanism when a deeper look at local history will reveal that the real founder lies forgotten in North Belfast’s Clifton Street Cemetery. This is just an example of a major historical event but the smaller ones are ignored even more. Take a look at this picture. It is of one of North Belfast’s mansion houses which were all over this part in Victorian times. This one is Jennymount and needless to say is one hell of an impressive house. Historians would look at this picture and mention when it was built, by such and such and then go on to give a list of all those who lived in it. But before I go any further on the subject of this house and receive a letter stating that this house was Castleton it was only named this from 1847 by
the grandson of its builder Robert Thompson of the family which gave us the famous (or infamous) Galloper Thompson. Now I know I always go for the underdog but when historians are looking at the people who lived in houses such as these and illustrating their wealth and society standing I would look at it and wonder who the labourers and craftsmen were who actually built it. I would also wonder who the gardeners would have been, who cleaned the windows, who the servants were and what their lives would have been like. I would also have wondered at what sort of lives the little boys who raided their orchards lived and, going into detail, who would have cleaned the chimneys looking at the amount of pots shown in the picture. There is an old superstition that a sweep is a bringer of luck, but why this should be is somewhat of a puzzle, as it was this very occupation which was the cause of it.
In Victorian times unwanted children were sold to sweeps who forced them to climb up the wide chimney’s of the period - often while the fire was still burning. For this slave driving the sweep received (to quote from a Belfast price list of 1843) sixpence for cleaning a chimney of two stories, rising by steps of 3d to 1s 3d for a chimney of five stories. Worse still, as sweeps of that period were notoriously heavy drinkers, the child’s only reward for his deadly work would often be a beating after his master had returned from drinking the day’s earnings in one of Belfast’s dodgy public houses. The unfortunate children - usually spoken of as ‘Climbing Boys’ - seldom had beds and often slept on a bag of soot, spending their short lives in an atmosphere of kicks, grime and dirt until death released them. It is horrible to think that in January, 1834, one of these climbing boys was actually roasted alive while sweep-
ing a Belfast chimney. The local newspapers state that "the householder would not have the fire put out while the sweeping was being done. The child twice came down the chimney, saying it was too hot, but was forced up again until he came down for the last time dead, with large patches of his skin burnt off." A protest meeting of the townsfolk followed the death of the boy, but it was not until there had been many similar accidents in England that the Government was forced to take action. In 1840 legislation was passed forbidding the use of boys to clean chimneys. This did not come into force, however, until 1842 and even after that date it seems to have been neglected as in June, 1851, Belfast papers re-
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 55 port that the boys were still climb- despite all the efforts of the reforming, and in August of the same year ers - that climbing boys were still it was estimated that there were up- operating in Belfast up until the early wards of 30 climbing boys working 1900’s. in the town. (We did not become a These so called ‘good old days’ were city until 1888). It is not to be wondered that these not so good unless you were wealthy unfortunate children were lacking in which 99.9% of us would certainly morals, as everyone’s hand must not have been. I have illustrated what have seemed to be against them. In life was like for the poor kids inJanuary, 1843, a sweeps boy who volved in the cleaning of the chimstole a pair of shoes from one of these neys but on top of that there were the large houses in which he was work- poor gardeners who had to rely on ing was given a savage prison sen- the weather and therefore their good tence of several months. A local natural appearance and of course the newspaper which reported the case servants who had to endure standing seemed quite gleeful at what they facing walls when householders passed them, overwork and, quite called the "Downfall of SOOTY." Mechanical chimney cleaners were often, rape at the hands of the ‘masadvertised in Belfast in 1841, but so ter’ or his sons and often both. - The little was thought of a child life - good old days indeed! The old Belfast Poor House on North Queen Street around 1880. Built in the early 1770’s by the Belfast Charitable Society from a design submitted by Henry Joy McCracken’s uncle, Robert Joy. The building remains to this day and is now known as Clifton House.
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THE FIVE MARY’S
Ghosts is a subject, I must confess, which I find absolutely fascinating. Now I have to admit that I myself have believe that I have seen a ghost but this was some years ago in Maastricht and is a yarn that I have to keep for another time. But much closer to home I am aware of a number of incidents similar to that in the community centre and all in North Belfast. But we have to understand that this part of the city is full of these stories and many of them stretch back throughout our history hence my personal interest. One old case which was well known in the Dock areas for many years was a story which was known as ‘The Five Mary’s’ and which was centred
on an area of Nelson Street. For years children would never go near the site in question as many incidents were reported relating to it. These ranged from people being pushed by unseen hands through to the hearing of piercing screams late at night. Leaving the ghostly aspects aside the modern historian is then required to research the site in question to see if it was the scene of some tragedy and for this story we do not have to look back very far.
Shortly before the 1916 Easter rebellion and at the height of the First World War a horrific tragedy did indeed occur at this site and the whole story can be taken up by a report which appeared in the Northern
Whig on Thursday 23rd March, 1916. FIRE TRAGEDY IN BELFAST Yesterday afternoon a fire broke out in the stores of Messrs. O & T Gallagher, rag, waste and paper stock merchants and marine store dealers, 41 - 53 Nelson Street. Owing to the inflammable nature of its contents the whole structure of four floors became almost instantaneously involved, and in the course of a few moments the entire premises from the ground to the roof were a mass of flame. A number of women workers who were in the upper portion were caught by the flames.
LEAPING FOR LIFE Some of these, desperate in their eagerness to escape from the threatening flames, jumped from the upFiremen at the site of the tragedy per windows on to the street. A lorry
laden with tow had been drawn underneath the windows with the object of breaking their fall, and the women were encouraged by the excited spectators to leap for it. Several succeeded in alighting upon the tow and escaped with shock and minor injuries. Others were less fortunate, and, coming into contact with the cobble pavement, were more or less badly hurt. No fewer than six women leapt from the third floor window. All fell on the tow with the exception of one poor creature, who struck the side of the lorry and came to the ground, sustaining a fracture of the spine. Blankets and rugs held by onlookers broke the fall of some of those who escaped through the lower windows. At the fourth or top floor windows several women were observed by the horrified spectators appealing piteously for aid. VAIN EFFORTS AT RESCUE Sergeant Stafford, of the Henry Street Police Barracks, and some civilians obtained a ladder, which they placed against the building and mounted. By this time, however, the women had disappeared, and the shouts to them of the plucky would be rescuers met with no response. The Sergeant and his helpers indeed had to descend the ladder very quickly to escape the flames, which were now bursting through the windows with great fury. This all happened before the Brigade, which had been promptly summoned, and which promptly turned out, had time to arrive. When the first
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 57 SITE OF THE TRAGEDY of the fire appliances reached the scene the building was simply envel- Nelson Street is a long, narrow thoroped in flames, and all the firemen oughfare running from Great Patrick could do was pour water on it from Street to Whitla Street. Most of its the outside. As one spectator ex- buildings are artisans’ dwellings, but pressed it, "The whole place went up it contains also a number of stores like a train of gunpowder." In less and industrial establishments. The than half an hour nothing remained premises of Messers Gallagher conof it but the blackened and bulging sisted of a brick fronted building about 75 feet square, near the juncwalls. tion of Great George's Street with TRAGEDY OF A FEW MINUTES Nelson Street on the Great Patrick Occurring as it did in broad daylight, Street side. The place was burned the outbreak caused a big crowd to down a few years ago, and re-built, speedily assemble on the scene. But so that it was practically a new structhe tragedy of the fire had really been ture. The firm have for many years enacted almost before anyone was carried out an extensive trade as aware that life was endangered. It waste, tow, and rag merchants and occupied but a few moments. Only they employed ordinarily some fifty the police who were hastily sum- or sixty hands, mostly women, enmoned from Henry Street Barracks gaged chiefly in rag and tow sorting. and the residents of the immediate The office and plant of the firm ocvicinity saw the workers’ desperate cupied the ground floor, the other leap for life from the third floor and three floors having been stores conthe awful spectacle of the hapless taining large quantities of most inwomen trapped on the floor above. flammable material. Now saw the still more awful climax Adjoining the premises on the Great inside the burning building. Finding Patrick Street side are those of no help coming by way of the win- Messers Love, cartage contractors, dows, these poor creatures doubt- who usually kept there some seventy lessly tried to make their way down- horses. stairs, only to meet their fate from WHERE THE FIRE BROKE OUT the storm of flame and smoke that had by this time gained possession When the fire was discovered most of the regular workers were on the of every part of the lower floors. premises. The outbreak occurred on TWELVE INJURED - SIX MISSING the ground floor and in a few minTwelve people were taken to hospi- utes the entire building from ground tal within a few minutes after the floor to roof was ablaze. outbreak had been discovered, suf- The alarm was given from Messers fering from concussion, fracture, Love’s premises the call reaching the shock and burns. central Fire Station at ten minutes Six women who had been on the pre- past five. As shown with what termises at the time of the outbreak were rible rapidity the injury to life and reported missing. limb occurred, giving the Brigade no
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Map of Nelson Street at the time of the horrific fire
chance, it may be stated that just four minutes after the fire call came the ambulance call from the scene. In that brief period the tragedy had really been enacted. Under the charge of Superintendent Smith and Assistant Superintendent Stafford the Brigade turned out from headquarters, contingents coming also from the Shankill, Ardoyne, and Whitla Street Stations. Streams of water were soon playing on the burning building, not in the hope of saving it, for it was already doomed, but of preventing the extension of the fire. Messers Love’s premises seemed to be in danger of becoming involved, and the horses stabled there were removed to a place of safety, as were also the occupants of the houses opposite. However the fire was confined to Messers Gallagher’s premises. One of the firemen - Johnston, of the Ardoyne Sub-Station - got his head rather badly burned while endeavouring to reach a point of vantage from which to direct his hose and had to be treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Those who had been burned or injured by jumping from the windows were removed to the Mater Hospital, the Brigade ambulance conveying seven of them, while some of the others were taken on lorries. They were promptly attended by Dr O’Doherty, visiting surgeon, and Dr Paul, resident surgeon. GOOD WORK BY THE POLICE Sergeant Stafford and the police from Henry Street deserve every credit for
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 59 their prompt attendance and good THE MISSING WOMEN work in connection with the fire. A The names of the missing women number of the local civilians also are: exerted themselves in praiseworthy Mary Ann Johnston, manner to try and save the women 56 Little York Street notably a man named Reilly and an Mary Ann Worsford, Italian named Satinia. Twice the SerAcademy Street geant, assisted by these men, Mrs McClinton, mounted the ladder which they had 79 Academy Street obtained from the adjoining premises Mary Ann Gibson, in the hope of rescuing the women 24 Little Corporation Street who had been seen at the top floor Mrs Shield window. However, before the ladder Mrs Digney could be reared the women had disappeared from the window, doubtless THE INJURED to make their desperate and fatal dash Margaret Ellen Casey, downstairs. 17 Little Patrick Street Bridget O’Halloran, 5 Edward Street During the evening a great crowd Mary Ann Mooney, gathered at the scene of the fire, and Market Street much excitement prevailed. With the Mary Clifford, aid of the police and a number of Academy Street bluejackets who came on the scene, Maggie Ward, the firemen kept the people well back 66 Little Patrick Street from the burning building, and evenAnnabell McKenna, tually a barrier was erected on each 71 Little Patrick Street side of it. This was fortunate, for Fannie Alderdice, about nine o’clock the front wall col1 Carolina Street lapsed with a great crash, scattering John Hickey, the debris all over the narrow street. 13 Little Patrick Street The firemen continued to pour waMary Ann Plunkett, ter upon the smouldering ruins until Little Patrick Street an advanced hour, pursuing meanAgnes Mulholland, time the search for the bodies of the 61 Little Patrick Street other women who were believed to Agnes Kinnaird, have perished. Little Patrick Street After the fire had been extinguished The regular firemen were ably as- the bodies of the missing were found sisted by a number of the police who, in the smouldering ruins and as can since the depletion of the strength of be seen from the names four were the Brigade owing to the war, have named Mary. Obviously one of the been specially trained for fire brigade others was also named Mary therework. Of these Sergeant Gordon es- fore giving us the story of "The Five pecially did excellent service. Mary’s"
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ANOTHER FOR THE PRISON GRAVEYARD Returning to my series of articles relating to all those hanged in the Crumlin Road Prison I now cover the twelfth hanging in the jail. Few crimes in the North have sent such a thrill through the community as the double murder of the two Aiken sisters near Newtowncrommelin, Ballymena, on the afternoon of 22nd May 1931. Both were shot while they working in a bog cutting turf. The most extraordinary feature of the crime however was the fact that the perpetrator of the cowardly deed carried out this foul act in broad daylight and in full view of several eye-witnesses. The last double killing in county Antrim was at Armoy when the Macauley sisters were both shot dead in May 1928. Thomas Dornan, a farmer from the same area, eventually stood trial for the brutal deed. The crime appeared to have been committed as an act of
revenge by a man who was apparently brooding over an imaginary wrong, or a financial burden. Dornan was a married man. An industrious farmer he held a high reputation as a respectable, hardworking member of his community. He had been on friendly terms with the Aiken family for a long time but a closer friendship soon blossomed with the younger girl, Bella. In December 1929, Bella gave birth to an illegitimate child of which Dornan admitted to being the father. He had agreed through a firm of solicitors to pay a sum of six shillings per week in support of the child. The payments of this maintenance, it was claimed, were in arrears from time to time. THE PROSECUTION Premeditation was stressed by the Crown at his trial. They proceeded to outline this premeditation by bringing the jury’s attention to the
The cottage at Skerry East where the ill-fated girls lived
fact that on the afternoon of the crime Dornan had walked down and viewed the scene before going to his home and ultimately returning to the place with a loaded shotgun. Dornan also had a number of cartridges in his pocket. He calmly approached the girls who not even suspecting his evil intent continued with their work. The first shots rang out and the girls realising the danger they were in tried to flee from their assailant. As they tried to get out of the ditch they clung to each other in terror. More shots were fired at them and the two girls fell to the ground, wounded. James Aiken, a brother of the two girls, was an agonised spectator of the terrible scene and was horror stricken to see Dornan standing over the two girls firing shot after shot into their lifeless bodies. Six shots, it was later shown, were fired into one of the girls and four into the other. Dornan it was alleged, walked home in a leisurely
Maggie Aiken
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 61 fashion and even stopped on the way marshalled on the Court-house side to tell a woman that he had shot the of the Crumlin Road by the police. There was an ominous hush as the two girls. Medical experts at his trial suggested fatal hour (8.00 a.m.) approached and that he was not responsible for his the tense silence was only broken by actions at the time of the murders and occasional tramcars passing up and that he was acting through an uncon- down. Dramatic accounts of the execution trollable homicidal impulse. The jury however weighed up all the were given at the inquest later that evidence brought before them and morning. Dr. O’Flaherty, the prison after an absence of 32 minutes they medical officer claimed that Dornan returned with a verdict of guilty. met a painless death. The Rev. Mr. Dornan was sentenced to death. His Simms told the inquest that he had execution was scheduled for July visited Dornan three times a day and 31st 1931 and he was brought back he was very penitent. "He died happy to Crumlin Road Jail where he was - I have no doubt of that" added Mr. placed in the condemned cell to await Simms and he said Dornan told him his fate. Various pleas for a reprieve he knew nothing about what had happened on the day of the actual murof his sentence failed. Long before the execution, specta- der. After the inquest the body was tors began to assemble and were buried in the prison graveyard.
1920 photograph of the Belfast Mercantile College which stood in Glenravel Street.
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BELFAST MANSION BURNED BY SUFFRAGISTS
If there is one sad thing about our local history I feel that it is the fact that there is very little information about very important subjects and indeed groups. For example when we think about the suffragists today our thoughts turn to their activities in England such as chaining themselves to railings and leaping in front of the kings horse at a major horse meeting. Now for me the sad thing is that that titbit of information is really about all most people know about these extraordinary women.
The suffragists were extremely active and in this part of Ireland they were very busy. They planted bombs, burned down commercial property and, if caught, staged hunger strikes, dirty protests, disturbed court hearings and refused to co-operate with the authorities in any way. Other property that was targeted by them was the mansion houses of the wealthy and many in and around Belfast were burned. For example one newspaper report on Fri-
day 27th March, 1914 tells us of an attack on the outskirts of North Belfast. It reads:-
"The palatial residence known as Abbeylands, Whiteabbey, the property of Sir Hugh McCalmont, was burned to the ground at an early hour this morning. The house was looked upon as one of the finest residences on the coast line. It stood on an elevation of several hundred feet above the sea, and commanded an ideal prospect, embracing the Holywood hills, immediately opposite, and was surrounded by demesne lands opulent in plantation and foliage. A comparatively modern structure - it dates back to 1880 - the house was built with obvious regard for architectural elegance and massive solidity, whilst the internal fittings, including a grand oak staircase, were of the most chaste and costly description. Everything has been demolished - reduced to a cinder - and all that remains of this splendid residence are the bare walls.
How the outbreak originated is a mystery which has not yet been solved, but there is little room for doubt that it was prompted by malicious motive, and carried out by preconceived design. A broken pane of glass at the east end of the house furnishes the pretext for this assumption. The portion of the window that was intact was besmeared by a soapy substance with a carbolic odour, and the police are of the grounds had been placed at the disposal of the Ulster Volunteers for military evolutions, and this circumstance was a theme of special public significance. The house itself had been idle for a number of years, and contained no furniture. DISCOVERY OF THE OUTBREAK The outbreak was first discovered at half past three o’clock by William John Boyd, the night fireman of the Whiteabbey Mills, who lost no time in communicating with the resident gardener at Abbeylands, Mr Maurice Bunting. It was an exceptionally
clear, tranquil morning, and for this reason the glare of the fire was not as accentuated as it would have been with a darker background. The volume of flame, however, was such as to reveal in all its scenic glory the surrounding landscape, and furnish a morning spectacle impressive in its picturesqueness, but tragic in its terrible consequences. The Belfast Fire Brigade were summoned by telephone from Dr Reid’s private house, and the police were personally apprised by Mr Bunting. The Volunteers of the district were also called out and there responded to the order with such celerity that a force of 250 disciplined men were available shortly after three o’clock. The Volunteers were under the command of Mr James Tait and Mr Robert Tait and the duty they undertook was to guard the building from encroachment, and to assisting as best they could the operations of the members of the Fire Brigade. They were for the nonce fire fighters of a most effective type. A MASS OF FLAMES Superintendent Stafford was in charge of the brigade, and the task before him called for judgement and promptitude. The flames were bursting through all the windows with the exception of a few at the east end, whilst the centre of the mansion reminded one of a devouring furnace having an unrestricted out up into the sky like rockets forced with powder. "I never saw anything more impressive in my whole existence than the fire at this point," said a white haired, old veteran. He remembered the house being built; he was proud of it gallant owner and its picturesque associations, and he looked on in silent horror at the grim relic of former splendour, remarking, "How can human beings bring themselves to do a deed so terrible as this?" As indicated at the beginning of the report, everything was reduced to nothing-
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 63 ness. The preparations for setting the place dation for the suggestion - "None whatsoon fire were manifestly deliberate, and ever," was Mr Bunting’s emphatic reply. "That was the first question put to me this were planned with scientific precision. At first there was apparently some doubt morning; but you can take it from me as as to the origin of the affair, but the dis- conclusive that there was not an ounce of covery of Suffragist literature places it shot or even a toy pistol there." beyond all possibility of doubt, that the fire is another instance of the mad tactics Of course, you never dreamt for an instant pursued by the militant advocates. They that anyone would perpetrate such an act must have exercised wonderful elusive- of incendiarism? - Not at all. Such a ness in their campaign of destruction, for thought never entered my mind, and there was nothing to arouse the slightest element they managed to escape all observation. No suspicious visitors were seen about the of suspicion. It must have been after middemesne, and no danger was apprehended. night, and by very quiet manoeuvring that They came like thieves in the night, and access was obtained to the demesne, for I having broken into the house they was about myself until a quarter past sprinkled their fire lighters over the build- eleven o’clock. There was an incident ing, set them ablaze and decamped. The which, in the light of subsequent events, police succeeded in rescuing some of these has made an impression on my mind. The fire lighters, and their composition is such barking of the dog attracted my notice, but as this is not an unusual thing it did not that they ignite as readily as paraffin. Hundreds of the people in the Whiteabbey fill me with any sense of alarm. area visited the scene of the fire, and it was a matter of some curiosity to observe FINDING OF THE FIRE-FIGHTERS amongst the spectators a crowd of ladies Who discovered the fire lighters? - They and gentlemen in evening dress, who were were first found in the drawing room at returning to Belfast from a dance in the east end of the mansion by Sergeant Carrickfergus. Major McCalmont, a rela- McFarlane, who was accompanied by tive of Sir Hugh, who was summoned by Constable Smith, Bearn, Kenny and messenger, motored to Abbeylands and re- Moore. In one of the windows of the drawmained for several hours. Dr Reid was ing room, about three feet from the ground, there was an aperture sufficient to admit also there. the body of either a man or a woman. It is my opinion that the fire originated in the INTERVIEW WITH THE front hall under the grand staircase. GARDENER Mr Maurice Bunting, who has been gar- When you came on the scene what was dener at Abbeylands for eleven years, got the fire like? - Even then it had gutted the whole inside, and the roof fell in a little a great shock when he heard of the fire. "I was all through the house on Thursday later. night, and everything was perfectly intact. Mr Bunting added that it was a sad but There was no furniture of any kind or de- majestic sight, with the flames rising scription, and singular to say the only above the tops of the highest trees and disthings stored in the basement were the seminating a glow of brilliant radiance private fire fittings, which were accord- over the whole countryside. The noise of ingly not available when they were the falling brickwork - the mansion is built entirely of red brick - and the smashing of wanted." There is a rumour current to the effect that the window panes furnish a weird accomthere was a large quantity of ammunition paniment to the lurid drama of destrucin the mansion. I assure there is no foun- tion."
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SUFFRAGISTS TORCH CAVEHILL TEA-ROOMS Another attack which the Suffragists carried out in this part of the city was the burning down of the Cavehill Tea-rooms in Bellevue. Looking through the old newspapers and reading about their attacks is absolutely fascinating and the story on the Cavehill one can be seen in the local newspapers for the 18th of April 1914:Another chapter in the unhappy history of Bellevue Gardens is written today. The handsome and costly tea house, which occupied a commanding central site in the well laid out pleasure grounds, was reduced to ruins by fire at an early hour this morning, and that which yesterday was a beautiful ornamental enhancement to pleasant natural surroundings is rendered gaunt and unsightly object today. The fire was first detected ten minutes to four, when the flames were getting a secure hold on the structure. Some time necessarily lapsed, before
communication could be established with the fire brigade. The firemen had three hours’ strenuous work under handicapped conditions, but from the first there was no hope for saving the building. The suspicion that the suffragists were responsible for the deplorable happening is general, but is supported by the customary evidence, as literature was found in the vicinity as well as other traces which feminist fire-fighters generally leave in their trail THE FIRST ALARM The Bellevue grounds are patrolled nightly by a watchman, Andrew Larmour, whose home is at Glengormley. Larmour on his rounds had passed the teahouse at three o’clock and at that hour all was well, with nothing to disturb the peaceful early morning stillness nor to give presentiment of impending disaster. The watchman returned to his hut some distance away, under the shel-
The Cavehill Tea Rooms
ter of the Antrim Road wall, where he had a meal before resuming his patrol. Great was his consternation at ten minutes to four to observe smoke issuing from the south end of the teahouse, with an ominous glare of flame. His first thought was to get in touch with the fire brigade, so that a minute inspection of the building at the only the when it would be possible to discover if the walls had been saturated with paraffin or other inflammable liquid, was out of the question. He dashed off at once to the caretakers home, which is situated in another part of the gardens and where the keys of the tea house are kept. He alarmed the caretaker, Mr Ralph Dudgeon, who hurried with the watchman to the burning building, which was already enfolded in flames. The object of the men was to gain access to the manager’s office on the ground floor, which was equipped with a telephonic installation. Slates and timber were, however, falling by this time, so that it was only too apparent that approach to the apartment was out of the question, while in any case the hope of passing the call to the brigade department from the house was removed, as the wire was severed by a descending girder. Larmour then set off towards Glengormley to the nearest telephone. He knocked up Dr Loughridge and the Glengormley police, and, with Sergeant McMinnis, got into communication with the fire brigade through the
medium of Mr McMahon’s telephone. Meantime the alarm had already reached the brigade. So bright and vivid was the spectacle which the burning building in its commanding situation presented that it was seen from the Shore Road direction, and a tramway conductor on his way to early morning duty broke the fire alarm lamp at Greencastle and thus turned out the brigade. The first machines made their way to Greencastle, and thence, on ascertaining the exact location of the outbreak, made a rapid run along the Whitewell Road to the scene. The spectacle which met their gaze as they drew nearer the conflagration was at once impressive and almost awe-inspiring. The once ornate structure was wrapped in a garment of lurid flames, shooting up their myriad's of sparks, and lighting up the entire surroundings with the most vivid effects, the massive outline of the Cave Hill lending to the picture the setting of a majestic back ground. FIREMEN HANDICAPPED The first arrivals were quickly supplemented by men and machines from headquarters, Whitla Street, Shankill Road and Ardoyne stations, with assistant Superintendent Stafford in charge of the entire operations. The salving of the tea house, which was a wooden super structure of bungalow pattern, erected on a brick built base, was an utter impossibility, and added to the difficulties of the firemen was the awkward situation of the building from a fire fighting standpoint, and the absence of the usual facilities in
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 65 regard to water supply. Hoses had to conflagration. be laid for nearly half a mile to con- The firemen remained for two or nect with the Water Commissioners three hours, after which the machines Works at Glengormley. The connec- returned to the stations, one or two tion was, however, expeditiously men only being left on duty. made, and a turbine pump set in op- About 7 o’clock Mr A. Nance, trameration. Water was played on the ways manager, and Mr A. Blackburn, building in copious streams, and the chief engineer of the tramways, arefforts of the men were devoted to rived on the scene by motor and were protect as much as possible the un- spectators of the woeful havoc which der storey, which was used for stor- the fire had created. age and other purposes, for, as stated, the teahouse above was beyond all WAS IT THE SUFFRAGISTS? hope of saving, and was being gradu- In view of recent happenings the susally reduced to ruins. picion is general that the Bellevue The work of the firemen was at- fire marks a continuance of the setended with grave risks. There was ries of diabolical outrages for which a constant shower of slates and the militant Suffragists have been beams, while one after another the responsible locally. What would massive iron girders supporting the seem to confirm this is the fact that overhanging eaves that formed the two foolscap sheets of paper were veranda came tumbling down, add- found containing the usual silly refing to the desolate pictures of gen- erences to Sir Edward Carson. Few eral havoc and wreckage. structures would have lent themThe Brigade were successful in cut- selves more readily to the sinister ting off communication between the ends of the incendiarists. affected and non affected portions, The teahouse is accessible from a but the teahouse itself was entirely variety of directions, and in this case demolished. Nothing remains but the there would not even be the necesbare chimney walls, all else having sity of breaking and entering. A dash been reduced to heaps of smoking of paraffin on the woodwork on the ashes. The handsome building, with outside and the application of a whose attractive external appearance match would only have been the and chaste internal decorations the work of a minute, but work suffimajority of the Belfast public had ciently dastardly to encompass the already made themselves familiar, disastrous results which have now to has been completely wiped out. The be recorded. The hour at which the ornamental counters, the neat mirrors fire occurred lends colour to the inset in the walls, and the other universally accepted theory that the choice furnishings have, of course, lamentable event was maliciously all been involved in the caused.
You can read Joe’s column every week in the ...
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UNLUCKY FOR SOME! The 13th man to hang in the Crumlin Road Jail was American Eddie Cullens who was hanged on Friday the 13th in conclusion to one of Belfast’s strangest murders which took place on September 4th 1931. The naked body of Achmet Musa, a Turk, had been dumped in a field at Seskin near Carrickfergus after a horse on a milk cart refused to go any further on the nearby road. The man who had previously been shot through the head was naked except for a woman’s blue and white rubber bathing cap. The murder was similar to the Chicago style gangster killings in the United States of the time and caused great public interest in the North. Through channels known only to the Ulster police a girl was found who had seen the distinctive blue and white bathing cap in the car of a man, later to be identified as Eddie Cullens, who she had met and was about to join on a trip to Derry City before the body of Musa had been discovered. Patient inquiries, and the intricate process of deduction, based on and centred around the bathing cap enabled the police to spin the threads of circumstantial evidence into a rope strong enough to hang Cullens. The story that later transpired told how Cullens and Musa had been part of a syndicate formed in New York with another Turk, Assim Redvan, in an enterprise to exploit an old man named Zaro Agha, who was reported as "the oldest man in the world", aged
The body of Achmet Musa
156 years. The quartet arrived in England and became a side show with Bertram Mills’ travelling circus. While in Liverpool it seems something happened which led to the beginning of the plot to murder Achmet Musa. Both Cullens and Musa split from the other two and went to live at a house at Wavetree. The landlord told the police of how Cullens, who now called himself Bernard Bermann, had negotiated the lease and was interested whether or not the garage floor was concrete. The landlord later told of how he had disturbed Cullens as he was digging in the garage. At the subsequent trial, the Crown suggested that they believed he was digging a grave for Musa and because he was disturbed he had to think of another way to murder his victim.
It was after this that the two men ended up in Ireland. Cullens borrowed his other partner’s (Assim Redvan) car. The pair arrived in Belfast on the morning of Saturday August 29th and put up at Ryan's Hotel, Donegal Quay. On the Sunday afternoon, Cullens met two girls outside the General Post Office in Royal Avenue, intending to pick up Musa on the way to Bangor. While Cullens was changing the wheel of his car he asked one of the girls to give him out a towel which was in the pocket of the car door. It was then that the bathing cap fell out. This incident proved to be the damning at his trial. After the run to Bangor there were other excursions until the crucial date September the 2nd. On that evening
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Eddie Cullens arrives at Belfast Docks from England to stand trial for murder. Cullens said he went to the dog rac- Belfast. On Friday, the dead body of which even the genius of the eminent ing at Celtic Park with Mr. Ryan and the murdered Turk was found in a defence counsel could not overcome. The jury brought in a verdict of left Musa outside in the car. When field at Seskin. guilty, the sentence of death was prothey later came out he claimed Musa must have wandered off because he Cullens meanwhile had left Belfast nounced and the execution was fixed was no longer in the car. He said he on Thursday and travelled back to for January 13th 1932. Cullens returned to the hotel with Mr. Ryan England. The police found in his claimed American citizenship and and remained there for the rest of the baggage at Leeds, the case of a pis- various appeals for clemency misernight. Ryan however denied this tol of the odd pattern used in the ably failed. version of events and both he and his murder. Cullens was later arrested wife swore that Cullens did not stay by the London police on instruction Eddie Cullens was 28 years of age at in the hotel and that they never saw and description supplied by the the time of his death. Rabbi Shachter, who ministered to the condemned him again after leaving him, Mrs. Royal Ulster Constabulary. Ryan from earlier that day and Mr. A long and complicated trial lasting man was quoted as saying, " He went Ryan since leaving him at the three days followed his indictment to the scaffold with the deep conviction that his hands were clean and Grosvenor Road at around seven clear of the blood of this man." o’clock. Regardless of these claims he was executed at eight o’clock in the It was on Wednesday night that a morning on Friday January 13th farmer at Seskin near Carrickfergus 1932 by Pierrepoint and his assistant identified Cullens as the man he clearly saw in the beam of his car Wilson. So ended a series of strange and headlights as he was sitting in a parked car not far from where Musa’s tragic events which began in Eastbody was discovered. On Thursday ern Europe, travelled the ocean to a parcel of men’s clothes, cut and America, came back to England and blood-stained were found on a doorended at Belfast Prison on the Eddie Cullens step at Church Lane in the centre of Crumlin Road.
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FROM THE RICH TO THE POOR Clifton Street Cemetery
Everyone who holds an interest in the history of Belfast is undoubtedly aware of the existence of Clifton Street Cemetery. Most People know it for the same reason and that is that Henry Joy McCracken is buried there and almost everyone who comes to this graveyard come only to see his grave. But there are thousands of others buried within this sacred ground and these range from the rich families who prospered in the old town of Belfast through to the poor people who literally built it. Anyone who visits this ground should look further than the grave of Henry Joy McCracken. They should read the inscriptions carved out to others, within them is not only the history of this graveyard but also the history of the city in which we live. Although many of us throughout Belfast know this site at Clifton Street Cemetery it is difficult to imagine that its official name is "The
New Burying Ground." For many years a brass plate bore this inscription at the entrance gate on Henry Place and although it described it as ‘New’ it had been erected well over one hundred years after the graveyard was opened. According to Benn in his History of Belfast, the following advertisement was given publicity:Poorhouse, March, 1797. - The public are informed that the Burying Ground near the Poorhouse is now ready, and that Messrs. Robert Stevenson, William Clarke, and John Caldwell are appointed to agree with such persons as wish to take lots. And it would appear from the date that the gentlemen concerned in this venture were no amateurs in business. They must have possessed a sort of prophetic instinct that trouble was brewing, but could they possibly have foreseen a rebellion? You will find sufficient proof that their confidence was fully justified
if you stroll through the grounds hidden away behind the modern edifices, which form the eastern side of Carlisle Circus. Every now and again in this perfect labyrinth of tombs you may notice dates which follow very closely on the date of the advertisement. But all other considerations are ousted in the joy of surprises at the familiar names of famous townsmen - men famed in every business and profession that has made Belfast what it is today. One gets puzzled with the rush of memories. Here is the tomb of the distinguished Dr Alexander Henry Hailday, the intimate friend of Dr Drennan and of Lord Charlemont, who was reviewing officer in the days of the Belfast Volunteers. At the wall which skirts the Antrim Road lie the remains of his companion, Dr William Drennan, who played such a prominent part in the "Hearts of Steel" rising. When endeavouring to dissuade the
"Hearts" from attacking the military barracks and releasing their comrade, the doctor was seized by the mob and sworn to aid them. He carried out the terms of his oath, got Douglas released, but not before many of the mob had been killed and wounded. A few years later he was one of the founders the Belfast Society of United Irishmen but distanced himself from it before the 1798 rebellion. His memorial bears the following inscription:Pure, Just, Benign; thus filial love would trace The virtues hallowing this narrow space. The Emerald Isle may grant a wider claim, And link the Patriot with his country’s name. This poem was the first ever mention of Ireland becoming known as the ‘Emerald Isle,’ a name which is now a world famous reference to the
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 69 country. Many of the plots around Ground and offered him cash rethe walls were protected by tall iron wards for turning a ‘blind eye’ to their railings and in some cases stout activities. The caretaker agreed and vaults with iron doors and bars serve then laid a trap for their capture. as a resting-place. There are also There were also armed guards placed relics of the body snatching days here to keep bodysnatchers away but when grave robbers would come over these were soon disposed off after the surrounding wall and remove the they began firing their muskets to body of someone recently interred. pass away the long nights. A ‘coffin These would then be packed off to guard’ was also uncovered at Clifton the dissecting table of a surgeon in Street at the turn of the last century either Dublin or Scotland, as there to stop the body being removed from the coffin. This iron cage can be was no local demand. Today when we hear of viewed today in the Ulster Museum. bodysnatching we automatically The activities of the bodysnatchers think of it occurring in Britain or were stopped when new laws were Europe, but it also occurred in Belfast passed in the early 1830’s giving the and it did occur at Clifton Street. One surgeons a new source of supply. In of the few legal cases concerning lo- Belfast the bodies of ‘unknowns’ cal bodysnatchers surrounded a case were given to the medical researchwhere the bodysnatchers approached ers and their eventual remains were the caretaker of the New Burying buried in an unmarked grave in the lower ground of the burying ground. There is evidence within the graveThe old Belfast Poor House yard today, which shows other meawho opened Clifton Street sures taken to prevent Cemetery bodysnatching. Many graves still (Today’s Clifton House) have large stone slabs covering them and the large vaults of the upper ground show the measures taken by the more wealthy Belfast citizens. The graveyard is the final restingplace of the many merchants, millowners, bankers and shipbuilders who lived during the last century. It is also the resting-place of the town's poor citizens. Within the upper ground there are two large open spaces which contain very few tombstones. These are the graves of thousands of unfortunate Belfast folk who died during the cholera and fever epidemics of the 1840’s, as well as those who died over the years in the old Poor House.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
GRAVES OF CLIFTON STREET
This place is so full of interesting memorials as to be positively bewildering. Here is the burying ground of Narcissus Batt - the Batt's of Purdysburn; although the last of the line is buried at Ballylesson. James Luke, the banker; John Gregg, a name also connected with the city’s progress; Valentine Jones, "an eminent merchant and a gentleman of the first respectability," even though he was one of the many Belfast merchants who wanted to bring a slave trade here and very many more are all gathered together here in a final rest from their labours. Occasionally we come across something out of the ordinary. Men of learning are often eccentric and one tablet exemplifies this when it states that "Young! Moulders Here. This is over the remains of an eccentric College Professor, at one time connected with the Belfast Academical Institution. Next to this grave is a colleague, Revd William Cairns, LL.D, for 33 years Professor of Logic and Belles Letters in the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. Died 1848. Aged 64 If his term of tutorship only ended with his death he must have joined the staff shortly after the opening in 1814, when he had as a colleague James Sheridan Knowles. The newspaper world is represented by Francis Dalzell Finlay, founder of the ‘Northern Whig,’ and Alexander Mackay, jun, who was connected with the earlier days of the ‘Belfast Newsletter.’ Even so long ago as 1800, shipbuilding had lost several masters, notably the Ritchie's, from whose yard in
1807 was launched "a very large ship of 400 tons burthen." Up until the beginning of the last century many of the families, who had still living representatives were providing new memorials. These were generally placed in front of the original tombstone, and thus the antiquity and the records were both preserved. Chief among these was the Sinclair Family, about which Benn says in his History of Belfast, "Whether we consider their consis-
tent political opinions or their high standing in commerce, the Sinclair family must be deemed one of the most important in Belfast." There are the Hyndman's, which had a statue of a dog on top of the new stone, and the legend is that this is the representation of a faithful animal (belonging to the family) that was so much distressed at its mistress’s death it could not be torn from her grave, and it eventually died there.
Not far away are the Joys and the Ekenhead's, while a very modest memorial covers the last resting place of the parents of Sir Donald Currie. It would simply demand an entire volume if an attempt was made to give a full list. There is also the grave of Michael Atkins, who was a well known Victorian Belfast actor. But we will return to the lighter side, and reproduce gems which have been gathered from this mine of information. On a flat stone is the following:Raised to the Memory of Henry M’Dowell eldest son of Henry M’Dowell, of Belfast, in the 7th year of his age. For his years This engaging boy was intelligent and pleasingly inquiring, Evincing an eagar desire for information and blending with sweetness of temper a disposition the most affectionate By his endearing manners exciting early and warm attachments By his death leaving behind him deep and sincere regret. He certainly accomplished a great deal in his seven years, but many parents would not consider ‘the desire for information’ in their children anything to write epitaphs on, while the ‘pleasingly inquiring’ youngster is the worry of many a fond father’s life even today. In another portion of the graveyard we have one erected to Captain John Mullin. He was
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 71 probably a sea captain, but his vir- To whom related or by whom begot A heap of dust alone tues and other things are eulogised remains of thee in the following couplet:‘Tis all thou art and all Fair science frown’d not on his the proud shall be. humble birth But melancholy marked him for her Someone must have been unhappy when they chose or composed that own. In the early years of the nineteenth verse. A plain black railing with a century it appears to have been the metal tablet and the simple inscripcustom to express the grief or other- tion:The Burying Place wise in verse. That it was sometimes of ‘otherwise’ is proved by the followHenry Joy McCracken. ing token, a small insignificant stone hidden among the over hanging trees, Many visitors to the graveyard take and over shadowed by the larger this to be the insurgent chief, and flowers are frequently deposited memorials around it:there, but although he may have been Charles Minnifs, jun., who departed this some relation to the hero of ‘98 he is not ‘THE’ Henry Joy McCracken life March 25, 1806, whose grave can be found elsewhere Aged 24 years. in the cemetery. How loved, how valued once, Next to this plot is the grave of Dr. avails thee not
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Map of the lower Antrim Road area in 1880 showing Clifton Street Cemetery
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Stuart, the historian of Armagh, who was once connected with Christ Church in Belfast and where there was a large memorial tablet dedicated to his memory. The cosmopolitan nature of the inhabitants is further enhanced by the presence of a few foreigners:Here Lieth the body of Nicholas Burdot of Chaumont in Bossigni in Champagne and nearby is one to a "Dorenza Eid," beside which is another poetical epitaph. It is to John Pritchard Clarke three months:Grieve not my parents dear. I am not dead but sleepeth here. My debts are paid and that you see Prepare for death and follow me. He certainly was wise for his age, and if he was consulted at all in the construction of his epitaph, he was a patriarch in wisdom. Imagine having debts at three months!
Everywhere one turns they are confronted with the most elaborate arrangements - quite different from anything in other cemeteries. There is a miniature chapel to the late William Dunville, with ornamental iron gate. The Bristow's, of banking fame, are strongly represented, and there is one to John Hamilton who was one of "The Four John’s" concerned in the early financial institutions of Belfast. In his History of Belfast,’ George Benn says there were no constables in Belfast in 1801, but they must have been introduced shortly after, for we have a memorial here to John Smith, High Constable of Belfast who died in 1810. We have a curious case in a stone which records that Here lyeth the body of James M’Gee and, after giving particulars, states he
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died in 1714. Aged 80 years. There also lies here James M’Gee, Merchant in Belfast, son of James M’Gee. and he died in 1703. As the burying ground was not opened for nearly a century after they died it is obvious that their remains, or the memorial, was taken from another burying place, probably the old burying ground in High Street. The grounds are divided into two separate sections by a wall running parallel with the Antrim Road, and it is natural enough that the lower or new portion does not contain so much of interest to the historins. But several of those mentioned in this article are to be found there. Every stone seems to breathe chapters of history, and although when the new section had been opened the fashion in epitaphs had changed considerably, yet the names alone furnish substantial food for thought to those interested in local history.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
THE BRUTAL MURDER OF MINNIE REID On August 3rd 1932 a group of children came across the body of a woman lying in some bushes near Derryane in Co. Armagh. They immediately contacted the local police who in turn set up a murder investigation. The C.I.D. from Belfast were soon at the scene and upon further investigation identified the remains to be Minnie Reid. Her throat had been cut. The scene of the crime was covered in dense undergrowth, which made the search for clues more laborious. A bloodstained razor was eventually found in the undergrowth about 14 feet from the body. Head Constable Slack of the C.I.D. and District Inspector Anderson conducted the investigations and after a fortnight the police trail led them to arrest a man named Harold Courtney. After being questioned at Coalisland. He was charged with murder and taken into custody. In his statement, Courtney acknowledged that he had known Minnie Reid for four or five years but had never kept her company at any time. He claimed he heard she had gone to work at Portadown but did not hear where she was until he read of her death in the papers. He further said that he read she had gone to Vernersbridge Station and then to Verner’s Inn to meet a man on the Monday before her death. Courtney could not account for his own movements on that date, claiming he had been in so many places he could not narrow it down to a specific location. Courtney’s clothes were taken from after his arrest and sent to London
for forensic examination. The accused was returned for trial at the Ulster Winter Assizes at Downpatrick, before Lord Justice Andrews, and the case excited the keenest interest all over the North. The defence case claimed "not guilty" while it sought to prove that the woman had possibly committed suicide. Courtney to this end was magnificently defended by Mr. William Lowry, Kings Counsel and Mr. B.J. Fox and the trial lasted for five days with almost fifty witnesses being examined. In the witness box
Courtney had a severe ordeal. In his direct examination by the Crown he admitted that practically all his statements to the police were fabricated, but he claimed that he lied because he did not want his name linked to Minnie Reid as he was engaged. He said Minnie Reid had asked him to meet her in Portadown on July 12th, and as he was going there to a drumming party he saw her. She told him she was in trouble and he promised to make inquiries and he promised to make inquiries regarding a hospital for her. He was to meet her
An attempt was made to save Harold Courtney from the hangman but without success
at Vernersbridge to tell her the results of his inquiries and went there, but apparently did not see her. He then wrote to her asking her to meet him. He hired a car to keep the engagement, but on the Tuesday night he decided to have nothing more to do with the affair and wrote her to that effect, posting the letter at Aughnacloy. The jury finally disagreed and Courtney was sent forward to the Armagh Spring Assizes. There practically the same evidence was tendered, but the defence brought in strengthened evidence that the wound had been suicidal. The trial again lasted five days and the jury returned a verdict of guilty but recommended the prisoner to mercy. Before passing the death sentence the Lord Chief Justice (Rt. Hon. Sir William Moore) said he cordially approved of the verdict, but profoundly disagreed with the recommendation to mercy. "I think it was coldblooded, calculated and callous murder." "I think you betrayed this girl, and under the stress of her claims upon you, you butchered her and her unborn child." With passive countenance Harold Courtney, the 23-year-old Dungannon motor driver, heard sentence of death passed upon him. Asked by the judge if he had anything to say why sentence of death should not be passed, Courtney, in firm, ringing tones declared, "I am not guilty, my Lord. I did not kill Minnie Reid, and I am not guilty." Harold Courtney protested his innocence to the end. But was this the end of this convicted killer?
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 75 Rumours for years afterwards Coroner, Mr. T.E. Alexander at ten abounded in the Armagh area that o’clock that same morning, two Harold Courtney was indeed alive hours after the bolt was pulled. and well in Australia where he was Pierrepoint was the reported execusaid to have been seen by several tioner. Witnesses to the execution people who took advantage of the were; the prison medical officer, Dr. £10 Programme. They must have O’Flaherty; Captain R.W.Stevens, surely been mistaken though because the prison governor; Mr. Valentine the inquest into his death was carried Wilson, the Under-Sheriff for the out at Belfast Prison by the City County of Armagh.
After his execution rumours began to circulate that Harold Courtney had been seen in Australia. However, his hanging was overseen by a number of witnesses including the governor of Belfast prison Captain Thomas Moore Stuart.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
YORK STREET MEMORIES
In the first edition of this publication I compiled an article on Clifton Street describing how it used to be using an old Belfast Street Directory and my own scattered memories. Fortunately I seem to have got most of it right as there are always those who will make sure you are aware of any mistakes. I thought I would try this again only this time on a street familiar to most North Belfast residents - York Street. Because the street directories go right back to when the street was first built the most difficult aspect of this is picking a year to cover so I though I would go for the mid 70’s to allow me to throw in a few personal memories.
To give a basic history, York Street is named after the Duke of York, Frederick Augustus, as is the nearby Frederick Street. Now, like myself, most of us would never have heard of this chap but he is the same Duke of York of 10,000 men marching up a hill fame. York Street was once an extremely busy thoroughfare made up of offices, shops and of course houses. Looking at it today we would find this very hard to believe given that all it seems to be now is an extension of the motorway. The street in 1975 was certainly very different to what it is today and it is around that year that I would like to describe, in part, what it was like.
We all know that it begins at the junction of Lower and Upper Donegall Street and runs up to the York Road so we will begin out journey on the left hand side heading country wards. Needless to say many of us will remember the co-op stores and it was at this corner where they began. Here was situated the co-op Travel Agents which, if I stand correct, is still going although not at this corner. Next to this was the Green Shield Stamps shop where you took your stamps and exchanged them for various goods. These stamps were given out with various different purchases but to be honest I don’t remember too much about them. Then we had the main building of the co-op itself which was
When the Co-op Department Store was bombed in 1972 it was Christmas everyday to the local kids - myself included!
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History moved into this section after the department store at the junction of Frederick Street was destroyed in an IRA bomb attack in 1972. Now I know it wasn’t a bundle of laughs for the co-op but to us kids living nearby this bombing was heaven as it was Christmas every day. There were quite a few ways in past the Peelers and the amount of toys we obtained was quite phenomenal. We did not have Action Men - we had armies of Action Men and every one of them was married to a Barbie. When we came out I remember the Peelers were mainly unconcerned as it was those who were in looting electrical equipment and jewellery that they were after. The Peelers only gave us a clip on the ear or a boot in the @*$! but they never took the stuff off us. Back to the replacement building and one little remembered memory is that it was in here that the Orpheus Restaurant and Ballroom was situated. Moving along we come to York Lane and then the site of where the above mentioned bombed out store stood, but in 1975 it was a building site with a new store under construction. Crossing Frederick Street we come to what we called the ‘Bible Bashers Shop’ but what was really called the Bethel Missionary Trust. I remember a big massive Bible in their front window and every day they would turn the page. Next door was two draper shops one under the name of P. Tully and the other Miss M. Tully. Above these were office equipment suppliers and I remember my mum working as a cleaner in these. Each night she would take me down to give here a hand and it was there that I first saw one of those office desk
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Troops from the nearby Victoria Barracks clear rubble from the junction of York Street and Great Patrick Street. The original co-op building can be seen in the background. ball gadgets. Now I don’t know its name but you swing the end ball, it hit the next one, and the next, and the next and then the other end would shoot up before repeating the whole procedure again only in reverse. Once I discovered that all I could say was that mum never really got a hand again as I was constantly trying to work out how it worked. Back down to the street we then had McNeill & Co, decorating shop which only closed in recent years. Then we had a bookies, a newsagents shop and at the corner of Lancaster Street the barbers of John Turley. Crossing this street there was a vacant ground and then the Rivia Cafe owned by a man called Peter (although this is not what we called him!) and next to him was a derelict shoe repair shop. Crossing Great George’s Street there was a massive waste ground, which was cleared for the construction of the Westlink Motorway. Henry Street was next
and then the large factory of Gallaher's. We then came to Sussex Street and the small garage of David Craig, which was directly next door to the Bank of Ireland and the admin. offices of Gallaher's. Crossing Earl Street we then came to another massive section of the Gallaher factory which stretched along to Meadow Street. Crossing here we came to ‘The College’ which was a ladies and children's’ clothes shop. Next to this was Fosters of Castlereagh and then Ridgeway Ices, which was a sweet and poke shop. Next door was the Flower Basket and then Spencer Street. At its corner was a local branch of the T.S.B. and next to this John Wilson McCready & Sons, tailors to the R.U.C.. Then we had Wilson’s newsagents before reaching Brougham Street. This is where most people think York Street actually ends but they would be wrong. York Street continues right up to the junction of the Lime-
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History stone Road and it is from there that ernment building here (it still is) and York Street Foot Clinic and next door York Road begins. on the ground floor was Hopkirk’s the York Street Pharmacy before Car Spares which was blown up coming to the printers of John Today one of the most famous build- around at around this time. Next was McCaw. Around five vacant shops ings on York Street is, without doubt, the Regent Furnishing Company and followed this and then we reached the Art College. A few weeks ago then Thomas McClune Glass mer- Nile Street where vacant ground was we were talking about this building chants concluding with the United situated between it and Henry Street. and about how the art students once Confectioners at the corner of Little This was also the case between made a display which looked as Patrick Street. Trafalgar Street, Earl Street, North though a plane crashed into the build- Crossing over we had Conway’s Pub Thomas Street, Dock Street, Fleet ing. Needless to say this became one (which, if memory serves me right, Street, Ship Street and ending at of those pub arguments so if anybody was also known as the ‘Sports Bar) Whitla Street. This may seem like a has a photograph of this then please and then the large building of Philips lot of land going to waste but what send me a copy so that I may collect Electrical Company. Phillips were was occurring was that the entire area on a few drunken bets! The Art Col- just one of the tenant’s and I remem- was being cleared to construct the lege was built on land cleared after ber this is where the army recruit- present road and railway system. the German Luftwaffe blitz of 1941. ment office moved to after it was Often I think of how I remember Now I am ‘way to young’ to have any blown up when it originally stood down these parts with houses on all memories of this but I have spoken next door. Next was the fruit shop the above mentioned streets. How to quite a few who do. This whole of Miss Purse, McKeown’s many homes were destroyed because section of the street was destroyed newsagents, McKenna’s Dental Lab., of these roads? during the blitz right up to Little and then the A1 Taxis, which remain Crossing Whitla Street we came to Patrick Street wiping many of here to this day. Crossing Great the railway terminal of Northern IreBelfast’s well-known buildings - the George’s Street the North Belfast land Railway’s and one of our local International Hotel at the junction of Mission Hall was at the corner and mysteries. Even though this terminus Donegall Street being one. The Art next door was Shalloway’s Uphol- was situated on York Street why was College ends at Curtis Street and in stery shop. Next to this was the drap- it known as the York Road Terminal? 1975 the Universal Furniture Com- ery store of Isobel Harrision and then And that folks is the York Street of pany took up the opposite corner be- McCabe’s butchers. Then we had the the mid 1970’s. fore it became a showroom for AlfaRomeo cars. Next was a vacant ground the other end of which was occupied by Wynns Carpets and then McCausland Car Hire at the corner of Great Patrick Street. This company then moved to a temporary site behind the A1 Taxis and then to a new purpose built building on Great George’s Street. I remember when it was there that we used to tell younger kids that it was a prison because with the amount of barbed wire - that’s exactly what it looked like. Back to York Street and crossing The Army Recruitment Centre after an IRA bomb attack. Conway’s Pub Great Patrick Street we had a govcan be seen at the corner.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
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THE MOST FAMOUS EXECUTION Execution number fifteen in the Belfast Prison on the Crumlin Road is without doubt the most famous of all that institutions condemned cell, in fact it is such a notable case that there are still many people who think that it was the only hanging in ‘The Crum.’ On July 31st 1942 legal history was made in Ireland when six young Belfast men were sentenced by a court on Belfast’s Crumlin Road to be executed on August 18th. There had been times when six had been sentenced by court-martial and there have been six fold executions in Dublin throughout some of Ireland’s troublesome history, but this was the first time six people were condemned to forfeit their lives for the life of one other. Those condemned to death were Thomas Joseph Williams (19), Henry Cordner (19), William James Perry (21), John Terence Oliver (21), Patrick Simpson (18) and Joseph Cahill (21), all were residents of the Kashmir Road area. On Easter Sunday 1942, R.U.C. Constable Patrick Murphy was patrolling the Kashmir area of Belfast when a burst of shots were fired at them by the I.R.A. The police van in which Constable Murphy was travelling gave chase and later stormed a house in Cawnpore Street. Constable Murphy was the first to enter the property through the back door and he was later found dead in the scullery of the house, still clutching his revolver, from which three shots had been fired. One of the youths who was arrested was 19 year old Thomas Joseph Williams of Bombay Street. He had been shot three times and had been in police custody in the hospital before standing trial with the five other men. A woman, Margaret Nolan who was also charged was tried separately after
pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Thousands signed petitions for the men’s reprieve and the whole country awaited the response. Mr. D. P. Marrinan, the solicitor for the young men, brought the news to them on Sunday night August 30th. The six men who had been divided into three cells, were brought together into one room for this extraordinary legal visit. "I have very good news for you all with one exception". All had been reprieved except Williams. The other five men were immediately taken to another part of the prison and Williams was left to face the hangman. Father Alexis of Holy Cross Monastery, Ardoyne, celebrated Mass in Williams’ cell on the morning of the execution and the condemned man received Holy Viaticum. At 7.15, Fr. McAllister, the prison Chaplain and Fr. McAneaney of St. Malachy's, celebrated a second Mass after which Williams was anointed. Fr. Alexis said, "Williams was praying all the time as he walked to the scaffold, a matter of a few yards. He seemed to be quite resigned to his fate. The condemned man
went calmly to his death without a tremor." Crowds of rival demonstrators had gathered on the Crumlin Road, outside the prison. A prison official opened the gate and the Declaration of the Sheriff was nailed to the door. An inquest was held at the prison three hours after the execution. The jury of fifteen availed of the opportunity to witness the dead body, which after hanging for the traditional hour had been cut down and laid out in a coffin below the gallows. Dr. Lowe, the City Coroner said the execution was ‘carried out to the letter of the law’ Death, in his opinion, had been instantaneous. A verdict was returned acknowledging that the body was that of Thomas Williams and that the sentence of death had been duly carried out. Afterwards, the body was taken and buried at a place set aside for such burials within the prison complex where it lay until the end of the last century. His remains were removed and buried in a family grave in Milltown Cemetery on the 19th of January 2000.
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NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
SAM McLAUGHLIN HANGS Forthy year old Samuel McLaughlin, of Cloughmills, County Antrim, was sentenced to death for the murder of his wife Nellie, and was hanged at Belfast Prison on Tuesday July 25th 1961. His hanging was the latest after a nineteen year lull. The condemned man had been waiting in his cell in ‘B’ Wing, from where a corridor led directly to the execution chamber. The other prisoners in the jail were awakened at seven and went to breakfast, but were taken back to their cells until after the execution instead of starting work as usual. A prison officer was quoted as saying that, "the atmosphere inside the walls was like that of a Sunday morning as the men sat quietly on their beds." A small crowd gathered at the jail and as the time for the execution drew nearer it had increased to around a hundred. Some women amongst the crowd wept openly and others were seen to pray. Mrs. Nellie McLaughlin was found with severe head wounds in the bedroom of her home on the 19th of October 1960 after the police were called, by a relative, to break into the house. Her husband, Samuel, had been working in England but had been home for the past few weeks. They had no children. At the winter Assizes the jury failed to agree on a verdict and the trial was rescheduled to take place at the Antrim Spring Assizes in April. His appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal based on the defence that he was
The cottage where Nellie McLaughlin was murdered. in an alcoholic delirium failed even though two petitions with several hundred signatures were submitted for his reprieve. McLaughlin claimed that he had no recollection of what happened on October the 18th except walking along a grass verge next morning. He claimed he couldn’t remember how he even came to be there. It was later was revealed at his trial that he had come back from England when his wife brought maintenance proceedings against him. He had been drinking heavily that weekend. After the court case he had tried to see his wife on several occasions and he eventually met her in Richmond's public house in Cloughmills on October the 17th. His wife, who was under the influence, started to sing and this
apparently made him cry. He asked her to set up home with him again in Derby, England, where he had a job as a foundry worker. He then went to Lislaban that night with his wife and mother in-law and stayed the night. The next day he and his wife went to Loughiel and then returned to the cottage at Cloughmills. McLaughlin claimed that he had been drinking again and can’t remember what happened next. It was suggested by the defence that a verdict of ‘guilty but insane’ should be the proper action for the jury. In fact the defence counsel, Mr. R. W. Porter elaborated by saying, "You have already heard from Crown witnesses that McLaughlin had been a heavy drinker for a number of years
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History
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A small section of the crowd who gathered outside the Belfast Prison on the morning of the execution of Sam McLaughlin. and I suggest to you that you will be July 25th 1961 Samuel Mc Laughlin, took communion immediately prior satisfied on the evidence you have the 40 year old Cloughmills man was to his execution’ This was the fifalready heard that he had consumed executed within Crumlin Road Gaol. teenth person to be hanged at the a considerable amount of alcohol ‘He prayed with the chaplain and prison. between October the 13th and 18th. You shall hear moreover that on occasions in past years McLaughlin suffered from blackouts as a result of his alcoholism." It was brought to the attention of the jury that when the couple separated, Nellie McLaughlin claimed her husbands heavy drinking and violent temper were part of the problem. At his trial, McLaughlin told of the extent of his alcoholism. Between October 13th and 18th he claimed he consumed, three dozen bottles of beer, a half bottle of rum and a half bottle of whiskey daily. Several witnesses were called in his defence testifying to his alcoholism and blackouts. It was the view of an eminent psychiatrist, Dr. John Nabney, called by the defence, that McLaughlin did not know what he was doing at the time of the murder. At eight o’clock on the morning of
A warden nails the execution notice of Sam McLaughlin to the main door of Crumlin Road Prison.
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EVERYTHING HAS A HISTORY!
There is an old saying which states that the history we process is the history of the upper classes. For many years this was true as the history we were told was about those who were WKW (well known and wealthy). For example there is a memorial in the grounds of the City Hall to those who died on the ill fated Titanic. This would seem like a nice gesture but those who are named on it are listed in terms of importance and wealth. Another aspect of this was the houses in which these people lived in. We are often told about the history of their great mansions but the simple fact of the matter is that every single building in Belfast has a history. For me to give an example I have chosen the burnt out remains of 202 Duncairn Gardens. Looking at the picture none of us would give it a second glance but lets look at its past. Duncairn Gardens was laid out in the late 1880’s and its first buildings began to appear in the mid 1890’s. It went through the massive gardens of the Duncairn Estate (hence the name) and on this estate stood two mansion houses, Duncairn and Fortfield. In the Belfast street directory we are informed that most of Duncairn Gardens has been constructed but it does state that houses 164 - 200 are under construction. In the following years directory the property is listed as number 200 but the fact of the matter is that it is situated four doors down from Halliday’s Road so the actual numbers can indeed be sometimes confusing. Its first tenant was a butcher named Samuel Bink and next door a newsagents was established which actually remained until just a few years ago when it was forced to close after a horrific loyal-
ist attack. In the directory after that the butcher is listed as a Mr Pink and then in 1900 the shop is lasted as vacant. The Belfast Street Directories are extremely useful in listing who lived where but when we come to 1901 there is an excellent second resource in the form of the Census of Ireland Returns which are actually quite detailed. Sadly the only census returns available are for the years 1901 and 1911 as all the others were destroyed in Dublin during the Irish Civil War in the early 1920’s. The census re-
turn for number 202 tells us that another butcher moved in by the name of Robert Ellwood and that he was a beef butcher. He was aged 28 and lived with his wife Elizabeth, also aged 28, and their one year old son Earnest. Mr Ellwood came from Antrim but both his son and wife were born in Belfast and all were Church of Ireland. Those who compiled the street directories were obviously not doing a very good job as the shop was listed as vacant until 1904 when it became a hairdressers shop under a H. MacMahon. Mov-
The burnt out remains of 202 Duncairn Gardens
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History ing forward to the 1911 Census of Ireland Return we are told that the H stands for Henry, that he was 32, single and a Presbyterian. Obviously the hairdressing business was a lot better that the butcher trade on this spot as Mr MacMahon stayed here until 1927. But try and imagine was must have been talked about in this hairdressers during Mr MacMahon’s period. Among the discussed topics would have been the building and sinking of the Titanic, the First World War, the Easter Rising, the partition of Ireland and quite a few other notable events. Back to the directories we are told that a hairdresser of the name H. A. Reynolds took over. He stayed until 1935 until it was taken over by yet another hairdresser called Rolston who seems to have remained here until 1980. Now I don't think that Mr Rolston remained the hairdresser in question for 45 years so it would seem that it must have been a family affair. During their time here it was one conflict leading to another. The shop had a narrow escape during the Luftwaffe Blitz of 1941 when a lot of Duncairn Gardens was bombed on the German’s way to the Waterworks which they had to destroy in order to return for a firebomb attack – no water, no defence! It was also in their ownership at the outbreak of the Troubles in 1969. Between 1980 and 1984 it was listed as a ladies hairdressers and in 1985 was listed as the Shalom Hairdressing Salon up until 1990 when the listing changed to just Shalom before becoming the Shalom Thrift Shop right up to its destruction by fire a few years ago. So there we have it. Here is a burnt out wreck of an old shop, which has a fascinating history so, what is that old saying about history and the upper classes again!
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The 1901 Census of Ireland return listing Robert Ellwood and family
Picture 3 The 1911 Census of Ireland Return listing Henry MacMahon The shop had a narrow escape during the German Blitz. This picture shows the upper end of Duncairn Gardens where the flats now stand.
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History One of my all time favourite pastimes is looking through old newspapers for interesting stories from our past. Quite often I would bring some of these reports to you via this column but there are some out there who seem to think that this is the easiest thing in the world to do. Nothing could be further from the truth. With the exception of researchers, no one quite understands the amount of old newspapers that must be searched through to obtain a good story. Then it must be typed up and checked for accuracy. I enjoy bringing the old reports as they appeared as the use of words in some of them is absolutely fantastic and the detail something else. For example one such case was a North Belfast murder which appeared in the Northern Whig on the 9th of July, 1929: -
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BELFAST WOMAN MURDERED Head Battered in With Hammer A middle aged woman, wife of a retired linen worker named Thomas Mathers, was found dead yesterday in the kitchen of her home at 5 Gainsborough Drive, Belfast. Her head had been battered in, apparently with a coal hammer that was found covered with blood near by, and the discovery of the tragedy followed a statement said to have been made by her husband. Mathers, a middle aged man, short of stature, with hair turning grey, walked into York Road Police Station, which is a short distance from his home, and, it is reported, told the sergeant in charge that he had killed his wife. Police were sent to investigate his statement, and found the woman lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen. A peculiar feature of the affair is that Mathers was allowed out on bail in Belfast Police Court on Thursday, when he was charged with attempting suicide. Evidence then revealed that he had been found unconscious in a gas filled room,, and, as reported below, the magistrates, in taking a merciful view of the case, were influenced by the appeals of his wife. While the case was being heard Mrs
Mathews pleaded earnestly for her husband, describing him as "the best of husbands." Neighbours state that both Mathers and his wife had for a long time been :funny in their ways." Mathers, it is stated, usually wore a vacant look, but the couple seemed devoted to each other. They had no children, but were apparently perfectly happy. THE POLICE DISCOVERY Outwardly the house in Gainsborough Drive presented no unusual appearance when the police arrived. They were accompanied by Mr Hawe, a grocer, whose shop is at the corner of the Drive. "It was a terrible job," said Mr Hawe to a Northern Whig representative. "Mr Mathers must have left the front door unlocked, for we did not need to use a key when we reached the house. He must have been agitated when he left for the police station, and forgotten to lock the door." The interior of the house was in perfect order when the police entered, but a gory sight met them in the kitchen. Here, in the centre of the floor, was the body of Mrs Mathers. She was dead, and an examination disclosed that the side and top of the
skull had been almost battered in. Pieces of bone were protruding outwards and inwards, and her hair was clotted with blood. The body lay in a pool of blood, and by its side was a small coal hammer. This also was covered with blood, and strands of hair adhered to its head. The woman’s injuries were terrible, and it was obvious that she was quite dead. No screams or sounds of struggle were heard by the neighbours on either side, but it is believed that Mrs Mathers was attacked unexpectedly from behind, stunned by the first blow, and afterwards battered to death. The murderer must have hit the unfortunate woman with great force, and a tremendous rain of blows seemed to have descended on her head. Splashes of blood were to be seen on the walls and pictures. These indicated the ferocity with which the blows had been struck. HUSBAND’S "FUNNY WAYS" Mr Hawe accompanied the constable throughout his examination of the kitchen, and he afterwards summoned an ambulance in which the body was removed to the Royal Victoria Hospital.
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Mathers, meanwhile, had been detained in the police station. He did not return to the house, which is now occupied by a police constable, but was removed later in the day to the main Bridewell at Chichester Street. The dead woman was slightly taller than her husband. Both were about fifty years old, and Mathers, whose appearance is mild and inoffensive, is short and grey haired. Mrs Mathers was about 5ft 7in in height, with dark hair and a dark complexion. She was described by a neighbour as a fine looking woman of slim build. Mr and Mrs Mathers were of a reserved disposition. The dead woman rarely spoke to her neighbours, but her husband had a habit of talking to strangers in the street. "He would talk about all sorts of things," a neighbour said, "and often his conversation was just so much nonsense. But they were both quiet and very respectable, and I can not understand why she has been killed. If Mr Mathers has done it it must be because of his funny ways. He has not seemed very well for some time lately." Mrs Mathers, it is learned, belonged to the Dollingshead district of Lurgan. She and her husband had lived for some years in America. They returned when Mathers retired, and lived for a time in the Cregagh district until they bought the house in Gainsborough Drive nearly two years ago. After hearing of the attempted suicide case on Thursday Mathers and his wife returned home, apparently
The house in Gainsborough Drive where the murder occurred quite happy. Later in the day neighbours saw them leave the house and return together, and there seemed to be nothing wrong. Surprise and sympathy are general in the neighbourhood. Now if it were not for me coming across articles such as this then there
are very few people in Belfast who would ever have heard of this case and its later outcome was one of sympathy. Due to his ‘funny ways’ the husband escaped the hangman’s noose in Crumlin Road Prison but he was later committed to the District Lunatic Asylum for life.
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THE FINAL EXECUTION
There is not a man in this court can say I killed Pearl Gamble, because I didn’t, I am innocent of the crime! That was part of the dramatic speech from the dock by Robert Andrew McGladdery who was found guilty of the wilful murder of a 19 year old shop assistant. The speech came after a jury had returned a guilty verdict on the seventh day of his trial on October 16th, 1961. The trial captured the attention of the general public and Lord Justice Curran presided throughout. Pearl Gamble was found strangled and stabbed in a field near her home on January 28th after attending a dance at Newry Orange Hall. Her dead body had been dragged or carried across three fields before it was left partially concealed in a clump of whin bushes at a place known as Weir’s Rocks at Damolly. McGladdery who had danced twice with Pearl at the dance that night denied having any part in the killing. He claimed that after leaving the dance hall he walked home alone by the Belfast Road. He had been in the witness box for almost six and a half hours in an attempt to save himself from the hangman’s noose. His defence was conducted by Mr. James Brown Q.C. and Mr. Turlough O’Donnell (instructed by Luke Curran of Newry) and took 100 minutes in their closing address. At the end of this Mr. Brown asked the jury to retire to their room and ‘weigh well all these grave matters,’ and bring in a verdict which the defence submitted would be the proper one Not Guilty. The Attorney General, Mr. W. B. Maginness, with Mr. C. A. Nicholson Q.C. and Mr. R. J. Babington appeared for the Crown. Their address took 80 minutes to deliver and they submitted that if the jury was satis-
fied, ‘that the man in the dock on that awful morning of January 28th killed that young girl in this ghoulish fashion, then as men and citizens, helping in the administration of justice, and satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt, you will do your duty and bring in a verdict of guilty.’ There was a lot of circumstantial evidence and witnesses involved in the
case although no-one actually saw the killing. The point of what clothes McGladdery had been wearing on the night of the murder was investigated in great detail during the trial. In particular, the articles of clothing, which corresponded in description to those, which witnesses claimed McGladdery had been wearing at the dance and were subsequently found Pearl Gamble
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History hidden in a septic tank (close to the scene of the murder). There were thirteen witnesses and although some disagreed about the exact colour all agreed that it was a "light suit". McGladdery denied he had ever owned a light suit and claimed he wore a blue suit at the dance. He later tried to implicate his pal, Will Copeland, by claiming that he had loaned him some clothes similar to those which were discovered in the septic tank. Lord Justice Curran had taken two hours summing up. The courtroom was crowded and many more stood outside unable to gain admittance. The all-male jury brought in their verdict of GUILTY after being out for 40 minutes. Lord Justice Curran stated that "the facts cry out that this was a brutal killing" donned the traditional black cap and fixed the date of the execution for November 7th. An appeal was immediately entered on McGladdery’s behalf by the defence counsel and they were quite confident of gaining a reprieve. While back in prison McGladdery wrote a 16-page autobiography which was submitted to the Cabinet as part of his appeal. All his attempts at avoiding the hangman failed and his execution was re-scheduled to take place four days before Christmas, December 21st. Before eight o’clock came McGladdery sat in the condemned cell and for the first time since his arrest, and perhaps realising that he might soon be going before his Maker after listening to the advice of his religious ministers, he confessed to the murder of the poor unfortunate girl. This execution not only ended the life of one Robert McGladdery but also the trade of the hangman in Crumlin Road Prison as his was the last to take place in that institution.
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Robert McGladdery
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had a history stretching back to CASTLES IN THE SKY before the United irishmen’s 1798 There has been a lot of media we can see that the old 1950’s policy speculation over the future of the tower blocks in the Victoria Barracks area of the New Lodge. As one who has been involved in numerous issues concerning these high rise flats for quite a few years now I can personally assure people that these flats will be around for quite some time to come - so don’t be getting the wallpaper for the new house in just yet. But one interesting thought came to me when I was asked last week on how old the flats were and although we look at them as modern structures it’s quite hard to believe that some of them are approaching their 50th anniversary. Their history is also a unique one and when we look at the area today
of cramming people into as little space as possible has failed. I was brought up in one of these tower blocks and to be honest it wasn’t too bad. In those days we had a massive field next to us where the Westlink is now built and for years we had the derelict houses of Sailortown to keep us occupied but now almost every space is taken up and today’s kids seem to be getting more and more crammed in as each year passes. Although we were lucky in our flat (there was only me and my brother) other larger families were packed in and it must have been a bundle of laughs at bedtime! But back to the flats and their history. They were built in the site of the old Victoria Barracks which
The German Luftwaffe Blitz saw the beginning of the end for Victoria Barracks. In this picture the old Ashton Centre and Churchill Street can be seen in the background.
Rebellion. This barrack was one of the largest in Ireland and the incident which sealed its fate was the Luftwaffe Blitz in 1941 when the whole place was blown to smithereens with many hundreds killed (mainly ATS girls) The authorities realised that such a military installation was now a sitting duck as far as enemy bombers were concerned and a decision was reached to divide the base and move it to Holywood, Lisburn and the nearby Girdwood Park. This left a massive amount of land available and because there were numerous plans made in the 1950’s concerning new road systems lots and lots of houses had to be demolished. With houses come people and these had to be rehoused
The first of the tower blocks goes up. When completed this was named Alanbrooke House. (Now Finn House)
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 89 somewhere. The Belfast military kept a major section and Corporation then acquired the once they moved out of this a new Victoria Barracks site and while the housing estate to be built (the original development plans were to present Carlisle Estate) keep many of the sleeping quarters Work began on the first tower block of the barracks for housing this was in the early 1960’s and by the end ruled out on fire safety grounds. of the decade all were complete with Most of the barrack was then the whole area being completed by demolished with only a few 1970. buildings to remain, the gymnasium We lived in Artillery House and my (now The Recy) and the Officers dad was the caretaker of the block. Houses (now renamed Victoria When Churchill House was finished Barracks). This demolition work he was transferred there to the began in two stages. The first was caretakers flat on the ground floor to allow the construction of the and off shoots of our family have seven tower blocks while the remained there ever since.
Two of the blocks completed in 1963. Alanbrooke House (back) and Alexander House. To the left of the picture the last remaining part of the Victoria Military Barracks can be seen.
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FROM CHURCHILL TO CUCHULAINN
My family moved into Churchill House in 1969 when I was just four years of age. My first memories of growing up here was the view from the roof of the flats. My dad was the caretaker and he took me up there when he had to clean the engine room and to me the view was just breathtaking (it still is!) At the front of the flats I remember looking down on the remaining section of Victoria Barracks which was being demolished at the time to clear the way for the construction of Carlisle Estate. This was an adventure playground for us and, to be quite honest, I’m surprised none of us ever got killed considering some of the things we got up to in it. In a short time the last of Victoria Barracks was gone and work began on the estate. One thing that I can remember about this was the extremely short time in which Carlisle Estate was erected. One minute they were laying the foundations and when you came back a few days later the house was there.
Back to the flats and they say that in childhood lifelong friendships are made. This is quite true. After a few years living here the friends I made were (from top of flats to bottom) Paul ‘Scelf’ O’Neill and Jamesy Davidson (both of whom lived in number 12) and brothers Terry and Paul ‘Bouncer’ O’Neill (who lived in number 5). There was a sixth member to this small group called Jim Madden (who also lived in number 12) but sadly he died in a tragic accident in 1979. However, the five of us are still friends and still go out on the occasions which we are allowed. The flats throughout the 1970’s were quite a strong community and while I liked most of those who lived there I must confess that there were also those whom I detested but thankfully these were only a few. Now I admit that in growing up I was no angel but there was one person in particular who blamed me on absolutely everything that happened. On one occasion she went to the local ‘police force’ and
Photograph taken from the spire of St Patrick’s in the late 1960’s. The tower block in the foreground is Churchill House under construction. To the left of the picture is the remaining section of Victoria Barracks and to the right the old army gym, which was to become the Recy. The building at the bottom of the picture is the old St Kevin’s Hall.
brought them to our flat. Once there she stated that she had saw me breaking the two lifts the night before with a hammer and that everyone had to walk up and down the stairs. Understandably everybody in the whole block were fuming at this but imagine the surprise on that woman's face when my mum turned to her and factually told her that I had been in hospital the past five weeks. Needless to say she stormed out and right up until the day she died there was never even a ‘sorry for my mistake.’ The flats had their tragedies and I remember one when an old woman who lived a few floors above us fell while washing her windows. I remember hearing her scream as she was holding on and running in to get my dad. It was then that me and my brother were thrown into our room so that we did not see what happened but what we do know is that the poor woman fell and died. A few hundred yards from our flats was the local bar known as McGurk’s. Needless to say we all know what happened there and some of those killed lived in Churchill Flats. I remember mentioning the McGurks
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 91 to state for the better. The main change Photograph taken the day after the was the name as the block was later McGurks bomb with Churchill renamed CuChulainn House. There is House in the background. now a security service and the block is now mainly spotless. The flats got double-glazing, heating and lots of internal work and they are actually not a bad place to live and if I were on my own I would be back tomorrow. But one of my earliest memories of growing up in Churchill House was watching members of the Official IRA building a barricade across Victoria Parade. When they went home for the night we ‘borrowed’ bomb before in a previous article and when he came in and saw you on it, it their tools a dug a big hole in the field a few of the local ‘know it alls’ stated was a good idea to make a hasty re- at the front of the flats. Of course that there was no way I could remem- treat. In those days it was run by An- there was no point to this hole but ber the McGurk’s Bar bomb as I was thony Duffy and the period was per- when we reached the bottom we came too young. Well I must that them for fect because if you were swinging, fell across a set of steps which obviously the compliment in acknowledging my and fractured your wrist it was tough. led to one of the buildings of Victoria tender age but when a massive bomb Up to hospital, plaster on and that was Barracks on one of the steps was engoes off facing where you live and fif- it. These days its down to the solici- graved 1888. I remember finding this teen people are killed then in has a tors office first. fascinating and today I often wonder tendency of sticking in your head. Churchill House has changed dra- if this was the seed that led to my inMy main memory relating to this matically over the years and I’m glad terest in local history. bombing was the way all the broken glass in the flats piled up. When all the windows blew out the glass was piled in a weird triangle shape which looked as though someone had spent hours piling and shaping it. Next to Churchill House was the Recy and for year this was our haunt. Shortly after we moved into the flats this was opened up as a recreation centre (hence the name Recy) and to be quite honest it was brilliant. This building was the old army gymnasium of Victoria Barracks and the military had left every thing behind within it. I remember all the kits bags and skis (yes skies) and all the massive rope nets. Inside large slings were tied to the rafters for swings with the best being the one in the centre. This be- Birds Eye view of the Barrack area in 1971. Churchill House is the tower block on the bottom right og the picture. came known as ‘Carlo’s Swing’ and
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HUMAN HORSES AND BONFIRES!
W
hen the previous article first appeared in the North Belfast News it created a bit of debate and I must admit that it made me a bit smug writing this because an old resident of Churchill House thought she was correcting me and placed a £10 bet that I was wrong. Well a quick glance through the Registry of Electors to confirm what floor someone lived on made me £10 richer. Talking about gambling I was also reminded about one of the most unique features of living in the Barrack area and I can’t believe that I forgot about it. When we were kids we played with our Action Men in the nearby waste ground but the then children of a well known local family had a more unique past time. On the field facing Churchill Flats they laid hurdles and when complete they then raced over them. Nothing unusual about that I hear you ask but what they were pretending to do was horse racing and they were the horses - complete with whips! Now I know they are going to be reading this with a slight hint of embarrassment but sorry lads - it was your cousin Curly who reminded me! Now another reminder which came my way was about the bonfire which used to be beside the flats. However, I must point out that I was keeping that for a future article, but considering so many people took me up on it I suppose I might as well do it now. Next to Churchill Flats was the spot of the famous (or is it infamous) Barrack Bonfire Gang and looking back with a sensible head on I really am
The Barrack bonfire under construction in 1986
surprised that no one was ever killed during their exploits. In the overall New Lodge area there were quite a few bonfire gangs during the summer months and these were The Barrack, The Piggy, Carlisle, Sheridan, Bruslee and Glenrosa but the two with the most hatred for each other were The Barrack and Sheridan as the others didn’t really count. The rivalry between these two was so intense that all sorts of dirty tricks were entertained including the burning of each others wood in order to have the biggest bonfire. Now I know I’m being biased here when I say that The Barrack had the biggest but there are old Sheridan members who dismiss photography and state that their ‘bonie’ was always the biggest - a debate which still goes on.
As many older people will remember the original bonfires on the Catholic side were lit on the 15th of August but after internment they were lit on the 9th, the first being on the 9th of August, 1972 as part of a protest campaign. At that time the bonfires were quite small compared to what they developed into which was after the ‘competition element’ came in. Collecting wood began around the end of June and for the kids of the estate this work was carried out day in, day out, and then there was the graveyard shift who guarded the wood through the night usually by sneaking out of the house through their bedroom window. The Barrack was weak in this department as most of the gang lived in the flats and climbing out the window was a
wee bit out of the question! For collecting purposes our travels took us far and wide and we gathered wood and tyres from the Docks, Sailortown and as far away as the Markets. Old houses were stripped and I remember one of the biggest Barrack bonfires occurred after Glenravel Street RUC Barracks was stripped of all its combustible material (after the lead and copper was taken of course!) Then there was the raids which, for those not in the know, was the stealing of each others wood and tyres. In this aspect I must admit that The Barrack were the most prolific and most evil because what they could not carry off they set fire too. I can remember a delegation being sent over to the Bruslee gang on the New Lodge Road to discuss a joint raid on the Piggy which was in North Queen Street. The Barrack were to go down from their area at 3.00pm and Bruslee were to do the same. Come the arranged time and a placed scout had reported that Bruslee had all went down the New Lodge Road to which The Barrack went across and took every single one of their tyres. There was not a lot they could do about it because Barrack had strength in numbers but there is no doubt that it was a devious move which I know Bruslee saw the funny side off later as most of their bonfire gang merged with The Barrack as did Carlisle and The Piggy so that in the end there was only two gangs left with the rivals being Sheridan. The Barrack also suffered as a result of raids with most of the attacks merging from the Unity Flats gang. This was one bonfire gang which we
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History Page 93 found quite difficult to break as we on this now I must confess that the found out over the years that over hairs on the back of my neck stand there people never seem to sleep as could you imagine if we had been 5am raiding parties were always de- caught! tected. But an arrangement was In the days before the bonfire a last reached and each agreed to leave minute push was made to get as much each other alone. One of The material as possible if it was looking Barrack’s strong points in defence as if Sheridan were getting the upwas the fact that it was situated next per hand but other raids included to the tower block of Churchill which excursions into Loyalist areas again meant that attacks on raiders could in order to obtain flags for said bonbe made from the roof. During these fire. For The Barrack gang the easy bricks were thrown and today I must pickings were Clifton Street Orange admit that I am glad that we missed Hall and the Shankill Estate. What our targets as a brick from this height occurred here was a few on the gravewould have undoubtedly killed who- yard shift would enter the area and ever it struck. quietly remove flags flying outside The Sheridan attempt in 1986
These raids were never confined to rival gangs within the area as many a raid was done by The Barrack on bonfires in the Bone, Markets and, believe it or not, Loyalist areas. One such raid I remember was on the Loyalist bonfire on the Shore Road facing the Grove Baths when a 5am raid resulted in a massive amount of tyres being taken but looking back
the houses. Another competition was to see which gang could get the most flags but, once again looking back, this was nothing more than out and out madness as the consequences of being caught are not even worth thinking about. Come the 8th of August and the bonfire now resembled a construction site. It was then that the men came
NORTH BELFAST Another Scattered History out and piled up the tons of wood in bed when this occurred as my heart with the kids acting as an army of really went out to him and his total ants in bringing the wood up to them. misunderstanding of what he was Once erected everyone then went and doing. got ready for the night including a Looking back today I’m glad that good bath and the compulsory carry these bonfires no longer exist as I out. At the Barrack site the one thing now realise the nuisance they must that always amazed us was the num- have been to the local community but ber from the Shankill Estate who in their defence I must admit that they came to watch. They gathered on the were perfect for keeping kids occuhill at the back of the Orange Hall pied throughout the Summer because with their carry outs and that was I remember when they were over the them getting to watch another bon- few weeks we had to wait to get back fire, have a drink and do no work to- to school were hell as we were so wards it whatsoever - and who can bored. blame them. After all they gave us a There are still bonfires in Loyalist bonfire to watch on the 11th of July areas in July and I really think that and an excuse to get a carry out. that community really need to wise This brings me to a more sinister side up to the destruction and cost of of bonfire time. There was one occa- these. To be honest I don’t mind if sion on said 11th night when a guy they burn wood but when you see all in a Glasgow Rangers shirt ap- the tyres going up in smoke then we proached the night shift of the Barrack gang and, in a broad Scottish accent which nobody could underThe old Mater Infirmorum stand, asked "what time are yous Hospital which was originally lighting your fire at?" Everyone was built as Bedeque House by George Thompson in the mid in total disbelief at what was going 1860’s on before their eyes when he stated that "the boys over there sent me down to ask what time you’re lighting your fire at." A few of the more sensible members of the gang then got the guy, took him down to North Queen Street Peeler Barrack and told them what happened. The Peelers in turn got him into a Landrover and wanted him to point out who sent him down. Whatever happened to him or if they got those involved we never found out but what I still find hard to believe is the fate that those who sent him thought they were sending him too and I’m glad that the ‘Starry Plough’ elements of the gang were Page 94
really need to think of the environment on this one, especially when we see bonfires made of nothing but tyres. Now I know no one on the Loyalist side is really going to listen to me on this one but I would point out one thing that was pointed out to me during a Barrack bonfire when I had my first child on my shoulders watching the huge blaze. "With all these tyres burning," he said, "imagine what that child is breathing in." Developments saw the end of bonfires in the New Lodge area. Star of the Sea School and the Ashton Centre took Sheridan's spot and the Westlink, houses and a park saw the end of the Barrack’s sacred place but to this day the arguments between The Barrack and Sheridan continue as to who had the biggest "bonie." (Incidentally it was The Barrack!)
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Fitzgerald’s Fruit and Poultry store at Number 11 Duncairn Street. This street was soon after renamed the Antrim Road and this shop stood next to the historic Clifton Street Cemetery. To the right of the picture is the stationery shop of Miss Browne. The photograph was taken at the turn of the last century. Peeble Cottage (below) which stood on Duncairn Street (facing top of New Lodge Road). To the left of the picture is Duncairn Presbyterian Church with its original lecture hall in the background. This photograph was also taken around the turn of the last century.