114 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814.. 



been here upon similar errands. 

 They were met by two men, sup- 

 posed to be from Newport, who 

 produced blunderbusses, ordered 

 the two other proctors to return to 

 Cashel, and detained Hardy, the 

 most obnoxious. They then fired 

 three shots at Hardy, and left him 

 for dead. The surgeon and other 

 persons came out directly from 

 Cashel, and afforded every aid ; 

 but the proctor died in three hours. 

 He had sufficient strength to re- 

 late the particulars, and name the 

 murderers, who were well known 

 to him. Pursuit was made, but 

 for the present they have escaped. 



Ballyshannon. — A few nights 

 back Mr. Corry Hurst, a respect- 

 able revenue officer, was treache- 

 rously shot in the streets of Bally- 

 shannon. He was returning from 

 Mr. Donogher's inn to his lodging 

 with a Mr. Green, when passing 

 the market-house, where it would 

 seem the assassins lay in wait, a man 

 approached, and after hesitating 

 a little as if to ascertain his object, 

 discharged a pistol at Mr. H. Mr. 

 H. not having fallen, another im- 

 mediately advanced, levelled closer, 

 and fired a second shot, which 

 passing through his body, he fel) 

 on his face and almost instantly 

 expired. Favoured by the darkness 

 of the night, the villains effected 

 their escape, dropping in their 

 hurry one of the pistols, a ramred, 

 and a shoe newly soled, which 

 were afterwards found on the road 

 by which they fled. For the com- 

 mission of this preconcerted assas- 

 sination, no possible motive can be 

 assigned, but that the deceased was 

 an officer, active, honest, and incor- 

 ruptible in the discharge of his 

 duty. A subscription reward for 

 the discovery of the villains was at 



once set on foot, and met with a 

 liberal co-operation on the part of 

 the gentlemen of the county, of 

 which Mr. Hurst was a native. 

 Such exertions, aided by what fur- 

 ther means the Excise Board feel 

 it their duty to adopt, will, it is 

 hoped, lead to the discovery of the 

 assassins. An inquest was held on 

 the body. Verdict — Wilful mur- 

 der against some person or persons 

 unknown. 



25. One of the officers of Has- 

 lar hospital being dangerously ill, a 

 medical gentleman who was attend- 

 ing him, had occasion, about two 

 o'clock in the morning, to send 

 the nurse from the officer's house 

 to the dispensary : the weather 

 being bad, the nurse wrapped her- 

 self round with a piece of red 

 baize, with which she covered, in 

 part, a candle and lantern, to pre- 

 vent the light from being blown 

 out, as the wind was very high. 

 The rays of light issuing from the 

 red covering, to the imagination of 

 a sentry at a distance, she appeared 

 a terrific spectre ; and as she ap- 

 proached him his fear so increased, 

 that he ran from his post with 

 kaste to the guard-house, where, in 

 about half an hour, he expired ! 



26. Last week, the person who 

 attends the gasometer at the factory 

 of Messrs. Benyons and Page, in 

 Shrewsbury, imprudently entered 

 it with a lighted candle ; the gas 

 was immediately ignited, and blew 



the 



together with 



up tne apparatus, .v^^^ 

 the roof of the building in which it 

 was contained ; but happily the 

 communication thus made with the 

 atmosphere had the effect of ex- 

 tinguishing the flame without in- 

 jury to the premises. The author 

 of this misfortune was very much 

 burnt, and was conveyed to the iji- 



